Lydia Hart
Encyclopedia
Lydia Hart is a fictional character
from the British
Channel 4
soap opera
Hollyoaks
, a long-running serial drama about life in a fictional suburb of Chester
. The character is no longer part of current storylines. She was played by actress Lydia Kelly
between 2009 and 2010. Lydia was created by series producer Bryan Kirkwood
as one of many characters introduced that year. She made her debut in the soap on 4 March 2009, and remained for ten months.
Lydia's storylines focus on homosexuality, obsessiveness and murder. The seemingly level-headed music lover and friend of Josh Ashworth
, she is portrayed as opinionated, passionate young student who had a love of music and protecting her family, for example her young sister Persephone Hart who also appeared in the show for a period of three months. Lydia's relationship to the sexually confused Sarah Barnes
was central to the character for seven months of the year culminating with her screen death in October 2009 after she was murdered by Lydia. Other storylines included her ongoing on-off relationship with ex-girlfriend Charlotte Lau
and continued feuds with Archie
and Zoe Carpenter
. The characters departure was announced in December 2009, when the character was arrested for the attempted murder of Zoe at Sarah's graveside after stabbing her, resulting in her being charged for the murder of Sarah and the attempted murder of Zoe, with Lydia making her final appearance on 1 January 2010. The parachute stunt won a British Soap Award in 2010. The aftermath storyline has received mixed reviews from critics. Some have favoured Lydia's "bunny boiling" and others described it as a "drawn out and boring storyline."
(Loui Batley
) and Zoe Carpenter
(Zoë Lister
) had a sexual encounter. Up to now both characters had previously been portrayed as heterosexual and this was the start of Sarah's on-going sexuality crisis. The character of Lydia Hart was created as the new love interest for the sexually confused already established character, Sarah. When the character first appeared on-screen she was revealed to have a younger sister, Persephone Hart (Elizabeth Hadley), who was attending the dance classes taught by Sarah. Little is known about the rest of Lydia's family, although the character did stay with her mother frequently off-screen. The character was also given links to Charlotte Lau
(Amy Yamazaki
) who arrived in Hollyoaks in June 2009. It was soon revealed that Lydia was Charlotte's ex-girlfriend.
It was announced in February 2009 that Hollyoaks series producer Bryan Kirkwood
had cast television newcomer Lydia Kelly in the role of Lydia. Speaking to the Hollyoaks website of her casting, Kelly stated, "It was brilliant, when my agent said I'd got the part I didn't believe her." and in Hollyoaks Backstage, Kelly was asked what was next for Lydia, she stated, "[...] I don't know whats next for Lydia [...] I think justice has to be done soon." In December 2009, it was announced that Kelly would leave the show. Producers confirmed that Lydia would depart at the climax of her storyline.
Lydia's relationships helped develop the character. Her first relationship off-screen is with ex-girlfriend Charlotte, who supposedly shared her interests in music and fashion, as they were both considered 'out there'. The history of the relationship immediately gave viewers an insight to the character. However, their relationship was seemingly shattered by Lydia's constant jealousy and her clingy nature, which ultimately lead to their break up. But, Lydia tried to commit suicide soon after, which was told on-screen when Charlotte arrived in the village. Lydia's second relationship is a more serious one, with the sexually confused Sarah Barnes; Sarah, who had previously been portrayed as heterosexual, suffers an identity crisis, coming to terms with her one night stand with Zoe Carpenter, however Sarah ended the relationship after Lydia became interfering and tried to control her life due to falling in love with her. Speaking to entertainment website Digital Spy
about Sarah's relationship with Lydia, Loui Batley commented, "With Lydia, she brought something to her and she got on with her and was sparky, which is something that Sarah liked." After her relationship with Sarah ended, the character's true persona was revealed. She became jealous of Sarah and her relationship with Zoe, and the character's vulnerability became the centre of her deranged campaign for revenge in the latter part of 2009, as she was excluded from Sarah's life.
in October, Lydia's jealousy went out of control when she sabotaged a parachute, which was revealed to be used by either Sarah or Zoe. It was announced that one of the pair would be killed after plummeting to their death.
Hysterical Lydia, who thought Sarah and Zoe were having an affair, had a conversation with Charlotte and revealed when they split up, she attempted suicide, proving the character's vulnerability. After sabotaging Zoe's parachute, they are mixed up and a terrified Lydia began to worry that she might have got the sabotaged parachute. While doing the jump, Zoe's deploys, however Sarah's does not. As she hits the ground, Lydia screams in terror. She is completely destroyed by Sarah's death, but does not admit to being responsible when Zoe is arrested, and with that Lydia tries to commit suicide once again.
After Zoe is released from prison and is found not guilty of Sarah's murder, it is believed that Sarah committed suicide after her diary, found by Mike Barnes
(Tony Hirst
) is used as evidence in court. Soon Lydia starts to befriend Zoe and she ends up moving in with the Barnes family where Lydia now lives and soon Zoe plans too uncover Lydia's murderous ways as she does not want to be known as a killer. In an interview with entertainment website Digital Spy
, Lister said of the storyline, "It all gets really messy from here! Because Lydia's really deranged, Lydia starts thinking that because she loved Sarah and Sarah loved Zoe, if she gets with Zoe, that'll be the final piece in the puzzle and it'll all work out."
She explained: "Lydia starts becoming obsessed with Zoe and to keep control, Zoe has to go with it. There's a point where Lydia kisses her! And then Mike walks in and kicks Zoe out."
The culmination of the plot saw Lydia lure Zoe to a church and stab her at Sarah's grave. The stabbing storyline was described as a "brutal attack" and at the time producers refused to reveal if Zoe would die. Describing the terror Lydia causes a spokesperson for the serial stated: "Zoe can’t believe it when Lydia admits the parachute was meant for her. As soon as she realises Lydia wanted her dead she tries to run. That’s when Lydia pulls out a knife and stabs her." This led to a fight between Lydia and Charlotte who arrives with Dave Colburn
(Elliot James Langridge). They both fight to grab the knife while an unconscious Zoe bleeds, ultimately leading to the arrest of Lydia when the police arrive. She is later charged with the murder of Sarah and the attempted murder of Zoe.
(Sonny Flood
). She orders Steph Cunningham
(Carley Stenson
) to fire Sarah after her sister Persephone Hart tells her that Sarah hit her. Theresa McQueen
(Jorgie Porter
) steals Lydia's handbag and she accuses Josh's girlfriend Amy Barnes
(Ashley Slanina-Davies
). She decides not to press charges against Theresa. Amy accuses Lydia and Josh of having an affair. Josh tells her she is a lesbian and Amy hits her. Amy later apologises, however is still jealous of Lydia and Josh's relationship. At Josh's birthday party, Michaela McQueen
(Hollie-Jay Bowes
) assumes that Lydia and Sarah are a couple. Sarah and Lydia then become friends. In late March, after agreeing to dance with Sarah during one of the classes, Lydia kisses her. Sarah denies it when Lydia claims that they felt something. Sarah then shows more of an interest in Lydia.
Lydia finds out Sarah is bribing Holly Cunningham (Lydia Waters
) to befriend Persephone so she could get closer to her, leaving things awkward between the girls. The next day, Lydia allays her fears to Sarah over relationships and the girls seal it with a kiss, which Michaela sees. Sarah and Lydia then begin a full relationship. It is revealed that out of her family, Persephone is the only one who knows of Lydia's sexuality. Lydia replaces Rhys Ashworth
(Andrew Moss
) as the drummer of Josh's band 'The Somethings' as he kicked him out because he was against having wheelchair user Hayley Ramsey
(Kelly Marie Stewart) as the lead singer because of their bad breakup. Lydia is later kicked out of the band due to unreliability.
After breaking up from Sarah, Lydia becomes jealous of Zoe and Sarah's friendship. Lydia then begins going out with Sarah again although she is more invested in the relationship with Sarah. Lydia's true colours start to show when she tells Sarah she has received dead flowers on her and former girlfriend Charlotte's anniversary, she tells Sarah she thinks they are from Charlotte, she then shows the same bouquet to Charlotte and accuses Zoe. It is then revealed during an argument with Charlotte that Lydia tried to kill herself when she and Charlotte split up. Lydia sees Sarah and Zoe going on an adventure holiday with Steph Cunningham
(Carley Stenson
), Fernando Fernandez (Jeronimo Best) and Gilly Roach
(Anthony Quinlan
) and is jealous when she takes Zoe. Lydia follows them and has an argument with Sarah. She continues to pretend Charlotte is stalking her in order to gain sympathy. When left alone with Zoe, she tells her Sarah tried to kill herself over her. Later, Lydia overhears Sarah admit her love to a drunken Zoe. The next day, Lydia begins slitting her wrists and tries to convince Sarah that Zoe is trying to split them up. Lydia uses a knife on one of the parachutes which Zoe will use, however they get mixed up. As the girls head into the sky, Lydia begins to feel guilty and tries to stop them, however Zoe and Sarah jump out. Lydia follows and is horrified when Zoe's parachute deploys and Sarah's does not. Sarah then hits the ground. Lydia and Zoe rush to her body, both crying. Lydia frames Zoe for the death of Sarah by hiding the knife used to sabotage the parachute behind Zoe's bed. Lydia then proceeds to slit her wrists in the shower due to her guilt.
As Lydia recovers in hospital, Zoe is charged with Sarah's murder. Realising she has escaped arrest for accidentally killing Sarah, Lydia lies to Charlotte, telling her how she and Sarah planned to travel and even adopt. Archie Carpenter
(Stephen Beard
) confronts Lydia over the day of Sarah's death and is shocked when Lydia claims she was not supposed to die. Archie goes to the police, however they do not do anything. During Sarah's funeral, Archie arrives at her wake and announces Lydia caused her death. When no one believes him, he is removed. Before Zoe's court case, Mike goes to visit her. Lydia tries to tell Mike that she will try to appear innocent. When he returns, and claims he knows she could not have killed Sarah, Lydia manipulates him into believing that she was just trying to get him on side. At this time, Charlotte and Lydia get back together. At the court case, Lydia lies whilst giving a statement. Charlotte accompanies Lydia to the case, agreeing to keep their new relationship quiet. However, when she sees the knife used to cut the parachute, Charlotte realises Lydia was responsible for Sarah's death. After she confesses, Lydia tells Charlotte if she goes to prison, she will kill herself.
Zoe is found not guilty of Sarah's murder, due to the court believing Sarah committed suicide. After Lydia catches Mike kissing Zoe, she goes to Amy and tells her what she saw, and tells her she believes Zoe is trying to get Mike on her side to make it look like she is innocent. Lydia expresses her doubts with Mike, still trying to blame Zoe for Sarah's death. However, after realising she could try to get Zoe on her side, she pleads with her to forgive her and move into the Barnes family home. An angry Zoe throws her out. Zoe then approaches Lydia and apologises. The pair slowly become friends. However, Zoe is only pretending in order to get a confession. Lydia and Zoe kiss as part of Zoe's plan to expose Lydia as Sarah's killer. Mike throws Zoe out of the flat.
On New Year's Eve, Lydia discovers Zoe's true reasons for befriending her and decides to murder her at Sarah's grave, before taking her own life. Zoe and Lydia meet in a church to admit their 'relationship' to Sarah. However, Zoe flees and is knocked unconscious. When she wakes up, she finally gets a confession from Lydia, who admits why she cut the parachute. Zoe attacks Lydia before leaving. At Sarah's grave, Lydia stabs Zoe, as Charlotte, Mike and Dave arrive to stop her. As Zoe is taken away in an ambulance, Lydia is arrested. Lydia is questioned by D.I. Fletcher (Laura Fletcher) as Zoe recovers in hospital. Lydia admits everything and she is then charged for the murder of Sarah and attempted murder of Zoe. She is later given a lifetime prison sentence.
criticised Lydia during her monthly review on the popularity of soap opera characters, she branded her as an unconvincing villain, stating: "Looking like a demented shrew doesn't mean you're convincing at being a crazed murderess. The whole 'who killed Sarah' storyline is rather silly, and it's not helped by Lydia being a rubbish villain. Memo to Hollyoaks: must try harder."
The parachute stunt won "Spectacular Scene Of The Year" at the 2010 British Soap Awards. Olly Riachards men's lifestyle magazine FHM
commented on the aftermath of Sarah's death and Lydia's storyline branding it as a "really drawn out and really boring plotline." Radio Times
included Lydia on their list of top bunny boilers due to her attitude towards Sarah and killing her out of jealousy. They ironically joked about how long she could repress her murderous impulses, giving her until the new year. (The actual time she tried to kill Zoe). Cara Lee of The Sun branded Lydia stabbing Zoe as one of Hollyoak's most memorable New Year storylines in its history. The Daily Star also commented on the storyline with Zoe, stating "Smitten Lydia falls for her act and is delighted as she always thought Zoe was out of her league."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, a long-running serial drama about life in a fictional suburb of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. The character is no longer part of current storylines. She was played by actress Lydia Kelly
Lydia Kelly
Lydia Rose Kelly is a British actress best known for her portrayal of Lydia Hart in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. Kelly departed the show in 2009, with her final scenes airing on 1 January 2010....
between 2009 and 2010. Lydia was created by series producer Bryan Kirkwood
Bryan Kirkwood (producer)
Bryan Kirkwood is a Scottish-born British television producer. He was the producer of teen Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2006 until 2009 and has been the executive producer of the BBC soap EastEnders since 2010.- Personal life :...
as one of many characters introduced that year. She made her debut in the soap on 4 March 2009, and remained for ten months.
Lydia's storylines focus on homosexuality, obsessiveness and murder. The seemingly level-headed music lover and friend of Josh Ashworth
Josh Ashworth
Joshua Josh Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sonny Flood. He dedbuted on-screen during the episode airing on 3 October 2005 and left on 14 July 2010, after his character was axed by executive producer Paul Marquess...
, she is portrayed as opinionated, passionate young student who had a love of music and protecting her family, for example her young sister Persephone Hart who also appeared in the show for a period of three months. Lydia's relationship to the sexually confused Sarah Barnes
Sarah Barnes
Sarah Barnes is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Loui Batley. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 10 October 2005. Sarah was created by executive producer David Hanson as part of the Barnes family. In 2009 Batley quit the serial in...
was central to the character for seven months of the year culminating with her screen death in October 2009 after she was murdered by Lydia. Other storylines included her ongoing on-off relationship with ex-girlfriend Charlotte Lau
Charlotte Lau
Charlotte Lau is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Amy Yamazaki. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 9 June 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan as the ex-girlfriend of Lydia Hart...
and continued feuds with Archie
Archie Carpenter
Archie Carpenter is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Stephen Beard. The character first appeared on-screen on 3 November 2008 until his exit on 28 May 2010. He was introduced as the younger brother of then established Zoe Carpenter, when he moved...
and Zoe Carpenter
Zoe Carpenter
Zoe Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Zoë Lister. The character first appeared on-screen on 1 September 2006, as one of three new students at Hollyoaks Community College. It was announced in 2009 that Lister had quit her role in order to...
. The characters departure was announced in December 2009, when the character was arrested for the attempted murder of Zoe at Sarah's graveside after stabbing her, resulting in her being charged for the murder of Sarah and the attempted murder of Zoe, with Lydia making her final appearance on 1 January 2010. The parachute stunt won a British Soap Award in 2010. The aftermath storyline has received mixed reviews from critics. Some have favoured Lydia's "bunny boiling" and others described it as a "drawn out and boring storyline."
Character creation and casting
In November 2008, during an episode of Hollyoaks spin-off Hollyoaks Later, Sarah BarnesSarah Barnes
Sarah Barnes is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Loui Batley. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 10 October 2005. Sarah was created by executive producer David Hanson as part of the Barnes family. In 2009 Batley quit the serial in...
(Loui Batley
Loui Batley
Louie Anne Batley is an English actress, singer and dancer best known for her role in Hollyoaks as Sarah Barnes...
) and Zoe Carpenter
Zoe Carpenter
Zoe Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Zoë Lister. The character first appeared on-screen on 1 September 2006, as one of three new students at Hollyoaks Community College. It was announced in 2009 that Lister had quit her role in order to...
(Zoë Lister
Zoë Lister
Zoë Lister is an English actress from Stoke Prior, Worcestershire, best known for playing Zoe Carpenter in British soap Hollyoaks. She grew up in Callow Hill near Redditch. where she has lived for most of her life. She trained at the Starlight School of Dance in Winyates, Redditch. Previous to...
) had a sexual encounter. Up to now both characters had previously been portrayed as heterosexual and this was the start of Sarah's on-going sexuality crisis. The character of Lydia Hart was created as the new love interest for the sexually confused already established character, Sarah. When the character first appeared on-screen she was revealed to have a younger sister, Persephone Hart (Elizabeth Hadley), who was attending the dance classes taught by Sarah. Little is known about the rest of Lydia's family, although the character did stay with her mother frequently off-screen. The character was also given links to Charlotte Lau
Charlotte Lau
Charlotte Lau is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Amy Yamazaki. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 9 June 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan as the ex-girlfriend of Lydia Hart...
(Amy Yamazaki
Amy Yamazaki
Amy Yamazaki is a British actress best known for her portrayal of Charlotte Lau in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:...
) who arrived in Hollyoaks in June 2009. It was soon revealed that Lydia was Charlotte's ex-girlfriend.
It was announced in February 2009 that Hollyoaks series producer Bryan Kirkwood
Bryan Kirkwood (producer)
Bryan Kirkwood is a Scottish-born British television producer. He was the producer of teen Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2006 until 2009 and has been the executive producer of the BBC soap EastEnders since 2010.- Personal life :...
had cast television newcomer Lydia Kelly in the role of Lydia. Speaking to the Hollyoaks website of her casting, Kelly stated, "It was brilliant, when my agent said I'd got the part I didn't believe her." and in Hollyoaks Backstage, Kelly was asked what was next for Lydia, she stated, "[...] I don't know whats next for Lydia [...] I think justice has to be done soon." In December 2009, it was announced that Kelly would leave the show. Producers confirmed that Lydia would depart at the climax of her storyline.
Characterisation
Lydia first arriving on-screen was first shown as different from other characters and it was stated from her inception that she was passionate about music and enjoyed getting people into the music scene. Speaking of her character, Kelly stated "She's very down to earth. She knows exactly what she wants, where she wants to go, and how to get there! She's also very level-headed." From the characters inception, she was shown to be an opinionated, proud young student who wasn't afraid of her homosexuality and a person who could make friends very easily, as well as enemies.Lydia's relationships helped develop the character. Her first relationship off-screen is with ex-girlfriend Charlotte, who supposedly shared her interests in music and fashion, as they were both considered 'out there'. The history of the relationship immediately gave viewers an insight to the character. However, their relationship was seemingly shattered by Lydia's constant jealousy and her clingy nature, which ultimately lead to their break up. But, Lydia tried to commit suicide soon after, which was told on-screen when Charlotte arrived in the village. Lydia's second relationship is a more serious one, with the sexually confused Sarah Barnes; Sarah, who had previously been portrayed as heterosexual, suffers an identity crisis, coming to terms with her one night stand with Zoe Carpenter, however Sarah ended the relationship after Lydia became interfering and tried to control her life due to falling in love with her. Speaking to entertainment website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
about Sarah's relationship with Lydia, Loui Batley commented, "With Lydia, she brought something to her and she got on with her and was sparky, which is something that Sarah liked." After her relationship with Sarah ended, the character's true persona was revealed. She became jealous of Sarah and her relationship with Zoe, and the character's vulnerability became the centre of her deranged campaign for revenge in the latter part of 2009, as she was excluded from Sarah's life.
Murder and exit
In July 2009, it was announced by Hollyoaks that Loui Batley had quit her role as Sarah and Zoe Lister (Zoe) would depart the soap later in the year and that one of the girls' exits, however, will result in a "tragic curtain call". It was announced that Lydia would be the cause of the pair's departure. In later September, Lydia became very jealous of Sarah, who she had recently split up with. She also became jealous of Zoe, who Sarah had a one-night-stand with in the previous year. During the events of Hollyoaks LaterHollyoaks Later (series 2)
The second series of Hollyoaks Later is a British television series which ran for one week starting 28 September 2009. Hollyoaks Later is a spin-off of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Development:...
in October, Lydia's jealousy went out of control when she sabotaged a parachute, which was revealed to be used by either Sarah or Zoe. It was announced that one of the pair would be killed after plummeting to their death.
Hysterical Lydia, who thought Sarah and Zoe were having an affair, had a conversation with Charlotte and revealed when they split up, she attempted suicide, proving the character's vulnerability. After sabotaging Zoe's parachute, they are mixed up and a terrified Lydia began to worry that she might have got the sabotaged parachute. While doing the jump, Zoe's deploys, however Sarah's does not. As she hits the ground, Lydia screams in terror. She is completely destroyed by Sarah's death, but does not admit to being responsible when Zoe is arrested, and with that Lydia tries to commit suicide once again.
After Zoe is released from prison and is found not guilty of Sarah's murder, it is believed that Sarah committed suicide after her diary, found by Mike Barnes
Mike Barnes (Hollyoaks)
Michael "Mike" Barnes is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Tony Hirst. He first appeared in 2006. In 2010, soap opera magazine Inside Soap reported that the character would leave in late January with love interest Zoe Carpenter...
(Tony Hirst
Tony Hirst
Tony Hirst is a British actor and theatre director, best known for playing Mike Barnes on the British soap opera Hollyoaks and currently stars in Coronation Street as the love interest of Eileen Grimshaw.- Filmography :...
) is used as evidence in court. Soon Lydia starts to befriend Zoe and she ends up moving in with the Barnes family where Lydia now lives and soon Zoe plans too uncover Lydia's murderous ways as she does not want to be known as a killer. In an interview with entertainment website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
, Lister said of the storyline, "It all gets really messy from here! Because Lydia's really deranged, Lydia starts thinking that because she loved Sarah and Sarah loved Zoe, if she gets with Zoe, that'll be the final piece in the puzzle and it'll all work out."
She explained: "Lydia starts becoming obsessed with Zoe and to keep control, Zoe has to go with it. There's a point where Lydia kisses her! And then Mike walks in and kicks Zoe out."
The culmination of the plot saw Lydia lure Zoe to a church and stab her at Sarah's grave. The stabbing storyline was described as a "brutal attack" and at the time producers refused to reveal if Zoe would die. Describing the terror Lydia causes a spokesperson for the serial stated: "Zoe can’t believe it when Lydia admits the parachute was meant for her. As soon as she realises Lydia wanted her dead she tries to run. That’s when Lydia pulls out a knife and stabs her." This led to a fight between Lydia and Charlotte who arrives with Dave Colburn
Dave Colburn
David "Dave" Colburn is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Elliot James Langridge. He first appeared in Hollyoaks online spin-off, Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before, which explored the dangers of binge drinking...
(Elliot James Langridge). They both fight to grab the knife while an unconscious Zoe bleeds, ultimately leading to the arrest of Lydia when the police arrive. She is later charged with the murder of Sarah and the attempted murder of Zoe.
2009–2010
Lydia first appears in March 2009 as a friend of Josh AshworthJosh Ashworth
Joshua Josh Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sonny Flood. He dedbuted on-screen during the episode airing on 3 October 2005 and left on 14 July 2010, after his character was axed by executive producer Paul Marquess...
(Sonny Flood
Sonny Flood
-Background:Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, Flood was educated at Rossall School, near Fleetwood. In 2006 Flood passed ten GCSE exams all at either A or A*. In 2007, he achieved 4 'A's at AS level, in English Literature, History, Media Studies and Philosophy, and in 2008 he achieved a grade 'A' in...
). She orders Steph Cunningham
Steph Cunningham
Stephanie "Steph" Roach is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Carley Stenson. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 8 March 2000 and is the second longest featured regular female character in the history of Hollyoaks...
(Carley Stenson
Carley Stenson
Carley Anne Stenson is an English actress and singer, best known for playing Steph Cunningham in the Channel 4 series Hollyoaks. She also appeared as a performer in Abbamania, and is a member of the all-female band Diamond...
) to fire Sarah after her sister Persephone Hart tells her that Sarah hit her. Theresa McQueen
Theresa McQueen
Theresa McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jorgie Porter. She made her first appearance in November 2008. The character was introduced as an extension of already established McQueen family...
(Jorgie Porter
Jorgie Porter
Jorgina Alexandra "Jorgie" Porter, is an English actress, notable for her role as Theresa McQueen in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks...
) steals Lydia's handbag and she accuses Josh's girlfriend Amy Barnes
Amy Barnes
Amy Barnes is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ashley Slanina-Davies. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 14 November 2005. Amy was created by executive producer David Hanson and Slanina-Davies was offered the role whilst looking for...
(Ashley Slanina-Davies
Ashley Slanina-Davies
Ashley Slanina-Davies is an English actress born in Standish, near Wigan, who is notable for playing the role of Amy Barnes on Channel 4's teen soap, Hollyoaks...
). She decides not to press charges against Theresa. Amy accuses Lydia and Josh of having an affair. Josh tells her she is a lesbian and Amy hits her. Amy later apologises, however is still jealous of Lydia and Josh's relationship. At Josh's birthday party, Michaela McQueen
Michaela McQueen
Michaela McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Hollie-Jay Bowes. Michaela was the first of the McQueen family to be seen on-screen in 2006, when she was credited as Michaela Jones. On 8 June 2010, Hollie-Jay Bowes announced that she had quit...
(Hollie-Jay Bowes
Hollie-Jay Bowes
Hollie-Jay Bowes is an English actress best known for her role as Michaela McQueen in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. Her parents changed her name from Billie Jean to Hollie Jean as her father thought she would get bullied at school and be called 'Billie Bowes', and at 13, she changed her name to...
) assumes that Lydia and Sarah are a couple. Sarah and Lydia then become friends. In late March, after agreeing to dance with Sarah during one of the classes, Lydia kisses her. Sarah denies it when Lydia claims that they felt something. Sarah then shows more of an interest in Lydia.
Lydia finds out Sarah is bribing Holly Cunningham (Lydia Waters
Lydia Waters
Lydia Ellen Waters is an English actress best known for playing Holly Cunningham in the British soap opera Hollyoaks.-Hollyoaks:...
) to befriend Persephone so she could get closer to her, leaving things awkward between the girls. The next day, Lydia allays her fears to Sarah over relationships and the girls seal it with a kiss, which Michaela sees. Sarah and Lydia then begin a full relationship. It is revealed that out of her family, Persephone is the only one who knows of Lydia's sexuality. Lydia replaces Rhys Ashworth
Rhys Ashworth
Rhys Lesley Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Andrew Moss. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 October 2005.-Character creation and casting:...
(Andrew Moss
Andrew Moss
Andrew "Andy" Moss is an English television actor. He is currently best known for playing Rhys Ashworth in the Channel 4 teenage soap opera Hollyoaks since 2005.-TV credits:...
) as the drummer of Josh's band 'The Somethings' as he kicked him out because he was against having wheelchair user Hayley Ramsey
Hayley Ramsey
Hayley Ramsey is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kelly-Marie Stewart. She made her first on-screen appearance on 28 January 2009 as the sister of already established character Zak Ramsey . Hayley is notably the first prominent disabled character in...
(Kelly Marie Stewart) as the lead singer because of their bad breakup. Lydia is later kicked out of the band due to unreliability.
After breaking up from Sarah, Lydia becomes jealous of Zoe and Sarah's friendship. Lydia then begins going out with Sarah again although she is more invested in the relationship with Sarah. Lydia's true colours start to show when she tells Sarah she has received dead flowers on her and former girlfriend Charlotte's anniversary, she tells Sarah she thinks they are from Charlotte, she then shows the same bouquet to Charlotte and accuses Zoe. It is then revealed during an argument with Charlotte that Lydia tried to kill herself when she and Charlotte split up. Lydia sees Sarah and Zoe going on an adventure holiday with Steph Cunningham
Steph Cunningham
Stephanie "Steph" Roach is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Carley Stenson. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 8 March 2000 and is the second longest featured regular female character in the history of Hollyoaks...
(Carley Stenson
Carley Stenson
Carley Anne Stenson is an English actress and singer, best known for playing Steph Cunningham in the Channel 4 series Hollyoaks. She also appeared as a performer in Abbamania, and is a member of the all-female band Diamond...
), Fernando Fernandez (Jeronimo Best) and Gilly Roach
Gilly Roach
Gilbert "Gilly" Roach is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Anthony Quinlan. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 4 October 2005. Gilly was created in 2005 by executive producer David Hanson. Gilly has often been portrayed as a...
(Anthony Quinlan
Anthony Quinlan
Anthony Quinlan is an English actor, known for his role as Gilly Roach in the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-References:Quinlan was nominated for sexiest male at the 2010 Inside Soap Awards.[29] He was also nominated in the category of "Best Serial Drama Performance" at the 2011 National...
) and is jealous when she takes Zoe. Lydia follows them and has an argument with Sarah. She continues to pretend Charlotte is stalking her in order to gain sympathy. When left alone with Zoe, she tells her Sarah tried to kill herself over her. Later, Lydia overhears Sarah admit her love to a drunken Zoe. The next day, Lydia begins slitting her wrists and tries to convince Sarah that Zoe is trying to split them up. Lydia uses a knife on one of the parachutes which Zoe will use, however they get mixed up. As the girls head into the sky, Lydia begins to feel guilty and tries to stop them, however Zoe and Sarah jump out. Lydia follows and is horrified when Zoe's parachute deploys and Sarah's does not. Sarah then hits the ground. Lydia and Zoe rush to her body, both crying. Lydia frames Zoe for the death of Sarah by hiding the knife used to sabotage the parachute behind Zoe's bed. Lydia then proceeds to slit her wrists in the shower due to her guilt.
As Lydia recovers in hospital, Zoe is charged with Sarah's murder. Realising she has escaped arrest for accidentally killing Sarah, Lydia lies to Charlotte, telling her how she and Sarah planned to travel and even adopt. Archie Carpenter
Archie Carpenter
Archie Carpenter is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Stephen Beard. The character first appeared on-screen on 3 November 2008 until his exit on 28 May 2010. He was introduced as the younger brother of then established Zoe Carpenter, when he moved...
(Stephen Beard
Stephen Beard
Stephen David T. Beard is a reality TV participant and actor, playing Archie Carpenter in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Living on the Edge:...
) confronts Lydia over the day of Sarah's death and is shocked when Lydia claims she was not supposed to die. Archie goes to the police, however they do not do anything. During Sarah's funeral, Archie arrives at her wake and announces Lydia caused her death. When no one believes him, he is removed. Before Zoe's court case, Mike goes to visit her. Lydia tries to tell Mike that she will try to appear innocent. When he returns, and claims he knows she could not have killed Sarah, Lydia manipulates him into believing that she was just trying to get him on side. At this time, Charlotte and Lydia get back together. At the court case, Lydia lies whilst giving a statement. Charlotte accompanies Lydia to the case, agreeing to keep their new relationship quiet. However, when she sees the knife used to cut the parachute, Charlotte realises Lydia was responsible for Sarah's death. After she confesses, Lydia tells Charlotte if she goes to prison, she will kill herself.
Zoe is found not guilty of Sarah's murder, due to the court believing Sarah committed suicide. After Lydia catches Mike kissing Zoe, she goes to Amy and tells her what she saw, and tells her she believes Zoe is trying to get Mike on her side to make it look like she is innocent. Lydia expresses her doubts with Mike, still trying to blame Zoe for Sarah's death. However, after realising she could try to get Zoe on her side, she pleads with her to forgive her and move into the Barnes family home. An angry Zoe throws her out. Zoe then approaches Lydia and apologises. The pair slowly become friends. However, Zoe is only pretending in order to get a confession. Lydia and Zoe kiss as part of Zoe's plan to expose Lydia as Sarah's killer. Mike throws Zoe out of the flat.
On New Year's Eve, Lydia discovers Zoe's true reasons for befriending her and decides to murder her at Sarah's grave, before taking her own life. Zoe and Lydia meet in a church to admit their 'relationship' to Sarah. However, Zoe flees and is knocked unconscious. When she wakes up, she finally gets a confession from Lydia, who admits why she cut the parachute. Zoe attacks Lydia before leaving. At Sarah's grave, Lydia stabs Zoe, as Charlotte, Mike and Dave arrive to stop her. As Zoe is taken away in an ambulance, Lydia is arrested. Lydia is questioned by D.I. Fletcher (Laura Fletcher) as Zoe recovers in hospital. Lydia admits everything and she is then charged for the murder of Sarah and attempted murder of Zoe. She is later given a lifetime prison sentence.
Reception
Ruth Deller of entertainment website LowcultureLowculture
lowculture.co.uk is a UK television website founded in January 2003 by Paul Lang, who currently works as the art director of Doctor Who Adventures.-Purpose:...
criticised Lydia during her monthly review on the popularity of soap opera characters, she branded her as an unconvincing villain, stating: "Looking like a demented shrew doesn't mean you're convincing at being a crazed murderess. The whole 'who killed Sarah' storyline is rather silly, and it's not helped by Lydia being a rubbish villain. Memo to Hollyoaks: must try harder."
The parachute stunt won "Spectacular Scene Of The Year" at the 2010 British Soap Awards. Olly Riachards men's lifestyle magazine FHM
FHM
FHM, originally published as For Him Magazine, is an international monthly men's lifestyle magazine.- History :The magazine began publication in 1985 in the United Kingdom under the name For Him and changed its title to FHM in 1994 when Emap Consumer Media bought the magazine, although the full For...
commented on the aftermath of Sarah's death and Lydia's storyline branding it as a "really drawn out and really boring plotline." Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
included Lydia on their list of top bunny boilers due to her attitude towards Sarah and killing her out of jealousy. They ironically joked about how long she could repress her murderous impulses, giving her until the new year. (The actual time she tried to kill Zoe). Cara Lee of The Sun branded Lydia stabbing Zoe as one of Hollyoak's most memorable New Year storylines in its history. The Daily Star also commented on the storyline with Zoe, stating "Smitten Lydia falls for her act and is delighted as she always thought Zoe was out of her league."
External links
- Character profile on the E4 website
- Character profile on the Hollyoaks Later website