Riley Costello

Riley Costello is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Rob Norbury. Riley was introduced in July 2010 with his on-screen family as part of a cast overhaul of the series. In December 2011, the serial's executive producer Emma Smithwick said that Riley would remain in Hollyoaks despite his family's departure. On 14 September, it was announced the character was to leave Hollyoaks and Riley was killed off in an episode airing 3 October.

Character creation and casting

In 2010, auditions were held for the part of Riley, a young footballer and member of the Costello clan. Former Grange Hill and Hollyoaks: In the City actor Rob Norbury was cast in the role. The Costellos were introduced as the family of already-established character Jem Costello (Helen Russell-Clark). The family consists of Carl Costello (Paul Opacic), a former premiership footballer with a history for cheating on his wife, Heidi (Kim Tiddy), a former model, and their children, Riley, who is training to become a footballer to impress his father, Seth (Miles Higson), who is desperate to step out from his older brother's shadow, and Jasmine (Victoria Akin), who is secretly suffering due to gender dysphoria. Speaking of the family's casting, Marquess said, "We can't wait for this huge new boost of energy exploding on screen. These exciting new characters join our fantastic core cast. Together they will ensure that 2010 will be a year to remember on Hollyoaks."