| Dolly Skilbeck | |||||||||||||||||
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| Emmerdale character | |||||||||||||||||
 Jean Rogers as Dolly Skilbeck | |||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Katharine Barker (1977–1979) Jean Rogers (1980–1991) | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1977–1991 | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 22 February 1977 | ||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 15 August 1991 | ||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Michael Glynn | ||||||||||||||||
| Book appearances | Whispers of Scandal Shadows From The Past Lucky For Some | ||||||||||||||||
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Dolly Skilbeck (also Acaster) is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Emmerdale. Dolly made her first on-screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 22 February 1977. The character was initially played by Katharine Barker, before Jean Rogers took over the role in 1980. She remained in the role until her departure from Emmerdale in 1991. Dolly is characterised as kind, generous and a homemaker. She is a "townie" from Darlington who arrives in Beckindale to work at the local pub, The Woolpack. Writers quickly developed a romance with Matt Skilbeck (Frederick Pyne). He was a widower and had previously has two children that had died.
Writers shifted this tragic arc onto his relationship with Dolly as her pregnancies lead to further trauma. Dolly's first pregnancy ends in a still birth, her second a miscarriage but the third is successful and she gives birth to a son, Samuel Skilbeck (Benjamin Whitehead). Another storyline for Dolly features the revelation that she has an illegitimate child, Graham Lodsworth (Ross Kemp). Dolly and Matt live with Annie Sugden (Sheila Mercier) at the farm and Dolly has aspirations of owning her own family home at Crossgill farm. When the property burns down, Dolly's dreams of a better life are ruined and she almost has an affair with Stephen Fuller (Gregory Floy). Dolly and Matt later divorce when Pyne left the series. Rogers remained part of the cast until 1991, when executive producer Stuart Doughty had decided axe the character. Dolly leaves the show alongside Sam to live in Norfolk.