Chris Quinten and Diana Weston join Hollyoaks

There’s a strange feeling of Weatherfield in the air over at Hollyoaks at the moment…

“This is one of the more surreal experiences of my career. After 23 years, I finally get to meet my first onscreen dad, which is truly bizarre. It’s an honour to have such well-established actors like Chris and Diana come in to play my parents and I’ve really enjoyed the scenes we’ve filmed so far. Plus at least having parents in the show means Kyle has an excuse to regress into adolescence, which comes quite easily to him.” – Adam Rickett

Hollyoaks is set to introduce Kyle Kelly’s parents this Spring, who both have long-standing connections to current Hollyoaks cast members. Chris Quinten will play Kyle’s dad, Mark, but he previously played Brian Tilsley in Corrie, who was the father of Adam Rickitt’s character, Nick Tilsley. Adam, who now plays Kyle, was cast nearly ten years after Chris’ departure in 1989 but is excited to finally meet his first ‘on-screen dad’ decades later.

Chris, as Brian, married Gail Potter (actress Helen Worth) in 1979 with son Nick – or Nicky as he was known through his younger years – born in 1980 and played by Warren Jackson from birth into his teens. Brian who ran the local garage departed the cobbles following the break-up of his marriage to Gail. On a night out looking for lust, he was stabbed to death outside a nightclub. Warren was dropped from the role in 1996 with Adam taking over the following year.

Corrie: Nick and Brian, played by Warren Jackson and Chris Quinten in 1984. Image: Granada TV Press.

In Hollyoaks Rickett’s character is described as ‘Debonair, stylish and with a flair for the theatrical’. Kyle styles himself as a bit of a philosophe, the fella who keeps a copy of Oscar Wilde quotes in his back pocket and passes the wisdom off as his own. ‘But the cheeky grin on Kyle’s face is masking a secret vulnerability he keeps well-hidden’ note producers Lime Pictures.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the scenes I’ve filmed so far at Hollyoaks, I already love the show and all of the cast, crew and production staff are fantastic and so friendly. Working with Adam after first playing ‘his’ dad more than thirty years ago is a dream come true, it’s a brilliant piece of soap nostalgia, which I hope everyone enjoys. I think Mark and Carole will really give viewers an insight into why Kyle became the man he is today, which has been a lot of fun to play and I’m looking forward to doing more.” – Chris Quinten

More soap trivia follows with Diana Weston who will play Kyle’s mum, Carole, but previously played the wife of Joe McGann (Edward) in Central Television’s sitcom The Upper Hand, while Joe was recently reunited with Lysette Anthony (Marnie) who he starred alongside in LWT soap Night and Day.