The character is introduced as an F2 doctor for a workplace bullying storyline with registrar Lily Chao (Crystal Yu), appearing for a stint of eight episodes.

Alicia's backstory states that she has grown up in Newcastle where she attended medical school, but recently moved to Holby.

The character and her storylines have been well received by critics, with Elaine Reilly of What's on TV writing that she arrived in "a puff of pink hair and optimism".

She hoped that shadowing a doctor would allow her to make her acting appear more "realistic" and said she was "more confident with things like CPR", but would not be able to perform it in real life.

She’s completely caring and will always go the extra mile to give her patients the treatment they deserve.Alicia is billed as "bright and bubbly" and Halfpenny said that "she's got blonde and pink hair, so people expect her to be a bit ditzy, but she's not.

[10] Alicia's backstory states that she had recently graduated from medical school, which not only made her a brilliant doctor, but also a "genuinely nice person to be around.

"[9] In an interview with Olivia Heath (Reveal), Halfpenny described Alicia as a "clever girl" and "a quick learner" who does not appreciate how hard working in the ED is, but despite that is professional.

[3] On-screen, the character Connie Beauchamp (portrayed by Amanda Mealing) described Alicia as "a breath of fresh air".

[4] The show's executive producer, Oliver Kent, teased the episode before its airing, promising "a huge crisis of conscience" for the character which would make her question "her faith in her career.

Yu described the scene as "an explosion of all the emotions Lily has been feeling", adding it was "a shame that Alicia is on the receiving end of it!

Yu explained that Lily felt guilty, but believed that because of her bad experience being mentored by Martin Ashford (Patrick Robinson), Alicia should receive the same treatment from her.

In November 2015, the show's series producer Erika Hossington suggested that Alicia's departure was "an 'au revoir' and not a goodbye", teasing that the character should face Lily.

[22] Alicia returns as a locum doctor, following her parents' divorce, which would delight Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford) and Louise Tyler (Azuka Oforka).

[4] In July 2016, Winsor revealed to Duncan Lindsay (Metro) that Ethan and Cal would "end up competing" for the attention of an unnamed woman.

[27] He ran a poll asking readers for their opinion on who the character should date: 91% of people who answered said Ethan, while the other 9% opined Cal as the ideal partner for Alicia.

[26] In January 2017, Halfpenny revealed that the storyline had not been resolved in scenes the show was currently filming, which was five months ahead of transmission and quipped that "Nothing’s ever simple in Holby!

[37] In a September 2017 interview with Dainty (Digital Spy), producer Lucy Raffety called Alicia and Ethan "the lovely, glowy heart of the show" and expressed hope that the couple would reunite.

The special, which was filmed in Fishguard and Cardiff, follows Alicia, Louise Tyler (Aforka), Dylan Keogh (William Beck) and David Hide (Jason Durr) as they travel to France to offer their medical services at a refugee camp.

[40] During the day, Alicia treats Kam Kainth (Gary Wood) in an ambulance due to a lack of space in the ED.

"[41] Disillusioned with the NHS, Alicia creates an anonymous blog called "Rage in Resus", which outlines the struggles that the emergency department are facing.

[41] The actress hoped that fans of the couple would be pleased by their reconciliation, although she admitted that the weather was cold and windy when they filmed the scenes, which she disliked.

[43] When Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) warns Ethan to find the owner of the blog, Alicia begins to struggle with the pressure of maintaining her secret.

[42] "The storyline not only dramatises the devastating effect on Alicia, but also does not shy away from thorny and complex questions about the nature of consent and perception in a way that may well divide the audience.

"[44] The show's spring trailer, released on 16 March 2018, features Alicia looking upset and burning her clothes and collapsing.

[45] She questioned whether Alicia would be attacked, become ill or become pregnant, and wondered whether new F1 doctor Eddie McAllister (Joe Gaminara) would be involved in the storyline.

[47] Halfpenny felt "a distinct sense of responsibility" to portray the storyline accurately and thought it was crucial to use Casualty to highlight the issue.

[48] Halfpenny explained that she told the show's producer Lucy Raffety about her decision to leave Casualty as she was due to film Alicia's rape storyline.

[50] Later that year, Halfpenny was nominated for Best Soap Actor (Female) at the Digital Spy Reader Awards; she came in ninth place with 4% of the total vote.

[51] Alison Graham (Radio Times) labelled Alicia as "a dip-dyed flopsy" and "a cheerful Geordie with an almost supernatural ability to discover the secrets of others, just by looking at them.

[25] In March 2018, Halfpenny told Ellis of Inside Soap that fans of the show liked the pairing of Alicia and Ethan, which she thought was because they enjoyed seeing the relationship "blossom" from a friendship.