Hollyoaks finally airs James Nightingale’s return in dangerous cliffhanger
Ste falls victim to his son's revenge plan.
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
It might be a new year, but Hollyoaks is going into 2026 full of drama. Tonight showed a dramatic return for James Nightingale after he was briefly seen arriving in the village over Christmas.
After sleeping with Dillon, Ste’s boyfriend Rex decides to forgive him and they focus on moving forward. But Ste gets him to promise that son Lucas won’t find out about his dalliance with his ex.
Unfortunately for Ste, Lucas already knows after overhearing a confrontation on Christmas Day, and has started to put a plan in place to get his revenge.
Lucas bumps into Mercedes, causing her to spill the contents of her bag over the floor. Lucas quietly pockets a bottle of pills that she drops while helping her, and then goes to find his dad.
Saying he wants to be serious about putting their past drama behind them, he offers to cook lunch for Ste and spend some quality father/son time together.
Channel 4
While cooking, Dillon comes in to apologise to Lucas, but it’s revealed he knew about the affair all along and is crushed by their betrayal.
Suspicious as to why Lucas would be cooking a nice meal for his dad when he’s so hurt, Dillon finds the pills that have been hidden in Ste’s food.
Overcome with rage, Lucas hits him over the head with a vase as Dillon leaves to warn Ste.
At that moment, Ste enters. He finds Dillon on the floor and phones for medical help, despite his son trying to stop him.
“Do you really want to make this worse by not ringing for an ambulance?” Ste asks him. “I know that you love Dillon too much to do that.”
But as he calls an ambulance, Lucas admits he knows all about the two of them and wants Ste to take the blame for the incident.
With Dillon later in hospital, Ste goes against his son’s wishes and tells Misbah and Leela it was Lucas, as well as opening up about Lucas’s abuse, and how he’s been covering for him.
Donny arrests Lucas but Leela wants answers on why her brother has been covering up for his son for so long.
After they have a heart-to-heart at his flat, Leela tells Ste he should get some food in him as she leaves to pick up her children, not realising the soup on the stove is full of crushed pills.
Later, a drugged Ste is wandering around the car park of The Dog In The Pond in a haze, when he drops to the floor.
And who rushes to his rescue… but his husband James.
James recently returned to the village after being presumed dead, and actor Gregory Finnegan told Digital Spy that a reunion between the pair could be on the cards.
“Certainly from what I understand, there are obviously feelings there,” he said. “I think whatever took him away, why ever he did the things that he did, there were reasons.
“So I don’t think he left voluntarily. I’m excited to find out what those reasons were, because I think they’ve been fleshed out a little bit. I think I have an understanding and the fans will see soon.”
