Hollyoaks introduces new family - the Nightingales - to take over The Dog in the Pond

The Nightingale clan - led by patriarch Mac (former Brookside, Family Affairs and Emmerdale actor David Easter) - will descend on Hollyoaks from Brighton in October.

Fans of the Channel 4 soap have already seen Mac on screen as Cindy’s secret husband, which was revealed just after she married Dirk Savage (David Kennedy) in May.

Mac arrived to ask Cindy (Stephanie Waring) for an annulment but, unbeknown to him, she didn’t sign the documents, something which is sure to cause tension between the pair when he starts living nearby.

Mac arrives in the village with daughter Ellie (Sophie Porley), two sons Nathan (Jared Garfield) and Alfie (Richard Linnell) and Nathan’s fiancé Rachel Hardy (Jennifer Brooke). Despite Ellie’s best efforts to keep her away, Mac’s glamorous girlfriend, Neeta Kaur (Amrit Maghera) will follow and take up the position of landlady at The Dog.

On joining the show, David Easter said: "I really wanted to be to be in Hollyoaks and [executive producer] Bryan Kirkwood knew of my work so it came along very quickly.

"The family move in with a bit of a bang and of course Mac’s secretly married to Cindy, so there is going to be some tremendous dramas trying to sort that out."