Hollyoaks is a British soap opera that first aired on 23 October 1995. The following characters will make their debut in 2026. Jenson (Ryan Clayton), a love interest for Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) later found out to be Warren FoxâÂÂs half brother, was the first new character to be announced in 2026. Additionally, several other characters appear throughout the year.
Jenson Cole, played by Ryan Clayton, will make his first appearance in early 2026. The character and casting was announced on 5 January 2026. He is introduced as a love interest for established character Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe), who he meets at a rehabilitation facility. The Hollyoaks 2026 New Year trailer showed a potential attraction between Mercedes and Jenson, as well as Jenson confronting established character Tim O'Leary (Philip Olivier) for using the identity of Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas). Clayton had previously appeared in another soap opera, Coronation Street. Dan Laurie from RSVP Live opined that Jenson had "tense scenes" with Tim in the trailer.
On 18 January 2026, Clayton confirmed his character's dark side in an exclusive interview. Clayton described his character: "He's very cunning and slippery, I would say! He's like a sly little foxâ¦" When asked if he saw Jenson as a villain Ryan said: "It's definitely more complicated, because he is a complex character with a past to be explored. I think the writers are playing around with that idea of: is he a good guy or is he a bad guy? It's constantly being pushed and twistedâ¦" Clayton was also asked if any details were given to him regarding Jenson, which he responded: "Not everything. As always with continuing dramas, they're developing the story. It's an ongoing thing, so you're always learning new things about your character...I was fortunate, as we all had a sit-down conversation before I started, where we went through some ideas and explored Jenson's backstory. It was good to see the time and thought that's clearly been put into the storyline." After being asked about his character being in rehab, Clayton explained: "Well, Jenson's reasons for being in rehab in the first place are up for debate! He learns about Warren and Mercedes' relationship and uses that as a chance to pursue his plans. The audience will be left to question whether Jenson has genuine feelings for Mercedes or not. You just never know what's real with him or what's not. Is it always an ulterior motive? That's what's made him so fun to play so far."
Clayton described his audition process: "Hollyoaks got in contact and asked if I would be interested in joining the show. I was thinking that it was probably going to be in the new year, but the turnaround was very quick and I started filming late last year. That's part of what made it so attractive, I guess! It was straight away and it wasn't playing that waiting game of it potentially coming to fruition." He also discussed his first scenes: "Jenson's way into the village is through Tinhead (Philip Olivier), who's come to him for money. Tinhead is pretending that he's Warren, but Jenson has realised that he's not telling the truth. He's got leverage on Tinhead now and he uses that against him, to get Tinhead to do his dirty work! He's very manipulative and he knows how to push people's buttons. He's street smart and wouldn't go into a fight unless he had the upper hand â or knew he could find the upper hand!" When asked if he was excited about playing another soap role, he said: "I was, but it always comes down to character first. If you're going to be playing a character for a while, you want something that you can sink your teeth into. I'm definitely doing that with Jenson!" Clayton also confirmed there would be long-term plans for his character: "I'd say just expect the unexpected with Jenson! He's always working on something and constantly plotting." But when asked if he was sticking around, Clayton said: "There's potential for it, definitely!"