Mel Burton is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by actress Cassie Powney. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 September 2003. Powney joined the cast along with her twin Connie Powney, who plays Mel's twin sister Sophie Burton. They auditioned for the roles six months after deciding they should stop putting themselves forward for twin roles. Mel was introduced along with Joe Spencer (Matt Milburn) and Robbie Flynn (Andy Newton), as new students attending Hollyoaks College. The character's family were introduced a month later. Mel is characterised as being clever, introverted and more controlled than her sister.
Casting Cassie Powney was cast as Mel and her identical twin sister Connie Powney was cast as Sophie. The audition for the roles came up about six months after the sisters decided to stop putting themselves forward for twin roles. Of joining the serial and moving away from her home town, Cassie stated: "I've always been a fan of Hollyoaks and I'm really excited about getting to know everyone. I won't be too homesick as I'll be with Connie so the move is quite an adventure." Cassie admitted that it took the cast and crew about a year to work out who was who, but she explained that she usually has straight hair, while her sister's is curly. Their personalities also differ greatly and Powney felt that despite being the eldest, Connie was more "authoritative and organised". Powney made her first appearance as Mel on 23 September 2003.
Development Introduction and early storylines Mel was introduced along with fellow new characters Joe Spencer (Matt Milburn) and Robbie Flynn (Andy Newton) during Freshers' Week at Hollyoaks College. Milburn liked that he, Powney and Newton all started at the same time because that meant they were all going through the same experiences. The three actors also shared a house together off-screen. Mel was also the first member of the Burton family to be introduced to the show. Around a month later, Mel is joined by her mother, her mother's boyfriend and her siblings, including her twin sister Sophie. Powney said her character is "particularly peeved" when her family move to Hollyoaks, as she wanted to attend college without any pressure from their presence. Powney also said "she's not happy at the way twin sister Sophie cramps her style." Sophie realises that Mel has not told her friends she has a twin sister, so she gets revenge by wearing identical clothing to a student night and confusing Mel's friends with her different behaviour. Sophie kisses Mel's friend Joe to wind her sister up, a decision that Connie Powney said was "awful" as Joe then believes Mel has feelings for him. Connie said Sophie was the more "flirty, crazy sister, while Mel is much more controlled." The official Hollyoaks website describes Mel as "quiet, clever and introverted". She thinks Sophie's way of getting attention from people is "highly irritating".
In an attempt to step out of her sister's shadow and attract the attention of Kristian Hargreaves (Max Brown), Mel undergoes a drastic makeover. The storyline begins when Mel traps Kristian into going on a double date with Sophie and Joe, as he agrees without thinking. Powney commented that it was not such a good start to their relationship. During the date, it becomes obvious that Kristian is more interested in Sophie, which makes Mel more determined to get his attention, but she ends up embarrassing herself by dancing on the bar in The Loft. Powney said "Mel is sick of feeling second best – men always fancy Sophie instead of her." Mel enlists Robbie to help her change her image by conducting a survey asking men about their perfect woman. After they gather the results, Robbie designs the ideal woman on his laptop and Mel unveils her new look at the student union bar that night. Powney explained to Helen Crossley of Inside Soap that while Mel loves the effect her makeover has on the men, especially Kristian, her sister is "traumatised" and "horrified" that Mel would go to such lengths. Mel is "thrilled" when Kristian flirts with her and they later have sex, but Kristian makes it clear that their night together was a one off, leaving Mel humiliated and out for revenge. She and Sophie team up to embarrass Kristian by pretending that they want a threesome with him. Powney admitted that acting out the storyline with her real sister was "surreal".
In the lead up to her mother, Liz Burton's (Andrée Bernard) wedding to Richard Taylor (Richard Calkin), Mel agrees to be a bridesmaid. Bernard said Liz is delighted as Mel has taken some persuading. Following the wedding, Mel overhears her stepbrother Ali Taylor (Luti Fagbenle) telling Richard that her father's death was suicide rather than a heart attack. Bernard commented that "all hell breaks loose!" Mel confronts her mother at the reception, devastating her brother Justin (Chris Fountain). Things are made worse when Mel and Justin realise that Sophie knew the truth because she found their father's body. Of Liz's decision to keep the truth from her children, Bernard explained: "Liz thought she was doing what was best by keeping it from Mel and Justin, because she wanted to protect them. But now it's out, they have to revisit their grief all over again." The actress added the storyline would have "far-reaching" consequences for the whole family.
Relationship with O.B. In early 2005, writers paired Mel and Sophie with best friends Sam "O.B." O'Brien (Darren Jeffries) and Max Cunningham (Matt Littler). The relationships develop after O.B. and Max ask Mel to babysit Max's brother Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins), while they go on a night out to meet women. After an unsuccessful night, Max returns home to relieve Mel and ends up arranging a date with her. Littler told an Inside Soap writer that the pair decide to keep the date a secret, as they are both of afraid of being hurt. O.B. later secures a date with Sophie, but they have a bad time together. Littler said that for his date, Max thinks Mel will be impressed by his caring side, so he talks about Tom throughout their date, but this does not go down well. The actor stated "Poor Mel is bored out of her mind and it's fair to say she's not tempted to take their friendship any further." Weeks later, Mel offers to help O.B. with his new business venture, which leads to them becoming friends. Jeffries explained that both characters secretly want to be in a relationship, but they are "putting on a brave face!"
Mel later sets O.B. up on a blind date with a friend, but it goes badly as they have nothing in common. Thinking that Mel needs her confidence boosting, he pays Ben Davies (Marcus Patric) to take Mel out, but Ben stands her up and then she overhears him arguing with O.B. about money. Mel is "simply furious", but the pair soon sort out their misunderstanding. Jeffries thought there was "a definite chemistry" between Mel and O.B., but noted that they are both in denial. He also called his character "the eternal bachelor" and said it would take someone special to change him, but he reckoned it might be Mel. After establishing a relationship, Jeffries believed that as far as O.B. was concerned, he and Mel were "made for each other". Powney disagreed and thought neither couple would last, as both sisters were high maintenance. She added, "it'll be interesting to see whether Max and OB have got what it takes to hang onto them. I'm not expecting wedding bells, let's put it that way!"
Mel and O.B.'s relationship suffers as she develops a problem with alcohol. When she is thrown out of her home, after slapping her mother, Mel begs O.B. to let her stay at the Cunningham house. Max is not keen on the idea due to Mel's behaviour when she drinks, so O.B. has to go behind his back. Powney stated that her character was "selfish and doesn't consider what she's doing to Max and OB's friendship." When Max goes on holiday, O.B. sneaks Mel back in and insists that she keeps her drinking to a minimum and concentrate on her college dissertation, however, Mel is unable to resist drinking from a secret stash of vodka. Max's girlfriend Clare Devine (Gemma Bissix) later catches Mel stealing money from O.B.'s wallet. Powney pointed out that Clare and Mel have never liked each other, and now Clare has ammunition against Mel and will likely use it. Max returns from Spain and is "furious" with O.B. for going against his wishes, leaving Mel's future "looking bleak".
Binge drinking In an issue-led storyline for the character, Mel develops a dependence on alcohol and regularly goes on "disastrous drinking binges", which end up badly affecting her employment chances and relationships. Powney told Dawn Collinson of the Liverpool Echo that she initially had reservations about taking on the storyline, saying "I actually dreaded it because thought, here we go. I've got months of no make-up, looking a state and having to be believably drunk which I think is one of the most difficult things for an actor to do." She had to work out how to get a balance in her acting as she did not want to be accused of "hamming it up", but she thought she had done well as people had told her she was convincing. Powney used her own experiences with alcohol and nights out to help her with the scripts, commenting "you know what it's like to get a bit carried away one night and then absolutely regret it". She thought was the about the extent of the research she could do. Powney grew to enjoy the storyline, as it gave her a chance to feel like someone else and use her acting skills.
The storyline also shows how Mel puts her health at risk by binge drinking and how she deals with the consequences. Although she promises her mother and sister that she will quit, Mel carries on drinking heavily. Powney said that Liz and Sophie "are sick of her hangovers", but Mel goes out and gets drunk again, before making a fool of herself at the student union bar. Speaking to Helen Crossley of Inside Soap, Powney explained that Mel makes it her mission to get with one of the university "bad boys" and does not let anything get in her way, even though her friends realise that she is showing herself up and try to "talk sense into her". As she drinks more and more, Mel's "judgement goes out the window" and she eventually leaves with the man. Mel regrets her decision in the morning, as she wakes up and does not know his name. After doing the "walk of shame", Mel lies to her family about where she has been. Powney told Crossley that this is not Mel's biggest problem, as she later confesses to Sophie that she had unprotected sex, which leads to scenes of Sophie taking Mel to get the morning-after pill. Their mother is "furious" when she finds out and takes Mel to a GUM clinic, where she insists that Mel is tested for everything, including HIV. Of Mel's reaction, Powney commented "Only then does Mel realise the danger she's put herself in – the test could come back positive." Powney also said that Mel is actually appalled with herself for doing something this stupid, and is suddenly aware that she has some serious issues to address. The actress added that there would be "some tough times" ahead for her character.