Hollyoaks is a British television soap opera first broadcast on 23 October 1995. The following is a list of characters that appear in 2024, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the soap's executive producers, Hannah Cheers and Angelo Abela until June 2024 when Abela departed leaving Cheers as sole executive producer. Kitty Draper was introduced in January, followed by Abe Fielding. Declan Hawthorne made his debut in February. Arlo Fielding made his debut in March. Donny Clark was introduced in April. Noah Dexter appeared in May, followed by Martha Blake and her son Jeremy Blake. As of 16 September 2024, all episodes and events are set a year later as a time jump aired in that episode.
Kitty Draper
Kitty Draper, played by Iz Hesketh, made her first appearance on 15 January 2024. Kitty is involved in a four-vehicle collision and after realising that her travelling companion has died, steals her identity. Many details of Kitty have been kept under wraps, but executive producer Hannah Cheers teased a lot of "shock and intrigue" about the character. "We realised that we had the opportunity here to show the front-end of an impostor story," she told media. "Normally in an impostor story, you learn the secret after you've met the character. But to actually see the moment where somebody makes that momentary decision to take the identity of somebody else is huge."
Speaking about her character on social media, Iz said: "Looks like the cats out of the bag… I'm so proud to announce that I'm the new girl on the block in the @hollyoaksofficial Village! My character is one that British TV has needed for a long time. She's fiery, independent and has a huge heart. I'm so excited to show that trans people are just like everyone else. We have flaws, we fall in love and sometimes we make bad decisions for good reasons… brace yourselves, a new arrival is about to come into Hollyoaks with a bang".
Kitty later develops a romance with Beau Ramsey (Jon-Paul Bell). Bell said his character enjoys being around Kitty, bringing Beau out of his "shell". He thought the pair made a good match, however, he noted that they see the world differently which could cause issues in the future. On what attracts Beau to Kitty, Jon-Paul told Inside Soap magazine: "He really enjoys her energy – Kitty's been like a firecracker coming into the village and shaking things up! He's intrigued by the way Kitty lives her life, and it's brought Beau out of his shell a bit." He also added "Kitty's past, and the reason she's landed in the village, could escalate into bigger problems down the line, Beau has strong morals, but he's also very empathetic, so this could lead to us seeing darker shades of his character. It's about how far he's willing to go". The relationship later ended after both of them couldn't make it work.
In a plot-twist aired in scenes from episode 6358, originally broadcast on 22 April 2024, it was revealed that Kitty is the daughter of conversion therapist Declan Hawthorne (Alan Turkington). In episode 6367, originally broadcast on 3 May 2024, Kitty was kidnapped by Declan as part of a cliffhanger.
DS Peel
Detective Sergeant Peel, played by Samantha Siddall, was a police officer who made her debut appearance in Episode 6290, which originally aired on 17 January 2024. Siddall's casting was announced on 27 October 2023, Upon her casting, it was announced that Siddall had begun filming. Her character would be a detective and would make her debut in January 2024.
Peel interviews Felix Westwood (Richard Blackwood) following a multi-car collision in which an unnamed driver and Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer) died. After Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) is pushed from a building, Peel interviews Ste's husband, James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) about the accident. Due to pressure from Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas), James does not reveal the full story. Peel is next seen after Frankie Osborne (Isabelle Smith) calls to say she wishes to change her statement about Nancy Osborne (Jessica Fox) assaulting her, but instead just makes minor changes, annoying Peel. The following week, she conducts an interview with Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis) and Ro Hutchinson (Ava Webster) following the disappearance of Declan Hawthorne (Alan Turkington).
Kane
Kane, played by Ben Castle-Gibb, is a drug dealer who first appeared in Episode 6290, which first aired on 17 January 2024. He disposed of the car that Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) accidentally killed Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer) with. After discovering that the car killed Ella, Kane threatens Ste, prompting Ste to beat him up. Kane returns the car and calls the police. Ste's husband, James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) later meets with Kane posing as a customer, but plants Ella's boot in his car, getting Kane arrested. James visits Kane in prison, threatening to harm Kane's daughter if he did not plead guilty. Kane later sees James visiting Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner) in prison, discovering that James is Romeo's father. Kane deals Romeo's cellmate a dodgy batch of drugs that kills him, allowing Kane to become Romeo's new cellmate and threaten his life. Kane demands £250,000 from James to ensure Romeo's safety, which James is forced to steal from the estate of the recently deceased Rafe Harcourt (Chris Gordon). However, once Kane receives the money, he goes back on his word and stabs Romeo as revenge for James framing him and threatening his family.
After Romeo survives the stabbing and manages to escape from prison, Kane is visited by Ella's father, Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas), who demands to know who is responsible for Ella's death. Kane proposes a deal where if he tells Warren who is behind Ella's death, Warren will help him get out of prison. After punching Kane, Warren agrees to the deal. Kane reveals that Ste and James were responsible for Ella's death, although he is unsure which one killed her. James later spots Warren shaking hands with Kane. He departed in Episode 6331, which originally aired on 14 March 2024, however Castle-Gibbs' departure was announced on 19 March 2024. When announcing his departure on Instagram, he said "loved giving it large as Kane for the past few months...it's been an absolute blast." He also thanked his agency for "such a wicked opportunity." Owen Warner, who plays Romeo also commented on Castle-Gibb's time as Kane: "smashed it bro, and you're forgiven for stabbing me with a toothbrush."
Abe Fielding
Abe Fielding, played by Tyler Conti, made his first appearance on 18 January 2024. The character and casting was announced on 15 January 2024. Much of the character's background was kept secret, and Abe was introduced with a "massive secret" that would "send spark waves" through the village. The only implied connection from the character was that Abe was going to be "heavily involved" with the McQueen family. Abe was later revealed to be the ex-boyfriend of returning character Cleo McQueen (Nadine Mulkerrin), who left him due to his controlling behaviour. Abe arrives in the village looking for Cleo after she is involved in a multi-vehicle collision, unaware that she is searching for her ex-fiancé Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed). A press release for the character described Abe as: "Very loving, friendly, and approachable, but under the surface there's more than meets the eye," and teased an "unexpected" family connection. Speaking about his character, Tyler commented: "Abe is a charming working-class young lad with a manipulative streak a mile-wide. The ingredients of a deeply troubled past and a complicated family life have brewed his dangerous temper, especially when things don't go his way. I can't wait for Abe to explode into the Hollyoaks village, you can expect danger, manipulation, and one heck of a messy family that comes with it."
Cleo is stuck between Abe and Joel as they both fight for her – Abe and Cleo later reconcile and have sex but Abe then manipulates her moments after. After hearing Abe on a phone call with a random woman discussing money conditions, Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) becomes suspicious of Abe. Theresa McQueen (Jorgie Porter) tries to find Abe to ridicule him on his behaviour to Cleo. She finds him in the loft, the pair get drunk and then sleep together. Theresa later confesses to Cleo of their deceit after Kathleen-Angel McQueen (Kiara Mellor) outlandishly told the family of their one night stand, causing a strain on the pairs relationships. In March 2024, after an argument with Cleo, Abe lashes out and smashes an ornament against the wall. Speaking about Mercedes' suspicions, Conti said:"I think Abe thinks that he has met people like Mercedes before, I think he is good with his words, and can find his way out of anything. A typical gaslighter that, if he keeps on saying no, if he just keeps on lying, no one's going to find him out. He thinks he can worm his way around Mercedes, and the McQueens. He has dealt with a lot of stuff in his life, so I think this isn't really anything too drastic for him. He's got other fish to fry at the moment."
On 15 January 2024, it was announced that former EastEnders actress Rita Simons would be taking over the role of Abe's mother Marie Fielding. Abe's connection to Marie and Joel was not announced prior to his first appearance. Marie returned in episode 6332, originally broadcast on 15 March 2024 during a physical fight between Joel and Abe. Whilst drinking in the loft with Joel, Abe, Cleo and Leela, she reveals she has a missing son, Arlo (Dan Hough). Arlo previously made a cameo appearance in episode 6334, originally broadcast on 19 March 2024 as part of a major plot-twist that his half-brother Abe is actually his kidnapper. Marie wants to obtain Arlo back after Abe secretly sent him to stay with his father and an unknown woman (presumably his stepmother), disguising it as a kidnapping. When Joel and Leela let Marie move in, Marie hires a new private investigator (as the expenses are covered by Joel). The private investigator immediately finds a lead in Ireland, though Marie is stopped on her way by the police as Abe has framed her for drugging Arlo with sedatives. Marie is then released and overhears a conversation between Abe and Cleo, confessing that he set Marie up. Cleo covers for Abe and lets Marie believe it was her. In early April 2024, Marie is told that a body has been found in Ireland that they may believe is Arlo (this is confirmed untrue as Arlo appears in the spring trailer released by Hollyoaks). Abe then rushes to Dublin in a bid to search for his brother, knowing he is alive.
The story reaches a climax when Chris returns to Hollyoaks village with Arlo. Clutching at straws, he eventually admits to Cleo that he is behind the kidnapping of Arlo as he believed Marie is incapable of having children. Cleo later promised to assist Abe giving Arlo back to Chris, but then helped him escape whilst Abe's back had turned. Arlo returned to Marie in episode 6353, originally broadcast on 15 April 2024. Arlo's stepmother, Demi (Ainsley Howard), returns to Hollyoaks village in a bid to return Arlo to Chris' care.