Sharon Bailey
Sharon Bailey is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jamelia. Jamelia had previously appeared as herself in a 2003 episode of the soap. Sharon's character and casting was announced in August 2021 and she made her initial guest appearance on 10 September 2021 in an hour-long episode special episode featuring an entirely Black cast. Sharon was introduced as a family friend of the established Deveraux family and the daughter of new character Pearl Anderson. Following her initial guest appearance, Jamelia was invited to join the regular cast in 2022 and Sharon made her return in the episode airing on 21 March 2023. Jamelia was very happy to return as she enjoyed working on the soap and she credited her colleagues for being so welcoming. Jamelia characterised Sharon as being strong, confident and a bit of a loose cannon in her private life. Sharon's storylines focused on her work as a paediatrician, her fractured relationship with her daughter Zoe Anderson, a romance with Warren Fox and being blackmailed by Felix Westwood. Despite being offered another year-long contract, Jamelia rejected it and the character departed on 24 April 2024. Jamelia revealed that she had really enjoyed her time on the soap but left it in order to focus on her mental health. Sharon was well-received by critics.
Casting and development
Introduction
In August 2021, it was announced that Jamelia had been cast on Hollyoaks for a guest appearance in its upcoming hour-long "Black to Front" episode, which featured an entirely Black cast as part of Channel 4's "Black to Front Project", which aimed to highlight Black talent in the television industry. Sharon was introduced as the daughter of Pearl Anderson, who also debuted in the episode, and a family friend of the established Deveraux family. Jamelia called filming on the soap the "most fantastic experience", commenting, "I've felt like I've been around family, I've felt so comfortable and so joyous. It's just been amazing. I can't believe this is supposed to be work". Jamelia believed that it was important that the soap was showing "diversity within Black existence" in the episode, adding, "So often Black people are portrayed in a monolithic kind of way, and I feel that an episode like this is really important to show the diversity within Black personhood. I'm really honoured to be included in this episode". Jamelia had previously appeared on the soap back in 2003, where she performed in the Hollyoaks Student Union bar as herself. Jamelia used to watch the soap when she was younger. Sharon's guest appearance and the Black to Front episode aired on 10 September 2021 on Channel 4, having aired the previous day on E4. The episode featured Sharon attend Walter Deveraux's birthday party picnic, with Sharon "mischievously" planning with Walter's daughter and her good friend Martine Deveraux to get Walter and Pearl together. Martine also confides in Sharon about her cancer ordeal and Sharon in return offers her advice, and she later joins the Deveraux family for a family group dance for Walter's birthday. Jamelia already knew Bryan before she worked on the soap.Return
On 7 March 2023, it was announced that Jamelia would be returning to Hollyoaks as Sharon as a regular cast member. Pictures released showed Jamelia filming for the Hollyoaks opening titles sequence and took her promo shots in front of the Hollyoaks sign on her first day of filming. Hollyoaks executive producer Lucy Allan had previously teased earlier in 2023 that there would be the return of a character that had been seen briefly before and added that she was excited to have them in the cast. Jamelia said that she could not explain how happy she was to return to the soap, adding, "We've been having the best time on set and I already have lovely friends here, some old, some new". Jamelia revealed that she had suggested her return as she loved her 2021 guest appearance so much, explaining, "I got a bit brave and said, 'Listen, if you want Dr Sharon to come back, I would love to,' and I let them know and made it very, very clear that I just had the most amazing time". She then "jumped at the chance" when she was offered a contract in April 2022. Jamelia felt like a "competition winner" due to being such a fan of the soap and she could not believe that she was there. She explained that the "seed was planted" from her 2021 guest appearance, as she had told the crew that she would be happy to return as she enjoyed her time there and was told by other cast members that it was like this everyday; the actress also felt that it had all "come full circle" from her 2003 appearance on the soap. The actress added that her family was "ecstatic" that she had joined the soap and had already planned and screening and added that she was excited to see the episodes. The actress was also grateful to have the support of her family as her baby was only nine weeks old when she began working on set. Jamelia was given a year-long contract. The actress said that she was having the time of her life on the soap and credited her colleagues for being very friendly and welcoming, adding, "I just feel like I've always been there. It's a true testament to them as people, and the cast and crew, the fact that they treat people like that just makes it an amazing environment to work in so I have no complaints and if you know me, you know I love a complaint!" Jamelia found her first scenes with the established cast of the soap to be slightly "surreal" but she tried to "own it". Jamelia also called her return "everything I expected it to be". She called the soap a "real family environment".Jamelia made her return during the Channel 4 episode that aired on 21 March 2023. Sharon's return aired during a special Mother's Day episode which saw Sharon visit Pearl and her daughter Zoe Anderson. Jamelia explained that whilst Pearl is happy to see her daughter, Zoe is not as close to Sharon as she chose to "heavily pursue her career", and so Sharon works on trying to mend their relationship. Pearl, who "couldn't be happier" by Sharon's return, tries to reunite Zoe and Sharon, but Zoe is reluctant to as she believes that her mother will leave again, though she agrees to have lunch with her. Jamelia explained that Sharon's return "unsettles the family dynamic", adding, "It's complicated within the three generations of women but hopefully that is relatable. Sharon hasn't always prioritised her daughter and her mum is stuck in the middle. There's a lot for them to work through and I can't wait for viewers to see how that plays out on screen". Jamelia said that her return felt like a "family reunion" and commented that Hope gives "the best hugs" and that her four daughter considered the "lovely" Brown to be their sister. She added that she, Hope and Brown kept saying how happy they are to be there. Brown watched Jamelia on television when she was younger and was excited to work with her; Brown revealed that the two actresses developed a bond offscreen and called Jamelia her "soul family". Jamelia said that she and Brown became very close.
Sharon also becomes friends with Mercedes McQueen and Mercedes throws Sharon a party to welcome her to the village. Jamelia was excited to meet Metcalfe. Sharon also starts working at Dee Valley University Hospital as a paediatrician. Jamelia explained that Sharon is brilliant at her job and that she arrived in the village because of the new job at Dee Valley Hospital. The actress was excited to portray a doctor, joking that she was able to live out her "doctor dream" without the degree, and called Sharon a "boss" who is "strong and confident", who Jamelia loved to embody. The actress added that Jamelia goes "against the grain" and is not necessarily conventional. The actress also believed that Sharon was a bit of a "loose cannon" in her private life. Jamelia joked that it would be funny if Sharon was "tone deaf" due to the actress being a singer. Jamelia explained that she wanted to keep her singing separate from the character and believed it would be weird if Sharon started singing, but there was a few jokes added in the script hinting at the actress' singing career, such as when Sharon tells Zoe that she can "see it in a boy's eyes", which is one of her song titles. Sharon later finds out that Zoe is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend Sam Chen-Williams's baby and that she wants to have an abortion. Zoe asks her mother to support her, but Sharon tells Sam about the pregnancy instead. Zoe is horrified and furious that Sharon has told Sam. Zoe's portrayer Garcia Brown told Inside Soap, "Zoe feels betrayed by Sharon and can't believe she told her business to the person she had asked her to keep it from. They don't have the best mother-daughter relationship, Zoe was practically raised by her grandma Pearl as Sharon put her career before being a parent". When Sharon pleads with Zoe to hear Sam out, Zoe gets more angry and threatens to report her to the hospital for a breach of ethics. Sharon later apologises to Zoe for telling Sam about the pregnancy.
Warren and Felix
Jamelia teased that there might be a romance "bubbling" with established character Warren Fox and suggested that there may be a love triangle or a "love square". In the storyline, Warren takes an interest in Sharon when she takes her car to be checked at his body shop, but his flirting is not reciprocated as she is not interested. However, Warren tries to show his nicer side by leaving a picture that his daughter drew in Sharon's car, which appears to work as Sharon writes her number on the back of it. Sharon later agrees to go on a date with Warren after she is impressed by his cheesy pickup lines. It had previously been teased by Allan that Warren's mother Norma Crow would struggle with her jealousy due Sharon "vying for Warren's love and affection". Norma disapproves of Sharon and believes that Warren deserves better.Sharon then finds out that Felix Westwood has been involved in illegal boxing in an attempt to channel his frustrations over the departure of his son, DeMarcus Westwood. The storyline was intended to highlight Felix' mental health challenges. It had previously been reported that Sharon would have storylines with Felix, who Pearl had become a mother-figure to, and his girlfriend Mercedes. Jamelia already knew Blackwood as she had appeared on his show The Richard Blackwood Show when she was 17, which she said was her "claim to fame". Jamelia was glad to work with Blackwood again and said that he would make her laugh on set a lot. In the storyline, Sharon is on a date with Warren, where he is flirting in a French accent, when she gets a text message from Felix asking for her help with his injuries; she makes an excuse to leave and goes to see Felix. Felix initially refuses to tell Sharon how he got his injuries but is forced to when she threatens to not help him. Felix' fighting had previously caused Sharon to break up with Warren when he took the blame for Felix' injuries. Sharon is shocked and tells Felix how dangerous illegal fighting is and he asks her to keep it a secret. Sharon encourages Felix to open up to Mercedes, his girlfriend, but he refuses and lies that he has stopped. Sharon becomes "determined" to help Felix and make him stop fighting. She discovers that Felix has been lying to her about stopping and she threatens to tell Mercedes, but he blackmails her with a 20-year-old secret to keep quiet. A "distraught and conflicted" Sharon turns to her family for guidance, and she decides to walk away from the situation despite "her instinct" to help Felix.