Nick Pickard

Nick Pickard is an English actor. He is known for his portrayal of Tony Hutchinson in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a role he has held since its first episode in 1995; he remains the longest-serving cast member and, in 2017, won the British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Early life As a child he attended the Corona Theatre School in Hammersmith, followed by Sylvia Young Theatre School.

Career In his acting debut, Pickard played Mio, the lead role in Mio in the Land of Faraway (1987), starring alongside a young Christian Bale, where he was credited as Nicholas Pickard. In 1993, Pickard played a minor role in EastEnders, appearing as a young homeless boy. In addition, Pickard has appeared in other television programmes, including Us Girls and If You Were Me. He appeared in music videos for "Over My Shoulder" (for Mike + The Mechanics) and "Almost Unreal" (for Roxette).

He landed the role of Tony Hutchinson in Hollyoaks in 1995, becoming a member of the original cast. He remains in the role to date, and has since become the longest-serving cast member, having played the part since the inaugural episode. Over the years, Pickard has been nominated for a number of awards independently and some nominations with colleagues. In 2017, Pickard won the British Soap Award for Outstanding Achievement in honour of his achievement of playing the role for 22 years.

In 2005, Pickard's brother John joined the cast of Hollyoaks, portraying the role of Dominic Reilly, the half-brother of Tony. When John left the programme in 2010, The Daily Star released a news article claiming that Pickard was set to follow in his brother's footsteps and depart Hollyoaks, stating that he was "disgusted" with his brother's "axing". However, Pickard denied these reports, confirming that he was happy and had no intentions to leave the soap. Pickard has appeared in theatre productions including Richard II, An Enemy of the People and Edward II. He also joined the cast of the 2009 pantomime adaption of Cinderella at Liverpool Empire Theatre, where he portrayed Dandini. His break from Hollyoaks to perform in Cinderella was planned and written into the show.

In 2011, Pickard participated in the sixth series of Celebrity MasterChef, where he reached the final though lost out to Phil Vickery. In 2016, he once again participated in a game show, appearing in an episode of Pointless Celebrities, playing the game in a partnership with his Hollyoaks colleague Alex Fletcher.

In November 2023, he participated in the twenty-third series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and, on 6 December, was the 4th celebrity to be eliminated from the show.

Filmography Year Title RoleNotes 1987 Mio in the Land of Faraway Mio / Bosse Film. Credited as Nicholas Pickard 1988 Erasmus Microman Ben 7 episodes 1990 You Rang, M'Lord? Boy Factory Worker 2 episodes. Credited as Nicholas Pickard 1991 Now That It's Morning Ian Short film. Credited as Nicholas Pickard 1992 Us Girls Sean 3 episodes. Credited as Nicholas Pickard GamesMaster Himself - Contestant Series 2, episode 3 1993 Roxette:Almost Unreal Young man Music video The Real McCoy Son Series 3, episode 1 1993, 1994 EastEnders Down and Out / Young Vagrant 2 episodes. Credited as Nicholas Pickard 1994 Grange Hill Mark Series 17, episode 18 1995 Mike + The Mechanics: Over My Shoulder Tony Hutchinson (Schoolboy in Love) Music video 1995–present Hollyoaks Tony Hutchinson Regular role 1999 Brookside: Double Take! Rosco Main Video 2001 Hollyoaks: Movin' On Tony Hutchinson 16 episodes 2002 Blankety Blank Himself - Guest Series 17, episode 18 2005 The Match Himself 2007 The Weakest Link Himself - Contestant Episode: "1019" Soapstar Superchef 2 episodes Xposé Himself Series 1, episode 2 The British Soap Awards TV Special For King and Country Captain Philip Levaul-Grimwood 2008 Kidnap Kidnapper Film All Star Family Fortunes Himself - Contestant Episode: "Hollyoaks vs. Emmerdale 2009 Hollyoaks: The Good, The Bad & The Gorgeous Tony Hutchinson / Jack Dawson 2009–2013, 2020 Hollyoaks Later Tony Hutchinson 9 episodes 2011 Celebrity MasterChef Himself - Contestant Series 6, 5 episodes Celebrity Juice Series 6, 2 episodes 2012 Come Dine with Me Celebrity Christmas Special 2015 Hollyoaks One Killer Week Tony Hutchinson Video 2016, 2019 Pointless Celebrities Himself - Contestant Series 8, episode 16Series 11, episode 36 2019 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Series 9, episode 12 2026 Bridge of Lies Himself - Contestant Series 8, episode 16Series 11, episode 36 2023 I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Series 23, 9 episodes Celebrity Mastermind Series 22, episode 3

Awards and nominations Year Award Category/Recipient(s) Result 2001 British Soap Awards Best Comedy Performance – Hollyoaks 2002 2017 Outstanding Achievement – Hollyoaks