| Becca Hayton | |||||||||||||||||
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| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Ali Bastian | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2001–2007 | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 12 September 2001 | ||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 15 February 2007 | ||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Kaddy Benyon | ||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Jo Hallows | ||||||||||||||||
| Book appearances | Hollyoaks: Playing With Fire | ||||||||||||||||
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Becca Dean (also Hayton) is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks , played by Ali Bastian. She first appeared on-screen on 12 September 2001 and departed on 15 February 2007.
In 2002, producers decided to create an issue based storyline for Becca involving the sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhoea. The storyline was a direct response to calls from the British Medical Association wanting soap operas to help raise awareness of sexually transmitted diseases. [1] They also wanted to promote safer sex for the show's viewers. A Hollyoaks publicist told Allison Maund from Inside Soap that "we developed this storyline a while ago, with sexually transmitted diseases on the rise, this story is even more relevant." [1]
Becca arrived as an undergraduate in 2001. She was a naïve fresher who forged a relationship with fellow student Jamie Nash (Stefan Booth). The pair started dating, but he was a love rat who two-timed her with her best friend. When Becca found out about his infidelity, she dumped him but despite this; Becca always saw a different side to Jamie and shortly they got back together, but it didn't last. He was killed in the minibus accident on a potholing trip, which also killed Theo Sankofa (Andrew Somerville). Around the same time, Becca discovered she was pregnant with Jamie's baby. Feeling she was not ready to be a parent, Becca had an abortion against the advice of Jamie's sister, Jodie.
She later embarked on a relationship with Alex Bell (Martino Lazzeri) but things were complicated. Alex had a strained relationship with Anna Green (Lisa M. Kay), the mother of his son, Charlie. Alex used Becca to make Anna jealous which worked as Anna blamed Becca for the tension between herself and Alex. Sadly, for Becca this relationship ended when Alex decided to take a job in Hong Kong. Her next relationship was with Adam Morgan, who was recovering from the car accident caused by Mandy Richardson (Sarah Jayne Dunn) that landed him in a wheelchair. Becca provided unlimited support through Adam's time of need. Becca was distraught when Adam accepted a place at a film school in New York. She begged him to stay, but her pleas were all in vain, as Adam went anyway. At one point, Becca even enjoyed a brief liaison with local firefighter Ben Davies (Marcus Patric), the best friend of her future husband Jake Dean (Kevin Sacre).
Becca and Jake have experienced tension in their relationship; most recently, after Jake found out she had been visiting ex-student Justin Burton (Chris Fountain), who had an unrequited crush on her, in prison and most notably when Jake had an affair with Lisa Hunter (Gemma Atkinson) that resulted in him passing on an STD. Although the affair ended when Jake realised he was madly in love with Becca, the guilt proved too much and his first marriage proposal became a confession. The two broke up but Jake was determined to win Becca back and did so with a knight in shining armour style proposal in the village. The two married although Becca still feared she was making a mistake up until she said 'I do'.
The marriage suffered problems almost immediately, as Becca feared she had made a mistake and Jake's possessive behaviour increased when she visited her pupil Justin in prison after being pressurized by his sisters. Jake also had money troubles following his parents’ disastrous mortgage, felt he had let Becca down, while Becca felt her marriage was a mistake, and felt trapped and alone. Becca made a best friend in Louise Summers (Roxanne McKee). On Christmas Eve 2005 she went to Justin's house and admitted she was jealous when she thought she found out he had slept with Nicole Owen (Ciara Janson) and this led to a passionate kiss. The next day she went back after spending most of Christmas Day playing happy families with the Deans. They slept together and she later told him it was a mistake even though it was obvious she still had feelings for him.
Becca told Jake that it would be a good idea for them to start a family together, which she would later regret as having children with Jake became the last thing on her mind. She told Mandy she had an affair with a teenager, Mandy later found out the identity of her teenage lover. When Justin told her he was leaving, she begged him to stay. She later claimed this was from an academic viewpoint only. The affair with Justin started up again on Valentine's Day, leading her to be torn between two men who both loved her desperately but in different ways. The shock news of her beloved father's death left her feeling more confused and distraught than ever. Nancy Hayton (Jessica Fox) was very angry with Becca because she went to see Mr. Hayton before he died, when in fact, Becca had intended to go to see Mr. Hayton so that she could spend a weekend with Justin, which she later regretted. Becca fell pregnant and did not know who the father was. Viewers witnessed Jake's violent streak, having raised a fist to Becca (and attacking Justin) after learning of her affair. Becca then slept with Justin again, then later attempted suicide before admitting her love for him. She decided to keep the child and raise it with Justin, who moved in with her - a decision that angered Nancy when she was not consulted first.
She lost her job as a teacher after the school became aware of her relationship with Justin, and for a short while she and Justin struggled financially living off his child benefit and wages from his job at Il Gnosh. They were briefly engaged (Justin having proposed with a ring bought with Becca's credit card) until Becca finally got tired of his immaturity and ended their relationship, kicking him out of the flat. Enraged by Becca dumping him, Justin went to the police and made false statements accusing Becca of child grooming, being a sexual predator and statutory child rape. He claimed that Becca had pursued him for months and forced him to have sex with her when he was only fifteen years old. If found guilty, Becca could have received 14 years penal servitude and consequently could have been forced to have her child put up for adoption.
However, she received a custodial sentence of two years. She went into labour as the verdict was announced and gave birth to a boy named Charlie Dean (Joshua McConville). When Jake came to see Becca in prison, they agreed that Jake would care for Charlie until she was released from prison. However, at the end of the visiting session, she could not part with her newborn son and took Charlie with her to grow up in prison. As she walked off after abusing their agreement, Jake was left distraught and furious that the baby that he believed to be his son had been taken away from him. He didn't want his supposed son to be brought up in prison or put up for adoption. He thought it would be best for Becca to let Jake look after him. Even though Becca didn't want to be parted from her son, she knew that prison is no place for a baby to grow up. She decided to give the baby to Jake. On Jake's next visit to prison, Becca was angry with Jake for letting her child be kidnapped. Eventually Becca and Jake agree they want to be a family again, when Becca comes out of prison. In prison, Becca made friends with Jacqui McQueen (Claire Cooper). When Jacqui was released, she went after Justin and convinced him to drop the charges.
During a drunken night at the Loft, Justin admitted to Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) how Becca had been falsely imprisoned, based on his evidence. A disgusted Warren ordered Justin to inform the police. Justin then went to visit Becca in prison and made a promise to tell the truth in an effort to secure her release. Whilst awaiting the decision about her release, Becca got into a fight with her cellmate, Fran, who stabbed Becca in the stomach after a scuffle. She was rushed to hospital with Jake and Nancy by her side. Before she died, Becca made Nancy promise she would sit her A-Levels and Jake told Becca he loved and forgave her, as she told him that she loved him more than Justin. Becca died of internal bleeding on February 14, 2007, her time of death being recorded as 11:45am. Justin was held responsible for Becca's death by many of Hollyoaks' residents. It is mentioned later that Fran has begun serving a life sentence for Becca's murder.
In June 2009, Justin says goodbye to Becca and his sisters at the graveyard, before leaving Hollyoaks. In July 2018, a student of Nancy's, Brooke Hathaway (Tylan Grant), reveals to her that her mother is Fran. She explains that Fran is dying and wants to apologise to Nancy for Becca's murder. When Brooke and Nancy visit her, Fran explains how Brooke is autistic and how she is remorseful for killing Becca. Nancy tells Fran that Becca would want her to forgive her so she does. Fran, happy at being forgiven, passes away immediately afterwards.
Virgin Media profiled some of Hollyoaks' "hottest females" in their opinion, of Becca they stated: "Becca was every schoolboy's dream, especially when she had actual shenanigans with one of her students, Justin. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing any more of this mega babe as she suffered an untimely demise in prison." [2] A writer for Women Republic said that Becca was one of Hollyoaks' top five characters. [3]
Profiling Becca's various relationships Virgin Media state: "Becca gained sympathy when Jake did the dirty on her." They also brand her affair with Justin as "impetuous and selfish" and that it "lost her several mates, her career and pretty much everything else." [4]
For the show's portrayal of Becca and Jake's relationship, they were nominated for "Best Couple" at the 2004 Inside Soap Awards. [5]
Justin Burton is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Chris Fountain. Justin arrived in 2003 and departed on 3 June 2009. Justin arrived in a family of six, however by September 2006, the Burton family had left the show. It was announced in March 2009 that Fountain had decided to leave the show and would depart in a 'major storyline which echoes the fire which killed his sisters'. Fountain was credited in a flashback episode broadcast on 1 December 2010. On 12 April 2023, it was revealed that Justin had been killed off-screen on 5 October 2022, nearly 14 years after his last appearance on screen.
Francine "Frankie" Osborne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Helen Pearson, making her first on-screen appearance on 20 August 2002. Frankie was once the longest-serving female character in the show. On 9 October 2017, Pearson announced that she would depart the show, and Frankie was killed off on 1 November 2017, after suffering a stroke, making her the second member of the Dean family to be killed off after her daughter Steph Cunningham in 2010. She made her final appearance on 27 November 2017, as a ghost to Jack Osborne.
Jack Osborne is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jimmy McKenna. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 18 November 1996 and is the second longest featured character in the show. He was introduced as part of the Osborne family, which also consisted of Jack's wife Celia and their children Darren and Ruth. His storylines include an affair with Dawn Cunningham, four marriages and faking his own death in an insurance scam. For numerous years, Jack's role in the show is the landlord of the pub, The Dog in the Pond.
Darren Osborne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. He was introduced by executive producer Phil Redmond as part of the Osborne family, making his first screen appearance on 18 November 1996, portrayed by Adam Booth. Booth left the role in 1997, and the character was later recast to Ashley Taylor Dawson who first appeared in September 1999. Dawson left the role in 2000 to concentrate on his music career, though returned in 2003 and has remained in the role ever since. He remains one of the longest-running characters in the programme.
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.
Hannah Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Emma Rigby. Hannah first appeared on-screen on 27 September 2005 and her last appearance was on 12 February 2010. It was announced on 8 November 2023 that she was to return after 13 years away for a number of episodes in early January, and was later announced to be making a permanent return. Hannah briefly returned for a short stint from 19 to 23 January 2024, before a permanent return on 26 April of the same year. Rigby quit the role once again, only one month after her permanent return, in June 2024.
Nicole Owen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ciara Janson. First appearing in 2004, Janson left the soap on 25 September 2006, making a brief return on 10 July 2007 until she left again on 13 July 2007. In 2019, it was confirmed that Nicole would be returning for her nephew, Max McQueen.
Mandy Richardson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sarah Jayne Dunn. She first appeared on 7 October 1996 and has been involved in various storylines, including dealing with sexual abuse while she was a child by her father Dennis, the suicide of her brother Lewis, and an on-off relationship with Tony Hutchinson before the couple married. Mandy had a miscarriage causing her to hit Tony. Mandy and Tony had a daughter together who they named Grace, only for her to die from sudden infant death syndrome. This led to the character and Dunn's exit from the serial in 2006. Dunn made a brief return in 2007 before making a return for six months in 2008. Dunn reprised her role as Mandy in 2010; in September 2011, Dunn announced her departure from the soap, and Mandy made her last appearance on 2 September 2011 before departing off-screen. Dunn later returned to her role in the sixth series of Hollyoaks Later in October 2013. In June 2017, it was announced that Dunn had reprised the role again and that Mandy would appear from July alongside Luke Morgan, played by Gary Lucy. Mandy returned on 26 July 2017. In November 2021, it was announced that Dunn's contract with Hollyoaks had been terminated due to starting an OnlyFans; viewers of the soap criticised the decision and Dunn herself voiced her disappointment with the production team. Her final scenes aired on 27 December 2021, and Mandy was given an off-screen departure on 31 January 2022.
Nancy Osborne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jessica Fox. The character first appeared on 6 July 2005. Since the character's inception she has been involved in many notable storylines such as a love triangle; coping with the death of her sister Becca ; marrying Jake Dean ; drug abuse; domestic violence; being the victim of two attempted rapes by Jake and Finn O'Connor ; marrying Darren Osborne ; suffering a miscarriage; prematurely giving birth to Darren's son, Oscar Osborne, who is deaf; an addiction to painkillers; a highly-publicised storyline where Sienna Blake attempts to steal Darren and her family away from her; getting brain damage after an attack from Sienna; an affair with Rick Spencer ; and a fling with Rick's son Robbie Roscoe. Her later storylines have seen the character be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; discovering Darren's affair with her friend Mandy Richardson, leading to the couple's separation; a relationship with Kyle Kelly ; miscarrying Kyle's baby after being stabbed; and dealing with Kyle's suicide. In the character's early stages, she was portrayed as a less conventional character compared to the rest of the Hollyoaks teenagers. Fox left the series on 23 March 2023 due to going on maternity leave, and she returned on 15 January 2024.
Debra "Debbie" Dean is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jodi Albert. She first appeared in 2002, before Albert quit the role in 2004. She made her final appearance during 2005, before making a brief return in 2006.
Katy Fox is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Hannah Tointon, from 2007 to 2008 and again in 2017. Katy is the sister of Warren Fox. Her character has been central to several storylines, particularly Clare Cunningham's revenge. In July 2016, after Warren returned to the village, he revealed that Katy had died from a drug overdose and that he felt immensely guilty as he was in prison at the time of her death. The character made a return on 1 February 2017, where it was revealed that Katy's nephew Joel Dexter and his friend Bart McQueen supplied her with the drugs, leading to her death.
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.
Ben Davies is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Marcus Patric. He first appeared in August 2000, and after departing from the main show in 2005, made further appearances in spin-offs, Hollyoaks: Let Loose and Hollyoaks: In the City, which followed his relationship with Lisa Hunter
The Osborne family are a fictional family in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks. Introduced to the show in 1996, The family moved to Hollyoaks village in 1996, although Ruth Osborne had previously lived in the Village. The characters have been involved in storylines such as dealing with a Gambling addiction, Ruth relationship with Kurt Benson, Jack's affair with Dawn Cunningham, a fake death scam for insurance money, financial troubles, Jack three marriages and fostering a child. Throughout their tenure on the serial, the Osbornes have owned the Dog in the Pond. Hollyoaks″ official website has described the Osborne family as belonging in the Dog in the Pond and as being the " rightfully at the helm" of the public house.
Phoenix Hathaway is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Tylan Grant. Grant made his first appearance as the character in episode 4947, originally broadcast on 10 July 2018. Phoenix is initially introduced as Brooke, an autistic teenage girl who is fostered by the Osborne family. He was the first autistic regular character in a soap opera and Grant marked the first BAME actor to portray an autistic character in a television series. Phoenix's storylines in the soap have included being adopted by the Osbornes following the death of his mother, his relationships with Imran Maalik and Oliver Morgan, being bullied by Juliet Nightingale, becoming pregnant and putting his son up for adoption and coming to the realisation that he is non-binary, but later transitioning to a trans man and changing his name to Phoenix. Grant quit his role as Phoenix and made his final appearance on 31 January 2024, when Phoenix and Shing Lin Leong move to London.