McQueen family

The McQueen family tree.

McQueen family
The original McQueen family (L-R: Jacqui, Michaela, Myra, Tina, Carmel and Mercedes)
Created by	Bryan Kirkwood
Introduced by	Bryan Kirkwood
Duration	2006-
First appearance	11 January 2006

The McQueen family are a fictional family in the long-running Channel 4 soap-opera Hollyoaks. The family first appeared in 2006 and have been involved in a number of the shows main storylines since then, most notably John Paul's affair with Craig Dean and Niall's revenge on his family.

History

Marlena McQueen, or Nana as she is commonly referred as, gave birth to Myra McQueen in 1966. It is assumed Myra grew up without a father in her life. Nana had seven children, one of whom is Kathleen McQueen. Kathleen was referenced several times after daughter Theresa arrived. It was explained she was serving time in prison for shoplifting, however did appear in late 2009. At age 14, Myra fell for the charms of Martin Brownlow. The pair slept together and Myra fell pregnant. Ashamed, Catholic Nana made Myra keep her pregnancy a secret. When the baby arrived, Myra and Nana left the baby, named Matthew, on the doorstep of a church with only a note as an explanation. The baby was subsequently put into care as Myra promised to return for her son one day. A year later, Myra gave birth to Jacqui McQueen, who had always assumed she was the eldest. Another year passed and Myra had Mercedes. At aged 19, Myra gave birth to Tina, whom was named after Tina Turner. In 1987, aged 21, Myra met Ricky Bowen. Myra had Carmel, two years later, John Paul and finally Michaela in 1991. In 1993, Myra's sister Kathleen had daughter, Theresa. It is later revealed she was fathered by William Alexander - Who also fathered Jacqui and Mercedes.

In Hollyoaks

In 2006 Michaela was the first McQueen to be seen on-screen in Hollyoaks. Michaela's first appearance was retconed as she had the last name of "Jones" and was stated as living in a rough part of the village with her grandmother. Michaela was later seen at her best friend Amy Barnes's house with her father Mike, who was embarrassing his daughter, but made Michaela happy. She pressured Amy into having sex with her short-term boyfriend, Ste Hay, so that her boyfriend, Wayne Tunnicliffe, would not dump her. Michaela claimed she had had sex with her previous boyfriend, Paul, and that a girl had to put out in order to attract boys. When Ste dumped Amy, Michaela's nasty streak became apparent as she abandoned her friend and teased her, before going off with Wayne and Ste, leaving Amy upset and alone. When Amy stood up to her, they had a fight in the playground. However, the next day Michaela got a taste of her own medicine when she was dumped by Wayne. He dumped her by text message, saying he only went out with her because she was easy. Amy and Michaela reconciled as friends, but Michaela then led her to shoplifting. Michaela's was then retconed into being a McQueen with a large family and a mother. The next McQueen to make an appearance was her sister, Mercedes. The pair pulled off a scam at Evissa, in which Mercedes claimed to have been injured during a massage. The only McQueen not to appear was Jacqui, the explanation being that she was in prison for shoplifting. When she finally arrived, she came in tow with an old friend named Davey, who wanted his money from her. Carmel had already found this money and had spent it on breast implants. Davey left after Jacqui agreed to do him any favour. When he returned, he made Jacqui marry illegal immigrant, Aleksander Malota. Carmel and Alek fell for one and other and began an affair, just as Jacqui fell for Tony Hutchinson. Being the only male, John Paul appeared to be pressured into "keeping the family name". His family had mixed opinions when he came out as gay. He began a relationship with his supposedly straight best friend, Craig Dean. Their affair began one of the shows' best ever storylines.

Mercedes had begun a relationship with Russ Owen and they became engaged. Tina also got engaged to Dom Reilly. The pairs eventually settled on a double-marriage, the marriage of Russ and Mercedes was short lived when he discovered she had slept with Warren Fox. Michaela began smoking marijuana, under the influence of Ste Hay and Nige Foster. After their affair was exposed, John Paul and Craig decided to leave for Dublin, however after realising Craig could not face his sexuality, John Paul left him at the airport. Jacqui and Tony had begun trying for a child. When she became pregnant, Jacqui sadly lost the baby and was told she could not have children. Tony became agitated when everyone assumed Alek had been the father of the baby. Carmel decided to run away with Alek, however he could not take her away from her family so left her.Jacqui was shocked to discover Tony had a ten year old son named Harry Thomson. She became increasingly frustrated and jealous and told Tony to choose between her and his son. After he chose Harry, Jacqui left him. At this time, a drunken Mercedes comforted Tony and the pair slept together. Mercedes fell pregnant and decided to have an abortion. Jacqui pleaded with her to have the baby for her, not realising it was Tony's. Knowing this, Mercedes went ahead with the abortion leaving Jacqui devastated. Myra offered herself as a surrogate mother for Jacqui, however, realising Myra would have to go through yet another pregnancy, Jacqui refused. Tina then became the surrogate. After being neglected by Dom, Tina slept with Russ.

The McQueen sisters (L-R: Jacqui, Michaela, Tina, Carmel and Mercedes).

A stranger arrived in Hollyoaks as a new hairstylist at Evissa. Niall Rafferty was soon revealed as a secret child of Myra, who she had been forced to give up when she was 14. Niall befriended most of the McQueens but fell under suspicion of Jacqui. He soon began putting in a plan of revenge. Local priest, Kieron Hobbs arrived to stay with The McQueens. Soon after this, he and John Paul began a secret relationship Tina became impregnated, but soon discovered Russ was the biological father. Niall injected Michaela with heroin to make her family believe she was an addict. Niall began having feelings for Steph Dean, and was jealous when she engaged to Max Cunningham. Carmel began a relationship with Calvin Valentine, whom she got engaged to. Niall was distraught on the day of Steph and Max's wedding. He ended up accidentally running over and killing Max as a result of his anger. Tina decided to give her unborn child up for adoption, Niall, overhearing this, ended up pushing her down a flight of stairs. Tina gave birth to Max McQueen and as a cause and had to go under an emergency hysterectomy. Due to this, Tina decided to keep Max for herself as she could never have a child of her own. Niall and Steph soon began a relationship. The pair were caught out by John Paul and Kieron, who were also continuing their affair.

Myra decided to track down her first-born son with the help of Kieron. Kieron tracked down the foster mother of Matthew, who then showed him a photograph of Niall. Craig returned to Hollyoaks to win back John Paul, only to find him engaged to Kieron. Kieron approached Niall with the picture. Niall revealed the truth and agreed to confess to Myra. Panicking, Niall laced Kieron's beer with pills. Kieron collapsed and died in his arms. Niall covered up the death by making it look like suicide. Niall was infuriated when John Paul decided to leave for Dublin with Craig. Niall put pills in John Paul's beer and attempted to kill him, however John Paul swapped their drinks after spilling Niall's. Mercedes had begun a relationship with Malachy Fisher, however was shocked to discover he has HIV. Niall discovered Jack Osborne had been responsible for jailing his birth father Martin. Martin died in prison as a result of his conviction. Niall then attacked Jack and told him who he really was. Niall then took his final revenge on the McQueens by kidnapping them one by one and holding them hostage in the church he had been abandoned at birth. An injured Jack sought the help of Darren Osborne, Tony and Dom to save the McQueens. With the truth revealed, Niall asked Myra 6 questions. For each one she got right, she could choose one of her children to live and each she got wrong, she could choose one to die. Myra ended up getting two questions right. Mercedes told Myra to choose her to die as she may have HIV, she then admitted to Jacqui that she slept with Tony. John Paul also offered himself to die. Myra then made the tough decision and chose Jacqui and Carmel to die, therefore leaving Michaela and Tina alive. Jack, Darren, Tony and Dom made their way into the church just as Niall detonated explosives.

The church lay in ruins after the explosion. A trapped Myra had a heart to heart with Niall and forgave him. A statue then fell, supposedly killing Niall. The McQueens all escaped, until they discovered Tina had tragically been killed after being crushed by rubble. Jacqui decided to raise Max as her own, but refused to forgive Tony, Mercedes or Myra. The McQueens were informed that Niall was still alive and had escaped the church. Jacqui told Russ that he could see his son whenever he wanted, however her promise was quickly broken. Mercedes and Malachy ended getting married in Belfast. Niall returned and followed Steph to Scotland. After a failed attempt at trying to win her back, Niall killed himself by dropping over a cliff. The McQueens were informed and agreed not to grieve. Theresa, the niece of Myra, arrived in Hollyoaks to stay with her family, who were still picking up the shattered pieces of their lives. On her arrival, under-aged Theresa slept with Tony, who did not know her real age. Jacqui got him arrested for it as revenge for sleeping with Mercedes, however dropped the charges. Mercedes was nervous as her HIV test results returned, however they were negative. Russ became increasingly needy for Max, and contemplated kidnapping him. Finally, Russ did so leaving Jacqui devastated and furious at Carmel for letting him take him. Theresa began a secret fling with Barry Newton, this then developed into a full relationship. Jacqui left for France after a possible sighting of Russ in order to retrieve Max. Weeks later, she returned without Max. She was horrified to find out Tony had begun a relationship with Cindy Cunningham. In late 2009, Theresa's mother Kathleen McQueen was introduced. In 2010 and 2011, cousins Bart McQueen and Jennifique McQueen were introduced.

Generations

• Queenie McQueen; Marlena's mother, Myra and Kathleen's grandmother and Angel's great-great-grandmother
  • Marlena McQueen; daughter of Queenie, married Reggie
    • Myra McQueen; daughter of Marlena
      • Niall Rafferty; son of Myra and Martin Brownlow
      • Jacqui McQueen; daughter of Myra and Billy Alexander, married Aleksander Malota (2006–07) Rhys Ashworth (2011-)
      • Mercedes Fisher; daughter of Myra and Billy Alexander, married Russ Owen (2007–08), Malachy Fisher (2008–10)
        • Unnamed son; son of Mercedes and father unknown
      • Tina Reilly; daughter of Myra and Marvin Bassman, married Dom Reilly (2007–09)
        • Max McQueen; son of Tina and Russ Owen
      • Carmel Valentine; daughter of Myra and Ricky Bowen, married Calvin Valentine (2008–10)
      • John Paul McQueen; son of Myra and Ricky Bowen
      • Michaela McQueen; daughter of Myra and Ricky Bowen
    • Kathleen McQueen; daughter of Marlena
      • Theresa McQueen; daughter of Kathleen and Billy Alexander
        • Angel McQueen; daughter of Theresa and Calvin Valentine
    • Victor McQueen; son of unknown, married Joan McQueen
      • Bart McQueen; son of Victor

Reception

Introduced by Bryan Kirkwood, the McQueen family has proved popular with fans, being nominated individually for various awards. At The British Soap Awards, Gemma Merna (Carmel) was nominated for 'Sexiest Female' in 2007. Jennifer Metcalfe (Mercedes) was nominated for the same award in 2007, 2008 and 2009. In 2009, Metcalfe was nominated for 'Best Actress'. Merna also won the award for 'Best Comedy Performance' and was nominated for 'Best Actress' in 2008. James Sutton (John Paul) was nominated for 'Best Actor' and 'Best Dramatic Performance in 2007.^[1] In 2008, Sutton was nominated for 'Sexiest Male' and 'Best Actor'.^[2] In 2009, Barry Sloane (Niall) was nominated for 'Sexiest Male' and 'Villain of the Year'. The church explosion, caused by Niall, was nominated for 'Spectacular Scene'.^[3] In the 2009 Inside Soap Awards, the McQueens won the award for 'Best Family'.^[4]

In late 2008, Kirkwood introduced the cousin of the McQueen sisters, Theresa. It was announced she was to "shake up Hollyoaks". Actress Jorgie Porter stated "I absolutely love the McQueens, I'm so glad I'm in that family! They're dead inviting, and they look after you. They took me under their wing, and they've taught me loads as well.^[5] Jorgie Porter was nominated for 'Best Newcomer' in the 2009 British Soap Awards. Hollyoaks producer, Lucy Allan stated that the McQueens are "our favourite family of fun."^[6] As part of a Christmas special in 2008, the McQueens appeared together on All Star Family Fortunes, where Nicole Barber-Lane (Myra), Nick Pickard (Tony), Jennifer Metcalfe (Mercedes), Gemma Merna (Carmel) and Claire Cooper (Jacqui) played against the Dingle family from Emmerdale.^[7]

References

1. ^ "The British Soap Awards 2007: The Winners". Digital Spy. 27 May 2007. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a58280/the-british-soap-awards-2007-the-winners.html. Retrieved 2009-07-24. 
2. ^ "The British Soap Awards 2008: The Winners". Digital Spy. 04 May 2008. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a94815/the-british-soap-awards-2008-the-winners.html?imdb. Retrieved 2009-07-24. 
3. ^ "The British Soap Awards 2009: The Winners". Digital Spy. 10 May 2009. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a154689/british-soap-awards-2009-the-winners.html. Retrieved 2009-07-24. 
4. ^ "EastEnders tops Inside Soap Awards". Digital Spy. 28 September 2009. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a179277/eastenders-tops-inside-soap-awards-2009.html. Retrieved 2009-09-29. 
5. ^ "Jorgie Porter Interview". Channel 4. 08 December 2008. http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/H/hollyoaks/interviews/previous/jorgieporter.html. Retrieved 2009-07-24. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ "Plot teasers from Lucy Allan". Digital Spy. 22 May 2009. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a156720/plot-teasers-from-new-oaks-producer.html. Retrieved 2009-07-24. 
7. ^ "All Star Family Fortunes Christmas Special". Tiscali. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/tv/shows/details/all-star-family-fortunes-christmas-special/. Retrieved 2009-07-24. 

External links

• Myra McQueen on the E4 website
• Niall Rafferty on the E4 website
• Jacqui McQueen on the E4 website
• Mercedes Fisher on the E4 website
• Tina Reilly on the E4 website
• Carmel McQueen on the E4 website
• John Paul McQueen on the E4 website
• Michaela McQueen on the E4 website
• Theresa McQueen on the E4 website
• Bart McQueen on the E4 website