Exclusive: Hollyoaks planning show first for Ste Hay's disappearance story
Hollyoaks star Gregory Finnegan has revealed that the show is plotting "something we've never done before" as Ste Hay's disappearance story continues to baffle fans.
The actor's character James Nightingale is currently under suspicion after Ste mysteriously vanished while popping into a shopping centre.
Since then, Hollyoaks bosses have released cryptic posts on social media, teasing that answers could be coming on 1 October.
The online posts have included the message "///hired.intro.found" – a What3Words location which links to Chester.
Related: 7 huge Hollyoaks spoilers for next week (28 to 30 September)
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy on the red carpet at the Inside Soap Awards 2026, Gregory tipped this storyline as one to watch closely over the next couple of weeks.
"There's high drama on the cards," he told us. "There's a really exciting – I don't know if I can call it a stunt – coming up, which hopefully should really excite all the fans.
"It's something that we've never done before, so that's awesome. It's not a whodunit, but it kind of is.
"I'm not sure how much the viewers know at this point but James is definitely highly implicated – and I don't want to go back to prison!"
Sharing more details about the special idea that show bosses have planned, Gregory added: "All I'll say is that it's back to the roots of the show.
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"There was a meeting today about it. It's super exciting. I can't really say much more than that, but the viewers will love it."
Ste's new mystery unfolded as he found an excuse to head into the shopping centre when his sister Leela Lomax and friend Mercedes McQueen were trying to take him away for a spa day.
He behaved strangely inside and later vanished. An unknown person then tried to trick James and Sienna Blake by sending a deepfake message to put them off from looking for Ste.
Asked whether James and Ste could ever be happy if Ste reappears, Gregory replied: "I always believe in love – we all believe in love! But it does seem like it's going to be a long road ahead. I certainly hope Ste comes back, we miss him!"
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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