Angel O'Hagan: Victoria Taylor

Angel first appeared in Byker Grove in the 1991 series and left mid-way in the 1996 series - making her one of the longest serving cast members ever in the show.

Angel came to the Grove introduced as a friend of Jemma though she soon became friends with Noddy, after he left Denton Burns to join Byker Grove, Angel was also Duncan's assistant in the Magic Show.

During the 1991 threatened closure of the Grove, Angel assumed a lead role in the campaign to save the Grove from closure.

In 1992 we were introduced to Angel's family, though Brigid was not mentioned at this time. She had many brothers and sisters (3 each).

Angel tried auditioned for a role in the film Jive Crazy, but unfortunately Jemma trod on her foot accidentally. They both quarelled and Angel insisted she never wanted to speak to Jemma again. However, later she rang Jemma to apologise forgetting that Jemma had asked Angel previously to lie and say that she would be staying at her house. The surprise phone-call contributed towards Jemma's mother's miscarriage. Jemma was furious after Angel revealed her cover and set Angel the task of recovering the "spot ring" from Billy the Spot. Enlisting the help of her friend Noddy, they both acquired the ring from Billy Hewson, but unfortunately had to return when they were caught out by Geoff.

Angel's friendship with Noddy developed nicely, and they went off regularly fishing together. Once at the mysterious Winter House, they were intercepted by members of the Psychandrics cult. Another time, all of Angel's brothers and sisters accompanied them.

Angel often found herself dragged into Jemma's schemes and in 1992, she helped Jemma break into the film director's room in order for Jemma to get the lead part in the movie "Jive Crazy". As one of the support dancers, Angel took part in the shooting of Jive Crazy.

Angel and Jemma saw the idea for a cazoo band, after following Duncan and Noddy who were spying on Patsy at a jazz band. Together they formed a group and practised regularly at the Grove, finally giving a send off to Speedy, who was leaving Newcastle to join the army.

With Denton Burn being at the Grove, following the fire at their youth club, Angel was involved in the rivalry with Denton Burn, taking part in the quaser laser battle and also the fated paint-ball battle in which PJ was blinded.

In 1993, Angel continued her friendship with both Jemma and Noddy. Her and Jemma, made costumes for the new Grove band, Grove Matrix, originally making them out of aluminium foil. After the protests of the band members over the costumes, considering the charge of £10, they finally found retro clothing which would be suitable.

Angel and Noddy continued their outings fishing, but were lead to believe that a crocodile was loose in a local waterway. However, this was a prank by new Grover Gary Hendrix, who later started trying to come between Angel and Noddy.

Angel played a full part in the Shakespere play which was organised by temporary Grove helper, Tim. During a prank, Noddy was banned from the Grove, but Angel did not join in the No Noddy, No Grove campaign.

Towards the end of 1993, Angel was being tempted by Gary Hendrix, and Angel was quite impressed with Gary's motorbike stories. Noddy, competing announced that he too was in to motorbikes. At this point, one of Angel's sister's Brigid first appears, and Brigid agrees to look after the younger brothers and sisters so Angel can go off with Noddy on the motorbike he hired.

They both go off joyriding on the motorbike in the grounds of a large house and have a good time, so much so that they don't realise that time is passing quickly. Finally, Angel realises that she has to get back home before her mother comes home from work. Noddy agrees reluctantly to drive on the roads, but doing so, they are run off the road by a runaway lorry. They both come off the road, and Noddy is hospitalised.

Over the next few days, Angel has a busy time getting the bike fixed with the help of Lee, and also skipping school to visit Noddy in hospital, who has a broken leg amongst other injuries. Unfortunately, the lorry that ran them off the road was her dad's lorry, but her dad was supposedly away working at the time. They both discover that one of her dad's friends has borrowed the lorry to commit a burglary, and on realising that she knows he takes Angel and another of her younger sisters, Teraise, hostage.

The hostage situation is serious, but the Grovers come to the rescue outside, lead by a limping Noddy and Angel and Teraise are saved.

In 1994, Angel became a waitress a Newcastle Pizza restaurant to help out her family, who were still having some financial problems. She also took sister Brigid to the Grove for the first time. Due to her being under age to legally work in a restaurnat, the restaurant owner exploits Angel as much as he can: the working conditions at the restaurant were poor and so were the wages, Angel was also expected to work long hours with a late finishing time, leaving her alone to walk home. On her first night she was stalked by a seedy character, fortunately though Noddy turned up to walk her home.

Angel was also studying for her GCSE mocks, and was under heavy pressure to acheive her parent's and friend's expectations in the exams. Brigid then offers to take Angel's place for a night so that she can do her revision. Angel reluctantly agrees, but Brigid also takes Terraise along, with the intention of earning more money. However, Brigid's youth and general clumsiness doesn't impress Angel's emplyer who sacks them both without pay. Angel turns up for work the next day, but finally decides to quit after a heart-to-heart talk with one of the older waitress.

However, Angel's employer refuses to pay her for the work she's already done, so Angel returns the same night with Jemma to demand her wages. The owner refuses, so Jemma proceeds to inform the guests of the manager's actions. Jemma refuses to leave and is man-handled by the owner and removed from the restaurant. Gary, however, who has become totally obsessed with Jemma, witnesses the spectacle and is furious. Waiting until the restaurant is closed, Gary enters the building and threatens the owner. He is undisturbed and taunts Gary who punches him, making him fall over. The owner springs up and chases Gary who has sprinted out of the restaurant in fear. The chase contiunes down a side-street, the owner is gaining on Gary who suddenly knocks over a dustbin which collides with his persuer who falls down, seemingly lifeless.

Angel then seeks the advice of Lee (unknowing of Gary's activities), who persuades the manager to give Angel her wages owing. Angel is satisfied, though Lee as always takes a cut. Charlie later writes an article for the Byker Post on local child labour which features Angel, Brigid and Terraise's illegal employment at the restaurant.

Angel soon loses her best friend, Jemma, who dies after an electrical accident. Angel attends the funeral and is very supportive towards Jemma's greiving sister, Debbie.

Later in 1994 Angel becomes wary of her relationship with Noddy and is hurt by his constant apparent lack of affection. Though, he is very friendly towards her, she begins to doubt if Noddy feels the same as he is very reluctant to be physically close to her. Debbie, tells her not to worry, explaining to Angel that some boys are just shy.

Angel's concern is again raised when Noddy starts to take an interest in Amanda and baby Sam who have returned to Byker. Leah, who has taken a dislike to Amanda's return also, aggraviates the situation resulting in a confrontation between Angel and Amanda. Noddy is annoyed with Angel's behaviour and dumps her.

Angel and Noddy soon become friends again and Noddy tries to explain his situation to her, but as he is quite cryptic she doesn't understand properly and so can't give him the advice that he had come to rely on.

The reality of Noddy's situation soon becomes aware to Angel after the stories of the cinema incident with Gary become public knowledge at the Grove. Angel is enraged with Charlie's accusations of Noddy's homosexuality, taking them as a personal insult to her, even though she knows in her heart its true. Angel ego is seriously hurt as she realises that Noddy could never have really liked her in the way she wanted and she is also hurt that as he never confided in her. When she first sees Noddy she cruelly rejects him as a freak, who she never wants to talk to again.

However, Angel soon has a change of heart and apologies for her behaviour. Noddy accepts and confides in Angel the depths of his feelings for Gary and the anger he feels towards himself.

Angel tries to ease the situation between Noddy and Gary, who were previously good friends, but Gary feels too let down as Jemma's death is stil playing on his mind.

At the end of the 1994 series, Angel and Brigid attend Alison's talk on family planning. When her father hears of this, as a strict Catholic he is enraged and demands Alison's dismissal. However, after talking to Amanda he realises that, though he disaproves he does trust his daughters to behave responsibly and decides not to persue his complaint.

In 1995 Angel and Gary's friendship developes into a romantic acqaintance and Gary suddenly proposes to her on a mountain top after arranging a special picnic. Angel agress, but later has serious doubts about her desicion.

In 1996, Angel applies for a job with a travel company, with the intention of not marrying Gary as she believes that ultimately she is capable of better things in life than he is. She calls off the wedding, leaving the rest of the Grove believing Gary was the one who called it off. Angel's interview goes poorly however, and she is not offered the job she was hoping for. After reading the rejection letter, Angel tells Gary that she will marry him.

They marry in a registry office and then have the reception at the site of a Norman castle, paid for by Gary who had worked extensively to raise money for the wedding. Angel is annoyed with Gary after she discovers the cost of the reception as she had told him to make sure he kept enough of his savings for the deposit on the flat that she'd chosen.

Angel's sister Brigid was convinced that the marriage between Gary and Angel was ill-fated and she more than played a fair role in bringing about its "natural" conclusion. After spending some time with Gary, Brigid became amazed at the attention he was giving her and decided it would be to her advantage if Gary "discovered" that Angel only agreed to marry him after she had been refused the job with the holiday company by letting him find the rejection letter which Angel had kept in her desk.

Gary was suitable furious and Brigid did all she could to seduce him, but unfortunately for her, Angel arrived before she could really have her way with him. Brigid met up with Gary later, hoping that Gary would still want her, but he'd realised that he really loved Angel and rather cruelly rejected Brigid as "just a kid". However, Angel refused to take Gary back, realising the marriage had always been a sham, though she haboured no real resentment towards Brigid and left for Ireland.

Victoria Taylor was one of the longest serving characters in Byker Grove. Consisitenly regarded as one of the more popular characters during the show's peak of success. Adele Taylor who plays the role of Terraise, Angel's younger sister, is also the real-life sister of Victoria.