Coronation Street's Tilsley family reunite - on Hollyoaks
Soap legend Chris Quentin will play Adam Rickitt's on-screen dad
Hollyoaks is serving up a slightly unusual Coronation Street 'reunion' with their latest casting news: Chris Quinten, formerly the Street's Brian Tilsley, is joining up as the on-screen dad of Kyle Kelly, who is played by Adam Rickitt - who once played Brian's son Nick Tilsley.
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Long-time soap fans will remember Gail Rodwell's first husband, medallion-wearing heart-throb Brian, who spent over a decade on the cobbles from 1978 and eventually met a tragic end when he was fatally stabbed in 1989, leaving his widow with two young kiddies to raise, Nicky and Sarah-Lou.
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Young Nicky grew up to have many different faces, as is the case with soap children as they come of age in a flurry of recasting, and Rickitt took over in 1997 and remained in the role on and off for seven years. Current incumbent Ben Price took over in 2009.
So while Quinten and Rickitt played on-screen father and son, they've never actually shared the screen... until now.
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Acknowledging the strangeness of the situation, Rickitt said: "After 23 years, I finally get to meet my first on-screen dad, which is truly bizarre! This is one of the most surreal experiences of my career."
Cobbles legend Quentin added: "Working with Adam after first playing his 'dad' more than 30 years ago is a dream come true, it's a brilliant piece of soap nostalgia which I hope everyone enjoys."
Quentin's character Mark is joined by wife Carole, Kyle's mother, whose casting also boasts a special connection: she's played by Diana Weston, who starred alongside Joe McGann (Edward Hutchinson) in 1990s sitcom The Upper Hand, which also starred a young Kellie Bright who now runs the Queen Vic as EastEnders' Linda Carter.
Watch for any sneaky Easter egg references if Carole and Edward share any scenes…
"It's an honour to have such well-established actors like Chris and Diana come in to play my parents," enthused Rickitt. "I've really enjoyed the scenes we've filmed so far. And at least having parents in the show means Kyle has an excuse to regress into adolescence, which comes quite easily to him!"
The Kellys will appear on screen this spring.
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