Dilly Harcourt
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| Dilly Harcourt | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Emma Johnsey-Smith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2023–2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 14 July 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 13 January 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Lucy Allan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cordelia "Dilly" Harcourt is a fictional character is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Emma Johnsey-Smith. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 14 July 2023. Her casting was announced on 30 June 2023. Executive producer, Lucy Allan revealed that Dilly's introduction would explore her plans to "destroy" Sienna Blake (Anna Passey). Dilly is initially introduced as the sister of Rafe Harcourt (Chris Gordon) who grows suspicious of Sienna's intentions with her "brother", believing her to be a gold-digger after the family fortune. She was later to be revealed as Rafe's wife, and the pair were set to ruin Sienna's life, but a reasoning behind as to why was left unrevealed. The character was then devised in a plot-twist as the estranged daughter of the deceased Patrick Blake (Jeremy Sheffield) who he abandoned during her early childhood in favour of Sienna – the reasoning behind her life-long vendetta.
Since Dilly's debut in the serial, her storylines have included and focused on pretending her husband Rafe Harcourt (Chris Gordon) was her brother to incite her wicked revenge on her later revealed half-sister Sienna Blake (Anna Passey), her relationships with Rafe, Ethan Williams (Matthew James-Bailey) and Prince McQueen (Malique Thompson-Dwyer), being accused of killing Rafe, her rampage after being revealed as the late daughter of Patrick Blake (Jeremy Sheffield); even envisioning him whilst breaking into the school, inciting a bond with Sienna and Liberty Savage (Jessamy Stoddart) after accidentally attacking Liberty and attempting to destroy Sienna, being caught up in a shooting that Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) arranged; going wrong with Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson) shooting Murphy (Rick S. Carr) attending along with Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) and her connection to the deaths of Lizzie Chen-Williams (Lily Best) and Hunter McQueen (Theo Graham).
The character and casting was announced on 30 June 2023.[1] Almost no information of Dilly's character was given to viewers apart from being heavily involved with Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) and Ethan Williams (Matthew James-Bailey).[1] Speaking about her casting, Johnsey-Smith said, "I'm very excited to have joined the cast of Hollyoaks. My time on the show so far has been great and all the cast and crew have been super welcoming. Dilly is fiery, quick-witted and a force to be reckoned with. Her kamikaze-like nature sees her in many a chaotic moment but deep down, there is a real vulnerable side that I'm excited for the audience to see."[1]
Development
Sienna Blake and paternity reveal
Dilly arrives with a clear hatred for Sienna Blake (Anna Passey).[2] Dilly plots against and sabotages Sienna as she can no longer handle her hatred.[3][4] Fans often speculated whether there was going to be a major plot-twist that Dilly would somehow be related to Sienna or a member of her family.[5] It was later announced that Dilly is the long-lost daughter of deceased character Patrick Blake (Jeremy Sheffield).[6][7] Patrick abandoned Dilly when her mother, Margaret, discovers Patrick's double life and gave Patrick an ultimatum whether to stay with their current family and not administer contact with Sienna, Dodger Savage (Danny Mac) and Anna Blake (Saskia Wickham) or to leave her and Dilly. He chose Sienna, which led to Dilly having a life-long rage targeting Sienna for her father not choosing her. It was all revealed in episode 6304, originally broadcast on 6 February 2024.[6] Producers re-introduced Sheffield as Patrick as Dilly envisions him whilst breaking into the school.[8] Dilly hit Sienna's half-sister Liberty Savage (Jessamy Stoddart) over the head with a blunt object in the basement at Harcourt Manor/Grove after Liberty finds her living underneath Sienna and her family, locking her in there in the process.[9] This sparks fear in Sienna. Sienna questions Dilly and later unlocks the basement for Liberty. Whilst confronting Dilly, Sienna pushes her over an interior balcony; learning Dilly is her half-sister. Sienna swears to Liberty she will help Dilly, as not so long ago she was in the same position.[10] As Sienna is scammed out of £300,000 by James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan), she assumes Dilly knew Rafe had nothing for their future, and bans her from Rafe's funeral.[11]
The plot-twist paternity storyline was revisited later on in 2024 following the introduction of Patrick's estranged mother Martha Blake (Sherrie Hewson) and Jez Blake (Sheffield).[12] Teasing the upcoming plot, executive producer Hannah Cheers stated: "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. But for Sienna, Dilly, Liberty and Maxine, what happens next is not what anyone could have expected...".[12] Johnsey-Smith expressed her delight at working with both Sheffield and Hewson.[13]
"Oh my goodness, it's such a hard question because it's really complex as a story, and it's not linear. I would say just for the audience – look out for clues because all will be revealed, and it might not be what it seems at first. It gets dark and gets sinister, in true Blake fashion."[13]
Relationships
Rafe is revealed to be suffering with a terminal illness.[14] Dilly's final wish to Rafe is to destroy Sienna's life before he dies, to which he accepted. Rafe eventually falls in love with Sienna as the storyline progresses, much to Dilly's annoyance and the storyline's culmination plot was announced in early January 2024. After being initially introduced as siblings, it was revealed Rafe and Dilly are husband and wife.[15][16] During Sienna and Rafe's wedding day, Rafe confesses his love for Sienna and Dilly then attacked Rafe in retaliation, clutching at straws to keep him still in love with her. Rafe died in episode 6288, originally broadcast on 15 January 2024.[17] Dilly later goes on the run after being blamed for murdering Rafe, but she is later cleared when it is revealed he died of his terminal illness.[18]
She begins a romance with Ethan Williams (Matthew James-Bailey) upon introduction but the romance is shortly lived.[19] The romance is presumably rekindled and revisited as the pair have noted chemistry and Ethan helped her whilst she was on the run for the involvement surrounding Rafe's death.[20] After piling pressure on Ethan,[21] he later grows tired of Dilly.[22]
In February 2024, the writers placed Dilly in another relationship as she embarks on a romance with Prince McQueen (Malique Thompson-Dwyer).[23] They strike a bond whilst competing for a job in The Loft nightclub. They are both later hired and their romance is "heated up" in the spring trailer 2024.[24] The trailer featured the both flirtatiously arguing with each other, which ends with the pair passionately kissing.[25] Prince later cheats on Dilly after proposing to her whilst sleeping with his brothers fiancée Zoe Anderson (Garcia Brown).[26] They later call the engagement off after admitting it was a drunken mistake – Zoe and Hunter stay engaged.
Dilly attends the wedding of Dave Chen-Williams (Dominic Power) and Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) in episode 6368, originally broadcast on 7 May 2024. Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) has supplied dodgy ecstasy tablets.[27] Dilly purchased them under the pretence that they had no harmful effect. The drugs soon get passed round, Dilly, Prince, Hunter McQueen (Theo Graham), Lizzie Chen-Williams (Lily Best) and unassumingly Zoe Anderson (Garcia Brown) consumed the drug. Lizzie dies during the wedding party and the grief-stricken group make a pact in the toilet to not say a word.[28] They all agree however later that night, Hunter also dies unknowingly next to Prince.[29] Whilst assuming Hunter was simply asleep, he started to confess about sleeping with Zoe behind his back, which was also featured in the spring trailer.[24][26]