Gemma Johnson

Gemma Johnson is a fictional character from the British soap operas Brookside and Hollyoaks, played by Tisha Merry. The character made her first appearance during the Brookside episode airing on 26 March 1990. Gemma was previously portrayed by Naomi Kamanga from 1990 until 1998 and Carla Jarrett from 1998 until 2000, in Brookside. Merry took over the role when the character was introduced into Hollyoaks in 2025. Gemma is initially characterised as a "naturally playful and inquisitive" child. She is introduced as the daughter of Mick Johnson (Louis Emerick) and Josie Johnson (Suzanne Packer) and is the sibling of Leo Johnson (Leeon Sawyer/Steven Cole). Packer left Brookside but Gemma and Leo remained in the series and Mick takes on the role of a single parent. One of Gemma's early stories featured her nearly drowning in a pond and writers made her centric to a missing child storyline. Producer Mal Young created a steroid addiction storyline for Mick and explored how it affects his children, as they become fearful of their usually kind father. Kamanga decided to leave in 1998, to focus on her studies and producers immediately recast the role to Jarrett. Writers then began to involve Gemma in more prominent teenage storylines. In 1999, they portrayed drug-related issues via Gemma. First she is deported from her holiday in Barbados after smoking cannabis. Then Gemma takes ecstasy, collapses and is hospitalised. Packer reprised her role as Josie to facilitate Gemma's departure from Brookside in February 2000. She decides to move away with Josie and leaves Mick devastated.

Gemma was introduced into Hollyoaks in 2025 via a cross-over episode featuring Brookside and Hollyoaks characters. It formed part of Hollyoaks' 30th anniversary. Merry's casting was announced via Lime Pictures, who kept the character's actual identity a secret until the episodes were broadcast. The Hollyoaks character, Donny Clark, was revealed to be Mick and he is reunited with Gemma. Merry also appeared as Gemma in Hollyoaks Later. The writers created a relationship for Gemma with gangster character Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) and also affiliated her with another gangster character, Froggy Black (John Middleton). Merry described Gemma's revised characterisation as flirty, feisty and someone that people would not want to make an enemy of. Gemma's teenage antics garnered critique in television reviews and she was labelled a "wild child" and "wayward" character. An Inside Soap columnist assessed that Gemma had grown into a "sly" character.