Too many resurrections? (Picture: BBC/ITV/Lime Pictures
Death is huge. Not to get all ‘existential’, but it really is a big deal, isn’t it? Unless you live in Soapland, of course, where death is quite often shown to be temporary, and the bosses of Coronation Street, Emmerdale, EastEnders and Hollyoaks have all practiced a spot of necromancy over the years.
One executive producer can decide to permanently axe a character, sending them to the soap graveyard, while their successor can quickly reverse that decision with a skilful (or not) plot twist that can completely undo their demise.
Recent years have seen a plethora of corpse-reanimation. The originators of the ‘back from the dead twist’, EastEnders, have given Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) both his mum and his ex-wife back from the afterlife. He’s probably half-expecting to bump into his dead daughter, Lucy (Hetti Bywater), at some point.
With all of the soaps practicing resurrection over this past year, some comebacks have been welcomed. Clare Devine (Gemma Bissix), long-heralded as Hollyoaks’ ultimate villain, re-wrote history with her return and proved to be just as magnificent as she ever was. Their second bite of the cherry with James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan), however, made little sense to viewers.
In a unique case, the Corrie comeback of Becky Swain (Amy Cudden), a character we’d never actually seen before, was heralded initially as a brilliant obstacle in the tumultuous path of Swarla, Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) and Carla Connor (Alison King), though, by the end of the confusing plot involving unseen gangsters, firebombs and airing cupboards, fans were scratching their heads.
Jake Moon’s second return has proved confusing (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
With the news that Jake Moon (Joel Beckett) is returning to EastEnders for another stint, Metro readers were a little confused. His initial stint that ended in 2006, saw him presumed murdered after a gangland mix-up, though he returned, very much not executed, in 2024 to coincide with the exit of long-time love, Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman).
Rose Turner said: ‘I don’t know who’s who anymore, if they’re dead, pretending to be dead or alive’, clearly perplexed at the complicated timelines, while Erika Louise Fry added: ‘How many people are they bringing back from the dead?’.
Glyn Lavender pointed out the frequency with which soaps are bringing back dead characters: ‘Emmerdale has brought back Graham, Corrie brought back Lisa’s wife now we have a trio’.
Jake’s return has mirrored Graham’s (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)
Clare Langdon was equally confused: ‘Why are all these soaps being people back the dead?’ while Alan Labinjo added: ‘Give it a rest! Who’s next, Dot Cotton and Eccles? Give it up’. Wendy Spence thinks the same: ‘Not again Can’t they think of something else?’
Of course, with the current flood of dead returnees, fans are hoping their own favourites might reappear.
‘If hope its either Martin Fowler, Steve Owen or Dennis Watts’ said Brian Smith in response to our tease of a ‘returning’ dead character. Helz Gardner hoped for three other dead ‘Enders: ‘Mick? Fat boi? Vincent?’. Synz Gill echoed this sentiment: ‘Another dead story?! If they’re bringing back people from the grave then bring back Vincent!’
With this reaction, we got to thinking about just how many characters have been resurrected in the past few years…
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Back from the dead
Graham Foster
Sinister Graham survived his murder with help from his SAS training… (Picture: ITV)
The most recent and (arguably) the most successful resurrection in recent memory is everyone’s favourite gravel-voiced ghoul, Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough).
Graham was the subject of his own whodunnit, seemingly being murdered by rapist Pierce Harris (Jonathan Wrather). Graham was (and is, we suppose) a deeply intriguing, dark and gothic character who’s arch-camp presentation could feel jarring in the overall context of Emmerdale.
Andrew’s performance, though, captivated audiences and it always seemed a huge waste to kill him when they did.
Returning as a surprise during the much-hyped Corriedale event, fans accepted the (admittedly convoluted) story retcon, simply delighted to have the sinister SAS agent back.
James Nightingale
James’ death was recently reversed (Picture: Lime Pictures)
James was a victim of Hollyoaks’ controversial restructure, with their output being slashed from five, half-hour episodes a week to three 20 minute offerings, meaning reductions in staff both behind the scenes and cast.
He perished in a car bombing prior to the time jump that ushered in the shows new era and that seemingly was the end of that.
As the show aired its 30th anniversary celebration, it transpired that James had actually survived the blast; the mechanics of which have yet to be fully explored, with Gregory’s return being a late addition to the anniversary eps.
Have you had enough of dead characters coming back?
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Becky Swain
Becky was an interesting case (Picture: Danielle Baguley/ITV)
Becky was an interesting case in that we never actually met her alive, we learned of her existence through her widow, Lisa.
She proved to be a looming spectre over Swarla, though, with Lisa consumed by suspicions that Becky had been a bent copper and was being investigated by higher ups in regard to her corruption.
Becky then reappeared, with a loaded story about Spanish gangsters, proclaiming to have faked her death to ensure the safety of her family. It soon transpired that Becky was as corrupt as expected and she launched a full scale campaign to regain her wife and daughter, Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin).
With the villain now vanquished and safely behind bars, fans are still confused as to the exact details of her relation to equally-as-bent boss, DI Costello (Daon Broni) and the gangsters she ripped off, though her resurrection certainly worked as a foil to Swarla.
Pat and Barry Evans
A twist on a resurrection (Picture: BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
Pat and Barry Evans (Pam St Clement and Shaun Williamson) returned as part of Nigel Bates’ (Paul Bradley) dementia storyline, which saw his altered reality return to the 1990’s.
Fans have long since lamented the decision to kill Pat off when actress Pam sought a break from the show, and any chance to see the jangly-earring’ed matriarch has been met with sheer joy and, the special nature of these returns, was lauded as part of EastEnders’ Christmas episodes, especially as the Zoe Slater stalker/lost children storyline lost steam for fans.
Clare Devine
Clare’s return was a huge success (Picture: Lime Pictures)
Clare is somewhat of an outlier, having survived death at least twice before her ‘final’ demise, when she was run over in a surprisingly low-key exit for someone whom many considered the best Oaks’ baddie ever.
With her dad revealed to be infamous mob boss, Fraser Black (Jesse Birdsall), before her last ‘death’, Hollyoaks tapped into this to construct a story that allowed her to have survived, using her dad’s dodgy copper (and future human trafficking partner, DI Banks (Drew Cain) to fake her death.
With fans salivating at the prospect of Clare crossing with her on-screen sister (and Oaks icon in her own right), gangster Queen Grace Black (Tamara Wall), they accepted her return from the grave without question.
With Clare returning as she’d always been, pure evil and completely devoid of any redeeming qualities and now neck-deep in exploiting children, this was a dead-woman-walking that fans were chuffed to have back.
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