The McAllister Family

Son of Bernard and Angharad
Said to be 18 years old in February 1995

The following is based on a profile in the book "The Emmerdale Family Album" (by Michael Heatly and Published by Boxtree Paperback - 30 June, 1995 ):-

"The Newcomers

The year of 1993 saw not one but two new family arrivals - and in both cases they were to supply much-needed community services in the shape of the post office and Doctor's Sugery

Yet beneath their placid public faces, the Windsors and the McAIlistcrs were as turbulent as any family with growing children

In December 1993, leading the 'brat pack' of new Emmerda/e stars were Noah Huntley and Camilla Power; who arrived as brother and sister Luke and Jessica McAllister. The pair had already appeared together in the children's television serial Moonacre. . . .

THE McALLISTERS
It had been many years since the village had boasted ils own doctor, so the arrival of Bernard McAllister and his family' from their former hospital position in suburban Surrey was a cause of much pleasure. As luck would have it, the Doctor would play a role in the events surrounding the 1993 air crash and its aftermath, but the benefits of a surgery in the village - instead of having to travel to Hotton for medical attention - would clearly be felt for some while to come.

In all, Old Hall became home to four people: the doctor, his wife- Angharad. plus teenage children l.uke and Jessica. The position (of teacher at local Hotten Comprehensive School initially gave Angharad McAIlister tle opportunity of keeping a motherly eye on her offspring - but the aflemmth of the plane crash saw her lending a hand in nonacademic ways as the school was commandeered for humanitarian purposes.

Once order was finally restored, the only thing rending the peaceful country air was the noise from Luke's motobike,, which he employed to take him to his final years at school. He fell in with some dubious company, and his naivety seemed set to land him in some scrapes...

Jcssica, though two years younger than her brother, is rather more strcctwise and can quite often prove more mature - though not in matters of the heart. Her parents had hoped a move to the Dales would put distance between her and finace, Danny, a long-haired youth some years older than her, who they regarded as undesirable. Like so many teenagers, however, Jcssica proved less than willing to conform to her parents' wishes, and their disapproval probably prolonged the relationship beyond its natural end.

As may be expected given their positions in the comnmnity, Bernard and Angharad McAIlister were soon well known and respected by all. They both played a part in the` Turners' wedding preparations, and Bernard was a leading light in the administration of the Disaster Fund. Meanwhile. Angbarad proved herself snrprisingly uninhibited beneath a conventional exterior, most notably when persuaded on stage at Lynn Whiteley:s benefit night to cavort with the semi-clad 'Nobbies'.

It was all a long way from their comfortable Surrey life, but for the McAIlistcrs life in the Dales at first seemed just the prescription . . . "