Barry "Newt" Newton

infobox soap character
series=Hollyoaks
name=Barry "Newt" Newton
portrayer=| Nico Mirallegro
first= 22 October 2007
born=October 25, 1992
(age age|1992|10|25)
occupation=Student
romances=Foster mother: Frankie Osborne
Foster father: Jack Osborne
Foster sisters: Steph Dean, Debbie Dean, Ruth Osborne, Beth Osborne
Foster brothers: Darren Osborne, Jake Dean, Craig Dean
Best Friends: Eli (however, later seen to be a figment of Newt's imagination), Lauren Valentine

Barry "Newt" Newton (born October 25, 1992) is a fictional character on the long-running British channel 4 television soap opera Hollyoaks. He is portrayed by actor Nico Mirallegro and first appeared in Hollyoaks on 22 October 2007.

Creation and development

Newt has been noted as the first "emo" character for Hollyoaks [cite news |title = Angry young emo for 'Hollyoaks' |url = http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a77467/angry-young-emo-for-hollyoaks.html|format = Website |work = DigitalSpy.co.uk|accessdate = 2007-10-11] and has been shown to follow certain emo characteristics, such as a reluctance to communicate with those around him. Producer Bryan Kirkwood stated: "He's a little belter who after a couple of years in the background will hopefully prove to be a really big character."

Character profile

Newt arrived in Hollyoaks as the second foster child of Jack and Frankie Osborne. The character had been in foster care since the age of three due to his mother's heroin addiction and his father's disappearance. Despite his dark demeanour, Newt was an intelligent and articulate youngster and, as a result of his fostering history, was able to psychoanalyze everyone he comes into contact with. He also secretly hoped his mother would clean up her act and track him down.

Darren stole Frankie's rings and sold them to pay off his debts. He put a bracelet he also stole in Newt's bag to frame him when Frankie started looking for them. He then 'found' it and let everyone believe Newt stole them. Jack gave Newt an option: confess or go back into care. Newt became very angry that no one believed him just because he was 'a kid in care'. Believing Jack framed him, he angrily chose to go back into care. A few weeks later, he returned when Darren was revealed as the culprit.

After Jake Dean became jealous of the time Nancy Hayton spent helping Newt with his dyslexia, he made an anonymous phone call to the Police - accusing Nancy of having a sexually inappropriate relationship with Newt. Newt was upset at being questioned, but defended Nancy.

Shortly after arriving, Newt bonded with Lauren Valentine, who shared a similarly dark outlook on life. They played a practical joke in The Dog (the local public house), pretending that Newt had been possessed by the ghost of Sam Owen, who had burnt down the pub the year before. However, performed in front of Russ Owen & Darren it didn't go down well, resulting in Russ losing his temper and demanding Newt never mention Sam's name again, before Darren explained that Sam was Russ's brother, and Russ's girlfriend had died in the fire. Several months later, they again tormented Russ after he put Lauren in detention. They were also accused of 'kidnapping' Tom. Tom forgot to tell O.B. and Summer that he was going to return the sketchbook which Newt had left behind at MOBS. He stayed with Newt and Lauren all afternoon and they gave him an emo style. Frankie, along with Lauren's mother Valerie, forbade them from seeing each other.

On Wednesday 20 February 2008 The Dog was raided by two men named Anthony and Carl who held Louise, Jack and Frankie hostage at gunpoint, and demanded cash. Newt managed to hide and phone the police, but when the men discovered him he was so scared he wet himself, after Newt was discovered the men threatened Newt, and Frankie stood up for him. It was also revealed while the hostages sat together in fear that Newt used to live in fear of his mum's violent boyfriend: After this Newt was made to join the others and was held hostage with them. Darren was shot while trying to help Jack, but otherwise they were unharmed. Newt took Warren aside at the hospital and quietly asked him to give the Dog back to Jack. In order to help restore Louise's trust in him, Warren agreed.

On Thursday 6 March 2008, Newt and Lauren decided to have sex. Lauren wanted to have it in a graveyard referring to Romeo and Juliet and Newt told her he wanted it at her house. Newt soon realized he wasn't ready to have sex.

The pair asked geek Elliot Bevan to help with coursework, but when Elliot went to a picnic with Sarah Barnes instead of helping them, Newt and Lauren decided to get revenge. After overhearing Elliot have a conversation with Chris about how Elliot believed his father was abducted by aliens, the pair posted messages on Elliot's alien watching site, claiming to be Elliot's father, and telling him to meet in the woods. Elliot went to the woods and started crying hysterically. Newt, seeing this told Lauren he thought it was wrong and the pair left Elliot in the woods. They grew worried when he didn't return from the woods where they had led him to. The next night they returned and after falling down a small hill, Newt stumbled across a foot sticking out of the mud. They then ran from the woods. After a couple of days they both went to Lauren's older brother Calvin, a police officer and admitted everything about Elliot. Calvin didn't believe them but went to the woods anyway where they then found the body. The body found wasn't Elliot, it was Sean Kennedy. Elliot was soon found with hypothermia after staying in the woods for nearly a week. When he returned, he was renewed and fed up with all the teasing he had received.

chizophrenia

On Friday 20th June, Eli, a friend of Newt's (Who had recently reappeared as a figure from Newt's past) were set to run away together and restart a life on their own. Newt says his last feeble goodbyes to Lauren and Jack who do not suspect that Newt will be gone forever. He meets Eli at the bus stop and they reflect upon their plans. Meanwhile, Lauren watches one of Newt's many tapes and sees that it was him, not Eli, who wrote threatening messages onto the Dean Residence walls. She sees Newt graffiting and smiling at the camera. Meanwhile, Eli and Newt start chanting 'Eli's gonna get you.' They chant this until Eli fizzles away from the shot, leading the viewers to realise that Eli is really a figment of Newt's imagination, and not a real person. Newt, after suffering a mental breakdown was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Newt has since been released from hospital and has returned home to his family the Deans. On Monday 1st September, Newt attended his first day back at school since his hospitalisation.Eli returned after Darren told Newt he would go back to hospital if he told people that he saw Jack.Newt flushed his medicine down the drain.Newt argued with Lauren over Frankies plans to go to Spain.Newts adoption by Frankie was rejected after his mother objected. Frankie and Darren told Newt that Jack was still alive. After seeing Jack, Newt decided to run away after Eli told him to. Lauren found Newt in a boiler room.Darren walked in when Newt was verbally attacking Lauren. Darren told the police Newt stayed the night at Laurens.Newt started taking his medication again.

References