List of Hollyoaks characters (2020)

Verity Hutchinson, played by Eva O'Hara, made her first appearance on 6 January 2020, as part of Hollyoaks Later. The character was announced on 20 September 2019,[1] but casting wasn't revealed until 10 December 2019.[2] Verity is the sister of the soap's longest-running character Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) and the daughter of Edward Hutchinson (Joe McGann). Verity is Edward's favourite child and arrives in the village to launch her own law firm. Describing the character, Eva said that she "can hold her own in any situation and really doesn't take no for an answer", adding: "She has a fascinating balance of ruthlessness and compassion, making her one to watch... I've found myself feeling jealous of her fearlessness at times."[2]

Speaking about her casting, she said: "I have been totally bowled over by the wonderful team at Hollyoaks. I have fallen in love with the warmth and passion of everyone involved, and feel utterly blessed to be involved in such a creative environment."[2]

George Kiss, played by Callum Kerr, made his first appearance on 30 January 2020. The character and casting was announced on 20 January 2020. George is involved in a County lines drug trafficking storyline, and made his first appearance after Nancy Osborne (Jessica Fox) is stabbed at Hollyoaks High.[3]

Speaking about being part of the show, Kerr said: "I feel very honoured to be joining the cast of Hollyoaks during such a thrilling time for the show. My first couple of months have been brilliant and the cast and crew are very friendly and welcoming. My grandfather was a policeman like my character, so he'll be delighted to see me in the uniform. I'll be part of the team investigating the County Lines storyline, which will hopefully help raise awareness of a relevant topic and shed light on a serious issue."[3] Speaking further about the character's personality, Kerr said: "He'd be willing to risk his life, as long as the papers wrote about him afterwards and called him a 'hero cop'! I think he'd do anything. George is going to put himself in some dangerous situations when he should probably wait for back-up. But I think he loves the action and he is so passionate that he rushes in without thinking. George is very exciting as a new character. He's passionate and he loves his job. He loves being the saviour and being in the limelight. George loves the action of being a policeman, more so than the paperwork and the logistics. You'll see that he's quite flirty, he's very friendly with everyone and he has got a really exciting storyline."[4]

He continued, saying: "My first scenes come when Nancy has just been stabbed in the playground after an altercation and the police are called. George is the first officer on the scene, but the paramedics are already there. He has to try to understand what's going on very quickly. George takes control of the situation immediately. It's a really nice way to be introduced, showing him as someone who's trustworthy and who can take control of a dangerous situation. I think there'll be a lot of those, over the course of the next year. So far my scenes have been with the teachers at the school. I have shared scenes with Nancy, Sally, John Paul, and then a few of the worried parents as well. I've also been with DS Cohen a few times. She's my boss and she's very good at her job, so George is keen to impress! You'll see that George is a police officer for the right reasons and his heart is in it. He wants to make sure this village, and the kids in it, are safe from the dangers that come from drug dealing and drug trafficking.""[4]

Felix Westwood, played by Richard Blackwood, made his first appearance on 30 March 2020. The character was announced on 24 January 2020,[5] while speculation about Blackwood being cast on the show started on 23 January 2020 after he was spotted on set.[6] Felix is a past love interest of Martine Deveraux (Kéllé Bryan), and is the father of Mitchell Deveraux (Imran Adams), Toby Faroe (Bobby Gordon) and Celeste Faroe (Andrea Ali).[5] On 3 February 2020 co-star Jamie Lomas who plays Warren Fox announced the character Felix is a face from Warren's past.

On his casting, Blackwood said: "I feel amazed and honoured to join the cast of Hollyoaks. After finishing at EastEnders, I did a few plays and a TV show for America. Now, I feel ready with what I've learnt in my hiatus to be a part of this show. I plan to take my acting to the next level and this character will help tremendously with that growth!" Blackwood's casting was also praised by Adams, who said: "He's such a charming, personable, hardworking guy and I feel like, because of those attributes, he will be a perfect fit in the Deveraux clan who are loved by so many Hollyoaks fans. It's great to see such an iconic show have such diversity, and I know that Hollyoaks will continue to be the leader with that topic and I'm grateful to have him on board."[5] Adams later added that Felix would be a bit of a bad boy, saying: "He is going to be a bad boy. But I think he's going to be one of the bad boys who goes down in the Hollyoaks history books. He will definitely shake things up and I can't wait to work with him, to be honest."[7]

Appearing on Good Morning Britain before his character's debut, Blackwood explained his character's past, saying that Felix is quite a "dark character." He added: "You'll find through the story there's things that have happened that conditioned him to be the way that he is. He's a bit desensitised from emotion in that sense. When he interacts with people, you can see that. You've got to play the truth of why they became that way. What Hollyoaks has done, which I think is beautiful, is they've gone into the history of why he has become that way."[8]

Felix first arrives in the village after he receives a call from Celeste who pretends to be her long-lost mother, Felix's ex-girlfriend, Martine. He arrives in the village in a BMW and flirts with Grace Black (Tamara Wall) and Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher) after splashing Grace and ruining her expensive hells. He offers Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) help as she is struggling to get out a taxt, but she refuses. He arrives at the Deverauxes' front door where his son, Mitchell, and his boyfriend Scott Drinkwell (Ross Adams) are having an argument with his other son Toby, Celeste, Martine, their grandfather Walter Deveraux (Trevor A. Toussaint) and their cousin Lisa Loveday (Rachel Adedeji).

Mark Kelly, played by Christopher Quinten, made his first appearance on 14 April 2020.[9] The character and casting was announced on 11 February 2020.[10] Mark is the father of established character Kyle Kelly (Adam Rickitt), and the husband of fellow newcomer, Carole Kelly (Diana Weston). On Coronation Street, Quinten had played the role of Brian Tilsley, the father of Rickitt's then character, Nick Tilsley, although the pair never met during the others run on the soap.[10]

In a statement about the characters, Rickitt said: "This is one of the more surreal experiences of my career. After 23 years, I finally get to meet my first onscreen dad, which is truly bizarre. It's an honour to have such well-established actors like Chris and Diana come in to play my parents and I've really enjoyed the scenes we've filmed so far. Plus at least having parents in the show means Kyle has an excuse to regress into adolescence, which comes quite easily to him."[10]

Speaking about joining the show, Quinten said: "I've thoroughly enjoyed the scenes I've filmed so far at Hollyoaks, I already love the show and all of the cast, crew and production staff are fantastic and so friendly. Working with Adam after first playing 'his' dad more than thirty years ago is a dream come true, it's a brilliant piece of soap nostalgia, which I hope everyone enjoys."[10]

Carole Kelly, played by Diana Weston, made her first appearance on 14 April 2020.[9] The character and casting was announced on 11 February 2020. Carole is the mother of established character Kyle Kelly (Rickitt), and the wife of fellow newcomer Mark Kelly (Quinten).[10]

Cher Winters,[11] played by Bethannie Hare, made her first appearance on 1 June 2020. The character and casting was announced on 12 April 2020. Cher is the daughter of established character Sylver McQueen (David Tag), although before her arrival, he is unaware of her existence. Cher is an aspiring hairdresser and beautician who is set to inject some "fun and energy into the village." Cher is described as the "life and soul of the party" with "strong family values and is ready to learn more about her father" as all she currently knows about him is that he's a convicted murderer.[12]

On joining the show, Hare said: "Everyone's been so nice. It is like a little family. I was nervous coming in, and everyone has just put me at ease. I’m absolutely loving it. I feel like I am learning so much from other cast members every day as well." She added that her character was "very sassy! She definitely has an attitude, but she's also caring and she’s so big on family, just like the McQueens. She'll always be there for someone. I’m so excited to join the McQueen family."[12]

Cher arrives to the village, searching for her father, Sylver, and watches him, Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) and Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) from afar. She attends Sylver and Mercedes' vow renewal ceremony, assuming Warren is Sylver, where she privately tells him that she's his daughter. Warren informs her that he was in prison when she was conceived, insisting he is not her father. When Goldie McQueen (Chelsee Healey) offers her a place to stay, she privately approaches Sylver, asking for £3,000 and then she will leave. Sylver agrees to get her the money, but she declines it as she wants to have the opportunity to get to know him better. Cher's mother, Kelly Winters (Jenny Wickham), arrives and informs her that she and her other children are moving to Greece without Cher. Romeo Quinn (Owen Warner) becomes smitten with Cher and tries to ask her out on a date, but she rejects him. When he gives Cher his number, she rejects him again and returns it to him. When a doll is delivered to the McQueen family threatening to reveal the family's secrets, Cher discovers that Sylver murdered Breda McQueen (Moya Brady). In return, she reveals that she accidentally murdered her half-sister Liza, due to being jealous of how much attention Kelly gave to her.

Victor Brothers, played by Benjamin O'Mahoney, made his first appearance on 16 June 2020.[13] The character and casting was announced on 7 April 2020. Victor is the boss of drugdealer Jordan Price (Connor Calland), and is said to be the man behind the County Line drug operation. Calland teased that Victor's arrival will mean that Jordan is "not the nastiest person in the village anymore."[14]

Victor has been described as enigmatic and "complex" with O'Mahoney saying of his character: "Victor is (arguably) a sociopath, who is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants – comfortable with manipulating and exploiting vulnerable children to build himself the empire he thinks he deserves. I would argue that Victor sees himself as an efficient businessman working within a violent industry, but there is also another side to him that is addicted to the power and loves to see the fear in people's eyes."[14]

Cormac Ranger, played by James Gaddas, made his first appearance on 7 July 2020. Cormac is the former carer of Warren Fox (Lomas) and Felix Westwood (Blackwood) who worked in a children's home.[15] The character was mentioned prior to his arrival, with Warren talking about his troubled childhood in care, stating that Cormac was kind to him and that he taught Warren how to box.[16] Cormac is introduced as part of an historic abuse storyline when Felix claims that Cormac abused him during his stay in the children's home because of his race. It was stated that "Cormac is set to kick start one of Hollyoaks' biggest storylines of the year."[17]

Ripley Lennox, played by Ki Griffin, made their first appearance on 20 July 2020. Ripley is a stall-owner at the Cunningham's Grand Bazaar, and in their first appearance they attempt to help Yasmine Maalik (Haiesha Mistry) out of Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins) buying her a jumper she doesn't like by lying about the price. However, Tom still buys the item at the inflated price.[18] No announcement was made of Ripley's casting, but it was announced on 9 August of that year, that they were part of the regular cast.[19] Alongside Tom and Yasmine, Ripley will strike up friendships with Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell) and Romeo Quinn (Owen Warner).[20]

Summer Ranger, played by Rhiannon Clements, made her first appearance on 23 November 2020.[21] The character and casting was announced on 19 October 2020.[21] Summer is the daughter of Cormac Ranger (Gaddas), and arrives in the village after he falls into a coma on account of being assaulted by Warren Fox (Lomas). After arriving in the village, Summer will set up a baking business in the Grande Bazaar. A Hollyoaks spokesperson said that Summer was "angelic on the outside, but a mischievous minx on the inside." They added that Summer was also "a bright, effortlessly cool tomboy, but when she wants something, she's capable of going to extreme lengths to get it," and teased that she'd be a "frenemy" to Sienna in both her life and love.[21]

On her casting and character, Clements said: "I was absolutely buzzing and really grateful in our current climate to get the opportunity to join the Hollyoaks family. Summer is fun, sarcastic and I love the zest she brings. She's all sweetness and light but she also has a nasty bite, which is going to be brilliant to play. Once Summer sets her mind on something, be it an idea, a plan or a person, she will do everything she can to make things go her way. Also, I'm incredibly jealous of her wardrobe!"[21]