Beau Ramsey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Jon-Paul Bell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Duration | 2022–2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
First appearance | Episode 5964 20 October 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last appearance | Episode 6431 1 August 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Introduced by | Lucy Allan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Beau Ramsey is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks , played by Jon-Paul Bell. Beau first appears in episode 5964, originally broadcast on 20 October 2022. Bell's casting and character details were announced on 6 September 2022 by Hollyoaks's former executive producer Lucy Allan. The newcomer was later revealed as the estranged son of the soap opera's longest serving character Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard). Beau's storylines since his debut in the serial consist of being revealed as the son of Tony, settling into the Hutchinson family and moving into The Dog in the Pond public house, his brief affair with Liberty Savage (Jessamy Stoddart) upon introduction, his relationships with Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson) and Kitty Draper (Iz Hesketh) before murdering Kitty's conversion therapist father Declan Hawthorne (Alan Turkington) in self-defence after he held her hostage. Bell's portrayal of Beau received a nomination for "Best Newcomer" at the Inside Soap Awards 2023 . In June 2024, it was reported Beau was set to leave the series, with his departure airing on 1 August 2024.
Beau arrives in the village and instantly strikes up a bond with Liberty Savage (Jessamy Stoddart) after saving her daughter Faith from Damon Kinsella's (Jacob Roberts) makeshift soda fountain at The Love Boat. They bonded over spiritually and shared a kiss. Liberty told Damon the truth and Beau is confronted by Damon and half brother Scott Drinkwell (Ross Adams), with Scott pouring a drink over Beau. He attempts to maintain a relationship with Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) after telling Tony he is his biological father. Tony rejects the claim and branded Beau a conman. After giving Tony the backstory on how he and his mother met, it sparked memories in Tony's head and it was instantly revealed that Beau is Tony's son, but Beau then rejects Tony in retaliation. Tony ignores Beau after multiple attempts at gaining a father and after being so angry, he revealed it to all the customers in The Dog in the Pond public house, including Tony's wife, Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher). Beau applies for a job at Hollyoaks High. He was offered the job but Nancy Osborne (Jessica Fox) catches him on an adult website and discovered he was fired from his previous job after an accusation came to light about him being in a relationship with a student. Beau explains it was a joke that was taken the wrong way, and when Nancy's son Oscar Osborne (Noah Holdsworth) is choking, Beau saves him. Nancy decides to keep quiet about why he was fired.
Beau supports his family through the death of his aunt Verity Hutchinson (Eva O'Hara) and Eric Foster's (Angus Castle-Doughty) siege of the village. Tony and Diane are struggling in their marriage during this time due to the family troubles. Diane tells Tony she no longer loves him and has a passionate dream about kissing Beau, freaking out when she wakes up as Beau is in the same room. He is asked to babysit Eva Hutchinson and he obliges as Beau is willing to do anything to support the family through the recent troubles. He is left smitten when Tony ropes in Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson) to act as a childminder whilst Beau teaches at the school. Scott gives Beau a pep talk as Maxine is still struggling with body image issues after seeing Eric in prison. She plucks up the courage to ask Beau on a date and Beau agrees. Beau decides to tell her his true feelings on the date. Drugs are found behind the bar and Tony is horrified to learn they belong to Beau. Tony later learns Beau has taken the fall for Dave Chen-Williams (Dominic Power).
Beau begins a romance with Kitty Draper (Iz Hesketh) after an initial misunderstanding over an instagram photo. The two continuously flirt and Anthony Hutchinson (William Thompson) and Dee Dee Hutchinson (Lacey Findlow) write love notes for both of them from each other. They both arrange dates and begin to enter a relationship but Kitty is left devastated when Beau pulls away after a sexual advance. Kitty goes missing for two weeks, unbeknownst to Beau she has been kidnapped by her conversion therapist father Declan Hawthorne (Alan Turkington). He searches Kitty's bedroom for clues and he finds a photograph at a cottage of Kitty when she was a child. He finds her whilst she is held hostage and she tells him everything about her father and the reason she stole her travelling companion's identity during the Dee Valley Bypass crash in January. Beau is attacked by Declan. Beau regains consciousness and in a panic rage, murders Declan after slamming a thick children's nursery rhyme book over his head. Kitty checks his pulse and he is revealed dead.
Beau and Kitty overhear Sally St. Claire (Annie Wallace) and John Paul McQueen (James Sutton) discuss the police visiting the cottage where Declan is currently still laying in. Beau and Kitty agree to go and get rid of the body and evidence. Beau misses Hunter's funeral and buries Declan in the grave that Hunter is also buried in. They are caught by Freddie Roscoe (Charlie Clapham) and Beau discovers his fling with Kitty. The pressure is cracked up when Beau notices Zoe Anderson (Garcia Brown) is investigating Declan's disappearance. Tony and Diane also begin to apply pressure when they discover the truth behind Kitty's stolen identity and insist that she hands herself in. They are managed to be persuaded by Beau to let Kitty stay to support him. After days of not sleeping, Kitty tucks Beau in and he begins to freak out and start attempting to dig at the living room floor because "he is in Hunter's grave". He begins to have a mental breakdown as a result of the murder.
Hollyoaks announced the casting of Jon-Paul Bell on 6 September 2022. [1] Bell was set to appear as "newcomer" Beau, who would arrive in the village in Autumn of that year. On his casting, Bell was delighted to be joining the soap and stated in a report: "Working on Hollyoaks has been an incredible experience and I'm so honoured to be a part of the passionate, creative, hard-working team here, I can't wait for viewers to meet Beau and follow him on his exciting new journey into the village, where he is sure to cause a stir for various well-known characters along the way." [2] Beau's first appearance was depicted in episode 5964, originally broadcast on 20 October 2022. Bell later discussed his relationships with co-stars Nick Pickard (Tony) and Alex Fletcher (Diane). [3] He said: "Nick is so full of life and energy, a great person to be around but seriously professional. The same with Alex, we've all been really close since I started." [3] Bell also recognised Jimmy McKenna (Jack), adding: "And Jimmy McKenna, I love hearing his stories and having him serenade me with Frank Sinatra songs. Being on the show has been a dream come true so far – and I can't wait for it to continue." [3]
On 18 October 2022, Hollyoaks announced a "mystery" stalker story for the longest serving character Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard). [4] Tony's wife, Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher), finds a bouquet attached with a note indicating a meeting. [4] This alarmed Diane, leading her to suspect Tony is having an affair. The stalker was revealed to be "newcomer" Beau – no reasoning was given why for this decision as Beau had only debuted merely days before. [4] Tony did not believe Beau at first when hearing that he was his son. [5] The penny drops for Tony when he realises from vague details about his mother and her backstory that sparks memories for Tony. After avoiding Beau all day, Tony is called out by Beau and Tony is forced to tell a "shocked" Diane, leaving her "rocked". [5] Fletcher later explained Diane's doubts about Beau. [6] Gossip about the Hutchinson family was leaked into the newspapers and Diane believed it to be Beau. While Beau "categorically" refuses to have any part in the scandal, Tony demands they have a DNA test to prove whether Tony is biologically his father. [6] Fletcher said: "Certain things in the article make them think information has been leaked to the press, Diane is suspicious Beau has done it. They barely know him. Tony has confided in him stuff about his life – and he might not even be his son. As soon as they mention posting it [the family photo] on social media, Beau doesn't want to take part. This fuels Diane's suspicions about him, and she tells Tony he should do a paternity test." [6] Fletcher praised Bell for his portrayal in the role. [6] She told Inside Soap: "He's brilliant and has really fitted in. Having another member of the family adds more layers to the dynamic of the Hutchinsons. We've been filming scenes for Christmas and it was so nice… it felt really natural with Jon-Paul being a part of the group. We all love him." [6]
In February 2023, Hollyoaks explored Beau's relationship with Diane, as the pair "get closer". [7] Beau begins to spend large quantities of time with Diane – a comment made by Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson) began to make Tony wonder whether the two may be having an affair. [7] Tony accuses them of having an affair and Diane is outraged, telling him she did not carry any feelings for him. [8] Beau accuses Tony of being controlling and Tony begs Beau for another chance. Diane, not as forgiving, goes to sleep on the sofa before having a dream where she passionately kisses Beau. [8] Bell told Inside Soap he was "flattered" when finding out he would be featuring in a "saucy" dream sequence for Diane. He added: "That was hilarious. There's been a few dirty affairs for both Tony and Diane, but I hope I'm not going to get involved, especially while Beau is trying to make peace with his father. I don't think that would go down too well." [3]
Hollyoaks producers hinted at a possible relationship for Beau and Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson) as they begin to grow closer whilst babysitting Eva Hutchinson. [3] Bell was delighted at the pairing, he told Inside Soap: "The strength Maxine showed throughout everything with Eric really caught Beau's attention. Potentially there could be something between them – he definitely has his eye on her." [3] They go on a date after Maxine "plucks up the courage" to ask Beau. She is in a better head space on the date, but Beau tells her how he really feels. [9]
"There's a sense of guilt and what could've been. It took a while for him to get his head around her being trans and be comfortable with that situation. His feelings for Kitty were strong and true, but he was worried about what people would think. Beau is a kind soul but can also be a people pleaser, focusing on what others think rather than what he wants." [10]
–Bell on Beau's regret about ending things with Kitty
The production team for Hollyoaks hinted at a possible relationship between Beau and newcomer Kitty Draper (Iz Hesketh) in January 2024. [11] The pair have a "flirtatious" time in The Dog in the Pond public house after a misunderstanding about an Instagram photo. [11] Bell was "glad" storyliners explored Beau falling for a transgender woman, hinting at a darker side of Beau to soon come. [12] On what attracts Beau to Kitty, Jon-Paul told Inside Soap magazine: "He really enjoys her energy – Kitty's been like a firecracker coming into the village and shaking things up! He's intrigued by the way Kitty lives her life, and it's brought Beau out of his shell a bit." [12] He also added: "Kitty's past, and the reason she's landed in the village, could escalate into bigger problems down the line, Beau has strong morals, but he's also very empathetic, so this could lead to us seeing darker shades of his character. It's about how far he's willing to go." [13] The relationship later ended after both of them couldn't make it work – Beau pulled away from Kitty's sexual advance, offending and "devastating" her. [14] She believes this is because of her gender transition. Kitty is later kidnapped from her conversion therapist father Declan Hawthorne (Alan Turkington) in episode 6367, originally broadcast on 3 May 2024. [15] Beau later becomes suspicious as nobody has heard of Kitty for two weeks. [16] Inside Soap asked Bell if Beau was worried upon the realisation Kitty had been missing for weeks, he responded: "She's not replying to his messages so he does some digging, and finds out from Peri (Ruby O'Donnell) that Kitty never turned up for a course at work. Beau starts to panic and sneaks into her bedroom looking for clues to where she is. He finds a letter she's written, apologising for lying to everyone, and next to it is a picture of Kitty as a child at this cottage." [10]
Continuing the development of Beau and Kitty's relationship, Hollyoaks producers implored a twist when Beau murders Kitty's conversion therapist father Declan Hawthorne (Alan Turkington) in a bid to prevent Kitty from enduring anymore abuse from Declan. [17] Declan does not believe in Kitty's lifestyle as she is transgender. Beau discovers the truth about Kitty's identity and her backstory on why she is so inclined in escaping Declan. [17] Beau and Kitty overhear a conversation between John Paul McQueen (James Sutton) and Sally St. Claire (Annie Wallace) where they learn the police will search the cottage. Beau and Kitty "prepare for a dark task", set to bury him alongside Hunter McQueen (Theo Graham). [18] [19] After burying Declan, they are caught by Freddie Roscoe (Charlie Clapham). [20] The pressure increases when Beau learns of a police investigation. [21] Detectives are "too close for comfort" as they interview Ro and Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis). Police begin to search for Declan's "son" Ivan, unaware that Kitty was previously Ivan. [22] This causes Beau and Kitty to destroy Kitty's belongings, but are caught by Diane. Tony and Diane also crack up the pressure on the lie when they give an ultimatum to Kitty – Tony and Diane would not call the police if Kitty agreed to hand herself in. [22] As the family begin to notice the character change in Beau, they believe he is seriously ill. [23] He refuses to say anything unless Kitty stays, to which Tony agrees. He later falls asleep and as Kitty goes to put the covers on him, he wakes up in a panic and start's screaming about being locked in "Hunter's grave". [23]
The announcement of Beau's departure came to light on 21 June 2024. [24] The Hutchinson family were set to "lose a member" as the "popular" actor would depart later in the year. [25] This came months following the news that a third of Hollyoaks's production staff would be axed, including cast members, due to the reduction in Hollyoaks weekly episodes. Bell has not commented on his departure as of yet. [24] Beau's final scenes were broadcast on 1 August 2024.
For his portrayal of Beau, Bell was nominated for the "Best Newcomer" award at the Inside Soap Awards 2023 , but lost out to Channique Sterling-Brown, who portrays Dee Dee Bailey in rival soap opera Coronation Street . [26] [27] Inside Soap branded Beau "the Hollyoaks hottie". They added: "Sweet, solid and steady, Beau Ramsey is the boy next door who never breaks the rules – but all that’s about to change!" [10] Inside Soap also cited Beau as "the polite PE teacher". [10] Stephen Patterson of Metro predicted Diane and Beau would have an affair whilst referring to the dream Diane had of herself and Beau kissing as "steamy". [7] [8] Justin Harp of Digital Spy labelled Declan's (Alan Turkington) murder scenes as a "violent end". [17] Patterson (Metro) described the death of Declan as "brutal", "violent" and "grisly". [28] George Lewis of Digital Spy dubbed Freddie catching Beau and Kitty after burying Declan in "shock scenes" as a "dramatic twist". [20] His colleague, Divya Soni, dubbed the scenes of Beau's nightmare as "terrifying". [23]
Tony Hutchinson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Nick Pickard. His first appearance on-screen occurred on 23 October 1995, the inaugural episode of the programme, and is the longest-serving character in the soap. The character was created by Phil Redmond, as one of several main characters for the show. For his portrayal of Tony, Pickard won the British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement at the 2017 British Soap Awards.
Diane Hutchinson is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Alex Fletcher. The character made her first appearance on 1 September 2010. Diane was introduced into the series by Hollyoaks' executive producer Paul Marquess, during his rejuvenation of the show. Marquess axed numerous characters and replaced them with new families. Fletcher began filming in June 2010, the same month her casting was publicised. Diane was introduced with her husband, Rob and stepchildren, Sinead and Finn O'Connor. The O'Connors are one of three families that were introduced 2010. Diane is characterised as a "loving wife" and a "devoted stepmum". Fletcher initially hoped that Diane would be likeable, despite her over the top demeanour. Fletcher believed Diane has a good relationship with her step-children and was loathe to portray her as "the wicked stepmother".
Carl Costello is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Paul Opacic. The character was introduced by executive producer Paul Marquess and he debuted on screen during the episode broadcast on 19 July 2010. Carl arrived in the village as the new owner of The Dog in the Pond and the father of established character Jem Costello. Carl departed from Hollyoaks on 1 December 2011 with his son Jason Costello. Opacic later reprised his role and returned to Hollyoaks on 26 September 2012 and left again on the 5 October 2012. Opacic reprised his role once more in January 2013, which coincided with the exit of Mitzeee Minniver. He returned on 25 January 2013 and departed again on 15 February 2013. Opacic returned again for a guest appearance on 10 July 2018, which ended in his character being murdered by an unknown assailant on 11 July of that year. He reappeared via a flashback on 16 November 2018, which revealed Breda McQueen to be his killer.
Anne "Mitzeee" Minniver is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Rachel Shenton. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 23 July 2010. Mitzeee was created by series producer Paul Marquess for a different television series which was never commissioned and instead introduced his ideas onto Mitzeee. She is also one of the first characters created in Marquess's 2010 reinvention of Hollyoaks. Mitzeee is a wannabe glamour model and WAG, she is portrayed as being ruthless in achieving her goals and is fame driven. Shenton helped create her backstory and has stated on different occasions that Mitzeee uses femininity to get what she wants. Various media outlets drew comparisons to the character with pop star Cheryl Cole, and Mitzeee spells her career name with triple e's because she finds her name plain, a tag Shenton has also agreed with. On 20 December 2012, it was announced that Shenton had left the show and her final scenes aired on 15 February 2013.
Patrick Blake is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jeremy Sheffield. He made his first screen appearance on 21 November 2012. The character's introduction to the serial and Sheffield's casting were announced on 7 October 2012. Patrick is introduced as the biological father of established character Dodger Savage. It was announced in December 2023 that Patrick would be returning to Hollyoaks in an unknown capacity.
James Nightingale is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Gregory Finnegan. The character made his first on-screen appearance on 12 January 2016. Finnegan's casting was announced in December 2015, and James was billed as a mysterious character and lawyer. His introduction to the show featured him attempting to convince Cindy Cunningham to take legal action against Mac Nightingale, in a bid to secure his assets. Having kept the character's identity concealed, writers implemented a story twist in which James is revealed to be Mac's son. Lysette Anthony was cast to play his mother Marnie Nightingale, a character which James features alongside most. Their on-screen partnership developed them into a trouble making and villainous duo. Writers played on their manipulative manner to the extent that James manages to con the entire Hutchinson family, out of their restaurant "The Hutch".
Scott Drinkwell is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ross Adams. The character made his first appearance on 27 April 2015. Producers asked Adams to audition for the role while he was working as a script editor on rival soap opera Emmerdale. The actor forgot his lines during his screen test but was still offered the role. The character was billed as a "troublesome new relative" joining the show's established O'Connor family. He is the cousin of Sinead O'Connor and nephew to Diane Hutchinson. Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood introduced the character to cause conflict with other characters.
Zoe Anderson is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Garcia Brown. She made her first appearance on the episode broadcast on 21 February 2022. Brown auditioned for the role after feeling very low about her career. Zoe was introduced as the granddaughter of Pearl Anderson and the new detective of the Hollyoaks village. Zoe is described as being dedicated to her job and not putting anything above it whilst also loving to party and have fun when not working, with Brown praising the two sides of the character and saying that she enjoys playing Zoe.
Honour Chen-Williams is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Vera Chok. The character and casting was announced in November 2021 and Honour made her first appearance on 10 December 2021. Honour was introduced as Warren Fox 's prison psychologist and later revealed to be part of a new Hollyoaks family, which included Honour's husband and their children. The family was later expanded by the introduction of Honour's niece, Shing Lin Leong. Chok was very grateful to be given the role, feeling that she had hit the bamboo ceiling, and felt proud in being part of the first East Asian family in a soap opera and was happy to represent East Asians on screen, although she felt a bit of pressure. Chok was able to help slightly impact the development of the character and was also able to influence the set of Honour's home by adding a rice cooker and making it a no-shoe house.
Darcy Wilde is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Aisling Jarrett-Gavin. Her casting and the introduction of Darcy was announced in January 2017, with the character making her first appearance on the episode broadcast on 13 March 2017. Darcy has been characterised as scheming, which has earned the character a reputation for being devious in British media, with the character been referred to as Devious Darcy in Hollyoaks media and by critics. Darcy was first mentioned in 2016 as the former fiancée Adam Donovan, who had disappeared and was presumed dead. Adam's new girlfriend, Maxine Minniver, begins digging into Darcy's disappearance and tracks Darcy down, which leads to Darcy moving to Hollyoaks in order to win Adam back.
Blessing Chambers is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, portrayed by Modupe Adeyeye. She made her first appearance on 21 February 2014, with the character and casting having been announced earlier that month. Adeyeye had to audition several times for the role and tried to enjoy the role as she was unsure if she would be successful. Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood was a fan of the actresses' work after seeing her in EastEnders: E20. Blessing was introduced as a glass collector at a strip club that ends up being fired when Dennis Savage gets her into trouble. Blessing was characterised as not having had much luck in her past and thus she moves to Hollyoaks for a fresh start and new opportunities. Blessing was also characterised as being a colourful character and having a colourful dress style, which was different to Adeyeye's style. The actress teased that Blessing would be a big character and would bring happiness to the lives of Dennis and others.