Hollyoaks fans are probably used to this by now, but the Grim Reaper is about to come calling in Chester again.
New paparazzi pictures have shown the cast filming a funeral, seemingly confirming that one unlucky character will be killed off in the coming months. With that in mind, we've been doing a bit of detective work and have rounded up a handy list of potential victims based on some notable omissions in the intriguing photos.
Of course, there is every chance that Hollyoaks is ahead of the game and the unlucky victim actually attended their own funeral (Nathan-style) to throw us off the scent. But here are the seven characters we are most worried about anyway:
1. Lily McQueen
We already know that Lily’s days in the village could be numbered, but does a grisly end await? Lily has spent the last six months torn between her husband Prince and his best friend Romeo, but recent reports have suggested that she could be on her way out of the show soon anyway.
It’s also hard not to ignore the fact that all the characters seen in the paparazzi pictures of the funeral have a connection to Lily – with her boyfriend Romeo, best friend Peri and family members Diane, Sinead and Scott all in attendance. Only time will tell, but it's definitely not looking too good for her at the moment.
2. Prince McQueen
That said, Lily's husband Prince is also mysteriously missing from the funeral pictures, hinting that his fate could be uncertain as well.
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3. James Nightingale
James is currently in the running to be serial killer Breda’s next victim, and these new pictures could be confirmation that she succeeds in getting rid of him.
Mac has ordered Breda to murder James in a grisly twist, threatening to expose her dark crimes if she doesn't. Spoilers have already revealed that Breda’s latest morbid murder plan will leave James’s life hanging in the balance, with Marnie and Harry eventually finding him unconscious on a bench. But could they be too late to save him?
That remains to be seen, but of course, there's always the chance could Breda go back for more if she doesn’t succeed this time. And with James's son Romeo in attendance at the enigmatic funeral, it’s unfortunately looking like a possibility at the moment...
4. Harry Thompson
Sorry for the double blow, Jarry shippers, but we’re a bit worried about Harry’s fate over here too. He might be loved up with James these days, but we all know that happy endings are a rarity in Hollyoaks, and we can’t help but feel their recent reunion may have all been a bit bittersweet.
Then again, if Harry was to die, we’re pretty sure Tony would be there to pay his respects at his son's send-off. So unless he's hiding somewhere, maybe Harry fans can breathe easy after all...
5. Laurie Shelby
Sinead’s manipulative husband Laurie has only been on our screens for a few months, but given the nature of his storyline, we wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t stick around for all that long.
Former Home and Away star Kyle Pryor took on the role as Laurie last year for a shocking issue-based story, which has so far seen the character sexually harass Sienna in the workplace and injure his wife Sinead in an argument.
It’s no secret that soap villains often have a shelf life, so could Laurie be on his way out already? Pryor has actually been spotted on location for the funeral with other members of the cast, but as we've already established, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. And with vengeful Breda still on the loose, nothing would surprise us.
6. Scott Drinkwell
Given that Scott has been on the back-burner of late, it was music to our ears when we heard that he was about to take centre stage again.
Show boss Bryan Kirkwood said recently that a ‘gigantic’ story for Scott would kick off in a ‘very unexpected way'. But hang on a second, could he be hinting at a death?
7. Ste Hay
Ste is another one who appears to be ominously missing from the funeral pictures, despite the fact that his niece Peri and best friend Sinead are both there.
There are only a handful of people in the village who we can imagine Peri and Sinead paying their respects to and he is certainly one of them (Lily is another), but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t have any doubts about Ste being the one meeting his maker.
That’s because the show have previously hinted that Ste’s far-right story would run throughout the year, and given that's only just starting to gather momentum, it's clear that there's still a long way to go. Does that mean Ste will be around for the foreseeable, after all? Or have bosses said that as a red herring to throw us off scent?
Hollyoaks airs weekdays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look episodes on E4 at 7pm.
Read more news, spoilers and gossip on our Hollyoaks homepage
Digital Spy Soap Scoop video - hit play below for all the latest Hollyoaks spoilers, as James's life hangs in the balance, and Prince and Romeo clash again.
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