Soap stars’ real ages – adults playing teens to seven-year gap between mum and daughter
A number of Coronation Street, EastEnders and Hollyoaks soap stars have played characters much younger than their real age - with some playing children despite being in their 20s
EastEnders schoolboy Logan caused a stir when he arrived on the BBC show last month as a guest.
Fans were not so much taking about the newcomer because of his bullying, but more so due to the fact he’s played by a 27-year old.
Wearing a school uniform, actor Liam Hatch made his first appearance on the show in Walford High and immediately picked on Denzel Danes. It didn’t take long for viewers to spot the former Doctor Who spin-off star, however, who were left confused by his role.
After one X (formerly Twitter) user wrote “this schoolboy sold me my mortgage”, Liam joked in response on his Instagram story: “Logan. The most talked about bully on the street. (PS… I don’t sell mortgages)”.
Daily Star take a look look back at some of soap’s most shocking ages over the past two decades, with Enders proving it is no stranger to bizarre casting.
Audrey Roberts and Gail Platt – Coronation Street
Mother and daughter duo Audrey and Gail have been regulars in Weatherfield since joining the Corrie cast in the 1970s. Both have suffered many trials and tribulations over the years – most notably when Gail hooked up with her mum’s ex, Lewis Archer in 2013.
The pair eventually patched things up and have been on good terms since, with their on-screen chemistry largely fueled by the Corrie writers’ wit seeing them bounce off each other to hilarious effect.
Whilst their roles suggest Audrey had Gail at 18 as their ages are 83 and 65 respectively, the age gap between actresses Sue Nicholls and Helen Worth is much smaller in reality. Sue is 80 and Helen is just seven years younger at 73.
Avani Nandra-Hart – EastEnders
Avani arrived in Albert Square in October 2023 with mum Priya as the secret daughter of Ravi Gulati. Despite being a 13-year old in Walford the actress who plays her – Aaliyah James – is much older at 23.
To make matters more confusing, Avani’s on-screen big brother, Davinder ‘Nugget’ Gulati is 15 in his role, yet the actor who plays him is Juhaim Rasul Choudhury, also 15 – and therefore eight years younger than Aaliyah.
Maddie Morrison – Hollyoaks
Sixth-form student Maddie Morrison made quite an impact during her short-lived spell on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks. The schemer arrived on the show in 2011, but was killed off less than 18 months later in dramatic fashion.
The bully’s time in Chester came to an end after she crushed by a door following an explosion. Since then actress Scarlett Bowman has turned her back on her career and is now an artist and mum-of-two. Although Maddie was a 17-year old at Hollyoaks High School, Scarlett was in fact 27 at the time.
Suki Panesar – EastEnders
Balvinder Sopal was cast as Suki Panesar in EastEnders in 2020 as the protective mum of four children, Kheerat, Jags, Vinny and Ash. At 45-years old, however, she is just 11 years older than Jaz Singh Deol, who plays Kheerat. If that isn’t shocking enough, she’s only eight years older than Amar Adatia, who plays the role of Jags.
Big Mo and Charlie Slater – EastEnders
It seems EastEnders has a history of bizarre age differences. The Slater family caused a major stir on their arrival on the BBC soap back in 2000. Joining sisters Kat, Mo, Lynne and Zoe were their dad Charlie and grandma Big Mo.
Although Big Mo (played Laila Morse) is obviously supposed to be older than her on-screen son-in-law (Derek Martin), it is the opposite way round in real life. Laila, who recently rejoined Enders is 78, whilst Derek, who retired in 2016 is much younger than his appearance suggests at 90.
