Why Hollyoaks haven’t filmed a Nana McQueen ending after Diane Langton death
Hollyoaks star Nicole Barber-Lane has shared her thoughts on why the Channel 4 soap are yet to film an ending for beloved character Nana McQueen.
Actress Diane Langton, who played Nana, died in January 2025.
At the time, her agent Shane Collins confirmed the news in a statement, writing: ‘I am sad to say that Diane Langton passed away this morning.’
Sometimes, when a cast member passes away, the soap they starred in pays tribute to both the actor and the role they played, often writing the character out.
That hasn’t been the case with Diane’s character, though, as she remains alive off screen and is living with her family in Alicante.
Star Nicole Barber-Lane, who portrays Myra in the show, recently shared an update on the future of Nana McQueen. On the subject of whether Hollyoaks would put a ‘full stop’ on the character, Nicole admitted that the cast and crew are still finding it difficult to process her passing.
‘If you want the honest truth, well…Sorry, I think this is the problem. I think she was so loved, it’s really difficult to put a full stop on her’, she told Digital Spy.
‘We’ve still got all her stuff in the costume department, we haven’t taken it down. I think we’re still processing.’
Diane’s long and varied career began in 1959, when she played an uncredited school girl in the comedy film Carry On Teacher.
Diane would continue to appear throughout the cult film franchise, as Private Alice Easy in 1976’s Carry On England. She also appeared in three episodes of TV spin-off Carry On Laughing.
In 1975, she appeared as Ruby Climax in Robin Askwith’s Confessions of a Pop Performer.
A regular in the British sitcom circuit, she starred as Kathy in The Rag Trade and as June Snell, the former girlfriend of Del Boy, in Only Fools and Horses.
In the 90s, a wealth of soap roles would soon follow, firstly in an 1993 episode of The Bill.
For two years she appeared as Ruby Rowan in ITV Sunday night drama Heartbeat, before joining EastEnders as Bev Williams, the mother of established character Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).
Following parts in Holby City and Doctors, she joined Hollyoaks as matriarch of the iconic McQueen clan.
The character initially appeared sporadically, popping up here and there between 2007 and 2009, before returning full time in 2012.
Nana has featured in numerous stories over the years and she was always on hand to offer support and dish out valuable life advice to her loved ones, cementing herself as one of Hollyoaks’ most-loved characters in the process.
Diane’s final scenes aired in December 2024, with Nana staging a comeback to the eponymous village with daughter Myra in the wake of Mercedes’ (Jennifer Metcalfe) cancer diagnosis.
