List of Hollyoaks characters introduced in 2016


Hollyoaks is a British television soap opera that was first broadcast on 23 October 1995. The following is a list of characters that appeared in the serial in 2016, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by executive producer, Bryan Kirkwood. The first character to be introduced was [|James Nightingale], a mysterious solicitor who begins manipulating Cindy Cunningham and is later revealed to be the eldest Nightingale sibling, while February saw the arrival of Marnie Nightingale, the Nightingale family matriarch. Liam Donovan, Jesse Donovan, and [|Adam Donovan], the half-brothers of Grace Black were introduced in March and April, with [|Lisa Loveday], the missing daughter of Simone Loveday and Louis Loveday, making her first appearance in late April.
D.S. Armstrong, a police officer, debuted in June. August saw the first appearance of [|Maria], the former wife of Diego Salvador Martinez Hernandez De La Cruz, [|Ryan Knight], the fiancée of Amy Barnes, and [|Courtney Campbell], the cousin of Cameron Campbell. Tracey Donovan, the mother of Grace, Liam, Jesse and Adam, joined the recurring cast in September, while Juanita Salvador Martinez Hernandez De La Cruz, the mother of Diego, and Billy Brodie, the estranged brother of Jack Osborne, were introduced for guest appearances.
Nick Savage, the nephew of Dirk Savage, and Eva Falco, the estranged niece of Jack, made their first appearances as regular characters in September. The McQueen family were expanded in November with the arrivals of Goldie McQueen, Prince McQueen and Hunter McQueen. Marnie's mother Tabitha Maxwell-Brown was introduced in November, while Dr. Barton, a doctor treating Nancy Osborne, appeared in December.

James Nightingale

James Nightingale, played by Gregory Finnegan, made his first screen appearance on 12 January 2016. He is the eldest son of Mac and Marnie Nightingale. He is an older brother to Nathan, Ellie, and Alfie Nightingale.
The character and Finnegan's casting was announced on 24 December 2015. James works as a solicitor and a Hollyoaks publicist said that James would cause "terrible trouble locally" upon arriving in the show and specifically target established character Cindy Savage. Ste Hay and Harry Thompson will be confused as to why he spends time with Cindy as they believe that James is gay, which was later confirmed to be true. Waring described James as being "very alluring and dashing, so of course Cindy is immediately taken in by his knight-in-shining-armour routine."

Marnie Nightingale

Marnie Nightingale, played by Lysette Anthony, made her first on-screen appearance on 1 February 2016. She is the ex-wife of Mac Nightingale and the biological mother of Nathan Nightingale, Ellie Nightingale and James Nightingale. She is the adoptive mother of Mac's biological son, Alfie Nightingale. Anthony left the show on 13 January 2022 after almost six years. Marnie was killed-off in an explosion which occurred at her patisserie café, leading to her suffering from a hidden brain haemorrhage. Anthony's exit was not announced prior to broadcast.
Marnie arrives in Hollyoaks revealing that she has been working with her son, James, with the inadvertent help of Cindy Savage, to drain her ex-husband, Mac, of his finances as he was awarded everything by the courts when they divorced. She threatens to take away their daughter, Ellie, if he does not comply. Mac then gives her a large amount of money to keep her away from Ellie. Before she and James leave Hollyoaks, her other son, Nathan, accidentally reveals to her that Alfie is the biological son of Mac and Cindy. Marnie is furious and goes to The Dog in the Pond public house where she reveals to everybody that Alfie is Mac and Cindy's son. Marnie then attempts to persuade Diane Hutchinson and Tony Hutchinson to sell The Hutch to her in an attempt to get closer to her children. However, their several attempts fail. Marnie, with the help of James, steal Diane's laptop to see whether if the restaurant is close to bankruptcy. It is then revealed that the restaurant could be bankrupt by Easter, so she and James then return to the restaurant in a bid to persuade Diane and Tony into selling the restaurant. However, Diane's nephew Scott Drinkwell catches them with the laptop as they return it. Marnie later learns that Tony earned money from betting with Darren Osborne. She later informs Diane of this, leaving her upset. Marnie later helps Ellie open up a beauty parlour. At first, Ellie's beauty parlour is unsuccessful. However, when Ellie helps Freddie Roscoe and Tegan Lomax raise money for charity, her business starts to become a success.
After informing Alfie's family, Cindy then tells Marnie that Alfie's cancer had returned. This leaves Marnie shocked and upset. Marnie then tells Cindy that she had tried to be a good mother to Alfie, but she couldn't love him as much as she loved Nathan, James and Ellie. Marnie, Cindy and Neeta then put aside their differences so that they can all be there for Alfie. After learning about Rachel's death, Marnie becomes devastated. She later meets Freddie at The Loft. The pair talk and they then both go back to Freddie's house, where they have sex. The next day, Marnie learns that Freddie is going on a date with Ellie. She pretends that she and Freddie haven't met before and she introduces herself as Ellie's mother, leaving Freddie horrified. Marnie follows Ellie and Freddie as they go on a date at The Loft. While Ellie leaves, Marnie tells Freddie if she doesn't back away from her daughter, then she will tell her everything that happened between them. The next day, Freddie breaks up with Ellie, leaving her devastated. However, Ellie and Freddie later get back together again, much to Marnie's dismay. Since they got back together, Marnie has been constantly threatening Freddie to leave Ellie alone, but Freddie refuses. Freddie even blackmails her at one point by using a picture of Marnie kissing him. He said if she tries to break them up, he will show both Ellie and Mac the picture and they will never forgive her for what she did. Marnie and James continue their plan into getting The Hutch. Some of their plans have include having Scott to distil alcoholic drinks, using Myra McQueen to bankrupt Tony as she wants £8,000 from Tony as compensation for having a neck injury caused by Scott and manipulating Scott into burning The Hutch down. Marnie and James are successful in buying The Hutch and rename it to "Nightingales"; at its opening, Ellie is furious since her mother told her that she would turn the restaurant into a cosmetics shop to fulfill her daughter's dream.
When Marnie's mother, Tabitha Maxwell-Brown, visited the family, the majority of them were overwhelmed, apart from Mac who did not get along with Tabitha. Tabitha returned to America when Marnie proclaimed her love for Mac. In a bid to not lose her relationship with Ellie, Marnie claimed she had a brain tumour. When Mac discovered the truth surrounding her brain tumour, he threatened to reveal the truth. The family were left devastated when Nathan died after falling from a window and following this, Mac told the family that Marnie had been misdiagnosed and was not ill. Marnie later discovered Mac's evil actions including causing the school explosion killing his ex-fiancée Neeta in the process and pushing their son Nathan to death, she and James then decided to take revenge on Mac.
The character and casting was announced on 24 January 2016. It has been said that Marnie will waste no time in causing "chaos for Mac" and has been billed as "a complex, intriguing and hilarious matriarch with a big broken heart" and that she can start a fight in an empty room. Marnie arrives in the village to help her son, James, take down Mac for events that happened in the past by using Cindy Savage against him, however she is unaware that Cindy is Alfie Nightingale's biological mother and the reason for her divorce from Mac. A reporter writing for the Inside Soap Yearbook described Marnie's entrance as "the classiest" of 2016, before noting that she arrived wearing "the biggest hat ever seen in soap!" In August 2017, Anthony was longlisted for "Best Bad Girl" at the Inside Soap Awards, while she and Nicole Barber-Lane were longlisted for "Best Partnership". While Anthony was not shortlisted for "Best Bad Girl", she and Barber-Lane made the shortlist for "Best Partnership". On 6 November 2017, Anthony and Barber-Lane won the "Best Partnership" accolade. In 2018, Anthony was longlisted for Funniest Female at Inside Soap Awards, and a year later received a nomination for Best Partnership with Niamh Blackshaw, who portrays the role of Juliet Nightingale.

Liam Donovan

Liam Donovan, played by Maxim Baldry, made his first on screen appearance on 28 March 2016. The concept for the character was announced on 16 February 2016, while further details, such as the character's name and casting were announced on the 21 March 2016. Liam is introduced with his brothers, Adam Donovan and Jesse Donovan, as the half-brothers of Grace Black. The brothers were billed as "a new injection of infectious energy". Baldry explained that Liam would attract the attention of multiple female village residents, including Tegan Lomax and Celine McQueen. Liam is described as someone who "always bails on relationships before things get too serious". Baldry expressed his delight at joining the cast. A reporter writing for the Inside Soap Yearbook 2017 described the Donovan brothers as "tasty", adding that they "set temperatures rising in Hollyoaks". On 11 April 2017, it was confirmed that Baldry had left the show and Liam would depart in the episode broadcast that day. He departed in what Digital Spy described as "a rather low-key exit" after blackmailing Grace for money.
On 3 August 2018, it was announced that Liam would return to the series later that month, with the role recast to actor Jude Monk McGowan. Liam returns after bumping into Courtney Campbell, the mother of his daughter Iona Campbell, in Magaluf. It was reported that since leaving the village, Liam had been on "a destructive path" while grieving for his former girlfriend, Eva Falco. McGowan explained that Liam has not been dealing with his grief and instead has been "burying it in drugs, alcohol and women." He added that Liam is in a "destructive and dark place" as a result of not dealing with his grief. On whether Liam would reunite with his daughter, McGowan said that Liam would struggle to accept his daughter as Iona was unplanned for, and he and Eva were expecting a baby before her death. McGowan also thought that Liam would not reconnect with some of his family, but said that Liam "couldn't care less... and the feeling is mutual". Conachan believed that Jesse would accept Liam back into the family willingly, but Grace would not. She expected there to be "a few personality clashes" between them and predicted that Liam and Jesse could clash over Iona. He returned on 12 August 2018. Liam was killed-off on 26 March 2020.
Liam first appears in Hollyoaks at Dee Valley Hospital after his now ex-girlfriend accidentally burned his bum with a pair of hair straighteners. While receiving treatment for the burn, he catches the eyes of nurses Tegan Lomax and Celine McQueen. They pretend to be disinterested with him, but when they see him at The Loft, Celine makes a move on him when Tegan reacts to having too many alcoholic drinks. Celine and Liam make out in a hot tub but when she realises it was a girls' night, she heads back home with him. Later on, Tegan and Liam start to hang out and when they arrive at her house, they start kissing on the sofa. Liam ditches Tegan before she wakes up. After both dates, Celine and Tegan text Liam behind each other's backs. After learning about what happened, Celine and Tegan start fighting over him. When Lindsey Roscoe gets annoyed with their behaviours, she makes them give their work badges to her and randomly selects who should go on the next date with him. Lindsey randomly selects Celine for the next date, which makes Tegan annoyed and jealous. However, Liam doesn't turn up to the date, leaving Celine angry. After Liam doesn't show up to the date, Celine and Tegan swear that they won't speak to another man until the summer. Unbeknownst to them, the pair text Liam constantly behind each other's backs. Later on, while Liam is in the hot tub, Tegan and Celine steal and make off with his clothes as revenge for two-timing them, leaving him naked in the tub.
Liam departs a year after his entrance when Grace murders Eva. The following year, Courtney is sent to transport drugs from Magaluf under the orders of Liam's father, Glenn Donovan. When she arrives to collect the drugs, she meets Liam and confronts him about the care of Iona. He then hands her the drugs and money for Iona's care. Liam later meets Glenn on a criminal job outside of the village; when he arrives, he sees Jay Johnson about to shoot Glenn, so he shoots Jay. He returns to the village and reunites with Jesse, but continues to be hostile with Grace after what she did to Eva.
A year later, Liam was having an affair with Mercedes McQueen since earlier in the year. They steal Harry Thompson's car to take for a joyride. Their night of fun turned into tragedy when, while being distracted by cocaine Liam was shoving in her face, Mercedes runs over Liam's half-sister Grace Black. Liam convinces Mercedes to flee the scene. Grace ends up severely injured and paralysed from the waist down. Mercedes wants to confess to the police, but Liam convinces her to let Harry take the fall. Mercedes feels guilty at first, but not for long. He later found out that Mercedes had gotten pregnant and had a termination, because she did not know whether he or her husband Sylver McQueen fathered the baby.
When Harry was on the run, not knowing that he is murdered by serial killer Breda McQueen, Liam tells Mercedes that Harry's mobile has been disposed of and they can now run away together. Mercedes tells Liam she never intended to run away with him and was only using him to dispose of the evidence. It is then revealed that he still has the mobile, which means Mercedes' confession can still be revealed. However, during Harry's funeral, which nobody attends due to his actions at Grace. Lucky, he confesses his role and tells Grace it was Mercedes who was driving. Liam hands Grace Harry's phone which has a recording where Mercedes not only admits to the hit-and-run, but also to her affair with Liam and she also threatens to kill Harry if he goes to the police. Grace arrives at Harry's wake at The Dog in the Pond public house and plays the recording for all to hear causing everyone to know Mercedes' actions. She is later shot and Liam is the primary suspect. He is arrested, but eventually released. He later forms a relationship with James and they sleep together.
Liam's life is turned upside down when his younger brother Jesse dies from alcohol poisoning and he discovers that it was Maxine Minniver who gave him too much, even though she attempted to stop him. Although he wanted to target her, Graces tell him not to and mentions how she suffered abuse from her late husband Patrick Blake despite they still blacklash at her for what she did to Damon. Although he agrees, but still continues on as a target at Maxine alongside Mercedes, Warren and James. But after discovering that Grace and James shot Mercedes, Liam summons them all to a "Devil's Dinner Party" at The Dog where he blows the truth in front of everyone. But before he can kill Grace himself, Warren arrives and tackles him to the ground. Liam chases after Grace and Mercedes, but trip and ends up dangling off above The Dog cellar, with Grace hanging onto him by his tie - until Grace lets go and allows Liam to fall down the stairs to his death.