Hayley Ramsey

Last updated
Hayley Ramsey
Hollyoaks character
HayleyRamsey.JPG
Portrayed by Kelly-Marie Stewart
Duration2009–2010
First appearance28 January 2009
Last appearance22 February 2010
Classification Former; regular
Created by Bryan Kirkwood
Introduced byBryan Kirkwood
In-universe information
Occupation Student
Brothers Caleb Ramsey
Zak Ramsey
SonsCaleb Ramsey

Hayley Ramsey is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks , played by Kelly-Marie Stewart. She made her first on-screen appearance on 28 January 2009 as the sister of already established character Zak Ramsey (Kent Riley). [1] Hayley is notably the first prominent disabled character in Hollyoaks, and like Stewart, has Guillain–Barré syndrome. [2] In December 2009, it was announced that Stewart's real-life pregnancy would be written into the show and that Hayley would become pregnant. [3] Making her final on-screen appearance on 22 February 2010, the character did not return after Stewart's maternity leave ended.

Contents

Character creation

Background

The character of Hayley was in development for over 18 months prior to filming. [4] The casting was made public in December 2008 along with details of the character, revealing she was to be the sister of already established character Zak Ramsey. [5] The character's back history with Zak is that of a close brother and sister relationship, but at the time of Hayley's condition developing, he could not deal with it and thought she would need constant care. [6]

Casting

Auditions were held for the part of a new disabled character in 2007. [6] Initially there was males and females that auditioned for the role. [4] After a long audition process actress Kelly-Marie Stewart and two other actresses, all of whom were wheelchair users were in the running for the part. [4] Stewart was offered the role in August 2008. The casting process had taken nearly 18 months and producers created the Character of Hayley for Stewart, they also had to write all the scripts before she began filming in November 2008. [4] The actress has Guillain–Barré syndrome like her character and stated she hopes to walk again one day. She spoke of how it is her dream role and she hopes to break down the barriers for disabled people: "Some people find it hard speaking to disabled people but hopefully I am showing I am just a normal girl like all the others on the show." [7]

Development

Personality and identity

Hayley's character has been described as a "bubbly, fun-loving practical joker". [5] Actress Kelly-Marie Stewart also said of her character: "Hayley's very feisty and has the right attitude that if anyone is not cool enough to see her for who she actually is, it's their problem, not hers." [5] Speaking on how her character's personality would be received Stewart said: "I think I'm quite lucky because she is, although she's feisty and although she stands up for herself, she is quite a nice character, so hopefully the things should be quite positive." [4] The official Hollyoaks website described the fact that she has proven she can look out for herself despite her disability. [1]

Disability

Some of the character's on-screen storylines have seen her disability come under fire and receiving unfair treatment, as the character progressed it was evident she could stand up for herself and does not take kindly to people judging her. Stewart was keen to portray the character as real as possible and made sure that scripts included her out of her wheelchair in scenes including sitting on couches and chairs. [4] Set designers also made the sets accessible for Stewart so Hayley could be seen moving around independently while on-screen, with all of one set being converted. [4] On-screen the character has had storylines involving verbal abuse of her condition when Rhys Ashworth didn't realise that she was in a wheelchair, Stewart said that it was a positive message the character was giving out as it meant that people can get to know a person without just thinking they are indifferent because of a wheelchair. [4] Although Rhys then avoided her and said it was because she was disabled, Stewart spoke about the reaction and abuse, stating it was unfair treatment. [4] Speaking about how her condition fitted in with her character she said: "Hayley is going to fall into things quite normally, she'll become part of the furniture. She actually ends up with a love interest. It just had to be addressed initially in the same was as any other new character's background would be." [8]

Storylines

Hayley first appears when she clashes with Michaela McQueen (Hollie-Jay Bowes), who assumes she is sleeping with Zak. However, Hayley soon reveals that she is Zak's sister. She then sleeps with Archie Carpenter (Stephen Beard). She later wants to find a date when Zak, believing that she cannot get one by herself, pays Elliot Bevan (Garnon Davies) money to make her feel special. However, she later finds out. An angry Hayley runs over Zak's foot and keeps the money for herself. Later in the month, she secures a date with Rhys Ashworth (Andrew Moss), who is initially unaware she is a wheelchair user. On discovering this, Rhys does not appear. Hayley joins a band called 'The Somethings'. After arguing with Rhys, Josh Ashworth (Sonny Flood) tells them to either sort it out or they are both out of the band. After leaving them alone for a short while, Josh and Kris Fisher (Gerard McCarthy) find Hayley and Rhys kissing and undressing each other. Soon after, Hayley and the band are approached by a manager. Josh fires Hayley, thinking the manager dislikes her due to her disability. However, Josh is in fact wrong.

After Hayley and Rhys finally get together, she begins to have feelings for Josh. Hayley eventually dumps Rhys after he begins talking about their future, her excuse being he was moving too fast for her. Hayley remains living in the student halls, and in September is joined by new students Dave Colburn (Elliot James Langridge), India Longford (Beth Kingston), Charlotte Lau (Amy Yamazaki) and Josh himself. Hayley takes an instant dislike to India, feeling she is judging her. Hayley tries to cheer India up after she sleeps with Archie, but ends up making the situation worse and embarrassing India even more. Hayley accuses India of stealing her food from the refrigerator, and in an attempt to catch her out, laces her food with laxatives. After India and Dave eat the food to wind Hayley up, the five students compete in a competition to win a car by touching it for the most time. The students are all in the car when India soils herself, causing the other four to get out, and India to subsequently win despite massive embarrassment. After returning from a Christmas break, Hayley reveals that she is five months pregnant, and denies either Rhys or Josh being the father. Hayley then leaves to live with her family. She later gives birth off-screen to a baby boy, who she named Caleb, after her older brother Caleb (Michael Ryan) who died in Afghanistan.

Reception

Disability Now, a magazine aimed at disabled people praised Hollyoaks for writing in Stewart's real life pregnancy into her storylines, also adding it was positive they treat her like any other member of the cast. [9] They also criticised her character along with fellow disabled characters from other UK soap operas including, Adam Best (David Proud), Lizzie Lakely (Kitty McGeever) and Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston) for all being portrayed as vengeful and personality-driven, stating that the soap opera's need to portray some disabled character's as 'normal' good people. [9] However they praised Hayley as being the least troubled character of Adam and Lizzie, despite the amount of onscreen enemies she made. [9]

Ruth Deller of entertainment website Lowculture praised Hayley's storylines and personality stating: "Amidst all the dross, it's worth pointing out there are some things Hollyoaks is doing well. Clumsy storylining aside, it's good to see a disabled actress and disabled character in a mainstream show, and due to the fact she can actually act and seems to have a personality (the opposite to Spencer) she's even achieved the near-impossible feat of making brother Zak seem somewhat likeable." [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhys Ashworth</span> UK soap opera character, created 2005

Rhys Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Andrew Moss. He made his first on-screen appearance in September 2005. Rhys was killed off in the Enjoy The Ride storyline in an episode airing on 15 November 2012 and the character departed on 16 November 2012. Rhys made a return on 27 June 2014 as part of his ex-girlfriend Cindy Cunningham's storyline about her bipolar disorder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah Ashworth</span> UK soap opera character, created 2005

Hannah Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Emma Rigby. Hannah first appeared on-screen on 30 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Ashworth</span> UK soap opera character, created 2005

Josh Ashworth, played by Sonny Flood, is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks. His first appearance was on 3 October 2005. Josh's storylines have included attempted murder, underage sex, drugs, drinking and joyriding. Flood returned to filming as Josh for three episodes airing in May and August 2012 after a two-year break.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neville Ashworth</span> UK soap opera character, created 2005

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzanne Ashworth</span> UK soap opera character, created 2005

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. Hall will reprise the role again in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Barnes</span> UK soap opera character, created 2005

Sarah Barnes is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Loui Batley. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 11 October 2005. Sarah was introduced by executive producer David Hanson as part of the Barnes family. In 2009, Batley quit the serial in order to pursue other projects. The character has been central to many key storylines, one of the earliest the high-profile gay storyline involving supercouple John Paul McQueen and Craig Dean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michaela McQueen</span> UK soap opera character, created 2006

Michaela McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Hollie-Jay Bowes. Michaela was the first of the McQueen family to be seen on-screen in 2006, when she was credited as Michaela Jones. On 8 June 2010, Bowes announced that she had quit the show and would leave in six months. However, it was announced on 24 June 2010 that show bosses had axed Bowes and speedily wrote Michaela out after she spoke about upcoming storylines and her exit on social networking website Twitter. Bowes reprised her role as Michaela in 2011, initially appearing in the fourth series of Hollyoaks Later, before reappearing in the main series. In July 2012, Bowes confirmed she would be leaving Hollyoaks, and her final scenes would air on 31 August 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilly Roach</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Gilly Roach is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Anthony Quinlan. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode broadcast on 4 October 2005. Gilly was created in 2005 by executive producer David Hanson. Gilly has often been portrayed as a push-over and has a double act partnership with fellow character Rhys Ashworth. His main character traits have been his "nice attitude", with Quinlan branding Gilly in his first five years as a "push-over". He has been labelled a loser and unlucky in love after failed relationships with Jessica Harris, Beth Clement, Cheryl Brady and Jem Costello. In 2009, executive producer Lucy Alan made changes to the character and reached a mutual agreement with Quinlan to shave off his hair, which has characterised Gilly during his early years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zak Ramsey</span> UK soap opera character, created 2004

Zak Ramsey is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kent Riley. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 6 September 2004. The character was originally credited as "Zak Barnes". After only four months, Riley was written out of the show. Producer Bryan Kirkwood reintroduced him in 2006 and was then credited with the surname Ramsey. Zak was introduced into the series as one of three new student characters, who arrive to study at the Hollyoaks Community College. Joining Zak were Bella Manning and Stuart Harding. When the character was reintroduced, a new set of students were created for Zak to share stories with. Zak is portrayed as a Scouser / Liverpudlian character, with a "fun-loving" persona and enjoys partying rather than concentrating on his studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Fisher</span> UK soap opera character, created 2006

Kris Fisher is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Gerard McCarthy. The character first appeared on-screen in September 2006 and left in August 2010 after McCarthy quit the show. He is noted for his storylines involving the PEP treatment, a bisexual love triangle, his outlandish personality and being the only permanent cross dressing character in a British soap opera. Following his departure, it was announced that McCarthy would return in November 2010 for a short stint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Clement</span> UK soap opera character, created 2007

Beth Clement is a fictional character from British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sinéad Moynihan. Beth first appeared as a student at Hollyoaks Community College, studying for a nursing degree and was later involved in an accidental incest storyline with her half-brother, Rhys Ashworth. Beth died in a car crash on 18 April 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archie Carpenter</span> Soap opera character

Archie Carpenter is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Stephen Beard. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 3 November 2008. He was introduced as the brother of the established character Zoe Carpenter. Archie moved into the college halls of residence. In March 2010, executive producer Paul Marquess wrote the character out of Hollyoaks as part of his rejuvenation of the series, which included multiple cast changes. Archie made his final appearance during the episode broadcast on 28 May 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lizzie Lakely</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Lizzie Lakely is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Kitty McGeever. Lizzie is Emmerdale's first blind character, and was played by a blind actress. She made her first on-screen appearance on 28 April 2009. Lizzie's last appearance was on 28 March 2013. McGeever had health problems, but, in June 2013, producer Kate Oates stated there had been plans for her to return. McGeever died in August 2015, however, without having returned to the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Colburn</span> Soap opera character

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lydia Hart</span> Character from Hollyoaks, created 2009

Lydia Hart is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Lydia Kelly. Lydia was created by series producer Bryan Kirkwood as one of many characters introduced that year. She made her debut in the soap on 4 March 2009, and remained for ten months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India Longford</span> UK soap opera character, created 2009

India Longford is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Beth Kingston. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 September 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan as a new student at Hollyoaks Community College. Kingston was given the role after she entered and won an online competition run by Hollyoaks Desperately Seeking. In November 2010, it was announced that India would be murdered. India was murdered by Silas Blissett on 23 December 2010. India returned briefly in 2011 and 2012. Kingston has stated that she was happy to leave the show before being typecast in the role. India has been portrayed as a "posh bird" and is narrow-minded, having a tendency to "rub people up the wrong way". She is also described as sensible and "strait-laced".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duncan Button</span> Soap opera character

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.

Kelly-Marie Stewart is a British actress, best known for playing Hayley Ramsey, the younger sister of already established character Zak Ramsey in Channel 4's teen soap opera Hollyoaks. Stewart voices the Beano Character Ruby Von Screwtop for the CBBC hit show Dennis and Gnasher Unleashed.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hayley Ramsey » Girls » Cast » Hollyoaks » Channel 4". Channel4.com. January 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  2. ↑ Kris Green (3 March 2009). "Soaps - News - Charity hails 'Emmerdale's blind character". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  3. ↑ Kris Green (10 December 2009). "Hollyoaks spoilers for 2010". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mat Fraser and Liz Carr (18 February 2009). "BBC - Ouch! (disability) - Interviews - Hollyoaks' Kelly-Marie Stewart". BBC . Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  5. 1 2 3 Kris Green (10 December 2008). "Soaps - News - 'Hollyoaks' to introduce disabled character". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  6. 1 2 Tina Miles (29 December 2008). "Liverpool Local News - Kelly-Marie Stewart is new face of Hollyoaks". The Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  7. ↑ "'Hollyoaks' Stewart hopes to walk again". Digital Spy . 6 August 2009.
  8. ↑ "One bubbly soap star". Disability Now. February 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-12-27. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  9. 1 2 3 "No soft soap on disability". Disability Now. 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 24 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  10. ↑ Deller, Ruth (28 February 2009). "Soapstar Superstars: February". Lowculture. Archived from the original on 9 September 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.