The whereabouts of Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) becomes the subject of much concern in Hollyoaks next week after he vanishes while en route to a spa day.
The chef has been going through a lot following the murder of husband Rex Gallagher (Jonny Labey) and the comeback of ‘dead’ ex James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan), who he blames for his beau’s demise.
In a bid to cheer him up, Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) and Leela Dexter (Kirsty-Leigh Porter) take him out for a spa day – but things take quite the turn on the way there.
Ste convinces Leela and Merce to stop for a quick bathroom break but it soon becomes apparent that he has ulterior motives as he heads to a nearby shopping centre.
The popular character attempts to get his bearings, wandering around the centre, which is unfamiliar to him. Mercedes and Leela, meanwhile, remain in the car, unaware that they’ve been followed by Gemma Johnson’s (Tisha Merry) heavies.
Gemma, as viewers know, is keen to get Mercedes out of the way so that she can win the affection of Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) and she reckons that this is the perfect day to get rid of her love rival.
As tension brews, Ste struggles to find his way out of the shopping centre and crosses paths with a number of characters along the way – including a fleeting interaction with Phoenix Gulzar Brown.
In the special episode, set to air on Wednesday September 2, he ultimatelyvanishes into the crowd, leaving no trace of himself behind.
On filming the high-octane episodes, star Kieron Richardson said: ‘I loved filming Ste vanishing in Runcorn Shopping City with real-life shoppers, over 70 supporting artists and an amazing crew. People will see how busy the shopping centre was on the day, it really is like searching for a needle in a Ste Hay-stack.’
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‘Predominantly all shot in one take. It felt very different and quite unexpected…which is quite apt for this missing story. Just when you think you know what is going on, expect more of the unexpected.’
The question is: where does Ste go? And just what has happened to him?
Subsequent episodes will see Leela and Mercedes, confused by his disappearance, return to the village in search of answers. Ste is considereda vulnerable person following his recent relapse and thus the village bands together in a bid to try and find out the truth.
But in typical Hollyoaks fashion, pretty much everyone is a suspect.
And who is at the top of that list, you ask? James of course. But he’s not alone, with Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) – who has just been released from prison following her arrest in May – also a person of interest.
The storyline will take centre stage throughout Autumn, with a notable peak in October, centred in Chester city centre.
A brand new Autumn trailer will drop on Monday (September 7), giving viewers a closer look at the drama to come.
Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 6am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
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