Melissa Walton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Melissa Kimberley Walton Coventry, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2008–present |
Melissa Wells (formerly Walton; [1] ) is a British actress best known for playing Loretta Jones in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks . [2]
Melissa Walton | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | Melissa Kimberley Walton Coventry, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2008–present |
Melissa Wells (formerly Walton; [1] ) is a British actress best known for playing Loretta Jones in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks . [2]
Walton studied at Bablake School in Coundon, Coventry, then took a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts at Stratford-upon-Avon College, which she passed with three distinctions. As an amateur actress, Walton appeared in pantomime at Belgrade Theatre in Coventry, was a member of the Coventry youth group YOG and attended Three Spires Dance School. [2] While at college, she appeared in the BBC drama Filth alongside actress Julie Walters. [3] Walton completed her diploma in June 2008, and was cast in Hollyoaks that August. [2] Walton initially appeared in the spin-off series Hollyoaks Later on a three-episode basis. [3]
In 2009, it was announced that Hollyoaks' new producer, Lucy Allen, had decided to introduce Walton into the main show. [4] Allan said Walton had impressed her with her performance in Hollyoaks Later. [4] To prepare for the role, Walton took pole-dancing classes and visited a lap dancing club. After watching girls perform at the club, she carried out routines in her underwear. She also had a pole set up in her living room to carry on practicing. [5] Speaking of her research Walton stated: "I loved it. It's really good exercise. It's really good for toning. They didn't ask me to, but I did... I went and I had pole dancing classes. I had a pole put up in my living room." [6]
Walton had initially signed on for a three-month stint. In 2009 Allan decided to renew her contract and keep her with the series until 2010. [2] In early 2010, it was announced that Allan had stepped down from the position of executive producer and that Paul Marquess had taken over the role. [7] It was soon revealed that Marquess planned to give Hollyoaks a "shake up", changing the productions team [8] and beginning a cast cull by axing three established characters. [9] Stephanie Waring (who plays Cindy Hutchinson) then revealed that all remaining cast members feared their character would be axed. [10] One month later, Marquess announced his plans to axe a further 11 characters, including Loretta at the end of Walton's contract. [11] Walton departed alongside co-star Kevin Sacre, who played her on-screen love interest Jake Dean. [11]
On 8 June 2010 Walton filmed her final scenes with the serial along with two fellow cast members, Scare and Gerard McCarthy (who plays Kris Fisher). She spoke of her upset over leaving her fellow cast members, [12] but later said she was looking forward to pursuing other projects. [13] Walton also confirmed that she was happy the door was left open for a potential return, stating she would consider reprising her role as Loretta in the future. [13] Walton also said she understood why Marquess axed her because he didn't feel Loretta had anywhere left to go after her main storyline, in which her character was supposed to be revealed as a child killer, was axed following complaints from Denise Fergus, the mother of murdered child James Bulger. [3] However, she also felt like she did deserve another chance to prove herself. [3]
Hollyoaks is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera Brookside. Since May 2005, episodes have been aired on sister channel E4 a day prior to their broadcast on Channel 4.
Jake Dean is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kevin Sacre. Sacre portrayed the character between 2002 and 2008, before making a return on 5 October 2009. In March 2010, Sacre was axed from the series by Paul Marquess during his major revamp and cast cull. Jake made his last appearance on 6 August 2010.
Dominic "Dom" Reilly is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by John Pickard. Dom made his first appearance on 13 September 2005 as the estranged half-brother of Tony Hutchinson, whose portrayer, Nick Pickard, is John Pickard's brother. In July 2010, it was announced that the character was to leave the show which he did on 24 November 2010. Pickard reprised the role during the sixth series of Hollyoaks Later.
Neville Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks, played by Jim Millea. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 30 September 2005 and was introduced by David Hanson. Neville departed in July 2010 with his wife Suzanne Ashworth and their son Josh Ashworth, after they were all axed by new executive producer Paul Marquess.
Suzanne Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Suzanne Hall. She made her first on-screen appearance on 30 September 2005. Suzanne was introduced by series producer David Hanson as part of the Ashworth family. In February 2010, Suzanne was axed from the serial by new series producer Paul Marquess. Suzanne made her final appearance on 14 July 2010. Marquess stated in an interview that he was a big fan of Hall's work in the serial. In late 2010 it was revealed that Hall had returned to filming and Suzanne would be pregnant with twins. Suzanne's storylines have included trying to keep her family together, fathering a son Rhys Ashworth secretly with another man, other affairs and a feud with Kathy Barnes. Suzanne returned to Hollyoaks on 14 January 2011 for a period of 2 months. In 2012 it was announced that Hall had reprised the role once again.
Jennifer Joanne Metcalfe is an English actress. She is best known for her roles of Jade Nicholls in Emmerdale and Mercedes McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, which she has appeared in since 2006. Her portrayal of the character has led to her reprising the role in the programme's spin-off series Hollyoaks Later between 2008 and 2020. She appeared as a contestant in the sixth series of Dancing on Ice in 2011, where she finished in tenth place.
Lee Hunter is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Alex Carter. The character made his first on-screen appearance on 5 July 2001. Lee was introduced as part of the show's new family, the Hunters. He is the youngest son of Les and Sally Hunter. Lee is characterised as "wayward", a "cheeky chap" and a "wheeler dealer". Carter announced his decision to quit the serial in 2005 to have more free time, filming his departure scenes in October 2005 and departed on-screen 23 December 2005.
Hollyoaks Later is a British television spin-off of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. The series allows for more sexual content, 'edgier' storylines and stronger language than Hollyoaks. The show was on hiatus from 2014 to 2020, where it returned on 6 January 2020 for a one-off episode focusing on the conclusion of Breda McQueen's serial killer storyline.
Archie Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Stephen Beard. The character first appeared on-screen on 3 November 2008 until his exit on 28 May 2010. He was introduced as the younger brother of then established Zoe Carpenter, when he moved into the college halls of residence. In March 2010, series producer Paul Marquess axed the character as part of his cast cull and major revamp of the series.
David Colburn is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks, played by Elliot James Langridge. He first appeared in Hollyoaks online spin-off Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before, which explored the dangers of binge drinking. After this, Dave made a regular appearance in Hollyoaks as a new student at Hollyoaks Community College. Dave left the teen soap in late 2010 after the character was axed in March 2010.
Loretta Jones is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, and its spin-off series, Hollyoaks Later. The character is played by Melissa Walton and first appeared on-screen on 26 November 2008 during the first series of the Hollyoaks spin-off Hollyoaks Later as a new love interest for the character Dominic Reilly. She made her first appearance in the Hollyoaks series in February 2009 and was the first character to be introduced to the series by producer Lucy Allan. In 2010 Loretta was axed from the series, along with 15 other characters, during a cast cull by executive producer Paul Marquess.
Charlotte Lau is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Amy Yamazaki. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 9 June 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan as the ex-girlfriend of Lydia Hart. In September 2010, it was announced that Yamazaki and Charlotte had departed Hollyoaks and her final scenes had already aired, with Charlotte making her final appearance on 17 September 2010.
Spencer Gray is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Darren John Langford. The character first appeared on-screen in December 2008. He initially appeared as the foster brother of Warren Fox, turning up after the death of his mother. He is noted for his learning disability and his condition of where he has a mental age of a human in preadolescence. The character was axed by Paul Marquess.
Lucy Jane Allan is an English television producer, known for her work on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. Allan's other credited work include a script editor for Dream Team and assistant to director in Chica de Río.
Amber Sharpe is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Lydia Lloyd-Henry in 2010 and Lauren Gabrielle-Thomas in 2014. The character was introduced as a member of the new Sharpe family, as part of series producer Paul Marquess' rejuvenation of the serial in 2010. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 June 2010. Amber's storylines have included sleeping with Finn O'Connor and subsequently discovering she is pregnant and giving birth to her daughter Bella.
Duncan Button is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Dean Aspen. He debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 2 November 2009. Duncan was originally credited as Duncan Smith until he was credited as Button. In May 2011, it was announced that Aspen had quit his role and Duncan departed the series on 11 November 2011. Aspen reprised his role as Duncan for the sixth series of Hollyoaks Later in October 2013.
Jonny Clarke, is an English actor. He is best known for playing the character of Bart McQueen in the channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.
Hollyoaks began airing on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 23 October 1995. The target audience was that of teenagers and it initially dramatised the lives of seven of that age group who lived in Hollyoaks, a fictional suburb in the city of Chester in Cheshire, England.
The third series of Hollyoaks Later is a British television series and late night spin-off of Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. The series ran on E4 and began on 25 October 2010.
Lydia Lloyd-Henry is an English actress. She was born in Manchester, England. She played Amber Sharpe in Hollyoaks.