Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks has confirmed new characters in Ste Hay’s disappearance storyline, which kicked off recently when the fan-favourite village resident went missing during a trip to a shopping centre.
Yesterday’s episode saw James Nightingale and Sienna Blake conclude that a video supposedly of Ste that had been sent to James’ laptop was an AI fake, after they noticed a visual glitch and Ste saying phrases he wouldn’t normally use.
Lime Pictures
Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 – including Disney+, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV
In scenes from next week’s episodes, James and Sienna head to the police station to get the video of Ste properly examined.
Dodger Savage tells them that the authorities have identified the people Ste interacted with in the shopping centre’s CCTV footage, with all of them being potential suspects.
One of them is later seen lingering around in the village with pictures of Ste on his phone. Just who is he and what does he want?
Later on, Dodger confirms that the video of Ste is indeed a fake.
Lime Pictures
Related: Exclusive: Hollyoaks on Ste Hay death fears in mysterious disappearance story
“It’s a total mystery why Ste has appeared to have vanished into thin air,” says our source, “and the plot thickens further when James and Sienna’s only evidence is proven to be fake.
“Everyone is a suspect, including those who Ste interacted with before he disappeared – so why is one of those people lurking in the village?”
Ean Flanders//Lime Pictures
The soap previously confirmed four suspects in Ste’s vanishing act: James, Sienna, crime boss Gemma Johnson, and Ste’s violent son Lucas.
Given that James and Sienna are trying to solve the mystery, it looks like neither of them are responsible – unless the soap is playing a double bluff – but could Gemma or Lucas be connected to these new characters?
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
Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.
The new edition of Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Ariana Grande, is here! Buy Ariana Grande in newsagents or online.