List of Hollyoaks characters (2024)

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Hollyoaks is a British television soap opera first broadcast on 23 October 1995. The following is a list of characters that appear in 2024, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the soap's executive producers, Hannah Cheers and Angela Abela. Kitty Draper was introduced in January, followed by Abe Fielding. Declan Hawthorne made his debut in February. Arlo Fielding made his debut in March. Donny Clark will be introduced in April.

Contents

Kitty Draper

Kitty Draper
Hollyoaks character
Portrayed by Iz Hesketh
Duration2024–present
First appearanceEpisode 6288
15 January 2024 (2024-01-15)
Classification Present; regular
Introduced byHannah Cheers and Angela Abela
In-universe information
Other namesIvy Shaw
Ivan Hawthorne
OccupationBarmaid
Nurse
Father Declan Hawthorne

Kitty Draper, played by Iz Hesketh, made her first appearance on 15 January 2024. Kitty is involved in a four-vehicle collision and after realising that her travelling companion has died, steals her identity. Many details of Kitty have been kept under wraps, but executive producer Hannah Cheers teased a lot of "shock and intrigue" about the character. "We realised that we had the opportunity here to show the front-end of an impostor story," she told media. "Normally in an impostor story, you learn the secret after you've met the character. But to actually see the moment where somebody makes that momentary decision to take the identity of somebody else is huge." [1]

Speaking about her character on social media, Iz said: ""Looks like the cats out of the bag… I'm so proud to announce that I'm the new girl on the block in the @hollyoaksofficial Village! My character is one that British TV has needed for a long time. She's fiery, independent and has a huge heart. I'm so excited to show that trans people are just like everyone else. We have flaws, we fall in love and sometimes we make bad decision for good reasons…Brace yourselves, a new arrival is about to come into Hollyoaks with a bang." [1]

Kitty later develops a romance with Beau Ramsey (Jon-Paul Bell). Bell said his character likes her energy and he described her as "like a firecracker coming into the village and shaking things up!" [2] Bell said Beau was "intrigued" by the way Kitty lives her life and he credited her for bringing Beau out of his shell. [2] He thought the pair made a good match, however, he noted that they see the world differently which could cause issues in the future. [2]

Abe Fielding

Abe Fielding
Hollyoaks character
Portrayed byTyler Conti
Duration2024–present
First appearanceEpisode 6291
18 January 2024 (2024-01-18)
Classification Present; regular
Introduced byHannah Cheers and Angela Abela
In-universe information
Father Mick Cornus
Mother Marie Fielding
Half-brothers Joel Dexter
Arlo Fielding

Abe Fielding, played by Tyler Conti, made his first appearance on 18 January 2024. The character and casting was announced on 15 January 2024. [3] Abe is the ex-boyfriend of returning character Cleo McQueen (Nadine Mulkerrin), who left him due to his controlling behaviour. [4] Abe arrives in the village looking for Cleo after she is involved in a multi-vehicle collision, unaware that she is searching for her ex-fiance Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed). A press release for the character described Abe as: "Very loving, friendly, and approachable, but under the surface there’s more than meets the eye," and teased an "unexpected" family connection. [3]

Speaking about his character, Tyler commented: "Abe is a charming working-class young lad with a manipulative streak a mile-wide. The ingredients of a deeply troubled past and a complicated family life have brewed his dangerous temper, especially when things don’t go his way. I can't wait for Abe to explode into the Hollyoaks village, you can expect danger, manipulation, and one heck of a messy family that comes with it." [3]

Declan Hawthorne

Declan Hawthorne
Hollyoaks character
Portrayed byAlan Turkington
First appearanceEpisode 6320
28 February 2024 (2024-02-28)
Classification Present; recurring
Introduced byHannah Cheers & Angela Abela
In-universe information
OccupationConversion therapist
Church leader
Daughters Kitty Draper

Declan Hawthorne, played by Alan Turkington, made his first appearance on 28 February 2024. The character and casting was announced on 6 February 2024. Declan is a practitioner of conversion therapy alongside Carter Shepherd (David Ames), and assists Carter in attempting to influence the sexuality of Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis). [5]

Speaking about joining the soap, Declan said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be joining the Hollyoaks family, who have made me feel so welcome – even as a very unwelcome character! We've already filmed some incredibly intense scenes, including those in Declan's first episode. He's a toxically religious man who fervently believes in the therapy he is advocating. He feels that these men have lost their way, when really it's he who has 'strayed from the righteous path'. I feel very privileged as an actor to be able to highlight the evils of conversion therapy with this storyline and I can't wait to see how tensions play out with Carter, Lucas, and maybe some others in the village." [5]

Arlo Fielding

Arlo Fielding
Hollyoaks character
Portrayed byDan Hough
Duration2024–present
First appearanceEpisode 6334
19 March 2024 (2024-03-19)
Classification Present; recurring
Introduced byHannah Cheers and Angela Abela
In-universe information
Father Chris
Mother Marie Fielding
Half-brothers Joel Dexter
Abe Fielding

Arlo Fielding, portrayed by Dan Hough, is the son of Marie Fielding (Rita Simons) and the half-brother of Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed) and Abe Fielding (Tyler Conti). He made his debut in spring 2024. [6] He previously made a cameo appearance in episode 6334, originally broadcast on 19 March 2024 as part of a major plot-twist that his half-brother Abe is actually his kidnapper. [7] Marie wants to obtain Arlo back after Abe secretly sent him to stay with his father and an unknown woman, disguising it as a kidnapping. [8] When Marie hires a private investigator, she finds a lead in Ireland, though is stopped on her way by the police as Abe has framed her for drugging Arlo with sedatives. [9] Marie is then released and overhears a conversation between Abe and his girlfriend Cleo McQueen (Nadine Mulkerrin), confessing that he set Marie up. Cleo covers for Abe and lets Marie believe it was her. In early April 2024, Marie is told that a body has been found in Ireland that they may believe is Arlo [10] (this is confirmed untrue as Arlo appears in the spring trailer released by Hollyoaks). [6] Abe then rushes to Dublin in a bid to search for his half-brother, knowing he is alive. [11]

Donny Clark

Donny Clark
Hollyoaks character
Portrayed by Louis Emerick
Duration2024–present
First appearanceEpisode 6348
8 April 2024 (2024-04-08)
Classification Present; regular
Introduced byHannah Cheers and Angela Abela
In-universe information
Sons Andre Clark
Daughters Vicky Grant

Donny Clark, played by Louis Emerick, made his first appearance in episode 6348, originally broadcast on 8 April 2024. The character and casting was announced on 2 April 2024. He is the father of established characters Vicky Grant (Anya Lawrence) and Andre Clark (David Joshua-Anthony). Donny makes his first appearance when he unexpectedly arrives at Vicky's 18th birthday party. [12]

The character has been billed as "charisma personified", who is "determined to build a relationship with Vicky upon his arrival in the village". Discussing Donny's arrival in Hollyoaks, Emerick commented: "Donny is coming back to see his son and it collides with his daughter's birthday, which is very emotional as it's the first time he has met her". On joining the soap, Emerick stated: "It has equally been moving for me personally. I was there when Hollyoaks began. We sat with the Brookside and Hollyoaks crew and watched a screening of the first ever episode in 1995. It is so exciting to be back with this vibrant cast and crew, back on the set where it all began." [12]

Donny unexpectedly arrives at Vicky's 18th birthday party, much to the dismay of her and Scott. Vicky assumes his arrival was because he sabotaged Scott adopting her. Andre later admits it was him that invited Donny as he thought Vicky would be delighted. Vicky claims that Scott has been a better father in the past two years then Donny has eighteen. He later explains he knew nothing about the adoption and that abandoning her was not by choice, but by force.

Other characters

List of other 2024 characters
CharacterEpisode(s)Original broadcast date(s)ActorDetails
Nathan6281–62822–3 JanuaryMark Beswick [13] A cellmate of Prince McQueen (Malique Thompson-Dwyer) who attempts to threaten him into assisting with his drug-selling business inside prison. Prince refuses until Nathan begins threatening his family, but Nathan decides Prince took too long to answer and intimidates him.
Candy62849 JanuaryClaudia Adshead [14] A prostitute hired by Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis), however, she leaves when Dillon Ray (Nathaniel Dass) reveals that he's underage.
Driver628815 JanuaryAlyssia Jarvis [15] A driver who along with Kitty Draper (Iz Hesketh) is involved in a multi-car collision. The driver dies in the crash, prompting Kitty to steal her identity.
DS Peel629017 January Samantha Siddall [16] A police officer who interviews Felix Westwood (Richard Blackwood) following a multi-car collision in which an unnamed driver and Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer) died.
Kane6290–633117 January–14 MarchBen Castle-Gibb [16] A drug dealer who disposed of the car that Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) accidentally killed Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer) with. After discovering that the car killed Ella, Kane threatens Ste, prompting Ste to beat him up. Kane returns the car and calls the police. Ste's husband, (James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) later meets with Kane posing as a customer, but plants Ella's boot in his car, getting Kane arrested. James visits Kane in prison, threatening to harm Kane's daughter if he did not plead guilty. Kane later sees James visiting Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner) in prison, discovering that James is Romeo's father. Kane deals Romeo's cellmate a dodgy batch of drugs that kills him, allowing Kane to become Romeo's new cellmate and threaten his life. Kane demands £250,000 from James to ensure Romeo's safety, which James is forced to steal from the estate of the recently deceased Rafe Harcourt (Chris Gordon). However, once Kane receives the money, he goes back on his word and stabs Romeo as revenge for James framing him and threatening his family. After Romeo survives the stabbing and manages to escape from prison, Kane is visited by Ella's father, Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas), who demands to know who is responsible for Ella's death. Kane proposes a deal where if he tells Warren who is behind Ella's death, Warren will help him get out of prison. After punching Kane, Warren agrees to the deal. Kane reveals that Ste and James were responsible for Ella's death, although he is unsure which one killed her. James later spots Warren shaking hands with Kane.
Dr Reed63068 FebruaryJasmine Kerr [17] A therapist who speaks with Leah Barnes (Ela-May Dermican) following the death of Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer).
Leech6313–631419–20 FebruaryJake Haynes [18] The cellmate of Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner) who bonds with him during their time in prison. Leech is a drug addict and reveals to Kane that James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) is Romeo's father. Kane then purposefully gives Leech a dodgy stash of drugs causing him to overdose and die.
Demi63234 MarchAinsley Howard [19] A woman who arrives in the village asking money from Abe Fielding (Tyler Conti). Abe pays her off in order for Demi to leave.
PC HarveyLucy Lowe [19] A police officer who arrests Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher) for driving under the influence of alcohol after she runs a red light. When Diane's husband Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) attempts to claim he was driving and then destroy PC Harvey's dash-cam, she arrests him as well.
Murphy6330–633213–15 MarchRick S. Carr [20] An associate of Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) who arranges a meeting for him with Kane where Warren learns that Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) and James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) were responsible for the death of Warren's daughter, Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer). Murphy later joins Warren in kidnapping James and confronting him and Ste on the roof of a disused school.

Related Research Articles

<i>Hollyoaks</i> British soap opera

Hollyoaks is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera Brookside. From 2005 to 2023, episodes have aired on sister channel E4 a day prior to their broadcast on Channel 4. In 2023, Hollyoaks was removed from Channel 4's early evening schedule, but remains on E4 and Channel 4's on demand service with episodes now uploaded to YouTube.

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

Myra McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Nicole Barber-Lane. She made her first screen appearance during episode 1796, originally broadcast on 12 June 2006 and was introduced by producer Bryan Kirkwood as part of the McQueen family. The character is initially designed to play a supporting role in her family's stories. She is characterised as a no-nonsense matriarch who is "fiercely protective" of her family and puts her children first. Myra has a series of failed relationship, leading to her many children. One of her early stories introduces Niall Rafferty, Myra's abandoned son who returns for revenge on his mother. The story concludes in a stunt when Niall explodes a church, killing Myra's daughter Tina Reilly. Barber-Lane left the soap in 2013 and Myra fakes her death after being shot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Costello</span> UK soap opera character, debuted in 2010

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Dexter</span> UK soap opera character, created 2011

Joel Dexter is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks. The character made his debut during the episode broadcast on 22 November 2011, portrayed by Andrew Still. Still was attending the Scottish Youth Theatre when Lime Pictures presented the establishment with a casting opportunity for Hollyoaks. The actor secured two auditions for the role and after the second audition he was offered the part. Joel has been characterised through themes of violence. He is on probation for assault, and he loses his temper with various characters. Despite this, Joel does not like domestic violence because his stepfather hit his mother. His dislike of such violence played a role in his early storylines. He was written out of the series in 2012 and departed on 9 January 2013. On 18 August 2016, it was confirmed that Joel would be returning to Hollyoaks with the role recast to Rory Douglas-Speed; he returned on 8 September 2016.

<i>Hollyoaks Later</i> series 6 British television series (2013)

The sixth series of Hollyoaks Later is a British television series and late night spin-off of Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. The series consists of five episodes, which aired from 7 October to 11 October 2013, on E4. The series transmitted to concur with the main show's eighteenth anniversary and acted as "a celebration of Hollyoaks past and present". These celebrations included several former cast members returning for the series as part of original character Tony Hutchinson's storyline. These returns included Jeremy Edwards, James Redmond, John Pickard and Sarah Jayne Dunn.

Nadine Rose Mulkerrin is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Cleo McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2015 until 2022 and since 2024. For her portrayal of Cleo, she has been nominated for Best Female Dramatic Performance at the British Soap Awards three times.

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

Pete Buchanan is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kai Owen. From his debut appearance on 2 June 2015, he has been involved in the sexual abuse plot within the McQueen family. After being imprisoned for his crimes, Pete left the series on 29 June 2016. Pete returned for a one-off appearance on 12 October 2018. On 29 March 2021, it was announced that Owen would be reprising the role, with Pete returning on 6 April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Black</span> UK soap opera character, created 2013

Grace Black is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Tamara Wall. The character made her first on-screen appearance on 8 November 2013. Wall had three auditions for the role on the show's set in Liverpool. The character is introduced as the sister of Clare Devine, who had been killed off in earlier episodes. Grace arrives to investigate her death and get reacquainted with her estranged father Fraser Black.

References

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