Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks star Alex Fletcher may best be known for playing Diane Hutchinson on Channel 4’s 30-year-old teen drama — but it’s not her first soap role. She actually first appeared on the broadcaster’s other continuing drama Brookside as Jacqui Dixon all the way back in 1990.
Brookie is sadly no more, but streaming service STV Player has been re-running the soap at a rate of five episodes a week since 2023, and they’ve just dropped Jacqui’s first-ever scenes.
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She doesn’t arrive on Liverpool’s most famous Close alone, as parents Ron and DD and fellow kids Mike and Tony all rock up at the same time — and waste no time in making enemies!
There’s plenty of drama to come and Fletcher is just as excited as anyone to see it all play out on screens once again.
“The reaction to the Brookside relaunch on STV Player has been incredible,” she said. “The fact that the reruns are as popular now as the show was back then is fantastic, and the nostalgia they’ve brought back is something to be proud of.
“Brookside was a huge part of everyone’s Saturday telly while getting ready to go out for the night. I’m looking forward to seeing a few perms and shell suits back on our screens with the arrival of Jacqui Dixon on STV Player.”
As the actor herself noted, the show has been doing big numbers on streaming, while Hollyoaks has been bringing back classic Brookie characters, going back to the Close, and even featured Fletcher’s real-life daughter Yasmin Davies as Jacqui’s daughter Esme, who had a little fling with Frankie Osborne.
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Related: Brookside creator Phil Redmond reveals why he was initially against the show’s streaming repeats
Unfortunately, Fletcher’s time on Hollyoaks is coming to an end. The actor quit the show after 16 years last month and her exit storyline is going to end with Diane’s death.
The plot has already kicked off, with Diane receiving some devastating news.
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.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers for EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale – and also includes a deep dive into what Weatherfield newcomer Jodie Ramsey is really up to!