Character Profile | List of appearances |
Mason Chen-Williams is the son of Honour and Dave Chen-Williams, the half-brother of Maxine Minniver, and Sam and Serena Chen-Williams, and the adoptive half-brother of Lizzie Chen-Williams.
Biography[]
2021-2022: Arrival and Friendship Trouble[]
Mason arrived in Hollyoaks with his family in December 2021, meeting with them at The Dog in the Pond for a family Christmas. The family would be delivered a shock come New Years as Maxine Minniver revealed herself as Dave's long-lost daughter. Beginning at Hollyoaks High School, Mason befriended Freya Calder whilst leaving for a school camping trip (which did not take place as teacher John Paul McQueen crashed the minibus) and developed feelings for Ella Richardson. As Ella repeatedly rejected him and Mason became a target of bullying from Charlie Dean, he befriended school janitor Eric Foster. Eric, however, indoctrinated Mason into sharing his harmful beliefs about women.
Registering to Men First on Eric's advice, Mason fell deeper into the world of incel-behaviours and followed harmful advice as he continued to pursue Ella. He ended up taking inappropriate images of Ella from Charlie's phone and circulated them on social media. However, Maxine helped Mason changed his views and he even briefly left Men First, cutting Eric off. However, after a series of run-ins with DeMarcus Westwood, Eric encouraged Mason to "get revenge" and re-join Men First. Mason began targeting DeMarcus digitally, until DeMarcus's father informed Dave and Mason's mother Honour.
Sneaking into Charlie's house party with his cousin Shing Lin Leong, Mason tried comforting Ella when she hid in a bedroom after catching Charlie and Shing Lin kissing. After launching a tirade of insults towards Ella when she rejected his kiss, Mason then targeted Leah Barnes when she stumbled in drunk, having previously insulted him in front of all the party attendees. After taking a photo of Leah on the bed and posting it to Men First, he lied that he and Leah had slept together, admitting the truth when it was pointed out that Leah was too drunk to consent to sex.
2023-: Grooming and Redemption[]
Leah discovered the photo Mason had posted, telling Charlie and her stepfather Ste Hay. Charlie confronted Mason in the park, stopping Mason - having found a worrying message from Eric - from leaving. He then attacked Mason, beating him unconscious until Ste intervened. Whilst recovering in hospital, Mason alerted Dave and Honour to Eric's siege at The Dog in the Pond, consequently leading them to discovering his association with Eric and the photograph of Leah. As Dave and Honour argued with Lizzie and Serena about how to handle the situation, Serena turned Mason's laptop in to the police before leaving for Shanghai. Mason was ultimately charged with harassing Leah.
Mason accepted the conviction and decided to make a change - especially in the wake of Eric's attack on the village. Despite Shing Lin hosting an online campaign to get Mason expelled from school, Mason decided to return regardless. He also attended Maxine's march for women's safety, resulting in Leah reaching out to him. However, after Eric's sentencing, Mason became the target of harassment and various attacks. In April 2023, Honour left Dave and attempted to take Mason and Shing Lin to London, but the pair opted to remain with Dave.
Appendices[]
Residences[]
Address | Duration |
---|---|
3 Oakdale Drive, Flat 4 | December 2021 to 2nd October 2023 |
17 Basswood Road | 2nd October 2023 to November 2023 |
3 Oakdale Drive, Flat 3 | November 2023 to 7th May 2024 |
London | Since 7th May 2024 |
Employment History[]
Job | Duration |
---|---|
Hollyoaks High School student | 2022-2024 |
Background Information[]
- Frank Kauer's casting as Mason was not announced. Instead, the character was revealed in press articles about the Chen-Williams family in December 2021.
Introduction Sequence[]
- 2022-2023: Mason meets with the family outside of The Cunningham Grande Bazaar.
- 2023-2024: Mason arrives at the bus stop, where his friends are meeting.
Quotes[]
“ | Well, at least no one around here knows me yet. Why does mine have to say baby? | ” |
— First line.
|
“ | Bye Cindy. Look after my dad. | ” |
— Last line to Cindy Cunningham, before departure.
|
“ | Look, I'd better go. Mum's got dinner ready. You'll look after yourself, won't you, Dad? | ” |
— Final line, on a video call to Dave Williams.
|