Charlotte Lau
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Lau is a fictional character
from the British Channel 4
soap opera
Hollyoaks
, played by Amy Yamazaki
. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 9 June 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan
as the ex-girlfriend of Lydia Hart
. In September 2010, it was announced that Yamazaki and Charlotte had departed Hollyoaks and her final scenes had already aired, with Charlotte making her final appearance on 17 September 2010.
, Hollyoaks series producer Lucy Allan
announced that a number of students at Hollyoaks Community College would be moving out of Halls of Residence in preparation for the new term. Former BBC Three
Coming of Age
actress Amy Yamazaki
joined the cast as Charlotte Lau, the new barmaid at the SU Bar and ex-girlfriend of established character Lydia Hart
(Lydia Kelly
). She made her first on-screen appearance on 9 June 2009. In July 2009, it was announced by the media that Charlotte would become one of the new of students. Charlotte was noted for being the second homosexual female character to be introduced in 2009.
In September 2010, Yamazaki was unexpectedly written out of the show. After her departure, the Hollyoaks official website confirmed her final scenes had already aired. Fans of Charlotte became angry with executive producer Paul Marquess
because they thought he had axed her. In reality Yamazaki had quit in order to concentrate on her writing. Whilst interviewed by entertainment website Digital Spy
Marquess stated: "I just want to put the record straight that Amy who played Charlotte wanted to go, because I think a lot of people were really angry with me for 'axing' Charlotte - which I didn't! She wanted to go off and write, so that's why she fell off an arch!"
Charlotte is also very open about her sexuality and makes reference to it on-screen on a number of occasions. In October 2009, Amy Yamazaki, whilst talking about the character's sexuality, stated in an interview with PA: "As far as I'm concerned, acting is just acting whether you're kissing a boy or a girl. Chances are you're not going to fancy them - they're just people you work with. I don't want to come across as someone who'll kiss anybody but when it comes to an acting job, I don't have an opinion if my character fancies a person whether it be boy, girl or, I don't know, mushroom."
. Archie Carpenter
immediately starts flirting with Charlotte and is annoyed to find out she is a lesbian, realising many girls in the village are lesbians or have had lesbian encounters. Ravi Roy
is embarrassed when Charlotte tells him she is a lesbian after he flirts with her. On 24 July, Charlotte begins to get closer to Lydia. The pair see Lydia's girlfriend Sarah Barnes
kissing Rhys Ashworth
and assume something is going on, however they are unaware she did it to get music tickets for her and Lydia. After Lydia finds this out, she apologises and the pair kiss. Charlotte watches as they kiss and appears upset. Charlotte teases Nancy Hayton
about her sexuality, and is convinced she is a lesbian, although Nancy repeatedly disputes this. When Sarah splits up with Lydia, Charlotte offers her a shoulder to cry on. This later leads to Lydia trying to kiss Charlotte but she retaliates. Lydia storms off after Sarah sees them both and blames everything on Charlotte.
Charlotte later becomes a Psychology student at Hollyoaks Community College and moves into the halls. She then mistakenly thinks India Longford
is a lesbian and offends her. On what would have been Lydia and Charlotte's anniversary, Lydia is given a bouquet of dead flowers. Sarah and Zoe Carpenter
blame this on Charlotte, claiming she is trying to split them up. Charlotte then accuses Zoe of attempting to break up the relationship. Lydia takes Charlotte's side, creating a divide in her relationship with Sarah. Sarah later dies during skydiving unbeknown to Charlotte the parachute was tampered by Lydia but Zoe is wrongfully arrested this leads to a feud between Charlotte and Zoe's brother Archie who is desperate to defend his sister. Charlotte and Lydia get back together, but agree to keep quiet. During Zoe's trial, Charlotte attends. When the knife Zoe apparently used to cut the parachute is shown to the court, Charlotte recognises it, as she gave Lydia it before the camping trip. Charlotte confronts Lydia, who immediately admits to using the knife, but in an attempt to commit suicide. After Charlotte pleads with her to tell the police, Lydia tells her if she goes to prison, she will kill herself. Despite this, Zoe is found not guilty of Sarah's murder. However, she befriends Lydia in order to gain a confession. When Charlotte discovers Zoe's plans, she admits to Mike and Dave Colburn
about Lydia's murder of Sarah. Charlotte rushes to the local cemetery, where Lydia and Zoe are, with Dave and Mike close behind. When she gets there, Lydia stabs Zoe at Sarah's grave. Charlotte pleads with Lydia, who threatens her. As they realise Zoe is still alive, Lydia tries to get the knife. However, Charlotte attacks her and Dave gets the knife.
New fresher Jamil Fadel tries it on with Charlotte, unaware she is a lesbian. Charlotte takes drugs, given to her by Doug Carter
in Chez-Chez. She dances with Jamil, who is convinced that he can win her over. Charlotte leaves the nightclub and suggests going into town with India and Jamil, who are unaware she had taken drugs. Charlotte climbs on top of the village wall arch and asks them to join her. Doug watches her and Jamil on the arch and rushes to stop them. However, Charlotte loses her balance and falls off. Charlotte is taken to hospital, where she regains consciousness. Doug is made to leave after Charlotte tells everyone he gave her the drugs. Charlotte fears she will be paralysed and decides to leave Hollyoaks.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, played by Amy Yamazaki
Amy Yamazaki
Amy Yamazaki is a British actress best known for her portrayal of Charlotte Lau in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:...
. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 9 June 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan
Lucy Allan (producer)
Lucy Jane Allan is a British television producer, best known for her work on Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.Allan's other credited work include a script editor for Dream Team and assistant to director in Chica de Río....
as the ex-girlfriend of Lydia Hart
Lydia Hart
Lydia Hart is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a long-running serial drama about life in a fictional suburb of Chester. The character is no longer part of current storylines. She was played by actress Lydia Kelly between 2009 and 2010. Lydia was created by...
. In September 2010, it was announced that Yamazaki and Charlotte had departed Hollyoaks and her final scenes had already aired, with Charlotte making her final appearance on 17 September 2010.
Character creation and casting
In May 2009, in an interview with entertainment website Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
, Hollyoaks series producer Lucy Allan
Lucy Allan (producer)
Lucy Jane Allan is a British television producer, best known for her work on Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.Allan's other credited work include a script editor for Dream Team and assistant to director in Chica de Río....
announced that a number of students at Hollyoaks Community College would be moving out of Halls of Residence in preparation for the new term. Former BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
Coming of Age
Coming of Age (2008 TV series)
For other uses, see Coming of Age Coming of Age was a British situation comedy written by Tim Dawson produced in house by BBC Productions and aired on BBC Three. The show took a direct look at five sixth form students, Jas, Ollie, Matt, Chloe and DK, as well as new character Robyn Crisp, who are...
actress Amy Yamazaki
Amy Yamazaki
Amy Yamazaki is a British actress best known for her portrayal of Charlotte Lau in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:...
joined the cast as Charlotte Lau, the new barmaid at the SU Bar and ex-girlfriend of established character Lydia Hart
Lydia Hart
Lydia Hart is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a long-running serial drama about life in a fictional suburb of Chester. The character is no longer part of current storylines. She was played by actress Lydia Kelly between 2009 and 2010. Lydia was created by...
(Lydia Kelly
Lydia Kelly
Lydia Rose Kelly is a British actress best known for her portrayal of Lydia Hart in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. Kelly departed the show in 2009, with her final scenes airing on 1 January 2010....
). She made her first on-screen appearance on 9 June 2009. In July 2009, it was announced by the media that Charlotte would become one of the new of students. Charlotte was noted for being the second homosexual female character to be introduced in 2009.
In September 2010, Yamazaki was unexpectedly written out of the show. After her departure, the Hollyoaks official website confirmed her final scenes had already aired. Fans of Charlotte became angry with executive producer Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess is a Northern Irish-born British television producer.-Television career:His credits include Brookside, The Bill and Family Affairs. He also originated the idea for the series Footballers' Wives...
because they thought he had axed her. In reality Yamazaki had quit in order to concentrate on her writing. Whilst interviewed by entertainment website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
Marquess stated: "I just want to put the record straight that Amy who played Charlotte wanted to go, because I think a lot of people were really angry with me for 'axing' Charlotte - which I didn't! She wanted to go off and write, so that's why she fell off an arch!"
Characterisation
Charlotte's personality has been evident from inception. She has an alternative dress code, with Channel 4 publicity stating that she is a 'Tokyo grunger'. She is also described as super friendly, funny and cool and knows how to hold her own. With script writers referencing on-screen that she may be unhinged. After the character had appeared on-screen for a brief period of time her style was described as 'funky and feisty' and has been applied a trend of bold clothing to create a 'Tokyo pop' look.Charlotte is also very open about her sexuality and makes reference to it on-screen on a number of occasions. In October 2009, Amy Yamazaki, whilst talking about the character's sexuality, stated in an interview with PA: "As far as I'm concerned, acting is just acting whether you're kissing a boy or a girl. Chances are you're not going to fancy them - they're just people you work with. I don't want to come across as someone who'll kiss anybody but when it comes to an acting job, I don't have an opinion if my character fancies a person whether it be boy, girl or, I don't know, mushroom."
Storylines
Charlotte first appears on 9 June 2009, as a barmaid in the SU Bar and the ex-girlfriend of Lydia HartLydia Hart
Lydia Hart is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a long-running serial drama about life in a fictional suburb of Chester. The character is no longer part of current storylines. She was played by actress Lydia Kelly between 2009 and 2010. Lydia was created by...
. Archie Carpenter
Archie Carpenter
Archie Carpenter is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Stephen Beard. The character first appeared on-screen on 3 November 2008 until his exit on 28 May 2010. He was introduced as the younger brother of then established Zoe Carpenter, when he moved...
immediately starts flirting with Charlotte and is annoyed to find out she is a lesbian, realising many girls in the village are lesbians or have had lesbian encounters. Ravi Roy
Ravi Roy
Ravi Roy is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Stephen Uppal. He first appeared in an episode airing on 20 May 2008, introduced by series producer Bryan Kirkwood. Since then he has been central to a bisexuality storyline and living with an aneurysm...
is embarrassed when Charlotte tells him she is a lesbian after he flirts with her. On 24 July, Charlotte begins to get closer to Lydia. The pair see Lydia's girlfriend Sarah Barnes
Sarah Barnes
Sarah Barnes is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Loui Batley. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 10 October 2005. Sarah was created by executive producer David Hanson as part of the Barnes family. In 2009 Batley quit the serial in...
kissing Rhys Ashworth
Rhys Ashworth
Rhys Lesley Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Andrew Moss. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 October 2005.-Character creation and casting:...
and assume something is going on, however they are unaware she did it to get music tickets for her and Lydia. After Lydia finds this out, she apologises and the pair kiss. Charlotte watches as they kiss and appears upset. Charlotte teases Nancy Hayton
Nancy Hayton
Nancy Anne Hayton is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jessica Fox. The character first appeared on 6 July 2005. Since the character's inception she has been involved in many notable storylines such as a three-way open relationship, drug taking,...
about her sexuality, and is convinced she is a lesbian, although Nancy repeatedly disputes this. When Sarah splits up with Lydia, Charlotte offers her a shoulder to cry on. This later leads to Lydia trying to kiss Charlotte but she retaliates. Lydia storms off after Sarah sees them both and blames everything on Charlotte.
Charlotte later becomes a Psychology student at Hollyoaks Community College and moves into the halls. She then mistakenly thinks India Longford
India Longford
India Longford is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Beth Kingston. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 September 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan as a new student at Hollyoaks Community College...
is a lesbian and offends her. On what would have been Lydia and Charlotte's anniversary, Lydia is given a bouquet of dead flowers. Sarah and Zoe Carpenter
Zoe Carpenter
Zoe Carpenter is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Zoë Lister. The character first appeared on-screen on 1 September 2006, as one of three new students at Hollyoaks Community College. It was announced in 2009 that Lister had quit her role in order to...
blame this on Charlotte, claiming she is trying to split them up. Charlotte then accuses Zoe of attempting to break up the relationship. Lydia takes Charlotte's side, creating a divide in her relationship with Sarah. Sarah later dies during skydiving unbeknown to Charlotte the parachute was tampered by Lydia but Zoe is wrongfully arrested this leads to a feud between Charlotte and Zoe's brother Archie who is desperate to defend his sister. Charlotte and Lydia get back together, but agree to keep quiet. During Zoe's trial, Charlotte attends. When the knife Zoe apparently used to cut the parachute is shown to the court, Charlotte recognises it, as she gave Lydia it before the camping trip. Charlotte confronts Lydia, who immediately admits to using the knife, but in an attempt to commit suicide. After Charlotte pleads with her to tell the police, Lydia tells her if she goes to prison, she will kill herself. Despite this, Zoe is found not guilty of Sarah's murder. However, she befriends Lydia in order to gain a confession. When Charlotte discovers Zoe's plans, she admits to Mike and Dave Colburn
Dave Colburn
David "Dave" Colburn is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Elliot James Langridge. He first appeared in Hollyoaks online spin-off, Hollyoaks: The Morning After the Night Before, which explored the dangers of binge drinking...
about Lydia's murder of Sarah. Charlotte rushes to the local cemetery, where Lydia and Zoe are, with Dave and Mike close behind. When she gets there, Lydia stabs Zoe at Sarah's grave. Charlotte pleads with Lydia, who threatens her. As they realise Zoe is still alive, Lydia tries to get the knife. However, Charlotte attacks her and Dave gets the knife.
New fresher Jamil Fadel tries it on with Charlotte, unaware she is a lesbian. Charlotte takes drugs, given to her by Doug Carter
Doug Carter
Doug Carter is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by PJ Brennan. He initially appeared in the programme's online spin-off series Hollyoaks: Freshers, before debuting in the main series in the episode airing 13 September 2010. He left on 17 September before returning...
in Chez-Chez. She dances with Jamil, who is convinced that he can win her over. Charlotte leaves the nightclub and suggests going into town with India and Jamil, who are unaware she had taken drugs. Charlotte climbs on top of the village wall arch and asks them to join her. Doug watches her and Jamil on the arch and rushes to stop them. However, Charlotte loses her balance and falls off. Charlotte is taken to hospital, where she regains consciousness. Doug is made to leave after Charlotte tells everyone he gave her the drugs. Charlotte fears she will be paralysed and decides to leave Hollyoaks.
External links
- Character profile on the E4 website