This Friday, Channel 4’s teen soap drama, Hollyoaks will reveal the mystery assailant behind the shooting of former copper, Calvin Valentine. Starting this week, the conclusion to this dramatic storyline reaches its conclusion, as Calvin gets ready to marry the love of his life, Carmel McQueen for the second time. However, although the wedding ceremony goes ahead without a hitch, Calvin’s ‘Till death do us part’ vows come sooner than expected, when he is shot during his first dance in marriage.
Valentine, played by 2009 Strictly Come Dancing runner-up, Ricky Whittle has a long line of suspects, all vying for his blood for various reasons. Regular viewers of the show will have seen UK soap’s first ever flash-forward episode on Monday 21st December 2009, when Calvin was gunned down in this episode. However, his murderer remains in the closet, until this Friday. The December episode was show then, rather than the traditional May 2010 slot and was thought of by ex-executive producer of the show, Lucy Allan. It is probably her high point of a rocky year for the Chester-based drama, which has plummeted in award gatherings and TV ratings since Bryan Kirkwood’s departure from Lime Pictures last year. For five months, the storyline has unravelled as Calvin’s suspects have been getting bigger and bigger, with larger grudges to settle than ever before. And there is a major list of people who could pull the trigger on the former good lad of the show, now turned the villain of the piece.
Here are some of the possible frontrunners.
Malachy Fisher – Back in December, Malachy caught Calvin sleeping with his wife, Mercedes Fisher. Their marriage may be on the rocks, but Malachy has kept this secret to himself for months, and now, as Calvin’s best man at the wedding, will he reveal all or gun down his rival to keep a grip on his failing marriage.
Mercedes Fisher – Mercedes is hurting with rage and fury. She doesn’t know that Malachy has this secret, and has been playing with fire for months. For someone who saw her first marriage, to Russ Owen end in 2007 under similar circumstances, you would have thought she would have learnt her lesson. She wants Calvin badly, but Calvin insists their fling was no more than fun, and is hell-bent on marrying Carmel. Can Mercedes stand back and let her sister marry a cheat?
Jake Dean – Jake Dean and Calvin Valentine have a chequered history, stretching back as far as 2006, when Jake killed Calvin’s mum in a hit-and-run incident. Calvin may have saved Jake in the Dog in the Pond Explosion that same year, but their past has never been forgotten. When Holly Cunningham went missing earlier this year, Jake was accused of snatching her and Calvin took great pleasure in dismissing him from his job at The Loft nightclub. Now Jake is out to settle the score. With actor Kevin Sacre leaving the show, he must be a leading frontrunner.
Spencer Fox – The illiterate Spencer Fox trusted Calvin, but his poor heart was ripped to pieces, when first Calvin shopped him into the cops for his role in Holly’s disappearance, then Calvin’s role in his brother’s death, was revealed. Due to his disabilities, there is no doubt that Spencer could handle a murder weapon without understanding the full consequences of his actions.
Lauren Valentine – Lauren’s criminal boyfriend, Gaz Bennett was recently put in jail. Now, Lauren wants revenge and she won’t let family loyalty getting in the way for Gaz’s downfall. However, I would have to say, she would be a distant outsider.
Sasha Valentine – Sasha Valentine has a very strong motive for doing the deed on her brother. Not only did Calvin despise her relationship with the former bad lad of the village, Warren Fox, she found out that Calvin left Warren to die on this week in May 2009, when Claire Cunningham blew up The Loft nightclub. Sasha has never forgiven Calvin for his actions on that fateful night, and like Lauren, she will not care whether Calvin’s related or not.
Kris Fisher – Like Kevin Sacre, Gerard McCarthy who plays the Irish cross-dresser is leaving the show in the coming months, which might make him a frontrunner. Kris also caught Mercedes sleeping with Calvin ages ago, and is annoyed that his brother, Malachy seems willing to let Calvin and Mercedes getaway with their affair. So, will he carry out the deed, to protect his brother from more hurt and turmoil?
Jacqui McQueen – Jacqui is stunned to the core when Mercedes reveals her fling with Calvin to her on the day of the wedding. Suddenly, Jacqui’s mood has changed and a confrontation with Calvin only spices up her blood. Plus, she is seen with the gun that Calvin bought to protect himself from anonymous death threats. Similar to Mercedes, will she step aside and allow Carmel to marry a love rat? After all, the McQueen sisters stick together, through thick and thin.
Theresa McQueen – Theresa was another McQueen sister to experiment with Calvin’s underwear, when they had a night of passion in the nightclub only one month ago. Calvin insisted it was a one-off, and Theresa is hurting, because she has her eyes on Calvin. Can she stand back and see Calvin marry someone else, who is biologically related and not her.
The Rest – Well, Tony Hutchinson could pull the trigger, due to his conditional love for Theresa. Then there’s Zak Ramsay, who is lost and confused with everything in his life, following the tragic death of his brother, Caleb in Afghanistan. I wouldn’t trust Darren Osbourne near a weapon too; he has a colourful history with almost every villain in the village. Long shots may even include the likes of Leo Valentine, India Langsford, Rhys Ashworth, Myra McQueen, or even little Tom Cunningham.
Personally, these sorts of mysteries never seem to be the obvious suspect, so don’t be surprised to see it be an unlikely assailant. If you wanted me to put my money on, I would back either Jake Dean or Kris Fisher, but it could be anyone?
Everybody is a suspect! Don’t miss the drama of Hollyoaks, this Friday at 6.30pm on Channel 4.
