“Ryan Clayton, famous for his role as Josh Tucker, David Platt’s attacker on Coronation Street, has joined Hollyoaks as Mercedes McQueen’s new love interest.”
Hollyoaks producers have brought in a former Coronation Street villain as Mercedes McQueen’s new love interest.
Ryan Clayton joins the Channel 4 soap as Jenson, who crosses paths with Mercedes at a rehabilitation centre following her struggle with prescription drug addiction.
The New Year trailer, released on January 5, hints at a growing attraction between Jenson and Mercedes.
It also shows Jenson confronting Brookside character Timothy ‘Tinhead’ O’Leary (Philip Olivier) over his use of Warren Fox’s (Jamie Lomas) identity, setting the stage for tense drama ahead.
Ryan is best known for playing Josh Tucker in Coronation Street and Sergeant Mike Rutherford in BBC school drama Waterloo Road.
Soap fans will recall that Josh worked as a mechanic at Webster’s Autocentre before betraying his friend David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) by raping him.
In January 2020, Josh stood trial at Weatherfield Crown Court, where David gave evidence against him.
A few days later, solicitor Imran Habeeb announced that Josh had been found guilty of raping both David and another man and had been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
It has also been confirmed that Philip Olivier and Suzanne Collins will reprise their Brookside roles three months after the iconic crossover episode aired in October to celebrate Hollyoaks’ 30th anniversary.
The Liverpool-born actors will return to Hollyoaks as Tinhead and Nikki Shadwick. A new trailer, released on Hollyoaks’ social media channels, hints at sparks flying between Tinhead and Liberty Savage (Jessamy Stoddart).
However, the seemingly harmless Scouser may not be quite what he seems, as he harbours an ulterior motive.
Meanwhile, Nikki develops a new friendship with Mercedes after they meet at a local rehabilitation centre.
Speaking about her upcoming Hollyoaks scenes, Suzanne said: “I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw that Nikki would be forming a friendship with the iconic Mercedes. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jen—she’s an incredible actress.
“The reaction to the crossover was amazing—so warm and positive. I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but finding out Nikki was returning had me floating on cloud nine with the biggest secret smile on my face.”
Philip added, “I’m thrilled to be back. Tinhead has a new romance this time around, but there’s also some unfinished business lurking in the background.”
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