Hollyoaks is a British soap opera that first aired on 23 October 1995. The following characters made or will make their debut in 2025. Zachary and Leighton, the oldest sons of Stacey Solomon, appeared in cameos in January. Tommy, played by Brandon Fellows, made his first appearance on 11 March. Fraser “Froggy” Black Sr, played by John Middleton, will make his first appearance the first week of August 2025. Gemma, played by Tisha Merry, will make her first appearance in October 2025. Additionally, several other characters appear throughout the year.
The Parcel Patrons worker and Leighton briefly appeared on 23 January. [1] They were played by Zachary and Leighton, the oldest children of Stacey Solomon. [1] The pair were not credited in the episode, but they appeared in some photos with some regular Hollyoaks cast members on the official Hollyoaks Instagram account. [1] Solomon later revealed that when she and Zach – who she described as being "obsessed" with the soap – met the executive producer of Hollyoaks at the National Television Awards, who invited Zach to see the set at a later date. [2] Zach and his brother later visited the set and were offered to be extras in the scene, which they accepted despite not having an interest in becoming actors. [2] Solomon added that whilst they were "nervous" to be extras, her sons "loved every second of it and the people at Hollyoaks were just so lovely and so kind and so nice to us and they just had the best day ever". [3] [2] In the episode, the Parcel Patrons worker gets a telling her off from Pearl Anderson (Dawn Hope) after he delivers a fruit package late to her convenience store, Price Slice; she then also tells off Leighton for delivering her paper late, calling him "Late Leighton" and threatening that she will be speaking to his mother. [4] Following the guest appearance, viewers questioned on social media whether the cameos were portrayed by Solomon's sons and whether they would appear again. [4]
| Tommy Odenkirk | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollyoaks character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Brandon Fellows | ||||
| First appearance | Episode 6537 11 March 2025 | ||||
| Last appearance | Episode 6568 21 May 2025 | ||||
| Classification | Former; recurring | ||||
| Introduced by | Hannah Cheers | ||||
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Tommy Odenkirk, played by Brandon Fellows, will make his first appearance on 11 March 2025. [5] He is introduced as the therapist of Leela Dexter (Kirsty-Leigh Porter), who was raped the previous year. [5] It was hinted that Tommy would have other patients in the village and that he "might not be who he says he is" and may be hiding a secret. [5] Fellows was excited to join the soap, calling Tommy a "friendly and unique therapist with a dark side and a complicated family history. I'm looking forward to the fans seeing this character’s secrets unravel..." [5] Following the character's announcement, Stephen Patterson from Metro wrote "Consider us very intrigued!" regarding Tommy's secret. [6]
On 17 March 2025, it was revealed that Tommy has been lying about his identity to get closer to Leela's husband, Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed). [7] Fellows, who plays Tommy, spoke about his character's double life: "Tommy's pretending to be somebody else. He does his therapy – and he shouldn't be doing that – but also he has another job and he works in a chicken shop on the side. He doesn't have many friends, he's very lonely and he has this completely different alter ego. It's been so much fun to play these two personas at the same time, it's been amazing." [7] As part of a flashback episode that is due to explore the events that occurred before the Hollyoaks time jump, scenes will explain Tommy's obsession with Joel. Fellows explained: "This will be explored in the flashback episode about the missing year, we venture back in time because of Tommy and this storyline. All will be revealed about why this obsession started, and it's really interesting. I will say, Tommy's obsession with Joel is completely platonic. He doesn't lust for him; he sees him as a brother, and this will all make sense after the missing year episode." [7]
Nina Bentley, portrayed by former Casualty star Mattie Packer, made her first voice appearance on 5 May 2025. [8] She is a friend of Ro Hutchinson (Ava Webster), who he met on an LGBTQ+ forum where he sought solace after being subjected to transphobic abuse from Arlo Fielding (Dan Hough). [8] Packer's casting was announced on the same day she made her first voice appearance and made her first on-screen appearance on 12 May 2025 in a special episode focusing on Ro's mental health, where Ro, along with his mother, Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher) attends a support group. [8] Her role was revaled to be a guest role. [8] During the episode that Nina appeared, Hollyoaks changed the background to include the transgender flag colours in the ad break. [8]
Matt Domino, portrayed by Oliver Wickham, first appeared on 12 May 2025. [8] His casting was announced on 5 May 2025 and his character would be a guest. [8] Matt attends the support group that Ro Hutchinson (Ava Webster) is also attending with his mother, Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher). [8] He first appears in an episode focusing on Ro's mental health after being subjected to transphobic abuse from Arlo Fielding (Dan Hough). [8] During this episode, Hollyoaks changed the background to include the transgender flag colours in the ad break. [8]
Eve, portrayed by Trans actor Emma Frankland, is a volunteer at the LGBTQ+ helpline that Ro Hutchinson (Ava Webster) calls after his friend Kathleen-Angel McQueen (Kiara Mellor) encourages him to seek help after contemplating suicide. [8] Her casting was announced on 5 May 2025 and she made her first appearance on 12 May 2025. [8] Frankland appeared in episodes airing between 12 and 18 May 2025, which is Mental Health Awareness Week as well as being the episodes' scriptwriter. [8] Frankland also appeared in a video interview set to be shared across the Hollyoaks social media accounts, where she will discuss the inspirations and collaborations of the storyline. [8] Frankland told Digital Spy : "Having spoken to Samaritans, Papyrus and LGBT Switchboard, the crossover of what everybody said was so similar. They are volunteers mostly; they're giving up their time to be there because we know the power that a conversation has to change someone's path and to alter the route that they're on." [8] She continued: "I'm really happy we're showing Ro in this truthful recognisable place and we're showing that there is an alternative and there is hope. Having met with real volunteers, I felt strongly that I wanted to play that part, and I think it was exciting having three guest roles in this episode, all of whom were trans." [8]
| Froggy Black | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | John Middleton | ||||||||||
| Duration | 2025–present | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 4 August 2025 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Present; regular | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Hannah Cheers | ||||||||||
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Fraser "Froggy" Black Sr, portrayed by John Middleton, is the father of notorious deceased gangster, Fraser Black (Jesse Birdsall), and the grandfather of Clare Devine (Gemma Bissix), Grace Black (Tamara Wall), and Rex Gallagher (Jonny Labey). [9] He is due to appear after being released from Longmere Prison, where he is seen as "Top Dog", where he has befriended Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins) and keeping tabs on Rex. [9] Middleton's casting was announced on 13 July 2025. [10] Elizabeth Cotton from Manchester Evening News described Froggy's character to have a "dark past." [11] Amelia Ward from The Mirror described Froggy's character to be a "far cry" from Middleton's previous role as vicar Ashley Thomas in ITV soap opera Emmerdale . [10] His first meeting with Clare is described as "explosive" with a "real battle" set to "ensue". [10]
Middleton spoke about his new casting: "From Vicar to villain is quite a leap but that's why I love this part. Froggy has a very dark history and he could reveal everyone's murky past. He knows where all the bodies are buried; perhaps quite literally…" [9] A source reported to The Mirror: "People usually think of Ashley when they see John but that won’t be happening any more, Fraser is about as far away to the kindly vicar you can get." [10] A Hollyoaks insider told them: "He’s possibly the most evil character Hollyoaks has ever had - and for a village plagued by serial killers, that’s saying something. Fraser will make his entrance very soon, and he’s got more than one connection to the village with his twisted family already there." [10]
Sheila Corkhill (also Grant) is a character in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside who appeared between 1982 and 1990. [12] She is played by Sue Johnston and is set to appear in a crossover episode of Hollyoaks with Brookside in celebrations of the former's 30th anniversary. [12] Her appearance was announced on 23 August 2025. [12] After receiving the news, Johnston said: "It'll be so lovely to go back and be Sheila for a day as it was such a big, enjoyable part of my life." [12] Johnston was the first of a few Brookside stars to appear in the episode for "iconic, heritage Brookside characters as a treat for the audience and to mark the milestone of Hollyoaks' 30th anniversary." [12] In this episode, special permission has been granted for Hollyoaks to film on Brookside Close, the Liverpool cul-de-sac which was the focal point of all the drama for 21 years. [12] Previously used exclusively for soap filming until Brookside ended in 2003, it's now home to real-life residents who live in the famous houses. [12]
Billy Corkhill, portrayed by John McArdle, is a character in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside who appeared between 1985 and 1990. [13] He is set to appear in tne Hollyoaks crossover episode with Brookside, which is to celebrate the former's 30th anniversary. [13] McArdle was announced to be reprising his role as Billy Corkhill on 28 August 2025, the same day as former co-star, Paul Usher who would reprise his role of Barry Grant for the crossover. [13] McArdle spoke about his return: "It’s going to be a nostalgic visit back to the famous close. Also I’ve got to try and find the character of Billy Corkhill again as I haven’t played him for 35 years!" [13] Their announcements followed Sue Johnston's return as his on-screen wife, Sheila Grant. [13]
Barry Grant, portrayed by Paul Usher, is a character in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside who appeared between 1982 and 1995 and again from 1997 and 1998 and 2003. [13] He is set to appear in the Hollyoaks crossover episode with Brookside, which is to celebrate the former's 30th anniversary. [13] Usher's return as Barry Grant was announced on 28 August 2025, the same day as former co-star, John McArdle who would also be reprising his role as Billy Corkhill. [13] Usher said he would be "looking forward to seeing all of the old faces". [13] Their announcements followed Sue Johnston's return as his on-screen mother, Sheila Grant. [13] Executive producer Hannah Cheers described the crossover episode to be a "love letter" to both soaps and said: "Brookside gave birth to Hollyoaks — it grew up on the same site and eventually took over its sets. This special feels like both a moving and fitting tribute to our origin story and a chance for fans to revisit much-loved Brookside characters in honour of that legacy. These iconic Brookside characters are soap archetypes that helped define British TV." [13]
Tim "Tinhead" O'Leary, portrayed by Philip Olivier, is a character in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside who appeared between 1996 and 2003. [14] He is set to appear in the Hollyoaks crossover episode with Brookside, which is to celebrate the former's 30th anniversary. [14] His appearance was announced on 2 September 2025, the same day as former co-star, Suzanne Collins, who would reprise her role as Nikki Shadwick. [14] O'Leary spoke about his return: "When I was first cast in Brookside aged 15, I would never have thought that 30 years on, people would still be calling me 'Tinhead'! I remember my time on Brookside with great affection and will relish returning to 'the Close'." [14]
Nikki Shadwick, portrayed by Suzanne Collins, is a character in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside who appeared between 1998 and 2003. [14] She is set to appear in the Hollyoaks crossover episode with Brookside, which is to celebrate the former's 30th anniversary. [14] Her appearance was announced on 2 September 2025, the same day as her former co-star, Philip Olivier who would reprise his role as Tim O'Leary. [14] Shadwick spoke about her return: "I'm honoured and privileged to be part of this special episode and to play Nikki again. I feel like I'm going home. It will be emotional without our darling Dean Sullivan [who played Brookie's longest-serving character, Jimmy Corkhill, and passed away in 2023], but I think he will be looking down on us and beaming with pride." [14]
Bobby Grant, portrayed by Ricky Tomlinson, is a character in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside who appeared between 1982 and 1988. [15] He is set to appear in the Hollyoaks crossover episode with Brookside, which is to celebrate the former's 30th anniversary. [15] His appearance was announced on 4 September 2025, the same day as former co-star, Michael Starke, who played Sinbad. [15] Tomlinson spoke about his upcoming appearance: "It will be lovely to take part in Brookside again, especially to work alongside Sue Johnston. I'm looking forward to being on the close again after all these years." [15] The announcement regarding Tomlinson's appearance followed his former on-screen wife, Sheila Grant, played by Sue Johnston who also played his on-screen wife in BBC comedy The Royle Family , and his former on-screen stepson Barry Grant, played by Paul Usher. [15]
Thomas "Sinbad" Sweeney, portrayed by Michael Starke, is a character in Channel 4 soap opera Brookside who appeared between 1984 and 1985, and then again between 1987 and 2000. [15] He was pictured on set with other previously announced returning former Brookside co-stars: Sue Johnston as Sheila Grant, John McArdle as Billy Corkhill, Paul Usher as Barry Grant, Philip Olivier as Tinhead, Suzanne Collins as Nikki Shadwick, and Ricky Tomlinson as Bobby Grant. [15] Starke had played a taxi driver named Benny intermittently in 2021 and again between 2023 and 2024, so it is unclear if these are two separate characters or if Benny was in actual fact Sinbad all along. [15]
| Gemma | |
|---|---|
| Hollyoaks character | |
| Portrayed by | Tisha Merry |
| Classification | Future; regular |
| Introduced by | Hannah Cheers |
| Spin-off appearances | Hollyoaks Later (2025) |
Gemma, played by Tisha Merry, will make her debut appearance during a one-off episode of Hollyoaks Later to coincide with the shows 30th Anniversary Celebrations, airing on 22 October 2025. [16] Her casting was announced on 28 July 2025 and her character would have links to Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas), who has been confirmed to be returning to Hollyoaks permanently. [16] Merry expressed her excitement about joining the cast: "I’m absolutely over the moon to be joining the cast of Hollyoaks. It’s a fabulous opportunity and an incredible time to join as they celebrate their 30th birthday week." [16] She also discussed her character's personality: "Gemma is flirty, feisty, and the kind of woman you’d want as your best friend… but never your enemy. She’s bold, unpredictable, and trust me when I say, she’ll be entering with a bang. I can’t wait for you all to meet her." [16]
| Character | Portrayer(s) | Episode date(s) | Details | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DS Bolton | Sophie Mensah | 7 January | A police officer who interviews Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell) after she reports Abe Fielding (Tyler Conti) for raping her. | [17] |
| Prosecutor | 13–15 January | Sophie Fletcher | The legal team at JJ Osborne's (Ryan Mulvey) trial following his sexual abuse against Frankie Osborne (Isabelle Smith). The legal team cross-examines JJ and Frankie and other people relevant to the trial. After JJ's confession, the judge sentences him for his crimes. | [18] |
| JJ's Defence Barrister | Hopi Grace | [18] | ||
| Judge | Kerry Peers | [18] | ||
| Sonographer | Kate Threlfall | 22 January | A sonographer who performs the scan of Vicky Grant (Anya Lawrence). She tells Vicky and her boyfriend Robbie Roscoe (Charlie Wernham) that the baby is healthy and has a strong heartbeat. | [19] |
| Fernando (cat) | — | 17–18 February | A stray cat that Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) looks after and becomes close with. After he goes missing, Ste suspects that Jeremy Blake (Jeremy Sheffield) murdered him. | [20] |