Seth Costello
Encyclopedia
Seth Costello is a fictional character
from the British Channel 4
soap opera
Hollyoaks
, played by Miles Higson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 20 July 2010. His first major storyline was in 2011 when he was the centre of a Steroids plot. He also became involved in Mercedes McQueen
affair with with Carl.
reported that a new family, the Costello's, would be introduced to Hollyoaks as part of the soap's ongoing rejuvenation. Newcomer Miles Higson was cast in the role of Seth Costello, the youngest son of ex-model Heidi
(Kim Tiddy
) and former footballer Carl Costello
(Paul Opacic
), the brother of Riley
(Rob Norbury) and the twin brother of Jasmine
(Victoria Atkin
). Fifteen-year-old Seth was described as "desperate to prove himself to his parents" and "wants to step out of his brother's shadow". Of the castings, Hollyoaks series producer Paul Marquess
stated: "We can't wait for this huge new boost of energy exploding on screen. These exciting new characters join our fantastic core cast. Together they will ensure that 2010 will be a year to remember on Hollyoaks."
Channel Five
's soap opera reporting website Holy Soap
described Seth as a "cocky schoolboy". Channel 4
describe him as "cocky and self-assured". He is determined not to be a sidekick, but cannot escape from Riley's shadow. Channel 4 also describe Seth as a "cheeky chap". Describing Seth's personality compared to his own in an interview with the official Hollyoaks website, Higson commented: "We're probably very similar. In the family, I'm meant to be the one that's not into football, and I'm not in real life, so that's been quite easy to do. Seth's quite vulnerable too and... well, I’m not. No, I am quite vulnerable too. He’s basically me, but just like a younger version of myself!"
after Carl purchases The Dog in the Pond
public house. Seth becomes attracted to Sasha Valentine
(Nathalie Emmanuel
) and Jasmine takes a photo of her on Seth's mobile phone. Sasha tells Heidi and as punishment Seth cleans The Loft nightclub. Seth and Riley go to a cage fighting event after being invited by half sister Jem
's (Helen Russell-Clark) ex-boyfriend Liam McAllister (Chris Overton) who plans to extract revenge on Carl for ending his football career. At the afterparty, Liam gets Seth drunk and attempts to drown him in the jacuzzi. Mitzeee (Rachel Shenton
) discovers Seth and resuscitates him. Seth and Riley are kidnapped by Liam and his brother Nathan (Michael Bisping
) and Carl arrives to free them. Carl is then tied up and Seth and Riley fight in order to save him. Seth, Riley and Carl escape and are chased by Liam and Nathan. Nathan follows Riley and Carl onto a rooftop, where he prepares to break Riley's leg. Seth pushes Nathan, who falls to his death. Seth begins dating Fern (Amy Gavin) who tells him that Jasmine has gender identity disorder. He is unsupportive towards Jasmine and is bullied at school because of her decision to take the persona of Jason. Seth joins Lee Hunter
's (Alex Carter
) boy band Guy Candy.
At Seth and Jason's joint birthday party, Seth gets kissed by Esther. Later that night, Gaz offers Seth dodgy steroids. Seth seems to be getting led down a dodgy path, as he buys more pills from Gaz. Jason overhears Seth buying dodgy pills from Gaz, but Seth seethes at his brother for trying to get involved. Later, Seth is working out when the strain becomes too much and he collapses. Seth is rushed to the hospital, while Jason tells Gaz to come clean about the steroids, but he warns he’ll be straight back in prison for dealing if he tells the truth.
In 2011, Seth finds out that his dad, Carl
(Paul Opacic
), is having an affair with his brother Riley
(Rob Norbury)'s fiancée Mercedes McQueen
(Jennifer Metcalfe
). Carl tells Seth not to tell anyone he agrees not to but warns him if he catches them again he will. In September 2011, he spots Carl and Mercedes hugging and gets the wrong idea they tell him it was just a hug but he doesn't believe them but doesn't tell anyone. He later has a go at Mercedes, unaware that Mitzeee is listening, who then becomes suspicious and informs boyfriend Warren Fox
. Seth then leaves to go on Riley's stag do with Warren and Doug Carter
(PJ Brennan). While on the stag do, Warren gets Seth a prostitute, so he can lose his virginity, in an attempt to get close to Seth in the hope that he will hear what secret he knows about Mercedes. He takes a pill and while having sex with the prostitute he begins to hallucinate
and thinks he is having sex with Mercedes. He screams at her to get off and then falls asleep. When he wakes up, he finds the bed linen covered in blood, and the body of the prostitute outside, and presumes he has killed her. Warren then appears and sees what he had done and helps him get rid of the body and clean up the mess. Seth then starts to feel guilty for the murder and begins to see the ghost of the prostitute. He panics in front of Doug and ends up revealing Carl and Mercedes' affair to him. Seth considers suicide
as the guilt becomes too much. Seth then tells Riley that he has killed the prostitute but Riley doesn't believe him, so he takes Riley to where the body is buried and he digs it up. However when Riley unwraps the body, it is not the prostitute - but the body of a pig. It is revealed that Warren set Seth up and tricked him in to thinking he had killed the prostitute when on drugs, in an attempt to get close to Seth and discover what secret he knew. However Warren ends up finding out the truth from Doug as he threatens to let Riley drown unless Doug reveals his secret. Heidi is killed by Silas Blissett
(Jeff Rawle
), Seth's grandfather, by mistake and is later revealed he has killed many other women. Seth becomes aggressive within his grief.
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 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...
, played by Miles Higson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 20 July 2010. His first major storyline was in 2011 when he was the centre of a Steroids plot. He also became involved in Mercedes McQueen
Mercedes McQueen
Mercedes Fisher is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jennifer Metcalfe. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 19 June 2006 as the first character to be introduced to the serial by series producer, Bryan Kirkwood...
affair with with Carl.
Character creation and development
On 12 April 2010, media entertainment website Digital SpyDigital 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....
reported that a new family, the Costello's, would be introduced to Hollyoaks as part of the soap's ongoing rejuvenation. Newcomer Miles Higson was cast in the role of Seth Costello, the youngest son of ex-model Heidi
Heidi Costello
Heidi Costello is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kim Tiddy. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 July 2010 and made her final appearance in the series on 1 November 2011, after the character was accidentally murdered by her father, Silas...
(Kim Tiddy
Kim Tiddy
Kim Tiddy , is an English actress, is known for playing the part of PC Honey Harman, in the ITV soap opera The Bill, and Heidi Costello in the British Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks.-Personal life:...
) and former footballer Carl Costello
Carl Costello
Carl Costello, is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Paul Opacic. The character was introduced by executive producer Paul Marquess and debuted onscreen during the episode airing on 19 July 2010. He came to the village as the new owner of The Dog in the...
(Paul Opacic
Paul Opacic
Paul Opacic is an English actor. He is currently best known for his role as Carl Costello in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:...
), the brother of Riley
Riley Costello
Riley Costello is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Rob Norbury. Riley was introduced in July 2010 with his on-screen family by series producer Paul Marquess as part of a cast overhaul of the series....
(Rob Norbury) and the twin brother of Jasmine
Jasmine Costello
Jason Costello is a fictional character from the English Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Victoria Atkin. The character debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 2 August 2010 and was introduced by series producer Paul Marquess as a member of the yet to be established Costello family...
(Victoria Atkin
Victoria Atkin
Victoria Atkin is an English actress best known for playing the character Jason Costello, previously known as Jasmine, in the British soap opera Hollyoaks and Hollyoaks Later as the soap's first character with Gender Identity Disorder. Hollyoaks is Atkin's first television role...
). Fifteen-year-old Seth was described as "desperate to prove himself to his parents" and "wants to step out of his brother's shadow". Of the castings, Hollyoaks series producer Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess is a Northern Irish-born British television producer.-Television career:His credits include Brookside, The Bill and Family Affairs. He also originated the idea for the series Footballers' Wives...
stated: "We can't wait for this huge new boost of energy exploding on screen. These exciting new characters join our fantastic core cast. Together they will ensure that 2010 will be a year to remember on Hollyoaks."
Channel Five
Channel Five
Channel 5 is a television network that broadcasts in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1997, it was the fifth and final national terrestrial analogue network to launch. The station was branded as Five between 2002 and 2010...
's soap opera reporting website Holy Soap
Holy Soap
Holy Soap is a UK television and entertainment website founded in June 2009 by the British television company Channel 5. The website is the official UK home of the Australian soap operas Home and Away and Neighbours, which are broadcast on the channel...
described Seth as a "cocky schoolboy". 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...
describe him as "cocky and self-assured". He is determined not to be a sidekick, but cannot escape from Riley's shadow. Channel 4 also describe Seth as a "cheeky chap". Describing Seth's personality compared to his own in an interview with the official Hollyoaks website, Higson commented: "We're probably very similar. In the family, I'm meant to be the one that's not into football, and I'm not in real life, so that's been quite easy to do. Seth's quite vulnerable too and... well, I’m not. No, I am quite vulnerable too. He’s basically me, but just like a younger version of myself!"
Storylines
Seth, mother Heidi, father Carl, brother Riley and twin sister Jasmine move to ChesterChester
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...
after Carl purchases The Dog in the Pond
The Dog in the Pond
The Dog in the Pond is a fictional public house in the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. It has been at the centre of the show's setting since it began in 1995. The pub was burnt down in episodes airing in September 2006 during the 'Fire at The Dog', which killed five regular characters...
public house. Seth becomes attracted to Sasha Valentine
Sasha Valentine
Sasha Valentine is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Nathalie Emmanuel. The character first appeared on-screen on 17 July 2006 as part of the newly introduced Valentine family...
(Nathalie Emmanuel
Nathalie Emmanuel
Nathalie Joanne Emmanuel is a British actress best known for her role in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks as Sasha Valentine, which she played from 2006 to 2010....
) and Jasmine takes a photo of her on Seth's mobile phone. Sasha tells Heidi and as punishment Seth cleans The Loft nightclub. Seth and Riley go to a cage fighting event after being invited by half sister Jem
Jem Costello
Jem Costello is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Helen Russell-Clark. She made her first on-screen appearance on 5 March 2010.-Character creation and casting:...
's (Helen Russell-Clark) ex-boyfriend Liam McAllister (Chris Overton) who plans to extract revenge on Carl for ending his football career. At the afterparty, Liam gets Seth drunk and attempts to drown him in the jacuzzi. Mitzeee (Rachel Shenton
Rachel Shenton
Rachel Shenton, , is an English actress, who has appeared in a number of British television series, commercials, films and has also done voice overs. She is currently portraying Mitzeee on Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:Shenton was born in Stoke-on-Trent on the 6 November 1987 and has lived...
) discovers Seth and resuscitates him. Seth and Riley are kidnapped by Liam and his brother Nathan (Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping
Michael Gavin Joseph Bisping is an English mixed martial artist born in Cyprus but living in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He currently fights as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, former Cage Rage light...
) and Carl arrives to free them. Carl is then tied up and Seth and Riley fight in order to save him. Seth, Riley and Carl escape and are chased by Liam and Nathan. Nathan follows Riley and Carl onto a rooftop, where he prepares to break Riley's leg. Seth pushes Nathan, who falls to his death. Seth begins dating Fern (Amy Gavin) who tells him that Jasmine has gender identity disorder. He is unsupportive towards Jasmine and is bullied at school because of her decision to take the persona of Jason. Seth joins Lee Hunter
Lee Hunter
Lee Hunter was an automotive engineer.His inventions include the "Kwikurent" device for the rapid charging of a car battery, and a machine to balance car wheels while they spin. He founded Hunter Engineering Company in 1946...
's (Alex Carter
Alex Carter (British actor)
Alex Carter is an English actor and radio presenter.Carter got his TV break in 1999 when he was cast as Craig Harrison in 9 episodes of the Sunday evening drama Where the Heart Is. He then had a small walk on role in Coronation Street...
) boy band Guy Candy.
At Seth and Jason's joint birthday party, Seth gets kissed by Esther. Later that night, Gaz offers Seth dodgy steroids. Seth seems to be getting led down a dodgy path, as he buys more pills from Gaz. Jason overhears Seth buying dodgy pills from Gaz, but Seth seethes at his brother for trying to get involved. Later, Seth is working out when the strain becomes too much and he collapses. Seth is rushed to the hospital, while Jason tells Gaz to come clean about the steroids, but he warns he’ll be straight back in prison for dealing if he tells the truth.
In 2011, Seth finds out that his dad, Carl
Carl Costello
Carl Costello, is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Paul Opacic. The character was introduced by executive producer Paul Marquess and debuted onscreen during the episode airing on 19 July 2010. He came to the village as the new owner of The Dog in the...
(Paul Opacic
Paul Opacic
Paul Opacic is an English actor. He is currently best known for his role as Carl Costello in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:...
), is having an affair with his brother Riley
Riley Costello
Riley Costello is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Rob Norbury. Riley was introduced in July 2010 with his on-screen family by series producer Paul Marquess as part of a cast overhaul of the series....
(Rob Norbury)'s fiancée Mercedes McQueen
Mercedes McQueen
Mercedes Fisher is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jennifer Metcalfe. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 19 June 2006 as the first character to be introduced to the serial by series producer, Bryan Kirkwood...
(Jennifer Metcalfe
Jennifer Metcalfe
Jennifer Joanne Metcalfe is an English actress and model. She joined the cast of soap opera Hollyoaks in June 2006, playing feisty Mercedes McQueen.-Personal life:...
). Carl tells Seth not to tell anyone he agrees not to but warns him if he catches them again he will. In September 2011, he spots Carl and Mercedes hugging and gets the wrong idea they tell him it was just a hug but he doesn't believe them but doesn't tell anyone. He later has a go at Mercedes, unaware that Mitzeee is listening, who then becomes suspicious and informs boyfriend Warren Fox
Warren Fox
Warren Fox is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jamie Lomas. He first arrived in 2006 as an old acquaintance of Sean Kennedy and quickly became known as the show's main villain...
. Seth then leaves to go on Riley's stag do with Warren and Doug Carter
Doug Carter
Doug Carter is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by PJ Brennan. He initially appeared in the programme's online spin-off series Hollyoaks: Freshers, before debuting in the main series in the episode airing 13 September 2010. He left on 17 September before returning...
(PJ Brennan). While on the stag do, Warren gets Seth a prostitute, so he can lose his virginity, in an attempt to get close to Seth in the hope that he will hear what secret he knows about Mercedes. He takes a pill and while having sex with the prostitute he begins to hallucinate
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
and thinks he is having sex with Mercedes. He screams at her to get off and then falls asleep. When he wakes up, he finds the bed linen covered in blood, and the body of the prostitute outside, and presumes he has killed her. Warren then appears and sees what he had done and helps him get rid of the body and clean up the mess. Seth then starts to feel guilty for the murder and begins to see the ghost of the prostitute. He panics in front of Doug and ends up revealing Carl and Mercedes' affair to him. Seth considers suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
as the guilt becomes too much. Seth then tells Riley that he has killed the prostitute but Riley doesn't believe him, so he takes Riley to where the body is buried and he digs it up. However when Riley unwraps the body, it is not the prostitute - but the body of a pig. It is revealed that Warren set Seth up and tricked him in to thinking he had killed the prostitute when on drugs, in an attempt to get close to Seth and discover what secret he knew. However Warren ends up finding out the truth from Doug as he threatens to let Riley drown unless Doug reveals his secret. Heidi is killed by Silas Blissett
Silas Blissett
Silas Blissett is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jeff Rawle. Rawle's casting was announced in December 2010 and it was revealed that he would portray a killer. Rawle was approached by Hollyoaks and met with series producer, Paul Marquess, who...
(Jeff Rawle
Jeff Rawle
Jeff Rawle is a British actor, perhaps best known for playing the long-suffering George in the news-gathering sitcom Drop the Dead Donkey...
), Seth's grandfather, by mistake and is later revealed he has killed many other women. Seth becomes aggressive within his grief.
Reception
Holy Soap describe Seth's most memorable moment as: "Having to clean the pub when Jasmine infiltrated The Loft and took a snap of Sasha, the object of his affections." A poll ran on the official Hollyoaks website asked viewers which member of the Costello family was their favourite. Seth received the most votes, with 532 (36.36%) people voting for him.External Links
- Character profile on the E4 website
- Character profile on the Channel Five website