List of Hollyoaks characters introduced in 2025
Hollyoaks is a British soap opera that first aired on 23 October 1995. The following characters made their debut in 2025. Zachary and Leighton, the oldest sons of Stacey Solomon, [|appeared in cameos] in January. Tommy Odenkirk, played by Brandon Fellows, made his first appearance on 11 March. [|Fraser "Froggy" Black Sr], played by John Middleton, debuted in August. [|Gemma Johnson], played by Tisha Merry, made her first appearance in October. Additionally, several [|other characters] appear throughout the year.
Parcel Patrons worker and Leighton
The Parcel Patrons worker and Leighton briefly appeared on 23 January. They were played by Zachary and Leighton, the oldest children of Stacey Solomon. 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. 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. 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. 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". In the episode, the Parcel Patrons worker gets a telling her off from Pearl Anderson 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. Following the guest appearance, viewers questioned on social media whether the cameos were portrayed by Solomon's sons and whether they would appear again.Tommy Odenkirk
Tommy Odenkirk, played by Brandon Fellows, made his first appearance on 11 March 2025. He is introduced as the therapist of Leela Dexter, who was raped the previous year. 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. 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..." Following the character's announcement, Stephen Patterson from Metro wrote "Consider us very intrigued!" regarding Tommy's secret.On 17 March 2025, it was revealed that Tommy has been lying about his identity to get closer to Leela's husband, Joel Dexter. 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." 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."
Nina Bentley
Nina Bentley, portrayed by former Casualty star Mattie Packer, made her first voice appearance on 5 May 2025. She is a friend of Ro Hutchinson, who he met on an LGBTQ+ forum where he sought solace after being subjected to transphobic abuse from Arlo Fielding. 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 attends a support group. Her role was revaled to be a guest role. During the episode that Nina appeared, Hollyoaks changed the background to include the transgender flag colours in the ad break.Matt Domino
Matt Domino, portrayed by Oliver Wickham, first appeared on 12 May 2025. His casting was announced on 5 May 2025 and his character would be a guest. Matt attends the support group that Ro Hutchinson is also attending with his mother, Diane Hutchinson. He first appears in an episode focusing on Ro's mental health after being subjected to transphobic abuse from Arlo Fielding. During this episode, Hollyoaks changed the background to include the transgender flag colours in the ad break.Eve
Eve, portrayed by Trans actor Emma Frankland, is a volunteer at the LGBTQ+ helpline that Ro Hutchinson calls after his friend Kathleen-Angel McQueen encourages him to seek help after contemplating suicide. Her casting was announced on 5 May 2025 and she made her first appearance on 12 May 2025. Frankland appeared in episodes airing between 12 and 18 May 2025, which is Mental Health Awareness Week as well as being the episodes' scriptwriter. 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. 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." 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."Froggy Black
Fraser "Froggy" Black Sr, portrayed by John Middleton, is the father of notorious deceased gangster, Fraser Black, and the grandfather of Clare Devine, Grace Black, and Rex Gallagher. He is due to appear after being released from Longmere Prison, where he is seen as "Top Dog", where he has befriended Tom Cunningham and keeping tabs on Rex. Middleton's casting was announced on 13 July 2025. Elizabeth Cotton from Manchester Evening News described Froggy's character as having a "dark past." Amelia Ward from the Daily Mirror described Froggy's character to be a "far cry" from Middleton's previous role as vicar Ashley Thomas in ITV soap opera Emmerdale. His first meeting with Clare is described as "explosive" with a "real battle" set to "ensue".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..." 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." 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."
Froggy was revealed to be the reason that Brookside character Mick Johnson had to fake his death and change his identity to "Donny Clark". This revealed would lead to a crossover episode between Hollyoaks and Brookside during the shows 30th anniversary in October 2025.
Gemma Johnson
Gemma Johnson, played by Tisha Merry, made her debut appearance on 13 October 2025 before starring in a one-off episode of Hollyoaks Later to coincide with the shows 30th Anniversary Celebrations, airing on 22 October 2025. Her casting was announced on 28 July 2025 and her character would have links to Warren Fox, who has been confirmed to be returning to Hollyoaks permanently. Gemma was previously portrayed by Naomi Kamanga from 1990 until 1998 and Carla Jarrett from 1998 until 2000, in Brookside.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." She also discussed her character's personality, explaining, "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.".