Hollyoaks is now aimed at everyone, but back in the day it revolved around a core cast of seven teenage characters – and those teens are now all grown up and have very different lives
Back when Hollyoaks first hit screens on Channel 4 in 1995, it made an instant impression on viewers. In contrast to other soaps, the show was aimed at teens and young adults – with all the drama that goes with the age group.
Hollyoaks instantly dived into the world of its young cast, and was even criticised for the amount of drinking shown on screen as its college student crew unveiled a world of partying and love triangles in Chester. At the same time, the show was praised for tackling hard storylines, including drug addiction, murder, and mental health issues.
In contrast to its huge cast now, Hollyoaks kicked off with just 15 faces to follow, seven of whom were teens leading the story. Many of the attractive bunch became household names as the soap racked up plenty of awards, but while some have risen in the world of showbiz, others have taken unbelievably different paths. Here’s a look at what the original seven are doing today, 30 years after making history…
Will Mellor
Laid back Jack-the-Lad Jambo was one of the most popular original characters in the soap, which actor Will joined when he was 19. The star appeared in the show for three years before moving to Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps in 2001.
Will is now 49, and remains a successful actor. The Yorkshire native has starred in major hits such as Broadchurch and Line of Duty – proving he can do drama just as well as soaps and sitcoms. In 2021, he also joined Coronation Street as drugs gangster Harvey Gaskell, spending nearly two years in the role. Most recently, he worked on the show Mr Bates vs The Post Office, and also snagged a role in The Teacher.
Away from acting, Will switched things up with a stint on Strictly Come Dancing, finishing 11th in 2022. He’s also the co-host of Will & Ralf Should Know Better, which sees him and his Two Pints of Lager co-star Ralf Little travelling around and undertaking hilarious new activities.
Despite moving on, Will – who shares children Jayden and Renee with dancer Michelle McSween – made it clear that he still loves his past on the soap. Earlier this year, he admitted: “I am so grateful to Hollyoaks. I’ll always be in debt to that show. It was the show that changed my life.”
Nick Pickard
Nick has played Tony Hutchinson since Hollyoaks began, with his character experiencing testicular cancer and being stabbed and held hostage by serial killer Breda McQueen during that time. In 2017, the actor won the British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Nick, 49, originally only signed up for 26 episodes on the soap, but told Digital Spy he hopes it goes on for ‘as long as it can’. “I love the show and love the people more than anything – they’re like my family,” he said.
In 2023, the star joined the cast of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, calling the opportunity to enter the jungle an ‘opportunity of a lifetime’. He was the fourth campmate to be voted out, with the reality contest won by Made In Chelsea’s Sam Thompson.
Nick enjoyed a year long relationship with his former Hollyoaks co-star Joanna Taylor, who played Geri Hudson, back in 2001. He is now in a long term relationship with girlfriend Sarah Corrin with a grown up daughter, Ellie.
Jeremy Edwards
Like Will, Jeremy played his character Kurt Benson for three years, which saw the wannabe rock star experience a turbulent love life and a long-running feud with villain Rob Hawthorne. Later on, heartbroken viewers believed Kurt had been killed in a jet ski accident abroad, but the character had actually been on the run – and in 2020 he returned to the village on his motorbike, leaving his pal Tony reeling in shock.
Actor Jeremy said the pandemic had made his show comeback after 21 years difficult. “I was supposed to be there for six months to a year but Covid impacted that massively,” he said. “There was so many restrictions with filming that I couldn’t go near anyone and I only had one storyline.”
After his original stint on the show, Jeremy played student nurse Danny Shaughnessy in Holby City and appeared on reality shows including The X Factor: Celebrity, and Celebrity Big Brother. The actor was engaged to S Club 7 singer Rachel Stevens but married Lydia Metz in 2009, going onto have children Scarlett and Theodore.
Acting jobs drying up in lockdown saw the 54-year-old parting ways with his agent and he is now working as a drama teacher, saying he ‘never enjoyed being famous’. “There are so many reasons why you can be out of work and I thought, this is so unpredictable and I have a family,” he told The Sun. “I thought I’ve got thirty years of experience here, what am I doing?”
Lisa Williamson
Dawn was the first member of the long-running Cunningham family to appear on Hollyoaks and was at the centre of many hard-hitting storylines, including an unwanted teenage pregnancy after sleeping with her best friend Ruth’s dad Jack. Actress Lisa appeared on the show for two years and went onto star in Dream Team and Siren’s Bay.
After years on screen, the performer turned largely to voice acting on commercial adverts, and also started a career as a very successful published author too. Her debut novel The Art of Being Normal was a bestseller which won the 2017 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for best older fiction.
Shebah Ronay
Described as the Hollyoaks poster girl, Natasha Anderson was the first character to die in the show when her drink was spiked with an ecstasy pill. The storyline came a year after the real-life death of Leah Betts, who died after taking ecstasy on her 18th birthday.
Shebah, 53, went onto appear in 1998 film Things We Do for Love before moving to a career in modelling, presenting, and journalism. She is married to artist Jonathan Yeo, with whom she shares two children, and often acts as muse for her husband’s artworks.
Yasmin Bannerman
Restaurant owner Maddie Parker was a background character for two years before an intense storyline involving her stalker ex propelled her to the forefront. Yasmin left the show after two years, and has racked up plenty of other acting credits since then.
The star’s first role after leaving the soap was in Red Dwarf, followed by a recurring role as Jessica in the cult series Cold Feet, in which her character had an affair with married posh financier David. She also snagged a main role in Merseybeat.
Since then, Jessica has appeared in episodes of several shows, including Doctor Who, Torchwood, Holby City, and Life on Mars. Her last role was in Casualty in 2009, suggesting she might now be done with acting for good.
Brett O’Brien
Free-loving Louise Taylor was Dawn and Natasha’s best friend, claiming to see the latter’s ghost after her passing. The short lived character left Hollyoaks after just eight months when she fell in love with hippy traveller Tree.
