Hollyoaks reveals sinister twist in Ste Hay story as new character arrives

Hollyoaks has revealed a sinister twist in the mysterious storyline involving Ste Hay, with a new character arriving in the village as the search for one of its most beloved residents continues.

After going on a road trip with Mercedes McQueen and Leela Lomax, Ste vanished without a trace after entering a shopping centre, with several people investigating his disappearance.

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James Nightingale and Sienna Blake have joined forces in their search, though they are both under suspicion too. Gemma Johnson is another person who could be involved, while Ste's son Lucas may also be hiding something.

Next week's scenes on the Channel 4 soap see James admitting to Leah Barnes that he has a gap in his memory, which he fears could hold the key to finding out where Ste is. At the same time, they are being watched.

Zack, a mysterious figure who Ste came into contact with at the shopping centre, is lurking in the bushes again having already done it earlier this week. He soon makes his presence known, by approaching Leah.

He explains that he's a big fan of her work, and shares his knowledge about her family. This unnerves Leah, who recently separated from Imran, though Jenson Cole steps in to support her.

She is scared further when she suspects that somebody has broken into her home, with Imran suffering the same fate already. Could the pair of seemingly random robberies be connected in some way?

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While Leela is still attempting to find Ste, it is revealed that Zack has a framed photo of the missing resident with his daughter Leah. He drives off in a van, though it is unclear if Ste is in the back.

Meanwhile, James struggles as he has trouble with his memory. He asks Imran for help in the matter of finding Ste, and the tech mogul agrees to support him - but will they find anything?

Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.

Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.

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