“It’s like seeing her dad come back to life!”
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks star Emma Johnsey-Smith has revealed all about Patrick Blake’s twin arriving in the show.
Jeremy Sheffield is set to make his return to the village next week as Patrick’s brother Jeremy, aka Jez, alongside Loose Women‘s Sherrie Hewson as his mother Martha.
Sienna will be left stunned when she thinks her evil father is back from the dead, only to learn that Patrick had a long-lost twin.
Speaking to Inside Soap, Johnsey-Smith, who plays Patrick’s estranged daughter Dilly Harcourt, explained how her character will react to seeing Jeremy for the first time.
“When Dilly had her head injury she hallucinated her dead dad, Patrick. From her perspective, and the audience’s, you don’t know if what she’s seeing is real,” she said.
“Is that Patrick? Has she been drinking too much? Dilly worries the hallucinations are coming back so she goes to seek help at the hospital.”
On Sienna and Maxine’s reaction to seeing Jeremy, the actor added: “They track Dilly down at the hospital and get worried when she starts talking about what she’s seen.
“Then Jeremy appears — he’s obviously there in physical form, and they’re all seeing him, not just Dilly! It’s an intense moment for all three women.”
Johnsey-Smith went on to reveal Jeremy’s explanation behind his arrival and whether he’s really like his villainous brother, saying: “He has an explanation for any of the questions Sienna presses him with.
“Again, Sienna is cautious but Dilly lets her guard down: she’s fascinated and in awe of Jeremy. It’s like seeing her dad come back to life!”
She continued: “He’s the complete opposite [of Patrick], Jeremy is a really cool dude, well travelled, very laidback and open with his feelings. However, he’s not particularly well received in the village as many people can’t see past the fact he’s not Patrick.
“But Dilly is Team Jeremy and thinks he can do no wrong: she goes in all guns blazing to build a bond with him. I will say Jeremy and Martha are still hiding something, though…”
Johnsey-Smith concluded: “I’m happy I got to work alongside Jeremy as Patrick because this new character is so different, and it’s cool to see how Jeremy the actor plays both roles so differently.
“Jeremy is a dream and Sherrie is awesome, she has the best energy — and when we’re on set, we laugh together like school children!”
Ahead of Jeremy and Martha’s arrivals, producer Hannah Cheers promised that even more secrets from the infamously dysfunctional Blake family will be uncovered.
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.
