Yahoo News Hollyoaks – Lucas Hay recast explained
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks reintroduced the character of Lucas Hay in Wednesday's All4 episode (March 15), but he's looking a little different.
The latest visit to Chester sees show newcomer Oscar Curtis make his first appearance as Ste's son Lucas, who will receive more focus in the coming weeks with a new storyline.
If you've missed the news of the recast and are a bit confused about what's going on, here's a quick recap:
Why has Lucas Hay been recast in Hollyoaks?
Hollyoaks bosses confirmed last year that young actor William Hall had left the Channel 4 soap.
William had played the role of schoolboy Lucas for nine years, having joined back in 2013. Lucas was last seen briefly on screen back in December.
Digital Spy understands the decision to recast Lucas was made due to more mature storylines planned for the character this year. As most soap fans will know, this is common practice in the genre as younger characters start to grow up.
During an exclusive interview with us earlier this year, Hollyoaks boss Lucy Allan explained: "We've got some interesting arrivals coming into the show. You will have seen obviously that we have recast Lucas. William Hall, who played him before, was a phenomenal, brilliant actor but we recast him simply because he's more grown up and the story that we're putting him into, we needed a more grown-up actor.
"William obviously has done an amazing job for us across the years he's been in the show. We are really excited about the big love story his character is coming into in many ways. I think he will be a good one to look out for.
Kieron Richardson – who plays Ste – also commented on the Lucas recast during a chat with Digital Spy on the red carpet at the Inside Soap Awards 2022.
"It's sad because William's been there for nearly 10 years", he said. "I don't really know too much about it, but I know that there's some really heavy stuff coming up.
"I think it's like an age thing – and hours that you can work with underage actors. It's sad, but I'm going to keep in contact with William. He's amazing, he's going to do really well.
"We'll keep in contact, but I'm also looking forward to welcoming whoever the new actor is going to be."
William shared the news of his departure with fans on Instagram back in October, saying:"[That's] a wrap on #lucashay, wow it's been an amazing 9 years playing this character and not one moment has been bad.
"Honestly, I am so happy to be able to say I have been part of the Hollyoaks family and although it is sad I'm leaving, I'm leaving with happy memories.
"Thank you to everyone who has supported me over the years, it means a lot. Can't wait to see what the future brings and to share it with you!"
Lucas, who was born on screen in 2009, was played by Jude Hawley and Reuben Thwaites prior to William's stint.
Hollyoaks spoilers – what's next for Lucas?
As we explained above, the decision to recast Lucas was due to the fact the character will be taking on some more mature storylines this year.
It's already been confirmed that Hollyoaks will be exploring Lucas's sexuality this year, following the arrival of Misbah Maalik's nephew Dylan.
"In the Maalik household, we have got a nephew arriving called Dylan, who will be another one of our teens", Lucy said in her chat with us. "In terms of interest, we will be looking at that teen group and exploring sexuality, love and everything else through them, which will be really interesting in the coming year."
She reiterated this during an interview with Inside Soap, saying: "William did a brilliant job for us, but we needed to cast someone slightly older for where the story was going.
"Lucas is getting to the age where he is difficult to manage, and he's grappling with his sexuality. There's also a new teen coming into the show in the form of Misbah's nephew, Dylan."
Hollyoaks streams first on All 4, with new episodes dropping each weekday morning. The show airs Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, and at 7pm on E4. Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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