Hayley Ramsey is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
from the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
Hollyoaks
''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...
'', played by
Kelly-Marie Stewart
Kelly-Marie Stewart (born 1984) is a British actress, best known for playing Hayley Ramsey, the younger sister of already established character Zak Ramsey in Channel 4's teen soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. Stewart voices the Beano Character Ruby Von ...
. She made her first on-screen appearance on 28 January 2009 as the sister of already established character
Zak Ramsey
Zak Ramsey is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Kent Riley. Zak first appeared in 2004, when he was credited as 'Zak Barnes'. After only four months, Riley was dropped from the programme. The ch ...
(Kent Riley).
Hayley is notably the first prominent disabled character in ''Hollyoaks'', and like Stewart, has
Guillain–Barré syndrome
Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Typically, both sides of the body are involved, and the initial symptoms are changes in sensation or pain often ...
.
In December 2009, it was announced that Stewart's real-life pregnancy would be written into the show and that Hayley would become pregnant. Making her final on-screen appearance on 22 February 2010, the character did not return after Stewart's maternity leave ended.
Character creation
Background
The character of Hayley was in development for over 18 months prior to filming.
The casting was made public in December 2008 along with details of the character, revealing she was to be the sister of already established character
Zak Ramsey
Zak Ramsey is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Kent Riley. Zak first appeared in 2004, when he was credited as 'Zak Barnes'. After only four months, Riley was dropped from the programme. The ch ...
.
The character's back history with Zak is that of a close brother and sister relationship, but at the time of Hayley's condition developing, he could not deal with it and thought she would need constant care.
Casting
Auditions were held for the part of a new disabled character in 2007.
Initially there was males and females that auditioned for the role.
After a long audition process actress Kelly-Marie Stewart and two other actresses, all of whom were wheelchair users were in the running for the part.
Stewart was offered the role in August 2008. The casting process had taken nearly 18 months and producers created the Character of Hayley for Stewart, they also had to write all the scripts before she began filming in November 2008.
The actress has Guillain–Barré syndrome like her character and stated she hopes to walk again one day. She spoke of how it is her dream role and she hopes to break down the barriers for disabled people: "Some people find it hard speaking to disabled people but hopefully I am showing I am just a normal girl like all the others on the show."
Character development
Personality and identity
Hayley's character has been described as a "bubbly, fun-loving practical joker".
Actress Kelly-Marie Stewart also said of her character: "Hayley's very feisty and has the right attitude that if anyone is not cool enough to see her for who she actually is, it's their problem, not hers."
Speaking on how her character's personality would be received Stewart said: "I think I'm quite lucky because she is, although she's feisty and although she stands up for herself, she is quite a nice character, so hopefully the things should be quite positive."
The official Hollyoaks website described the fact that she has proven she can look out for herself despite her disability.
Disability
Some of the character's on-screen storylines have seen her disability come under fire and receiving unfair treatment, as the character progressed it was evident she could stand up for herself and does not take kindly to people judging her. Stewart was keen to portray the character as real as possible and made sure that scripts included her out of her wheelchair in scenes including sitting on couches and chairs.
Set designers also made the sets accessible for Stewart so Hayley could be seen moving around independently while on-screen, with all of one set being converted.
On-screen the character has had storylines involving verbal abuse of her condition when
Rhys Ashworth
Rhys Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Andrew Moss. He made his first on-screen appearance in September 2005. Rhys was killed off in the Enjoy The Ride storyline in an episode airin ...
didn't realise that she was in a wheelchair, Stewart said that it was a positive message the character was giving out as it meant that people can get to know a person without just thinking they are indifferent because of a wheelchair.
[ Although Rhys then avoided her and said it was because she was disabled, Stewart spoke about the reaction and abuse, stating it was unfair treatment.] Speaking about how her condition fitted in with her character she said: "Hayley is going to fall into things quite normally, she'll become part of the furniture. She actually ends up with a love interest. It just had to be addressed initially in the same was as any other new character's background would be."
Storylines
Hayley first appears when she clashes with Michaela McQueen
Michaela McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Hollie-Jay Bowes. Michaela was the first of the McQueen family to be seen on-screen in 2006, when she was credited as Michaela Jones. On 8 Ju ...
(Hollie-Jay Bowes
Hollie-Jay Bowes (born 17 January 1989) is an English actress, known for her roles as Dawn O'Malley in the BBC drama ''Grange Hill'' and Michaela McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''.
In 2023, Hollie starred in two episodes of Wate ...
), who assumes she is sleeping with Zak. However, Hayley soon reveals that she is Zak's sister. She then sleeps with Archie Carpenter
Archie Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Stephen Beard. The character first appeared on-screen on 3 November 2008 until his exit on 28 May 2010. He was introduced as the younger brot ...
(Stephen Beard). She later wants to find a date when Zak, believing that she cannot get one by herself, pays Elliot Bevan
Elliot (also spelled Eliot, Elliotte, Elliott, Eliott and Elyot) is a personal name which can serve as either a surname or a given name. Although the given name has historically been given to males, females have increasingly been given the name ...
(Garnon Davies
Garnon Davies is a Welsh actor, best known for his television appearances.
Life
Davies was born in Pyle near Bridgend, South Wales, on 16 December 1982. He attended Ysgol Y ferch O'r Sger primary school and then went on to Welsh-speaking seconda ...
) money to make her feel special. However, she later finds out. An angry Hayley runs over Zak's foot and keeps the money for herself. Later in the month, she secures a date with Rhys Ashworth
Rhys Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Andrew Moss. He made his first on-screen appearance in September 2005. Rhys was killed off in the Enjoy The Ride storyline in an episode airin ...
(Andrew Moss
Andrew Moss (born 1 June 1985) is an English actor. He is known for portraying the role of Rhys Ashworth in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' from 2005 to 2014. He also appeared in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'' as Paul Cuthbert. On stage ...
), who is initially unaware she is a wheelchair user. On discovering this, Rhys does not appear. Hayley joins a band called 'The Somethings'. After arguing with Rhys, Josh Ashworth
Josh Ashworth, played by Sonny Flood, is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, ''Hollyoaks.'' His first appearance was on 3 October 2005. Josh's storylines have included attempted murder, underage sex, drugs, drinking ...
(Sonny Flood
Sonny Flood (born 18 November 1989) is an English actor.
Background
Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, Flood was educated at Rossall School, near Fleetwood. In 2006 Flood passed ten GCSE exams all at either A or A*. In 2007, he achieved 4 'A's at ...
) tells them to either sort it out or they are both out of the band. After leaving them alone for a short while, Josh and Kris Fisher
Kris Fisher is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Gerard McCarthy. The character first appeared on-screen in September 2006 and left in August 2010 after McCarthy quit the show. He is noted for hi ...
(Gerard McCarthy
Gerard McCarthy (born 31 March 1981) is an actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Biography
McCarthy was born in Belfast and attended St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School. They came out as non-binary in 2022 & now use they/them pronou ...
) find Hayley and Rhys kissing and undressing each other. Soon after, Hayley and the band are approached by a manager. Josh fires Hayley, thinking the manager dislikes her due to her disability. However, Josh is in fact wrong.
After Hayley and Rhys finally get together, she begins to have feelings for Josh. Hayley eventually dumps Rhys after he begins talking about their future, her excuse being he was moving too fast for her. Hayley remains living in the student halls, and in September is joined by new students Dave Colburn
David Colburn is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, ''Hollyoaks'', played by Elliot James Langridge. He first appeared in ''Hollyoaks'' online spin-off '' Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before'', which explored ...
(Elliot James Langridge), India Longford
India Longford is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Beth Kingston. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 September 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan as a new student ...
(Beth Kingston), Charlotte Lau
Charlotte Lau is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Amy Yamazaki. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 9 June 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan as the ex-girlfr ...
(Amy Yamazaki
Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''"Aimée"''.
People A–E
* Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress
* Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886–19 ...
) and Josh himself. Hayley takes an instant dislike to India, feeling she is judging her. Hayley tries to cheer India up after she sleeps with Archie, but ends up making the situation worse and embarrassing India even more. Hayley accuses India of stealing her food from the refrigerator, and in an attempt to catch her out, laces her food with laxatives. After India and Dave eat the food to wind Hayley up, the five students compete in a competition to win a car by touching it for the most time. The students are all in the car when India soils herself, causing the other four to get out, and India to subsequently win despite massive embarrassment. After returning from a Christmas break, Hayley reveals that she is five months pregnant, and denies either Rhys or Josh being the father. Hayley then leaves to live with her family. She later gives birth off-screen to a baby boy, who she named Caleb, after her older brother Caleb
Caleb (), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( he, כָּלֵב, ''Kalev'', ; Tiberian vocalization: Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy: Kalev), is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites' ...
(Michael Ryan) who died in Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
Reception
Disability Now
''Disability Now'' was a UK magazine for disabled people, published by UK disability charity Scope
Scope or scopes may refer to:
People with the surname
* Jamie Scope (born 1986), English footballer
* John T. Scopes (1900–1970), central fi ...
, a magazine aimed at disabled people praised ''Hollyoaks'' for writing in Stewart's real life pregnancy into her storylines, also adding it was positive they treat her like any other member of the cast. They also criticised her character along with fellow disabled characters from other UK soap operas including, Adam Best (David Proud
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
), Lizzie Lakely
Lizzie Lakely is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Kitty McGeever. Lizzie is ''Emmerdale'' first blind character, and was played by a blind actress. She made her first on-screen appearance on 28 Apri ...
(Kitty McGeever
Catherine Jane Mitchell (15 October 1966 – 16 August 2015), known professionally as Kitty McGeever, was an English actress and comedian.
She was the first blind actress to be cast in a British soap opera, playing the fictional character Lizzi ...
) and Izzy Armstrong
Izzy Armstrong is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Cherylee Houston. The character first appears on-screen on 16 April 2010; she is introduced as a new love interest for Kirk Sutherland ...
(Cherylee Houston
Cherylee Martina Houston (born 20 August 1974) is a British actress. She grew up in Morecambe, Lancashire, in the United Kingdom. She is currently playing Izzy Armstrong in '' Coronation Street'', a role she has portrayed since April 2010. Sh ...
) for all being portrayed as vengeful and personality-driven, stating that the soap opera's need to portray some disabled character's as 'normal' good people. However they praised Hayley as being the least troubled character of Adam and Lizzie, despite the amount of onscreen enemies she made.
Ruth Deller of entertainment website ''Lowculture
lowculture.co.uk is a UK television website founded in January 2003 by Paul Lang, who currently works as the art director of ''Doctor Who Adventures''.
Purpose
The website sought to celebrate popular television shows, especially 'low brow televis ...
'' praised Hayley's storylines and personality stating: "Amidst all the dross, it's worth pointing out there are some things ''Hollyoaks'' is doing well. Clumsy storylining aside, it's good to see a disabled actress and disabled character in a mainstream show, and due to the fact she can actually act and seems to have a personality (the opposite to Spencer) she's even achieved the near-impossible feat of making brother Zak seem somewhat likeable."
References
External links
Character profile
on th
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, Hayley
Hollyoaks characters
Television characters introduced in 2009
Female characters in television
Fictional characters with immune system disorders