Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) is left reeling in Hollyoaks this week when she’s notified that Bobby Costello has escaped from the secure unit in which he’d been serving his sentence.
The news is revealed to the former pub landlady by Donny Clark (Louis Emerick) during her screw you cancer party, thrown by her family.
However, it soon comes to light that Mercy knew of Bobby’s escape prior to Donny’s revelation, with the iconic show legend having been in touch with the boy, leaving him a voicemail.
The remainder of this week’s offerings of the Channel 4 soap see Mercedes harbouring fugitive Bobby at The Dog In The Pond, which has been under renovation for months.
The storyline will bring trouble to Mercedes’ door, with Goldie (Chelsee Healey) back in town to make sure Bobby gets his comeuppance.
But with so much focus on returnee Bobby, you might find yourself in need of a refresher on who the character actually is, right?
If so then allow me to do what I do all too often to my friends (apologies to them) and bestow my Hollyoaks knowledge on you with a trip down memory lane on all-things Bobby Costello.
Who is Bobby Costello in Hollyoaks?
Bobby Costello is the son of Mercedes McQueen and Riley Costello (Rob Norbury), born in 2011.
Mercedes cheated Riley – who she was seeing at the time – with his dad Carl (Paul Opacic), which led to a little bit of confusion initially over who Bobby’s father was.
Carl subsequently took Bobby with him to California but he soon returned to the village with Mercedes. Serial killer Breda McQueen (Moya Brady), who famously killed those she deemed to be ‘bad dads’, claimed the life of Carl, which led to Mercedes looking after Bobby full-time.
For a time, Bobby was extremely happy living with his mum and her new beau Sylver (David Tag) at The Dog.
But things soon changed.
Who did Bobby kill in Hollyoaks?
After striking up an online relationship with serial killer Silas Blissett (Jeff Rawle), Bobby’s demeanour altered quite significantly.
Having come to realise that Sylver was intent on leaving Mercedes, thus ending the perfect family dynamic he’d grown accustomed to, he decided to leave the father figure to perish in the blaze at the Salon De Thé.
And he didn’t stop there.
When Silas staged a comeback to take Bobby away, the child pushed the serial killer onto an electrified chessboard, ending his decade-long reign of terror.
Goldie, meanwhile, tasked Verity Hutchinson (Eva O’Hara) with investigating Bobby, who – upon finding out what the lawyer was up to – pushed a bookcase on top of her.
Verity, much to fans’ upset, died in subsequent scenes.
Bobby also attempted to murder Felix Westwood (Richard Blackwood) at Christmas 2022, almost killing DeMarcus (Tomi Ade) instead in a case of mistaken identity. This incident led to his arrest.
In January 2023, Bobby stood trial for his crimes, receiving nine years for the attempted murder of DeMarcus, plus 12 for the murder of Silas.
Who plays Bobby in Hollyoaks?
Waterloo Road star Zak Sutcliffe has taken over the role for Bobby’s 2025 comeback. Or should I say 2026 given the show took a historic time jump last year?
Previously, the part was played by Jayden Fox, who portrayed the character between 2018 and 2023, with a short break between 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 6am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
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