Coronation Street legend to be 'soap's oldest serial killer' and will 'tear through victims like a knife through butter'
Coronation Street icon Sherrie Hewson is making a return to soapland and is set to become the genre's oldest serial killer who will "tear through her victims" on set.
The actress and former Loose Women panellist played Maureen Holdsworth on the cobbles for five years in the mid 1990s and revived the character for a period in 2006. Earlier this year, the 73-year-old was announced as Hollyoaks ' newest cast member, playing matriarch Martha Blake, the estranged mum of the late Patrick Blake (Jeremy Sheffield), who was killed by his granddaughter Nico in 2016.
She made her debut on the E4 show on 29 May, arriving with Patrick's twin brother Jez (also played by Jeremy). According to the show's executive producer Hannah Cheers, the Blake family are never what they seem.
"To be a Blake, you must be clever, captivating and charming on the outside… and calculating, cold and cynical on the inside, with a family dynasty so rich in history, it should come as no surprise that there are still many secrets to be uncovered," she said. "But for Sienna, Dilly, Liberty and Maxine, what happens next is not what anyone could have expected…."
Now The Sun has reported that Sherrie's character is to become soap's "oldest serial killer" who is set to "tear through characters like a knife through butter".
Its source said: "Hollyoaks is at its best when there’s a major villain on the loose and Martha is going to top them all. She’s just as twisted as her murderous great-granddaughter Nico. She may be worse. No one’s safe with Martha around."
It's believed the killing spree will start after the soap's relaunch in September, and with 20 cast members expected to be axed in the next few months, there's plenty of possible victims for her to target.
Speaking exclusively to OK! about her murderous new role, Sherrie said previously: "“I’ve never been an out-and-out baddie before – I just love it!” exclaims Sherrie. “Joyce Temple-Savage [Sherrie’s Benidorm character] was a bit of a b***h, but very funny. And then in Coronation Street I played Maureen Webster, and she was a drip."
"But being a baddie like Martha – it’s obviously who I really am because I feel as though I’m in my own skin. I can be so evil, so horrible, it’s fantastic.”
Long-time viewers will remember Martha's son Patrick as a manipulator and abuser, with his daughter Sienna and his girlfriend Maxine receiving the brunt of his behaviour. He was stopped in his tracks by granddaughter Nico - but Sherrie says the apple doesn't fall far from tree and Patrick's brother Jez is even worse.
"Jez is the most evil of them all," teases Sherrie. "We know Patrick was awful, but Martha knows that Jeremy is even worse. When the girls run into him it’s like they’ve seen a ghost – they don’t believe it."
