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List of Hollyoaks characters introduced in 1995–1996

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List of Hollyoaks characters introduced in 1995–1996

The following is a list of characters who first appeared in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks between 1995 and 1996, by order of first appearance. Hollyoaks is a long-running Channel 4 soap opera in the United Kingdom. 1995 was the first year for the soap and saw the introduction of several original characters. This period also saw the introduction of families such as the Cunningham family, the Osborne family, the Benson family and Andersen family.

Kurt Benson, played by Jeremy Edwards, was one of seven original teen characters created for the show. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 23 October 1995 and was the first character seen on screen. He was created by Phil Redmond. He stayed on the show until he left in 1999 when he and girlfriend Ruth Osborne (Terri Dwyer) split up. The character was later killed off screen in a jet ski accident. As part of the celebrations for Hollyoaks' 25th anniversary, Edwards reprised the role, with the onscreen explanation being that Kurt had faked his death and had been on the run for the past 20 years. He remained in the series for three months after his return. On being asked to return again, Edwards declined, stating that negative comments made about him on social media influenced his decision.

Ollie Benson, played by Paul Leyshon, appeared from 1995 to 1997. Making his debut in the first episode, he departed two years later when the character died in a road accident. The character's death occurred as part of a new "radical" direction for the serial, as it sought to tackle "tougher issues" on-screen. The car crash storyline aired over four consecutive nights and saw both Ollie and Lee "Stan" Stanley (Nathan Valente) involved in a head-on collision, after a drunken Stan takes Ollie on "a nightmare drive".

Ollie is the youngest of Benson children and the brother of Kurt Benson (Jeremy Edwards) and Lucy Benson (Kerrie Taylor). Ollie works as a journalist for the Riverbank Review, where he instigates seminal reports including Babe of the Month and Cleavage of the Year. Ollie's best friend is Lee "Stan" Stanley and even after Ollie exposes a scandal of Stan's, Ollie remains best friends with him. Ollie has sex with Mandy Richardson (Sarah Jayne Dunn), not discovering until later that she is fifteen and facing a statutory rape charge. Ollie tries to stop Stan in his car for driving too fast until Stan loses control of the car and a lorry reverses down the road, with Stan having no time to brake. Ollie suffers injuries and is rushed to hospital with his family beside him. After a week, both Ollie and Stan die in hospital.

Julie Matthews, played by Julie Buckfield, appeared from the first episode in 1995 and left in 1997. She made brief returns in 2002 and 2007. She then made a surprise return that aired on 19 and 20 September 2018. She is the girlfriend of Tony Hutchinson and later gets engaged to him but leaves him at the altar. When Julie returns in 2002, she is given a job at Gnosh Village by Tony. He tells her he wants to be with her but she reveals that she only wants him so she could steal his money for her boyfriend who is in prison and leaves. When Tony turns thirty, Tina Reilly (Leah Hackett) throws a surprise party and invites everyone in his address book. Julie arrives and tries to make amends but Tony sends her away.

In 2018, Tony stays at Julie's for two months while coming to terms with his daughter's illness. Following the character's surprise return, Chris Edwards from Digital Spy noted that fans "got quite the shock" yet "were treated" to Julie's return. Fans expressed their surprise on Twitter at seeing the character again.

Sarah Andersen, played by Anna Martland, was introduced as part of the Andersen family. In the first episode of the series, Sarah accompanies friend Julie Matthews (Julie Buckfield) to Ollie Benson's (Paul Leyshon) house. They go joyriding in Kurt Benson's (Jeremy Edwards) car and go to hospital. Following her sister Natasha's (Shebah Ronay) death, Sarah leaves to live in the United States with her parents.

Natasha Andersen, played by Shebah Ronay, was one of seven original teen characters created for the show. She debuted on-screen during the first episode, which airedon 23 October 1995. She was created by Phil Redmond as one of the serial's original characters and stayed in the show until nearly six months later when she died on 11 March 1996. Her death was prompted after producers made the decision to have a hard-hitting storyline due to critics feeling that the show lacked edge. The storyline involved Natasha dying from the use of drugs.

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