Glynis Barber and Ashling O’Shea join Hollyoaks

Dempsey and Makepeace actor Glynis Barber will join Hollyoaks this spring as gangster Norma.

Trouble is heading to Hollyoaks as the soap introduces the new character, Norma, out for blood as she arrives at the village driving a hearse and demanding to know who has been stealing her money, and it looks like Ste and Sienna are in the firing line…

Glynis Barber:

 “I’m really excited to be playing Norma as she’s an amazing character. Formidable, complex and taking on the men and leaving them quaking in their boots. The team and cast at Hollyoaks have been incredibly welcoming and I can’t wait to get my teeth into the character”.

Glynis is well known for her roles as ‘Makepeace’ in LWT, for ITV, detective drama Dempsey and Makepeace, ‘Glenda Mitchell’ in BBC One soap EastEnders, and ‘DCI Grace Barraclough’ in ITV Yorkshire’s Emmerdale.

Also, BBC’s Rebel Cheer Squad performer Ashling O’Shea will be filming alongside Omar Malik (Shaq Qureshi) as she joins the cast of Hollyoaks as his new onscreen love interest, Nadira.

Nadira, who runs a matchmaking site, is set to form a quick connection with village heartbreaker, Shaq, who is now on a quest to find a marital partner. In upcoming episodes, lovelorn Shaq attends a singles event in the hopes of finding a partner for life, and he quickly sets his sights on childhood friend Nadira, unaware that she’s the organiser of the event…

Nadira can be described as sharp, assertive, feisty, and fun. She’s a romantic at heart, and ever the optimist. Ashling’s first episode on Hollyoaks is streaming first on All 4 on Thursday 24th March.

Ashling O’Shea:

“Joining Hollyoaks has been such a surreal experience. I’ve grown up watching the show, and their hard-hitting storylines, so it’s a privilege as an actor to be able to be a part of that legacy. “Everyone I’ve met so far have been so kind and supportive. At the moment, I’m spending the majority of my time annoying Omar! We clicked from the moment we met and I genuinely feel like I’ve known him for years which is such a bonus as Nadira really has known Shaq for years! Their relationship is one of my favourite parts about playing Nadira. She has a huge heart, a sarcastic mouth and a lot going on in her mind right now… I can’t wait for people to get to know her.”

Both characters can be seen in Hollyoak’s latest trailer. The saga airs every weeknight at 7PM on E4, and 6:30PM on Channel 4.