Charlie Dean

Charles Vincent "Charlie" Dean is the son of Becca Dean, the biological son of Justin Burton and the adoptive son of Jake Dean. Becca's sister Nancy Osborne and her husband Darren are Charlie's legal guardians.

Charlie was born in prison, with Becca (who was serving a sentence for alleged sexual activity with Justin, a minor) initially unaware whether the father was Justin or her husband, Jake Dean, whose name had been written on Charlie's birth certificate. After Becca was murdered in prison and Jake ended up in a psychiatric facility, Charlie's aunt Nancy Hayton became Charlie's legal guardian. Charlie is named after Becca's late father Charles Hayton, with his middle name "Vincent" coming from Jake's grandfather.

Biography[]

2006-2007: Conception and Birth[]

Becca Dean discovered that she was pregnant in May 2006, but was unaware of whether the father was her husband, Jake Dean, or her student, Justin Burton, whom she had been having an affair with. She initially kept the pregnancy from Justin, and let Jake believe that he was Charlie's father. However, Becca and Justin's affair was revealed two months later, and Jake realised that he may not be the father.

Becca chose Justin over Jake, but as financial stresses piled, Becca began finding Justin's behaviour immature and decided to end their relationship. In revenge, Justin reported Becca to the police for their affair, and lied that they had begun a sexual relationship when Justin was 15. Becca was arrested and imprisoned, but went into labour at her sentencing and gave birth to a son in hospital. Having begun reconciling with Jake, Becca registered the baby as Charles Vincent Dean, with Jake listed as the father.

In late January 2007, Becca decided to have Charlie live with Jake. Justin eventually admitted to lying, and the police ordered the prison to release Becca immediately. However, on the day she was due to go home, Becca was stabbed by Fran Hathaway and she died in hospital.

2008-2009: Leukemia and Custody Battle[]

Nancy took Charlie to the hospital, worrying about his high temperature. Charlie was diagnosed with leukemia, and Jake was tested to see if he was a match for Charlie. Jake discovered that he was not a match, meaning that Justin was Charlie's father. Charlie underwent chemotherapy, which was delayed when he developed an infection. When Nancy left Jake after he attempted to rape her on their wedding night, Jake withdrew Nancy's visiting rights to Charlie, which lead Nancy to seek Justin's help to win custody of Charlie from Jake.

After Jake and Justin had a fight, Justin decided to help Nancy with the custody case, not wanting Charlie to be raised by Jake. Nancy and Jake continued to argue and fight, which resulted Nancy throwing Jake out of the flat, and Jake making Nancy appear to be an unfit parent. Outside the court room, Jake goaded Nancy into exploding at him and causing a scene. Jake was awarded custody, and revoked Nancy's visiting rights.

Jake held Charlie's christening the next day, choosing his sister, Steph Dean, and step-brother, Darren Osborne, to be Charlie's godparents. Nancy later revealed that Jake had tried to rape her on their wedding night, and Sarah Barnes and Hannah Ashworth convinced her to go to the police. Jake was arrested for attempted rape, but released. However, Steph backed up Nancy's story and Jake was exposed. Jake took Charlie in his car and drove to a remote location, attempting to kill himself and Charlie by gassing them in his car. Nancy was able to track them down and saved Charlie, but left Jake to die. However, Jake survived and came after Nancy. He attempted to take Charlie to France, but was arrested and admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Jake later confessed to the murder of Sean Kennedy in exchange for Justin giving his parental rights to Jake's mother, Frankie Osborne.

Justin later went on the run, taking the blame for the fire at The Loft, saying goodbye to Charlie before his departure. Jake was later released from the psychiatric hospital, but Frankie was worried about Jake's mental health and decided to give Nancy parental rights. Charlie went missing in the care of Nancy's boyfriend, Kris Fisher, and everyone worried that he might have been with Jake, which he had not.

2012-2015: Near Death Experiences[]

Darren and Nancy later got together, and married in a surprise ceremony in February 2012, meaning that Charlie was reunited with Jake's side of the family. Nancy also gave birth to a son, Oscar. Nancy began to struggle, however, and exploded at Charlie. Charlie, believing he was unwanted, ran away. Whilst out in the woods, Charlie slipped and knocked himself unconscious when he fell onto a tree branch. He was later discovered by Seamus Brady and rushed to hospital. However, Charlie had only minor injuries and was discharged not long later.

Darren and Nancy hired a nanny, Sienna Blake. Sienna became obsessed with taking Nancy's place in the family. She managed to drive a wedge between Darren and Nancy, and Darren chose Sienna over Nancy. However, Charlie and Oscar preferred Nancy over Sienna. After Sienna framed Nancy for a fire at The Dog in the Pond, Nancy was seen as a danger to her children. Sienna later told Nancy to take Charlie and Oscar and leave. Nancy sped off with them in the car, whilst Sienna injured herself and told Darren that Nancy had attacked her and kidnapped the children. Nancy panicked when she saw a police car and lead a police chase into the car park of Dee Valley University Hospital. Nancy collided with another car, swerved and crashed, leaving the car hanging over the top-storey of the car park. She managed to get both Charlie and Oscar out of the car before it fell, narrowly avoiding killing them. Nancy was arrested, upsetting Charlie.

Darren and Sienna decided to move out of 1 Stockton Lane, and tried to take Charlie with them. Frankie and Jack Osborne tried to stop them, but Sienna blackmailed Frankie over her knowledge of her affair with Ziggy Roscoe. Sienna later kidnapped Tom Cunningham, Oscar and Charlie when Nancy was released. She tried to gas them all in her car, but the police arrived and Sienna crashed whilst trying to flee. She was then arrested and Darren and Nancy eventually reconciled.

At Hollyoaks's gay pride parade in October 2015, Charlie witnessed The Gloved Hand Killer, Lindsey Roscoe give Charles S'Avage a fatal injection. Charlie was left traumatised and began having nightmares. Lindsey threatened Charlie, and he refused to speak to anyone. Nancy and Darren were concerned when Charlie began drawing dead people, and eventually managed to get him to admit that he witnessed Lindsey murder Charles. However, Lindsey was murdered by Silas Blissett before facing prosecution.

2016-2019: Nancy's Multiple Sclerosis[]

Charlie discovered that Nancy had been researching multiple sclerosis, and worked out that she was ill with the disease. Charlie researched the disease and told Oscar that Nancy was dying, and also told Darren. Darren revealed to Nancy that Charlie knew about the illness, and Nancy told them the truth, leading to them all reconciling.

Darren was later arrested for drug dealing and served a prison sentence. Despite his insistence, Tom took Charlie to see Darren. Frankie died of a stroke in November 2017, and Oscar and Charlie read out a eulogy at her funeral. Whilst exploring the school, the pair almost discovered Kim Butterfield, who had been kidnapped by Ryan Knight, but were interrupted by Ste Hay.

Nancy and Darren split when Darren's affair with Mandy Morgan was revealed. Charlie eventually forgave his father and tolerated Mandy's daughter, Ella Richardson. Meanwhile, he took a liking to Kyle Kelly, Nancy's new boyfriend. Charlie and Ella snuck into the underground tunnels during the construction of The Cunningham Grande Bazaar, and were left trapped when the crane collapsed. However, they managed to escape. Charlie discovered that Nancy and Darren had slept together when they were trapped in the tunnels looking for Charlie and Ella, but Nancy confessed to Mandy not long afterwards.

2020-2021: County Lines Drug Dealing[]

Charlie began to feel ignored by Nancy and Kyle when they had relationship problems following Nancy's miscarriage. Charlie began secluding himself, opting to spend all of his time playing video games. Charlie would occasionally play with Sid Sumner. However, unknown to Charlie, Sid's drug dealing cousin, Jordan Price, would use Sid's account to get Charlie to think that he and Sid were friends.

Jordan later befriended Charlie, and asked him to hold onto a package. He then started getting Charlie to hold onto drugs, but Charlie found out and confronted Jordan. To Jordan's surprise, Charlie agreed to hold onto drugs for him, for a higher price. Kyle eventually discovered what Charlie was doing, and was torn between telling Nancy or trying to help Kyle secretly. Nancy and Kyle began having problems in their marriage and ended up splitting. Charlie was left distraught when Kyle took his own life following years of depression, which he had managed to keep hidden from his family. Under pressure from Jordan, Sid used the situation to manipulate a reluctant Charlie into dealing drugs for him. Charlie later helped Juliet Nightingale convince Mandy's daughter, Ella Richardson, to also deal drugs.

On New Year's Eve 2020, Ella refused to smuggle drugs inside her body for dealer Victor Brothers, so the pair hid in The Hutch. They were found by Jordan, unaware that he was planning to help Juliet Nightingale and Sid escape from Victor. Charlie grabbed Jordan's knife and stabbed him to defend himself, but Ella grabbed a knife from the kitchen and fatally stabbed Jordan.

In the aftermath, Charlie made an immediate false confession to PC George Kiss and arrested. Charlie wasn't released on bail, and was informed by solicitor James Nightingale that he could be facing seven years imprisonment. In March 2021, Charlie wrote a letter to Ella, explaining that he planned to tell the truth. The letter was used by Nancy as evidence to have Charlie released and Ella arrested. Charlie, however, omitted Mandy's involvement in his detaining.

2021-2022: Relationships[]

After Ella was given a non-custodial sentence for Jordan's death, she moved into 17 Basswood Road due to her strained relationship with Mandy. Bonding over spending time in prison, the pair began to grow close and embarked on a secret relationship, later exposed when Nancy mistakenly believed that Leah Barnes was Charlie's girlfriend. The pair ended up sleeping together, giving Ella a pregnancy scare. However, after babysitting Liberty Savage's daughter Faith Hudson, Ella thought that she and Charlie were ready for a baby. She discovered that she was pregnant in December 2021 and informed Charlie at Christmas.

Nancy was furious at Charlie and Ella deciding to have a baby, but came round after trying to scare them off with a training doll. At her first scan, Ella was informed that her baby had no heartbeat and she had miscarried. Charlie struggled to cope with the news, blaming Ella, breaking up with her and destroying their memorial tree. Charlie eventually put things right, but rejected a reconciliation. Feeling infantilised by his family and teachers, Charlie ended up confiding in Eric Foster, but turned on him when Eric attempted to indoctrinate him into his incel-ideologies.

Charlie soon befriended DeMarcus Westwood but began bullying Mason Chen-Williams. After finding DeMarcus armed with a knife, intending to use it as defence against Joseph Holmes's gang, Charlie warned P.C. Saul Reeves. DeMarcus ended up in prison when Joseph used the knife to stab Saul, but Charlie defended him and DeMarcus was eventually released. In order to raise funds for DeMarcus's girlfriend Vicky Grant's trip to Margate to visit her mother, DeMarcus threw a party at Charlie's house. Mason ended up leaking it on social media, and publicly shamed himself when he lied that he had slept with a drunken Leah.

2023-: Family Problems[]

Charlie's bullying of Mason escalated and he attempted to get Mason expelled from school. After learning that Mason had posted inappropriate photos of Leah online, he confronted Mason in the park and beat him unconscious. In February 2023, Charlie planned a leaving party for DeMarcus and Vicky when they planned to move to Margate, sneaking off into the woods. Vicky ended up overdosing on ecstasy from a drink Charlie and Leah had spiked to share, resulting in Vicky being moved away by social services and DeMarcus turning on the pair.

After Leah also rejected Charlie, he became enraged at being isolated from his friends and began purchasing weed from drug dealer Taz. He began acting up in school, leaving Nancy incensed as she became headteacher and was forced to expel him. In the heat of the moment, Nancy compared Charlie to Justin, leaving Charlie curious about him.

2024; Ella's Death, Supporting Frankie And Time Jump

Just after the New Year, Charlie, Ella and their friends all decide to go to a rave, but Ella tries to tell Charlie that she still loves him. His girlfriend at the time, Shing Lin Leong witnessed the two having a moment and accused her of trying to kiss him, but Ella was just holding his hands. Charlie doesn't defend Ella, which upsets her and she leaves after an argument with them and Leah, who is highly intoxicated. Charlie and his friends find Ella in the woods drinking alone. After a confrontation with Leah, Charlie tries to tell Ella that he does feel the same way about her but she tells him that it is too late and that they can never be friends again and she walks away. As Charlie tries to find Ella when she leaves the woods, unbeknownst to him, a car accident takes place near the ring road around the corner from the woods. Ella is involved and has been severely injured and killed. Her father, Warren Fox learns from Leela Dexter, who was at the scene that his daughter is dead and he breaks down in tears, devastated. Charlie and the rest of the village soon learn of Ella's death and he grieves for her. Upon the arrival of Francine Osborne and JJ Osborne, Charlie finds it difficult to grieve for Ella and moves out of the Osborne house temporarily. He continues with his apprenticeship and working for Dave Williams by repairing guttering in the village. When he learns that Frankie has accused Jack of inappropriately touching her, Charlie refuses to believe her and is disgusted with Darren for supposedly taking his daughter's side. It soon becomes apparent that Jack never touched her and Frankie soon admits this to everyone but Charlie is not convinced and is still cold towards her and her brother.

The next few months pass and Charlie visits the Osbornes often. He manages to sell some of his stuff to earn some extra money as he wants to put towards some savings to go away on holiday for his 18th birthday later in the year. Frankie needs some new ballet shoes for her dance recital and Nancy can't afford to replace them, so Charlie, who feels bad for her, gives her some of the money he got from selling his stuff to replace the ballet shoes. Frankie and Charlie begin to develop a close friendship, as she wonders why he would want to help her after the way she treated everyone, including Jack. Charlie tells her that if Jack can move on then so can he and the two start hanging out occasionally. Charlie learns that Frankie is supposed to attend a dance audition at an academy in Manchester. Frankie has doubts that she might not be good enough but Charlie reassures her and encourages her to go to the audition. He reluctantly signs the consent form, forging Darren's signature as Frankie doesn't want her parents to know about the audition because they will stop her from going.

Towards the end of the summer, Charlie, the Osborne family and the rest of the village find out that Frankie has been abused by JJ and Charlie realises that the abuse was the reason why Frankie accused Jack of doing what JJ had been doing to her for years. Charlie doesn't hold any grudges and doesn't treat Frankie any different after finding out the truth. Instead, he supports and protects her from JJ. When a motorbike accident caused by Cleo McQueen costs Frankie the death of her mother, Suzanne Ashworth, Charlie is there for her as she grieves, while JJ has nobody.

A year later in September 2025, Charlie is briefly mentioned although not shown since the events of the motorbike accident by Leela when her niece, Leah, who is heavily pregnant, goes into labour. It is hinted that Charlie could most likely be the father of Leah's baby, but he is not present at the birth. Unbeknownst to him, Leah gives birth to a baby boy with Leela by her side, just as her father Ste Hay wakes up from a year long coma. Leah has revealed to Ste that she is giving the baby up for adoption, but upon learning that his husband and Leah's stepdad, James Nightingale died in a car explosion a year ago, which Ste was involved in himself, Ste won't allow for the baby to be adopted. It is later revealed that Dillon Ray is the real father.

Kill Count[]

Murders/Manslaughters[]

None

Attempted Murders[]

1. Jordan Price, 31st December 2020 - Swung a knife at Jordan in defence of Ella Richardson.

Appendices[]

Residences[]

Employment history[]

Background Information[]

Introduction Sequence[]

• 2015-2016: Charlie plays a video game on a sofa, along with Esther Bloom, Jack Osborne and Frankie Osborne, he wins.
• 2016: Charlie plays table football with Esther, Jack and Frankie in a game room, he wins.
• 2017: Charlie plays table football with Jack, Esther and Oscar Osborne. He and Esther win.
• 2019-2020: Charlie attends a party inside The Hutch with Oscar Osborne, Ella Richardson, Jack Osborne, Nancy Osborne, Kyle Kelly, Luke Morgan, Mandy Richardson and Darren Osborne.
• 2020-2022: Charlie attends a party inside The Hutch with Oscar Osborne, Ella Richardson, Jack Osborne, Nancy Osborne, Luke Morgan, Mandy Richardson and Darren Osborne.
• 2022-: Charlie and Darren Osborne play foosball against Nancy and Oscar Osborne, losing the game.
• 2023-: (after previous shot with the Osbornes) Charlie greets DeMarcus Westwood as DeMarcus arrives at the bus stop.

Quotes[]

See Also[]

• List of appearances
• Hayton family
• Burton family
• Dean family