# Nick Pickard
**Nick Pickard** (Nicholas Pickard, born 1975) is an English actor who has played Tony Hutchinson in the [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) soap opera *Hollyoaks* since the show's first episode in October 1995, making him the serial's longest-serving cast member.[1](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Nick_Pickard) Before *Hollyoaks* he was a child actor, playing the lead in the 1987 film *Mio in the Land of Faraway* opposite [Christian Bale](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-bale) and [Christopher Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-lee).[2](https://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/product/nick-pickard/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Signature role | Tony Hutchinson in *Hollyoaks*, from the first episode on 23 October 1995 to the present[1](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Nick_Pickard) • [3](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Hutchinson) |
| Episode count | 2,634 appearances as Tony: 2,606 in the main show and 28 in spin-offs, as of episode 6731[3](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Hutchinson) |
| Born | 1975; sources differ on the exact date and place (1975 per IMDb and Unit One Entertainment; 1975 in Surrey per What to Watch)[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681754/) • [2](https://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/product/nick-pickard/) • [5](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/nick-pickard-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-actor) |
| Training | Sylvia Young Theatre School and Corona Theatre School, with theater work before television[2](https://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/product/nick-pickard/) |
| Major awards | British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement, 2017; Inside Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement, 2025[6](https://rossmoremanagement.com/news/nick-pickard-longest-serving-actor-in-hollyoaks/) • [7](https://rossmoremanagement.com/news/nick-pickard-wins-outstanding-achievement-award/) |
| Reality television | *I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!* series 23 (2023), fourth contestant eliminated, finishing seventh[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/im-a-celebrity-2023-contestants-itv-final-b2461375.html) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/im-a-celeb-who-left-b2459892.html) |
| Family in the show | His brother John Pickard played Dominic Reilly, Tony's half-brother, from 2005 to 2010[5](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/nick-pickard-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-actor) |
## Early life and training
Pickard was born in 1975. IMDb gives 16 April 1975 in London, England,[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681754/) Unit One Entertainment gives 16 April 1975 in Surrey,[2](https://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/product/nick-pickard/) and What to Watch gives 27 May 1975 and says he was raised in Surrey.[5](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/nick-pickard-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-actor)
He trained as a child at the [Sylvia Young Theatre School](https://www.edgepedia.org/sylvia-young-theatre-school), whose alumni include [Emma Bunton](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-bunton) and [Tom Fletcher](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-fletcher), and also attended the Corona Theatre School, working extensively in theater before moving to television.[2](https://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/product/nick-pickard/) • [5](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/nick-pickard-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-actor)
## Child and early acting work
Pickard's screen debut came in the 1987 film *Mio in the Land of Faraway* (Swedish: *Mio min Mio*), in which he played the lead role of Mio, credited as Nicholas Pickard, alongside Christian Bale and Christopher Lee.[2](https://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/product/nick-pickard/) He followed it with television parts including Ben in *Erasmus Microman* (1988), a boy factory worker in *You Rang, M'Lord?* In a 2015 Channel 4 interview he said he had always wanted to appear in *Grange Hill*, the show his brother John had been in for ten years.[10](https://www.channel4.com/press/news/interview-nick-pickard)
He also appeared in music videos, as the young man in Roxette's "Almost Unreal" (1993) and in Mike + The Mechanics' "Over My Shoulder" (1995).[2](https://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/product/nick-pickard/)
## Hollyoaks and Tony Hutchinson
Pickard joined *Hollyoaks*, the Channel 4 soap set in Chester, as an original cast member when it began in 1995, and has played Tony Hutchinson continuously since the first episode on 23 October 1995.[1](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Nick_Pickard) • [3](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Hutchinson) He is the show's longest-serving actor and its only remaining original cast member.[1](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Nick_Pickard) • [11](https://soaplandtv.co.uk/cast/nick-pickard) By the count kept on the show's appearance records, he had appeared in 2,634 episodes, 2,606 in the main show and 28 in spin-offs, as of episode 6731.[3](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Hutchinson)
He has carried the character into spin-offs as well: *Hollyoaks: Movin' On* (2001, 16 episodes), *Hollyoaks Later* (2009 to 2013 and 2020, nine episodes), and the video *Hollyoaks: The Good, The Bad & The Gorgeous* (2009).[1](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Nick_Pickard)
**Nearly missing the part.** Pickard has said he did not expect to win the role because so many actors auditioned, and he nearly skipped one of the final recalls because he was opening a pub in London and had a plasterer booked the same day; his mother persuaded him to attend.[5](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/nick-pickard-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-actor)
**Storylines.** In the 2015 Channel 4 interview he named Tony's cancer storyline, running from diagnosis to the all clear over about a year and a half, as his favorite, and he shaved his head and had his body hair waxed off for it.[10](https://www.channel4.com/press/news/interview-nick-pickard) In 2025 and 2026 the character was central to the ovarian cancer storyline and death of his on-screen wife Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher); after the storyline, Pickard told *Inside Soap* that he thought Tony needed time before moving on romantically, saying "It'd be a bit unfair to his relationship with Diane to just throw him into this, but I've been in a soap for 30 years, so I know how it works."[12](https://parade.com/tv/hollyoaks-legend-nick-pickard-breaks-silence-on-tony-and-leelas-potential-romance-following-dianes-death)
**Family on screen.** His younger brother John Pickard joined *Hollyoaks* in 2005 as Dominic Reilly, Tony's estranged half-brother, so the two brothers played on-screen brothers; John left the show in 2010.[5](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/nick-pickard-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-actor) • [1](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Nick_Pickard)
## Awards
At the 2017 British Soap Awards, Pickard won the Outstanding Achievement award, which his management describes as the first time the award went to a *Hollyoaks* actor.[6](https://rossmoremanagement.com/news/nick-pickard-longest-serving-actor-in-hollyoaks/) In 2025 he won Outstanding Achievement at the Inside Soap Awards, an event that drew more than 90,000 viewer votes that year, as the soap approached its 30th anniversary.[7](https://rossmoremanagement.com/news/nick-pickard-wins-outstanding-achievement-award/) He was also longlisted for the National Television Awards 2026 in the Serial Drama Performance category.[13](https://rossmoremanagement.com/news/nick-pickard-longlisted-for-nta/)
## Television appearances away from Hollyoaks
Pickard has made many guest appearances as himself, including *I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!* 2023, *Richard Osman's House of Games*, *The Hit List*, *The Weakest Link*, *Celebrity Mastermind*, and *Celebrity Masterchef* in 2011, where he reached the finals.[14](https://rossmoremanagement.com/client/nick-pickard/) In the 2023 jungle series he entered camp on day 1 and left on day 18, finishing seventh; he was the fourth contestant eliminated, in the bottom two alongside [Josie Gibson](https://www.edgepedia.org/josie-gibson), and in his exit interview named Sam Thompson as the contestant he most wanted to win.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/im-a-celebrity-2023-contestants-itv-final-b2461375.html) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/im-a-celeb-who-left-b2459892.html) Before entering, he told ITV's press pack that he had cut out alcohol for more than a month in preparation, described himself as a possible camp chef, and reassured fans he was not quitting *Hollyoaks* to take part.[15](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/sites/default/files/2023-11/I%27m%20A%20Celebrity%20Get%20Me%20Out%20Of%20Here%20SR23%20Press%20Pack1.pdf)
## Personal life and business interests
Pickard has a daughter, Ellie.[16](https://www.entertainmentdaily.com/tv/im-a-celebrity-nick-pickard-hollyoaks-brother-partner/) He is a lifelong Chelsea supporter and regularly represents *Hollyoaks* in charity football tournaments.[5](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/nick-pickard-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-actor) Outside acting he runs a string of restaurants in [Sheffield](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheffield) and co-owns The Chilled Eskimo pub in North Kensington, London, with his brother John.[5](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/nick-pickard-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-actor)
## References
1. [Nick Pickard, Hollyoaks Wiki](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Nick_Pickard)
2. [Nick Pickard, Unit One Entertainment](https://www.unitoneentertainment.co.uk/product/nick-pickard/)
3. [Tony Hutchinson, Hollyoaks Wiki](https://hollyoaks.fandom.com/wiki/Tony_Hutchinson)
4. [Nick Pickard, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0681754/)
5. [Nick Pickard: things you didn't know about the actor, What to Watch](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/nick-pickard-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-actor)
6. [Nick Pickard Longest Serving Actor in Hollyoaks, Rossmore Management](https://rossmoremanagement.com/news/nick-pickard-longest-serving-actor-in-hollyoaks/)
7. [Nick Pickard wins Outstanding Achievement Award, Rossmore Management](https://rossmoremanagement.com/news/nick-pickard-wins-outstanding-achievement-award/)
8. [I'm a Celebrity 2023: Meet the contestants, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/im-a-celebrity-2023-contestants-itv-final-b2461375.html)
9. [I'm a Celebrity eliminates fourth contestant, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/im-a-celeb-who-left-b2459892.html)
10. [Interview with Nick Pickard, Channel 4 Press](https://www.channel4.com/press/news/interview-nick-pickard)
11. [Nick Pickard, SoaplandTV](https://soaplandtv.co.uk/cast/nick-pickard)
12. [Hollyoaks legend Nick Pickard breaks silence on Tony and Leela's potential romance, Parade](https://parade.com/tv/hollyoaks-legend-nick-pickard-breaks-silence-on-tony-and-leelas-potential-romance-following-dianes-death)
13. [Nick Pickard longlisted for NTAs 2026, Rossmore Management](https://rossmoremanagement.com/news/nick-pickard-longlisted-for-nta/)
14. [Nick Pickard, Rossmore Management](https://rossmoremanagement.com/client/nick-pickard/)
15. [I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here SR23 Press Pack, ITV Press Centre](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/sites/default/files/2023-11/I%27m%20A%20Celebrity%20Get%20Me%20Out%20Of%20Here%20SR23%20Press%20Pack1.pdf)
16. [I'm A Celebrity: Nick Pickard profile, Entertainment Daily](https://www.entertainmentdaily.com/tv/im-a-celebrity-nick-pickard-hollyoaks-brother-partner/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Soap operas and continuing serials › British and Australasian soaps and characters › British soap actors and production people*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license