1998

←1997 1999→
 was Hollyoaks's fourth year of production.
== Overview ==
Phil Redmond remained as executive producer and Jo Hallows as series producer for a third year.
1998 saw a further increase in topical storylines. Cindy Cunningham's teenage pregnancy was followed by a post-natal depression storyline, which saw her attempt to smother her daughter Holly in April; whilst Mandy Richardson was raped by her abusive father Dennis in May and ran away from home, eventually reporting him to the police and seeing him go to prison in December.
Hollyoaks also saw the release of its first spin-off DVD, Hollyoaks: Off On One, featuring the climax of Kurt Benson and Rob Hawthorn's feud. The DVD was initially intended to feature the death of Rob, drowning in ocean off the coast of France, but this was retconned for a final dramatic showdown in 1999.
No on-screen births took place this year. Tessie Thompson told Tony Hutchinson that she was pregnant but later confessed to lying as revenge for his infidelity (which Tony would discover was not the case in 2007 when he met his son Harry). Despite their warring families, Jack Osborne and Jill Patrick marry (190), and Jude Cunningham and Roger Patterson's scam wedding was foiled by the police (266). Mandy was assumed dead after fleeing her abusive father (238) but later found by her brother Lewis (252), Rob Hawthorn reveals that his father has died (217), whilst Rob drowns in the Atlantic Ocean during a fight with Kurt (HO:OOO)... or does he?
== Events ==
=== Hollyoaks events ===
* 29th January - Benny Stringer is arrested.
* 12th February - Gina Patrick is arrested after failing to turn up to court to testify in a trial about a stabbing she witnessed.
* 19th February - Jack Osborne proposes to Jill Patrick, who accepts.
* 12th March - Jack Osborne and Jill Patrick marry. Tony Hutchinson discovers that his ex-girlfriend Tessie Thompson is pregnant.
* 9th April - Suffering from post-natal depression, Cindy Cunningham attempts to suffocate her daughter, Holly, but is stopped in time by her sister, Jude.
* 21st May - Tony Hutchinson meets Jasmine Bates at a barn dance, and is immediately left smitten. (First appearance of Jas)
* 28th May - Mandy Richardson is raped by her father, Dennis.
* 1st June - Mandy Richardson goes missing.
* 8th June - Tony Hutchinson finds a man, Finn, sleeping in Jambo Bolton's shed, who is revealed to be an old friend of Jambo. (First appearance of Rory Finnigan)
* 15th June - Rob Hawthorn discovers that his father has died.
* 2nd July - Mr. Benson suffers a heart attack.
* 13th July - Sol Patrick is arrested on suspicion of kidnapping Mandy Richardson.
* 6th August - Jambo Bolton's friends visit him at his new house in Anglesey. Whilst there, Carol Groves's car Beryl rolls off a cliff. (Last appearance of Jambo until 2004)
* 24th August - The missing Mandy Richardson is found by her abusive father, Dennis.
* 27th August - Mandy Richardson fakes her death by jumping off a bridge in London in order to escape from her abusive father, Dennis Richardson.
* 28th September - Mandy Richardson's funeral takes place.
* 13th October - Mandy Richardson is revealed to be alive as she is found in a hospital in London by her boyfriend Sol Patrick and brother Lewis Richardson. Lewis is horrified to discover that his father has been sexually abusing Mandy.
* 15th October - Rob Hawthorn gives Lucy Benson an overdose of heroin and attempts to throw her from the top of a multi-storey car park. She is rescued by her brother, Kurt Benson.
* 16th October - Rob Hawthorn is pushed off a boat and left to drown by Kurt Benson. Rob is presumed dead. (Last appearance of Rob until 1999)
* 5th November - Dennis Richardson is arrested for raping his daughter, Mandy.
* 12th November - Tessie Thompson gives birth to a son whom she names Harry. Harry's father, Tony Hutchinson would not learn of Harry's existence until October 2007.
* 16th November - Sol Patrick is sentenced to community service for a car theft in May.
* 26th November - Jude Cunningham prepares to marry Roger Patterson as part of a scam. However, Jude is caught switching an expensive necklace at the manor where the wedding is being held, with a fake replica. Tony Hutchinson proposes to Jasmine Bates, who accepts.
* 30th November - Jude Cunningham is arrested for theft after being caught attempting to steal an expensive necklace at Burcroft Manor.
*3rd December - Dennis Richardson is found guilty of raping his daughter Mandy, and is sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Jude Cunningham flees the village with a brown wig and her late sister Dawn's passport in order to avoid going to prison. (Last appearance of Dennis until 2003 and Jude until 2016)
*17th December - Cindy Cunningham meets interior decorator Sean Tate. (First appearance of the character)
=== Historical events ===
*4th January - Finn O'Connor is born. He was born as a saviour sibling as Finn's older sister Sinead was ill with leukemia and needed a transplant.
*2nd August - Cleo McQueen is born.
*5th September - Abe Fielding is born.
=== Real life events ===
* 2nd February - Malique Thompson-Dwyer (Prince McQueen) is born.
* 20th September - Gabriel Clark (Oliver Morgan) is born.
* 16th October - Hollyoaks: Off On One is released for VHS.
== Cast ==
=== Appearances ===
=== Debuts ===
See also: :Category:1998 debuts.
Number	Character 	Actor 	Debut date
 	Jasmine Bates 	Elly Fairman 	21st May 1998
 	Finn 	James Redmond	8th June 1998
 	Paul Millington	Zander Ward 	18th June 1998
 	Sean Tate 	Daniel Pape 	17th December 1998
=== Returns ===
None
=== Departures ===
See also: :Category:1998 departures.
Number	Character 	Actor 	Departure date
 	Jambo Bolton 	Will Mellor 	6th August 1998
 	Rob Hawthorn 	Warren Derosa 	16th October 1998
 	Dennis Richardson	David McAlister	3rd December 1998
 	Jude Cunningham 	Davinia Taylor 	3rd December 1998
== Episodes ==
See also: :Category:1998 episodes.
== See also ==
* :Category:1998 minor characters
* :Category:1998 births
* :Category:1998 marriages
* :Category:1998 deaths
←1997 1999→