Hollyoaks is a British television soap opera that was first broadcast on 23 October 1995. The following is a list of characters that have appeared or will appear in the serial in 2018, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by executive producer, Bryan Kirkwood. The first characters to be introduced were Scarlett Morgan (Susie Amy) and Oliver Morgan (Aedan Duckworth/Gabriel Clark), the estranged wife and son of Luke Morgan (Gary Lucy). Buster Smith (Nathan Sussex), the father of Damon Kinsella (Jacob Roberts), was also introduced in January. Theo Jones (Matt Kennard), the brother of Milo Entwistle (Nathan Morris), Harley Frater (Mollie Lambert), the homeless friend of Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell), and Josh Bradley (Rupert Hill), the son of Ben Bradley (Ben Richards), made their debut in April. Breda McQueen (Moya Brady) and Sylver McQueen (David Tag), the mother and brother of Goldie McQueen (Chelsee Healey), and Kameela (Anu Hasan), the sister of Misbah Maalik (Harvey Virdi), first appeared in June.

July features the arrivals of Donna-Marie Quinn (Lucy-Jo Hudson), her son, Romeo (Owen Warner), Brooke Hathaway (Tylan Grant), a foster child for the Osborne family, and Asha Kaur (Rukku Nahar), the sister of Neeta Kaur (Amrit Maghera), as well as the appearance of Kashif Maalik (Nitin Patel). Martine Deveraux (Kéllé Bryan), the sister of Simone Loveday (Jacqueline Boatswain), debuts in October. Three characters were introduced in November: Laurie Shelby (Kyle Pryor), the husband of Sinead O'Connor (Stephanie Davis), Juliet Quinn (Niamh Blackshaw), Donna-Marie's daughter, and Jonny Baxter (Ray Quinn), a radicalist who befriends Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson). Simone and Martine's father, Walter Deveraux (Trevor A. Toussaint), joins the soap in December. Additionally, multiple other characters appear throughout the year.

Scarlett Morgan, played by Susie Amy, made her first appearance on 19 January 2018.^[1] Amy's casting was announced on 20 October 2017,^[2] with further details about her character, including her name, announced on 6 December 2017.^[3] Scarlett is Luke Morgan's (Gary Lucy) estranged wife, who left him because of his drinking problems.^[3] The character is first mentioned in October 2017 and it is revealed that Scarlett left Luke after he struggled with alcoholism and became erratic.^[3] Scarlett made her last appearance on 18 April 2018.^[4] In February 2022, it was confirmed that Amy would be reprising her role as Scarlett as part of an "explosive" guest return.^[5]

Luke prepares to marry Mandy Richardson (Sarah Jayne Dunn) and asks lawyer Sami Maalik (Rishi Nair) to track down Scarlett so they can arrange a divorce. Scarlett appears in the village in the days before Luke and Mandy's wedding. Luke tries to stall the wedding after learning about Scarlett's appearance. Scarlett tries to ruin the wedding but her and Luke's son, Oliver Morgan (Aedan Duckworth), arrives and reveals to Mandy that he is Luke's son and that Luke and Scarlett are married. After the wedding, Scarlett leaves but returns when Oliver runs away to the village. She is shocked to discover that Oliver wants to stay with Luke and leaves the village.

Oliver Morgan made his first screen appearance on 22 January 2018.^[6] The character had previously been mentioned on-screen, but Aedan Duckworth's casting in the role was announced on 6 December 2017.^[3] Oliver is Luke Morgan (Gary Lucy) and Scarlett Morgan's (Susie Amy) son. Details of why Oliver comes to the village were not immediately released, but Daniel Kilkely of Digital Spy reported that "with Oliver now a teenager, he's sure to want answers from his dad."^[3] Of his casting, Duckworth said: "I started two weeks ago and it was in at the deep end – I had to spend my whole second day crying! It has been fantastic working with Gary Lucy and Susie Amy and I am looking forward getting to work with more of the cast and settling in properly next year."^[3] Duckworth vacated the role in 2020 and the character was recast with Gabriel Clark, who debuted in November 2020.^[7]

It was announced on 25 March 2018 that Oliver would feature in a sexual abuse storyline with his football coach, Buster Smith (Nathan Sussex). The storyline, which was billed as "an emotional and challenging story", began in April when Oliver confides in Buster over his home life.^[8] Hollyoaks worked with the Survivors Manchester charity for the storyline.^[8] Charity founder Duncan Craig described the subject as "so topical and relevant" and "hugely important".^[8] He stated that the storyline would focus on details of grooming and Oliver's struggle to tell someone about the issue.^[8] Duckworth took support from the charity and Lucy while filming the storyline and felt honoured to be handed the story.^[8] Duckworth and executive producer Bryan Kirkwood hoped that the storyline would encourage others to seek support.^[8] Kirkwood also wanted to encourage parents to speak to their children about topics like this and commented, "We are in a unique position of being able to talk to a bright and engaged audience about important issues without lecturing them."^[8]

Buster Smith, played by Nathan Sussex, made his first screen appearance on 29 January 2018.^[16] The character and Sussex's casting details were announced on 23 January 2018.^[16] Buster is the father of Damon Kinsella (Jacob Roberts) and arrives following the death of his former wife and Damon's mother, Maggie Kinsella (Michelle Holmes).^[17] Buster is described as "quite a charming character", who gets along with everyone. Roberts said that Buster enjoys "a laugh and a joke".^[18] Roberts expressed his delight at the expansion of his on-screen family and praised Sussex, commenting, "He's already part of the Hollyoaks family!"^[18]

With a winning smile and a wardrobe full of designer clothes, Buster Smith is one flash character here to bring a touch of fame to Hollyoaks. Having travelled the world and lived the high life, Buster's a salt of the earth Salford lad, made good. With dazzling banter, he can charm even the coldest of customers.

— An excerpt from Buster's profile on the official Hollyoaks website.^[19]

Damon, Scott Drinkwell (Ross Adams) and Brody Hudson (Adam Woodward) call a number on Maggie's bucket list and are shocked when Buster answers and walks into The Dog in the Pond pub.^[17][18] Buster is estranged from Damon following Maggie throwing him out for adultery and then his decision to concentrate on his professional football career rather than his family.^[17] On Buster and Damon's relationship, Sussex said, "there is an instant connection there between father and son."^[17] Damon knows very little about his father and the lack of contact between them has made Damon believe that Buster does not care for him.^[18]

It was announced on 25 March 2018 that Buster would feature in a sexual abuse storyline with his football student, Oliver Morgan (Aedan Duckworth). The storyline, which is billed as "an emotional and challenging story", begins in April when Oliver confides in Buster over his home life.^[8] Hollyoaks worked with the Survivors Manchester charity for the storyline.^[8] Charity founder Duncan Craig described the subject as "so topical and relevant" and "hugely important".^[8] He stated that the storyline would focus on details of grooming and Oliver's struggle to tell someone about the issue.^[8] Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood hoped that the storyline would encourage others to seek support.^[8] He also wanted to encourage parents to speak to their children about topics like this and commented, "We are in a unique position of being able to talk to a bright and engaged audience about important issues without lecturing them."^[8]

Buster first arrives in the village shortly after the death of his ex-wife, Maggie, to see their son, Damon. Maggie had thrown Buster out after his numerous affairs and he missed out on most of Damon's life. Damon's girlfriend, Holly Cunningham (Amanda Clapham), convinces Damon to give his father a chance and they agree to re-build their father-son relationship. Damon's longtime best friend, Brody, is not happy to see Buster and it's clear that there is bad blood between them. Buster begins dating Marnie Nightingale (Lysette Anthony) and moves into the flat above The Dog in the Pond public house with her, her children Alfie (Richard Linnell) and Ellie (Sophie Porley), as well as Damon and Brody. Buster decides to set up his own football academy for teenagers. Many local kids, including Oliver and Imran Maalik (Ijaz Rana), sign up. Oliver confides in Buster about how difficult his home life is due to his father, Luke Morgan (Gary Lucy), having a drinking problem and constantly arguing with his wife, Mandy (Sarah Jayne Dunn). Buster tells Oliver he can trust him with anything. Brody confides in Oliver's mother, Scarlett Morgan (Susie Amy), that someone he trusted abused him when he was young and it is obvious he is referring to Buster. It becomes clear then that Buster is not just being friendly to Oliver — he is grooming him so he can sexually abuse him.

As part of his grooming, Buster gives Oliver special attention and makes him team captain. One day, Buster is giving Oliver a sports massage and sexually abuses him for the first time. Oliver is upset after the incident, but Buster convinces him that he misinterpreted what happened. Buster abuses Oliver again under the guise of a massage, which causes Oliver to quit the team. Buster convinces Oliver to rejoin the team and continues to abuse him. Buster has Oliver pose for photos without his clothes on. Luke discovers the photos and when he asks Oliver about them, he points the finger at Scott. Brody suspects Buster is the real culprit and confronts him about abusing him as a child. It comes out that Maggie found out about Buster abusing Brody and that is actually why she threw him out. Oliver tells the police it was actually Buster who abused him and he is arrested. In January 2019, Buster was found guilty, he was sentenced six years in prison for abusing Oliver. He appears again in September 2020, when Brody and Ollie visit him in the hopes of receiving an apology; however, Buster refuses to apologise and stands by his actions.

Theo Jones, played by Matt Kennard, made his first on-screen appearance on 13 April 2018.^[20] The character was announced on 3 April 2018,^[21] while the casting details were confirmed on 6 April 2018.^[20] It was initially reported that Theo has a connection to established character, Milo Entwistle (Nathan Morris).^[21] On 10 April 2018, it was confirmed that Theo and Milo are brothers.^[22] Kennard describes Theo as a bad character, calling him "a bitter, seemingly irredeemable bully."^[20] He stated that Theo is a womaniser who only cares about himself. However, he explained that Theo's personality is due to recent events in his life.^[20]

Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy said that Milo would be "a little bit rattled" by Theo's arrival.^[21] He reported that despite Milo receiving a phone call from Theo and arranging to meet him, Theo would first appear when he meets Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) at The Loft nightclub.^[21] Kennard stated that Theo flirts with Cindy because he noticed her first, otherwise he suspected that he could have flirted with Cindy's daughter, Holly Cunningham (Amanda Clapham). Kennard admitted that Theo grows to enjoy Cindy's company.^[20] He added, "any beautiful woman offering something to Theo will make do in the short-term."^[20]

When Theo meets with Milo, he orders money from Milo in exchange for his silence about Milo killing Cindy's parents.^[21][23] Kennard explained that Theo is in need of money and decides to "callously take advantage of Milo's vulnerable situation".^[20] Theo decides to stay with Milo because he realises that Milo is "his best bet in the immediate circumstances".^[20] Milo is scared of Theo because he knows about his secret. On Theo's feelings towards Milo, Kennard explained, "Theo holds a raw and irrational hatred for Milo, and feels Milo owes him more than he can ever actually give."^[20] Theo made his last appearance on 15 May 2018.^[24]

Harley Frater, played by Mollie Lambert, made her first on screen appearance on 16 April 2018.^[25] The character and Lambert's casting details were announced on 10 April 2018.^[25] Harley is a homeless girl who is introduced as part of Peri Lomax's (Ruby O'Donnell) homelessness storyline. She is billed as courageous and daring and in "desperate need of some home comforts".^[25] Hollyoaks worked with homeless charities Centrepoint and The Whitechapel Centre for Harley and Peri's storyline.^[26] Lambert looked forward to joining the show and called it an honour to work with the charities. She hoped that the storyline would help to raise awareness for homelessness.^[25]

Kilkelly of Digital Spy reported that Harley arrives after learning that Peri's mother, Leela Lomax (Kirsty-Leigh Porter), is offering a £5,000 reward for information on Peri's location. Harley takes advantage of Leela, but Leela's boyfriend, Louis Loveday (Karl Collins) is suspicious of her and does not believe that she has information about Peri.^[25] Harley features in a special episode focusing on Peri's homelessness, broadcast in April 2018. It emerges that during her time on the streets, Peri met Harley and homeless man, Dean (Alfie Kingsnorth).^[26] O'Donnell felt fortunate to work on the storyline. Centrepoint's head of public affairs Paul Noblet said that the homelessness storyline reflects the reality of homelessness for many young people.^[26]

Kilkelly's colleague, Sophie Dainty, was positive about the storyline and the special episode, commenting, "the storyline [...] sensitively explored the shocking, harrowing and brutally harsh realities of sleeping rough."^[27] She understood the lack of options for Harley and sympathised with the character and the struggles of homelessness.^[27] Dainty praised Lambert and Kingsnorth for their supporting roles in the episode.^[27] She concluded that the special episode was "unflinching, unglamorous, and thoroughly thought-provoking" and provided a brilliant representation of homelessness not previously portrayed in soap operas.^[27]

On 9 March 2019, it was confirmed that Lambert would be departing the series after a year. Harley's exit is first broadcast on 11 March and sees her depart at the conclusion of her polyamorous relationship with Peri and Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins).^[28] Lambert expressed her gratitude for the role of Harley and on Harley's departure, she commented, "You didn’t honestly think she’d settle down did you? She’s a free spirit".^[28]

Harley introduces herself as Peri's friend to Leela. Leela takes her to her house and gives her food and drink as she is hungry. When Louis questions Harley's motives, Leela reveals that she is going to help her find Peri. They don't find Peri so Louis convinces Leela that Harley is conning her. Harley then steals Leela's purse and runs; Louis catches her and reclaims the purse. Leela decides not to call the police and lets Harley leave. Harley meets with Peri.

She had a polyamarous relationship with Peri and Tom until Peri leaves the relationship. She left Hollyoaks in 2019 to start a new life. She didn't mention where, she just said that she wants to save the Orangutangs.

Josh Bradley, played by Rupert Hill, made his first on screen appearance on 25 April 2018. The character and casting was announced on 24 April 2018, but had been hinted at in previous episodes. Josh is the son of former character Ben Bradley (Ben Richards), and meets with Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) in The Hutch when she seeks his father's help in her ongoing stalker ordeal. Josh is filled with resentment towards Sienna, because of Ben being sent to jail after Sienna's daughter, Nico Blake (Persephone Swales-Dawson) killed Trevor Royle (Greg Wood).^[29] Josh made his last appearance on 22 June 2018.^[30]

When Sienna smells gas, Josh opens the windows and implores Sienna to take her young son Sebastian Blake out of the flat. He later phones the emergency services. After the gas issue is resolved, Josh tells Sienna that he still cannot stand the sight of her. Josh later informs Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed), Myra McQueen (Nicole Barber-Lane), Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson) and Grace Black (Tamara Wall) that Sienna has died after being stabbed by Nico. Josh tells Myra and Joel that they plan to use Sienna's funeral to catch Nico. It is revealed that Sienna isn't dead and is working with Josh to catch Nico. Josh later arrests Sienna after she admits to killing Nico.

Victoria Blake is the daughter of Nico Blake (Persephone Swales-Dawson). She makes her first appearance in episode 4937, originally broadcast on 20 June 2018. Nico plots murder on Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell), making Nico's mother, Sienna Blake (Anna Passey), worry that Victoria's life could also be in danger. She asks Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed) to save Victoria; Nico is furious when she discovers this and attacks Sienna. As Nico attempts to kill her, Sienna kills her, leaving Victoria orphaned; she is then taken into care.

Breda McQueen, played by Moya Brady, made her first on screen appearance on 26 June 2018.^[31] The character was known about in casting references for Sylver McQueen (David Tag),^[32] but the character's arrival to the village and casting wasn't announced until 22 June 2018.^[31] On 6 January 2020, Breda died in the E4 spinoff series Hollyoaks Later. She was responsible for the deaths of Russ Owen, Glenn Donovan, Carl Costello, Louis Loveday, Mac Nightingale and Harry Thompson.

Breda is a cousin of Myra McQueen (Nicole Barber-Lane) and the mother of Sylver and Goldie (Chelsee Healey). Breda arrives in the village following Sylver's release from prison, and insists that Goldie give him a place to stay. However, when Goldie refuses, Breda resorts to "crafty" measures. On her character, Brady commented that she was a "strong and colourful individual" and that she didn't have "a lot of fear for authority." Brady also said that "Breda comes from the firm but fair school of motherhood," and described her as a "tigress." With Sylver having been in prison, Breda kept tabs on him, but Brady said that Breda doesn't have a favourite child and that as her character becomes more settled in the village, her love for Goldie would shine through.^[31]

Arriving in Hollyoaks to stay with the McQueens', Breda began working as a nanny for Leela Lomax (Kirsty-Leigh Porter) – but secretly agreed to "two time" Leela by working for Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna) too. Jack tried to cover for Breda by pretending they were in a relationship – much to Leela's amusement. Leela figured it out and allowed Breda to be nanny to both her and Jack. Eventually, Breda's friendship with Jack would turn into a real relationship.

On Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) and Russ Owen's (Stuart Manning) wedding day in November 2018, it was shockingly revealed that Breda was a serial killer. Breda discovered that Russ had been unfaithful with Goldie, resulting in a pregnancy, and had pressurised her into aborting their child. Enraged, Breda murdered Russ. She was then revealed to have killed Glenn Donovan (Bob Cryer) and Carl Costello (Paul Opacic) for being "sinners" and "dead beat dads". In January 2019 Breda took revenge on Louis Loveday (Karl Collins) for cheating with three women, Leela, Simone Loveday (Jacqueline Boatswain) and Simone's sister, Martine Deveraux (Kéllé Bryan) pushing some shelving onto him as he called for a taxi to leave town. Breda moved Louis to an old pig farm once owned by her parents making out she was caring for him and took him there to recover, Louis discovered Breda was responsible for the deaths of Carl, Glenn and Russ whilst writing a letter to Simone and attempted to escape but was thwarted when Breda returned to the farm. She puts him back into bed and believes him when he says it's Leela he wants to be with, Breda makes tea and as she strips the bed Louis switches the cups which Breda notices, just then Simone arrives at the farm calling for Breda, before Louis can react Breda smothers him keeping him from shouting to Simone. Breda goes to Simone and gets a lift to the village, meanwhile, Louis escapes and Breda finds him hiding in the barn. She says she's going to make some tea but then spots the letter confessing to the murders that Louis found. Louis begs for his life but Breda kills him by bludgeoning him with a telephone. She returns to Leela telling her to move on. Later at the farm Breda burns Louis' clothes and mobile phone in a metal canister. When she leaves a mysterious hooded figure takes Louis's phone and removes the sim card. The hooded figure is later revealed as Mac Nightingale (David Easter), who begins to blackmail Breda. He orders her to murder his son James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan), much to her reluctance. Eventually, she slips poison into his coffee, and James collapses on a park bench. She later bakes a lasagne, which Mac eats in celebration, but is stunned to realise Breda has poisoned that, too. She reveals James will be fine, and she always intended to kill Mac, who in a weakened state tries to attack her but she kills him by hitting him with the lasagne dish. In July 2019, it is revealed that it was Breda who killed Vinnie, not Sylver, as he survived the fall, but Breda finished him off, and let Sylver take the blame. Later in the month, Breda planned to kill Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) after he confessed his past mistakes to her but Breda did not kill him, after learning Harry Thompson (Parry Glasspool) was going on the run. Breda fatally stabs Harry in an alleyway believing he was a bad dad for abandoning his son Isaac. Harry then died as a result of his injuries. Tony later discovers that Breda killed his son and she stabs Tony in the stomach. It was later revealed that Breda was keeping Tony prisoner at the pig farm.

In October 2019, Breda's family begin to get suspicious of where she is going all the time. Goldie learns she's going to the pig farm and Breda lies that she is mentally ill. Breda pretends to have dementia, but when Goldie finds her at the pig farm again and finds Harry's wallet there, Breda confesses to killing Harry. She blames it on her "dementia" and Goldie agrees to keep it a secret. Breda's killing spree comes to an end when Sylver, Goldie and Mercedes and John Paul McQueen (James Sutton) all find out her serial killer secret. Mercedes finds Tony at the pig farm but Breda sneaks up and attacks her, after stabbing Tony again and locking Mercedes in the cage too, which she and Tony eventually escape from. After a heated confrontation in the house, Breda shoots Sylver with a bolt gun and sets the pig farm on fire. Mercedes stops Breda from killing her and Sylver as the house burns, the two of them fight, as Breda attacks Mercedes with a shard of glass Sylver uses his last ounce of strength to stab Breda in the head with two knitting needles, killing her instantly.

Sylver McQueen, played by David Tag, made his first on screen appearance on 27 June 2018.^[33] The character and Tag's casting details were announced on 22 May 2018.^[32] Tag previously appeared in the series as PCSO Rocco in May 2016.^[32] Sylver is a member of the established McQueen family and the half-brother of Goldie McQueen (Chelsee Healey). His backstory states that he was raised on a farm by their Catholic mother, Breda (Moya Brady), and his stepfather, Vinnie, who was abusive. He was sentenced to prison after murdering Vinnie.^[32] Sylver arrives after being released from prison and quickly clashes with Goldie.^[32] Justin Harp, reporting for Digital Spy, suggested that Sylver would have a love interest.^[32]

In a later interview, Tag said that his character was "calm in nature" until something "hits a button or triggers him off. Tag said that Sylver's time in prison has turned him into a "workout fanatic" and also made him deal quickly with any problems that he faces, saying that the "experiences have made him into quite a well-rounded person.^[33]

Sylver arrives in Hollyoaks upon his release from prison, having served eighteen years for killing his abusive stepfather, Vinnie. He is eager to reunite with his half-sister Goldie but she is reluctant to embrace because he killed her father. However she comes around after understanding that it was a case of self-defence. Sylver is shown to have a history with village resident Simone Loveday (Jacqueline Boatswain), who was the lawyer that failed to get Sylver off during his murder trial and Sylver still holds some resentment towards her.

On 12 January 2022, Sylver died following an explosion in the Pateserie, Bobby being a huge factor of his death by not telling people where he was.

Kameela, played by Anu Hasan, made her first appearance on 29 June 2018. The character was announced on 17 June 2018. Kameela is billed as the "judgemental" sister of Misbah Maalik (Harvey Virdi) who is not afraid of "speaking her mind".^[34] Kameela arrives when she visits her family and after discovering that Misbah's underage son, Imran Maalik (Ijaz Rana), has bought alcohol, she criticises Misbah's liberalism in raising her children.^[34] Hasan pointed out that her character initially appears "extremely critical" of the family.^[35] Kameela appears again in the episode broadcast on 17 September 2018.^[36]

The character returns in March 2019 as part of a special episode focusing on radicalisation. The episode features a far-right group with an anti-Muslim agenda, and a discussion involving Kameela about the meaning of being a British Muslim.^[37] Hollyoaks worked with the charity Small Steps and the Home Office on the episode. Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood also expressed his delight about the episode.^[37] Upon her return, Kameela's characterisation has developed and she is friendlier towards the family. Hasan explained that the change in Kameela's personality occurs following a change in her personal life.^[35] The actress also commented, "Aunty Kameela still thinks she knows best and can be quite interfering and bossy, but she does it in a much nicer way."^[35]

Kashif Maalik, played by Nitin Patel, appeared on 2 July 2018.^[38] Kashif is the husband of Misbah Maalik (Harvey Virdi) and the father of Sami Maalik (Rishi Nair), Farrah Maalik (Krupa Pattani), Yasmine Maalik (Haiesha Mistry) and Imran Maalik (Ijaz Rana). The character was referenced to by his family on multiple occasions since their arrival in 2017. In October 2017, details about the character were explored. It was established that Kashif had been charged with embezzlement and committed suicide while in prison. Nair explained that Sami believes that he is innocent, but Misbah disagrees and it creates tension between the pair.^[39] It is later revealed that James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) was the actual embezzler and framed Kashif.^[40]

On 29 June 2018, it was announced that Kashif would feature in a flashback episode focusing on James's backstory.^[41] The episode was previously announced on 20 June, but Kashif's appearance was not revealed until later.^[42]

In flashbacks, it is seen that Kashif was an accountant at the law firm of Forbes and Carney. He is friendly to James and helps him settle in on his first day. James embezzles money from the company under pressure from his father, Mac Nightingale (David Easter). Kashif overhears Mac belittling James and tries to comfort him. James tells Kashif to back off and has him sign a document in order to frame him for the embezzlement. Weeks later, the police come into the office and arrest Kashif.

Donna-Marie Quinn, played by Lucy-Jo Hudson, made her first on screen appearance on 2 July 2018.^[38] Hudson's casting details were announced on 5 May 2018, when it was revealed that she had been cast in a "decent part",^[43] and her character was announced on 22 May 2018.^[44] Donna-Marie is billed as a "reckless woman" with a distressing backstory, she has worked as prostitute and has issues with drug addiction.^[44] She is introduced with her teenage son, Romeo Quinn (Owen Warner).^[44] The character first appeared in flashbacks; seventeen years earlier, she was paid by Mac Nightingale (David Easter) to have sex with his sixteen-year-old son James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan), resulting in the birth of Romeo.^[45] Hudson filmed an exit from the series in January 2019 and Donna-Marie departs the series in the episode originally broadcast on 26 April 2019.^[46] In October 2019, Hudson was spotted by paparazzi returning to the set of Hollyoaks, sparking rumours that she would reprise the role.^[47] This was confirmed by a show trailer released on 2 January 2020 and it was revealed that Hudson would appear in a stint as Donna-Marie reunites with her daughter, Juliet Quinn (Niamh Blackshaw).^[48] She returned on 16 January 2020.

After her character's backstory was revealed, Hudson confirmed that Donna-Marie and Romeo would move to Hollyoaks village after Romeo decides to search for his father.^[49] Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap predicted that Donna-Marie would create "trouble" for the Nightingale family.^[49] Hudson described Donna-Marie as "nasty" and said that "there's not a nice bit in this woman".^[49] However, she enjoyed portraying this as it is not her usual character type. She added that she found it challenging.^[49]

Donna-Marie is a drug-addicted prostitute who raised her children, Romeo and Juliet, in an unstable home. In flashbacks it is revealed, she was once paid by Mac Nightingale to have sex with his gay son, James, on his sixteenth birthday in order to "turn him straight." James got her pregnant and his mother Marnie (Lysette Anthony) paid her to have an abortion. Donna-Marie did not go through with the abortion and gave birth to Romeo. Years later, Donna-Marie blackmailed Mac and Marnie that she would tell James about Romeo unless they paid her £100,000, which they did. In the present day, Donna-Marie has been kicked out of her flat. Donna-Marie comes face-to-face with the Nightingales again. James tears into Donna-Marie for being a junkie, causing her to seek out drugs and overdose. Mac lets Donna-Marie move into Cindy Cunningham's (Stephanie Waring) house along with Romeo and Juliet. Mac and Donna-Marie switch out Cindy's bipolar medication and trick her into signing over her house to Mac. Cindy is later sectioned. When Mac threatens to throw Donna-Marie out of the house, she reveals he is Juliet's father. After Mac and Donna-Marie's misdeeds are revealed, she flees town. Some time later, James tracks Donna-Marie down and tells her that Romeo has been charged with Mac's murder, unaware that Breda McQueen (Moya Brady) is the real culprit. Donna-Marie agrees to confess to murdering Mac after James promises her she will get bail and he will give her money to start a new life. After she confesses, Donna-Marie is furious to learn James lied and she will not be granted bail. Donna-Marie is then taken away to prison.

In May 2021, scenes depict Juliet receiving texts from an unknown number. She confesses to friend Sid Sumner (Billy Price) that the texts are from Donna-Marie, but states that she wants nothing to do with her. On 25 May 2021, a Hollyoaks trailer showed Donna-Marie's return to the village.^[50]

Romeo Nightingale (also Quinn), played by Owen Warner, made his first on-screen appearance on 2 July 2018.^[38] The character and Warner's casting details were announced on 22 May 2018.^[44] Romeo is the son of Donna-Marie Quinn (Lucy-Jo Hudson) and uses petty crime to finance their way of life. Romeo works with Prince McQueen (Malique Thompson-Dwyer) to host "summer rave parties".^[44] Justin Harp of Digital Spy predicted that Romeo and Prince's parties would not go well.^[44] In the character's first appearance, further details about the character's backstory were revealed. It was revealed that Romeo is the product of paid sex between Donna-Marie and a sixteen-year-old James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan).^[45] Jude Forsey portrays Romeo in a flashback appearance.^[38] For his portrayal of Romeo, Warner won the accolade for Best Soap Newcomer at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards.^[51]

Romeo was raised by his drug-addicted prostitute mother, Donna-Marie. Romeo was conceived when Donna-Marie was paid by Mac Nightingale (David Easter) to sleep with his gay sixteen-year-old son, James, to "make him straight." Romeo grew up in unsafe, unstable environment and often had to shield himself and his half-sister, Juliet (Niamh Blackshaw), from Donna-Marie's clients. Romeo first appears in a flashback as a young child telling Donna-Marie he wishes he had a father. Romeo arrives in town to meet James, but then decides against it. Romeo meets Lily McQueen (Lauren McQueen) and is instantly attracted to her. Romeo goes into business promoting illegal raves with Lily's husband, Prince.

Romeo finds out James is having an affair with Harry Thompson (Parry Glasspool) and tries to blackmail Harry over it, which leads to he and James finally meeting properly. Romeo agrees to help James ruin Harry's wedding to Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson). James is heartbroken when Harry goes through with the wedding and, in a moment of vulnerability, he comes onto Romeo, who finally has to tell him he is his father. Romeo is devastated when James rejects him. Romeo declares his love for Lily, who admits she has feelings too, but she ultimately decides to stay with Prince. Romeo discovers that Prince has testicular cancer, but is refusing to tell anyone. This damages Lily and Prince's marriage and she sleeps with Romeo. Lily agrees to run away with Romeo, but then she finds out about Prince's condition and she is disgusted to learn Romeo knew about it all along.

Romeo, Donna-Marie, and Romeo's half-sister, Juliet, are invited by Mac to move into Cindy Savage's (Stephanie Waring) house. Romeo is appalled when he discovers that Donna-Marie and Mac have tampered with Cindy's bipolar disorder medication. After Mac ejects Romeo from the house, James offers to let Romeo move in with him and they start building a relationship. After finding out that James broke up with Harry to focus on him, he gives them his blessing to be together. With Prince having left town, Lily and Romeo finally become a proper couple. Prince confronts them about their affair and Lily decides she cannot be with either of them.

Mac is murdered and Romeo becomes a prime suspect. The police discover a vial of poison in Romeo's jacket, which was planted by Mac's murderer, Breda McQueen (Moya Brady). James tells Romeo he has to leave the country. Lily agrees to come with Romeo, but changes her mind after she realises she wants to be with Prince. Lily tragically dies from sepsis, devastating Romeo. Romeo is locked up for Mac's murder, but is later released when Donna-Marie is tricked by James into confessing.

Romeo tries to comfort James when he found out that Harry was murdered, but James hits Romeo. Things gets worse when James began abusing Romeo, and Romeo moved out and secretly stayed in the Maalik's empty household. He was found by Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell), who threatened to tell his grandmother, Marnie Nightingale (Lysette Anthony), but Romeo confess to Peri that James hit him, and the reason why he stayed at the Maalik's.

Peri visits Romeo the next day and told him about the day she found out that her 'parents' are her grandparents, and advices Romeo to keep talking to James. Marnie later finds Romeo, when Peri told Marnie what had happened. Marnie reasons with Romeo that James had regretted for what he did and Marnie takes Romeo home, only to find James about to attack Juliet. Romeo comforts James when he, Juliet and Marnie attended to Harry's funeral.

When Juliet starts hanging out with Sid Sumner (Billy Price), the son of the Far-Right Group leader, Stuart Sumner (Chris Simmons), Romeo tells him to stay away. At Christmas Romeo and Peri set their friends Yasmine Maalik (Haiesha Mistry) and Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins) on a date and they both went to a Christmas party together. In 2020, Romeo meets Cher Winters (Bethannie Hare) and instantly became smitten with her. But he is shock when he learn that she's Sylver McQueen's (David Tag) long-lost daughter. He asked Cher out on a date, but she reject him, in front of Tom and Yazz. Romeo continues to pursue Cher and tries to impress her, much dismay to Sylver. Romeo gives Cher his number, but she gives it back to him, rejecting him once again.

Romeo tells Cher that he needs another job, so Cher's stepmother Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) offers him a trial for a part-time job. However, Cher's aunt Goldie McQueen (Chelsee Healey) is suspicious of him and decides to challenge Romeo. Romeo takes on Goldie's challenge and completes it in the nick of time and gets offered a part-time job at The Dog. Later, Goldie sees that Romeo and Cher really like each other and recruits her fiancé Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed) to help her play matchmaker. Cher and Romeo later realise that Joel and Goldie have tried to set them up and Cher insists that her and Romeo are just friends. Upon hearing this, Goldie vows to get Romeo and Cher together. The next day, Romeo invites Cher to Imran Maalik's (Ijaz Rana) party with him. Romeo is delighted when Cher shows up and the two of them grow closer.

Warner announced his departure as Romeo in January 2024 with his final scenes airing in upcoming episodes.

Phoenix Hathaway (formerly Brooke Hathaway), played by Tylan Grant, first appeared on 10 July 2018.^[52] The character and Grant's casting details were announced on 23 April 2018.^[53] Brooke is an autistic teenager who is fostered by the Osborne family and is the first fictional autistic character to be a regular character in a soap opera; Grant is also the first BAME actor to portray an autistic character in a television series.^[54] Grant told the Loose Women panel that they are different from Brooke in real life, as they have different forms of autism. They added how "exciting" it was to represent autism.^[55] Kirkwood stated that Brooke would be introduced with a secret,^[53] and it was later revealed that Brooke is the child of Fran, who murdered Becca Dean (Ali Bastian) in 2007.^[52] In July 2021, scenes of Brooke realising they are non-binary aired; actor Grant said that the storyline meant a lot to them due to being non-binary in real life. Grant also stated that they hope Brooke can act as representation for an underrepresented group of people.^[56]

For their portrayal, Grant was nominated for Best Soap Newcomer at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards; they came in eighth place with 3.9% of the total votes.^[9] In 2019, they received a nomination for Best Newcomer at the British Soap Awards,^[57][58] as well as a nomination for Best Young Actor at the Inside Soap Awards.^[59]

Asha Kaur, played by Rukku Nahar, made her first on screen appearance on 30 July 2018. The character and Nahar's casting details were announced on 17 July 2018 in the show's annual Summer trailer.^[60] Asha is the sister of the deceased Neeta Kaur (Amrit Maghera) who arrives to visit Neeta's partner, Hunter McQueen (Theo Graham).^[60] Nahar explained that Asha is emotionally to her sister. She explained that Asha is "slightly more naive when it comes to love, and is very impulsive and spontaneous."^[61] Sophie Dainty (Digital Spy) predicted that Asha's introduction would have "a huge impact on Hunter".^[60]

Further details about Asha's introduction were released on 27 July 2018. It was revealed that Asha would first appear when Hunter visits Neeta's murderer, Mac Nightingale (David Easter), in his care home. When Hunter sees Asha, he is shocked and believes that it is Neeta, leaving a note for her to contact him. However, when he returns home, he finds Asha and realises that it was her at the care home.^[61] Nahar explained that Asha would help Hunter through his battle with anxiety and that they would be support each other with their grief for Neeta. She added that they would "make life a lot more exciting for one another."^[61]

Asha was created following Graham's decision to quit the soap. Nahar was contracted for two months.^[62] Graham was surprised to be told that Asha would become Hunter's love interest and aid his departure. He was pleased that the characters could leave together happily.^[62] Graham expected that Asha and Hunter's relationship would work as they had good chemistry. He believed that Hunter's relationship with Asha is better for him than his relationship with Neeta.^[62] The actor commented, "I feel like he's found a balance and they could make a good go of it."^[62] The characters depart in the episode broadcast on 3 October 2018 after moving to Brighton, Asha's hometown.^[62]

Martine Westwood (also Loveday and Deveraux), played by Kéllé Bryan, made her first on screen appearance on 8 October 2018 and her last appearance on 3 June 2022.^[63] The character and Bryan's casting details were announced on 20 September 2018.^[63] Martine is introduced as the sister of established character Simone Loveday (Jacqueline Boatswain).^[63] Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood said that there is "bristling, joyful tension" between the sisters, which he found a joy to watch.^[63] Bryan stated that Martine "says and does all of the things I would never dare to do".^[63]

Martine arrives following the return of Simone's former husband, Louis Loveday (Karl Collins), and shares a "whopping secret" with him and his partner, Leela Lomax (Kirsty-Leigh Porter).^[63] Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy reported that this would be "the beginning of the drama to come".^[63] Kirkwood confirmed that the secret would have a big effect on Simone and Louis.^[63] On Bryan's casting, Kirkwood commented, "She is a massive injection of energy into the cast and into the Loveday family."^[63] Bryan looked forward to joining the Hollyoaks cast and found playing Martine enjoyable. She added that she had been handed "diverse and thought-provoking" stories, which she likes and looks forward to filming.^[63]

In April 2021, Martine was the star of an episode that focused on the unconscious biases that she faces as a Black woman in the United Kingdom. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Bryan expressed her gratuity to Hollyoaks for dealing with the issue appropriately and accurately.^[64] Whilst reading the episode plans, Bryan said that she connected with the writing so much that it "ignited in [her] the pain and the hatred for biases".^[65] The feelings of frustration led to her going "off-piste" and contributing to the episode herself.^[64] Bryan, a regular panellist on the ITV talk show Loose Women,^[66] talked about the episode on the show. She was asked by panellist Jane Moore if the episode was difficult to film, which she responded by saying that it was. Bryan felt she had to "park every other area of [her] life" in order to focus on the episode.^[67] She explained that the episode does not focus on people either being racist or not being racist, but the unconscious biases that lie between those mindsets. She was asked about her involvement in the episode, where she explained that executive producer Bryan Kirkwood asked for advice for the episode. The pair agreed that they did not want the episode to be subtle, and wanted to "tell the story very categorically".^[67] They felt that if they were bold with the storytelling, it would lead viewers to question their own biases and potentially "initiate social change".^[67]

Laurie Shelby, played by Kyle Pryor, made his first on screen appearance on 8 November 2018.^[68] Pryor's casting details were announced on 7 August 2018, when it was also revealed that his character would have a connection with returning character Sinead O'Connor (Stephanie Davis).^[69] The character and further details about the role were announced on 17 September 2018 in an interview with executive producer Bryan Kirkwood.^[70] Laurie is introduced as Sinead's husband and the new deputy head teacher of Hollyoaks High School.^[70] Pryor, a British-born New Zealand actor, looked forward to working in the United Kingdom and on the soap.^[69] Kirkwood praised Pryor's acting, describing it as "remarkable".^[70] Pryor confirmed that Laurie would be involved in an issue-based storyline, which would be one of two of the show's big storylines of 2019. He described it as "a really huge, real-life story".^[70] On 30 November 2018, it was announced that Laurie would feature in a sexual assault storyline exploring the MeToo movement. On-screen, the character meets with a woman who he sexually assaulted and has paid to sign a non-disclosure agreement, ensuring that the truth is not revealed.^[71] One month later, it was reported that Laurie's storyline would involve his colleague, Sienna Blake (Anna Passey), when he holds onto her waist for an uncomfortable amount of time. Sienna feels "unsettled" afterwards and confronts Laurie.^[72] Laurie was killed off after receiving a head injury from a police van crash. Laurie's final scenes aired on 8 August 2019.

Juliet Nightingale (also Quinn), played by Niamh Blackshaw, made her first appearance on 21 November 2018. Juliet is the half-sister of Romeo (Owen Warner) and the daughter of Donna-Marie (Lucy-Jo Hudson), and was brought into the soap as part of the decision to expand the Quinn family.^[73] Juliet is initially portrayed as an aggressive, harsh character, but throughout her tenure, her vulnerable and emotional personality has been explored.^[74]

Juliet's storylines in the programme have included bullying Brooke Hathaway (Tylan Grant), her relationship with Sid Sumner (Billy Price) which led to the realisation that she is a lesbian, being groomed into selling drugs and having an attraction to friend Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell). For her portrayal of Juliet, Blackshaw was nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2019 Inside Soap Awards.^[75]

Jonny Baxter, portrayed by Ray Quinn, made his first appearance on 26 November 2018.^[76] The character and Quinn's casting details were announced on 19 November 2018.^[77] Jonny is introduced as a "mysterious stranger" who befriends established character Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) following the death of his sister.^[77] He is the new owner of local coffee shop, Esther's Magic Bean, who hires Ste to work at the shop.^[78] Quinn described Jonny as a "complex character" who is involved in "challenging" plots.^[77] The actor expressed his delight at joining the soap and working with Richardson.^[77] His final scenes aired on 19 November 2019.

It was confirmed, days later, that Jonny and Ste would be the focus on a radicalisation and far-right extremism storyline. The story sees Jonny target and groom Ste after discovering his hatred for the Maalik family, who are Muslim.^[79] Quinn explained that Jonny is sent by the radicalisation group to recruit people. He added that Ste is an ideal person to recruit since he is "very vulnerable and low on his self-esteem".^[78] Jonny then cares for Ste "emotionally and financially", growing his self-confidence with an underlying reason.^[78] Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood explained that he decided to tackle the issue after discovering how radicalisation groups work.^[79] He added that the story is "a modern story about protecting young people online".^[79] Richardson was pleased to be undertaking the storyline alongside Quinn.^[79] Quinn, Richardson and Hollyoaks storyliners and researchers worked alongside advisors and charities when creating and developing the storyline. One advisor, Jamie Bartlett, believed that it was important that extremism was explored so that the public knew how extremists operate.^[79] The charity EXIT UK agreed that it was good to highlight the taboo topic and offered support and guidance to the cast and crew.^[79]

Walter Deveraux, portrayed by Trevor A. Toussaint, made his first appearance on 31 December 2018.^[80] The character and Toussaint's casting details were announced on 16 December 2018.^[81] Walter is introduced as the father of established characters Simone Loveday (Jacqueline Boatswain) and Martine Deveraux (Kéllé Bryan).^[81] He is billed as "stern and deeply religious".^[81] Toussaint described Walter as self-righteous, explaining that he thinks that he is "the man who does no wrong".^[81] Martine is not pleased with Walter's arrival, which creates tension in the family immediately.^[81] On his casting, Toussaint commented, "Since joining Hollyoaks, it's been a whirlwind. My feet have hardly touched the ground".^[81]

When he finds a picture of his grandson, Mitchell (Imran Adams) and Scott Drinkwell (Ross Adams), Mitchell comes out as gay, he reveals his brother, Wilfred, was gay and that killed him and expresses he cannot allow Mitchell to be gay despite Martine and Mitchell trying to reason with him. He berates Martine when she tries to stop Walter taking Mitchell to church to repent which sparks Mitchell to accept his sexuality and give his grandfather the harsh truth that he wants everyone to be like him and if not they have to go. He then kicks Mitchell out, telling him he is no longer welcome in the family home. In November 2022, in previously unannounced scenes, Toussaint made his final appearance as Walter. Of his time on the soap, Hollyoaks said: "Thank you for bringing us Walter! So many fantastic moments, we really are going to miss you!"^[82]