User:Servz/Frankie Osborne (2011 character)

Frankie Osborne is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Isabelle Smith.

Creation and casting


The production team for Hollyoaks, at the time led by Paul Marquess, implored a twist when Suzanne Ashworth (Suzanne Hall) would return pregnant with the twins of long-serving character Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson). The return would also result in Suzanne giving birth in the 3,000th episode celebrations of the show. Speaking of his reaction to the storyline, Dawson commented: "I was shocked in the same way, but it's just typical Darren! It's great. Suzanne's return has come at a time when things are going alright for Darren for the first time in his life – he's settled down a bit, he's realised that he's going to go for it with Nancy (Jessica Fox) and everything seems to be going well. But in true Darren style, there's been a big spanner in the works. It makes for a very funny time ahead." In March 2011, it was announced that Suzanne would be departing Hollyoaks, along with Jack and Francine.

Upon the succession of new executive producer Hannah Cheers and series producer Angelo Abela, the decision to re-introduce Darren's twins were announced. The news came following the return of half sister Hannah Ashworth (Emma Rigby) after 13 years away. The announcement came to light on 10 November 2023 – specific plot details regarding the return were not disclosed of the time. The reintroduction of Frankie and JJ was set to bring drama to "an already troubled family". The casting of Isabelle Smith came to light on 24 November 2023, as part of a follow-up announcement. Smith was delighted of her casting, she said in her casting report: "I'm so excited to be joining the cast of Hollyoaks, it still hasn't sunk in! You should expect a lot of ups and downs with Frankie but all I'll say is, don't judge her too soon…" Smith made her debut as Frankie in episode 6291, originally broadcast on 18 January 2024.

Sibling sexual abuse
The production team for Hollyoaks decided to use the characters of JJ and Frankie to explore the topic of sibling sexual abuse. The controversial plot-line was originally announced on 8 March 2024. Exploring into the Osborne/Ashworth family dynamic, the storyline would highlight the treatment between JJ and Frankie. JJ is always treated as "the golden boy" whereas Frankie is referred to as "the problem child". Hollyoaks producers worked with the advocacy group SARSAS to "shine a spotlight" on the issue of sibling sexual abuse, which has "traditionally been under-reported". A Hollyoaks spokesperson spoken out on the storyline and said: "It remains a hidden, chronically under-estimated and untreated form of child sexual abuse. It continues to be ignored, played down, or denied by parents, professionals, and authorities as harmless or non-threatening childhood sexual experimentation that does not require attention. This is despite the known lifetime effects of sexual violence and abuse on the health and happiness of survivors." The Hollyoaks team had access to the results of the largest government-funded research report on sibling sexual abuse, which was completed after a two-year process. Hannah Cheers, executive producer of Hollyoaks, expressed hope the storyline would "merit attention and recognition" to the issue-led based story.

Claire Bloor of SARSAS shared praise for Hollyoaks's approach in dealing with such a "challenging subject matter". She said: "Continuing dramas such as Hollyoaks have the potential to reach huge audiences and create change in the national conversation. This storyline is an opportunity to shine a light on the under-researched and under-discussed topic of sibling sexual abuse. We hope that it will raise awareness of both the prevalence of this issue and the devastating impact it can have on those impacted by it. Through the portrayal of Frankie's story, we can take a step towards removing the shame and stigma so often attached to sexual abuse and the taboo of talking about it that allows it to thrive, in silence." Hollyoaks had previously hinted at Frankie's troubled past when she accused her paternal grandfather Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna) of sexual assault whilst playfully dancing. Frankie begins to repress memories from her childhood that revealed it was JJ who had sexually abused her. The first scene confirming the abuse was broadcast in episode 6329, originally transmitted on 12 March 2024.

Frankie, who had been struggling for a while, had taken up binge drinking. She is rushed to the hospital in "troubling" scenes. She is subsequently struggling with the return of Jack into the household and JJ being constantly glamorised, leaving her feeling left out. Frankie attacks Suzanne for missing a nail appointment to get drunk and reminding her of the abuse from JJ, interpreting a police twist as she is caught by Zoe Anderson (Garcia Brown). The production team used Frankie's character to give her more authenticity when they devised a self harm storyline for her. The storyline also coincided with the self harm of Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis), with writers developing a friendship between the two teenagers. The storyline reached a terrifying climax as Frankie was raped by JJ in scenes from the episode first broadcast on 17 April 2024. Prior to the episode's release date, Dawson (Darren) was featured in a video from the soap opera's Instagram page regarding figures of sexual abuse between siblings. He also hoped the storyline would remove any stigma or taboo around the subject. The writers decided once again to highlight her friendship with Lucas during the aftermath of her rape. Lucas helps Frankie obtain emergency contraception. The friendship is ended when Lucas is accused of raping Frankie as she is unable to tell anyone the real reason why she needed the contraception.

Morgan Osborne was set to become involved with the storyline, initially reported on 7 May 2024. The abuse continues as JJ is caught by Nancy attempting to go into Frankie's bedroom at night. In a bid to keep Nancy in her room, she overdoses Morgan on antihistamines. The family are awoken in the night as Morgan silently chokes on her vomit. JJ manipulates Frankie into blaming Oscar Osborne (Noah Holdsworth). JJ also turns it around on Frankie, making out she owed him. Frankie makes an exit plan when she applies for a dance school in London. The writers also decided to devise a friendship between Frankie and Charlie Dean (Charlie Behan). Smith was interview by Inside Soap about the mentality behind Frankie's escape plan. She described dancing as Frankie's "outlet" and is the only source of feeling safe. When Inside Soap asked her at what point does Frankie realises JJ has followed her to the audition, she responded: "Frankie hasn't told her family about the audition, apart from Charlie. She doesn't realise JJ has found out, he sees her get in a taxi so he follows her. Frankie has practised so much for this audition, she's excited, then she looks into the audience and JJ is sitting there…". On the reaction upon seeing JJ in the audience, Smith added: "It's horrible. Ryan [Mulvey, who plays JJ] does that chilling stare – he's so good! Frankie stumbles, forgets her routine, but manages to pick it back up and finish, though she thinks she's blown it. She's so deflated, and the fear in the back of her mind is what JJ will do now he knows she's tried to get away from him."

Reception
Stephen Patterson of Metro described the sibling sexual abuse story as "harrowing". Joe Anderton of Digital Spy also described the scenes where the abuse was confirmed as "harrowing". Patterson also labelled the scenes "disturbing". Fans were "horrified" and slammed the production team for airing the scenes without warning, with many reporting the scenes to Ofcom. Anderton (Digital Spy) dubbed Frankie's rape scenes as the storyline's "most upsetting turn yet". Inside Soap branded the sibling sexual abuse storyline as "one of the most hard-hitting storylines in the soap's history".

For Smith's portrayal of Frankie, she was nominated for "Best Newcomer" at the Inside Soap Awards 2024. The sibling sexual abuse storyline was nominated for "Best Storyline". Frankie being abused by JJ was also nominated for "Best Showstopper". The Osborne family were also nominated for "Best Family".