Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks favourite Frankie Osborne bravely fights to save herself and her friends next week as the show’s dark exploitation story nears its conclusion.
Show bosses have revealed that corrupt DI Banks goes on a desperate mission to evade arrest by destroying evidence and disposing of workers.
This leaves Frankie, Dillon Ray and Vicky Grant all in serious jeopardy, as three action-packed episodes culminate in dramatic scenes that fans won’t want to miss.
Isabelle Smith, who plays Frankie, recently caught up with us for an exclusive chat about the story and what’s to come.
Hi Isabelle! How did you first hear about the exploitation storyline?
“[Hollyoaks producer] Hannah Cheers rang me about it. Previously, we’d spoken about Frankie getting a boyfriend, finding love and going down that route, so that’s initially where I thought the story was heading.
“Hannah told me that the Hollyoaks team had been chatting with a few charities and they wanted to further explore what happens to survivors once they come out of court.
“Frankie had got her justice, but there’s not always much support afterwards within the system. She’d been to counselling but that was it, so she was left to fend for herself.
“This was the point where Frankie was probably at her most vulnerable. She’d been abused and still had trust issues, so wasn’t sure who her real friends were.
“We decided the exploitation story would be a good path to show what can happen to vulnerable young adults like Frankie.”
You have a lot of experience with sensitive scenes, but has this story still been a challenge?
“It’s been really challenging. I’ve found this storyline a lot harder than my previous one. I think because we had such an incredible reaction to Frankie and JJ’s sibling sexual abuse story, I felt a lot of pressure to get this one right.
“We did continue to work with a charity and I carried on doing all of my research. I put a lot of pressure on myself to follow on from that storyline and really do it justice.”
Has there been much feedback from the audience?
“I get so many lovely messages – usually on Instagram and TikTok. There’s also fan mail, as people write letters or send little gifts. It’s so sweet and lovely – and it reminds me why I’m doing the job in the first place. I’ve been overwhelmed, in a positive way.”
How has it been to work more closely with Nathaniel Dass, who plays Dillon?
“It’s been great – we get on really well in real life so that’s always a bonus! We’ve had a lot of fun working on the storyline.
“We’ve obviously had some very serious scenes, but we’ve been able to have a laugh afterwards. I think we’ve been able to support each other through this storyline.”
How is the extent of Grace’s deceit going to affect Frankie?
“For a while, Frankie thought Grace was like a fun auntie figure! Grace was inviting her to all of the parties, letting her have a drink, letting her wear what she wanted.
“Frankie’s never had this in her life before. She’s got Nancy, but she’s also missing her mum. When she had this very strong female to look up to, I think she just wanted to be Grace.
“After putting so much emphasis on their relationship, I think her whole world is going to come tumbling down now and Frankie will have a lot more trust issues.”
How terrified is Frankie as she continues to be held captive next week?
“The exploitation story is going to take a very dark turn. There are a lot of emotional scenes, which I found really emotionally challenging to film.
“Frankie is the same age as my little sister. There was one scene we filmed where it really hit me, over the age of some of the young adults that are being put through this. I know it was quite challenging for the crew as well.
“Frankie is feeling very helpless. She fears she’s never going to get out of this. She’s scared and worried that she’s never going to escape this abuse cycle, that she’s been in for her whole life.”
You’re also working more closely with Drew Cain, who plays DI Banks, in these particular scenes…
“Yes, working with Drew has been great. I only got to work with him a tiny bit before this, but he’s been amazing and he brings such a great energy onto the set.
“It’s funny seeing Drew playing a bad guy. It’s so different to real life, where he’s so lovely and bubbly. I think he’s done such an amazing job.”
At one point, the young characters are being put up for auction. Are they aware of what’s happening?
“A few scenes before the auction actually happens, they do clock onto what’s happening. I think there’s been a lot of naivety before that. Some of the audience responses have been: ‘Oh, how do you not know that this is happening to you?’
“But how many times has something happened to you personally and you’ve only realised afterwards? Sometimes you’re so caught up in the moment, and you’re so trusting of the people around you, that you don’t think any harm is going to come to you.
“You never think something like this is going to happen – it wouldn’t be your immediate response. So they do become aware of it, but they’re just trying to figure a way out of it.”
How fiercely will Frankie fight to save everyone?
“I think we’ve seen this side of Frankie before, when she spoke up about everything that had happened with JJ. We know that she’s got fight in her. When it comes to it, she can stand up for herself.
“Frankie sees the danger that her friends are in, so she takes it upon herself to make the first move in trying to protect them. She’s not necessarily thinking of herself – she’s thinking about how she can get her friends out and make everything better in this situation…”
If Frankie gets out of this, do you want her to find some happiness or do you prefer the darker storylines?
“As much as I enjoy doing a dark story and I’ve had the best time, I do think it would be time for her to have a bit of light and happiness. But you’ll have to stay tuned to see if that happens!”
Have you kept in contact with Ryan Mulvey, who played JJ, now that he’s moved over to Coronation Street?
“Yeah, I actually helped him with the self-tape audition, so I like to think I helped him get the job! (Laughs.)
“Ryan has been doing great. I’ve seen little clips on TikTok and I’ve seen him around a couple of times as well, so I’m really pleased that he’s doing so well.”
