It has been 30 years since Hollyoaks first aired on Channel 4 in 1995, and the lives of its original cast have taken varied paths. The soap, aimed at teens and young adults, launched with just 15 characters, seven of whom were teenagers. While some actors have become household names, others have made surprising career switches.
Will Mellor, who played laid-back Jack-the-Lad Jambo, joined the show at age 19 and stayed for three years. Now 49, he has starred in major hits such as Broadchurch, Line of Duty, and Coronation Street as drugs gangster Harvey Gaskell. He also appeared in Mr Bates vs The Post Office and The Teacher. Away from acting, he competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, finishing 11th, and co-hosts the travel series Will & Ralf Should Know Better with Ralf Little. Mellor, who has two children with dancer Michelle McSween, said: 'I am so grateful to Hollyoaks. It was the show that changed my life.'
Nick Pickard has played Tony Hutchinson since the very first episode, making him the longest-serving original cast member. Now 49, he originally signed up for only 26 episodes but has remained for three decades, winning the British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement in 2017. In 2023, he entered the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! jungle, describing it as an 'opportunity of a lifetime'. He was the fourth campmate voted out. Pickard had a year-long relationship with former co-star Joanna Taylor in 2001 and is now in a long-term relationship with Sarah Corrin; he has a grown-up daughter, Ellie.
Jeremy Edwards played Kurt Benson for three years before the character was believed killed in a jet ski accident. However, Kurt returned to the village in 2020 after 21 years, revealed to have been on the run. Edwards said the pandemic made his comeback difficult: 'I was supposed to be there for six months to a year but Covid impacted that massively.' After his original stint, he appeared in Holby City and on reality shows including The X Factor: Celebrity and Celebrity Big Brother. He was engaged to S Club 7's Rachel Stevens but married Lydia Metz in 2009.
