Mellen family

The Mellen family is a prominent family in Beverley Terrace that was introduced in the show's first episode on 10 November 2014. The family originally consisted of married couple Carly Mellen (Kym Marsh) and Sam Mellen (Jake Wood), their three children, Charlotte Mellen (Brooke Vincent), Dan Mellen (Jack McMullen) and Alex Mellen (Keith Rice), and Sam's father, Tim Mellen (Timothy West). In the second episode, Sam's brother, James Mellen (Steve John Shepherd) was introduced, as planned by Tim, to bring the brothers close together, though this backfires when James threatens to reveal Sam's secret.

Creation and development
The family was created and introduced by show producer Ashley Rivera, who particularly wanted a "central family" for the soap opera. The characters Carly, Sam, Charlotte, Dan and Alex were announced along with their respective casting in August 2013. James and his casting was revealed a week before the first episode was aired, whilst Timothy West's involvement as Tim was kept a secret until the night of broadcast.

It was revealed following the airing of the first episode that the family would feature prominently through to 2015, with their storylines currently consisting of Sam's secret, dubbed as "Secret Sam" by fans of the show, Tim being on the run from the police after performing several scams online, and a car crash which will take place in the New Year.

Family extension and Sam's secret (2014–15)
Steve John Shepherd was revealed to be playing James Mellen, Sam's distant brother who he hasn't seen for many years. James was contacted by their father, Tim, who wanted to to stop the rivalry between the two, which backfired following James' plans to out Sam of his secret. Speaking of the storyline, Rivera stated: "We wanted to have a perfect family, who weren't really perfect at all. Sam is hiding a dark secret from his family which James hopes to reveal to the rest of his family."

Show producer Charlotte Smith later stated that they were planning on putting fans on edge about the reveal, commenting that Sam will go to "desperate measures" to keep his secret hidden, and the secret will be revealed at the worst possible time.

Alex's downhill spiral (2015)
Ashley Rivera hinted that Alex would "eventually lose control" after getting tired of being treated as a child by his family. Bullying at school would initially trigger this, with Shane Taylor (Daniel Anthony) patronizing him, calling him a "baby" and threatening him. Alex keeps quiet about this, and instead decides to take a driving test. When he fails his first one, he lies to his parents saying he passed, though when trying to prove that he passed, the car will crash with the family in the car.

Storylines
Sam is shocked to receive a visit from his brother, James, as requested by their father. James threatens to reveal Sam's secret, and when he refuses to leave, Sam tells him he can't stay with them. A few days later, Sam realises that James is still around when he sees him talking to a businessman outside the terrace's gym.

Family members

 * Tim Mellen; married an unknown woman
 * Sam Mellen; son of Tim, married Carly Winters
 * Charlotte Mellen; daughter of Sam and Carly
 * Dan Mellen; son of Sam and Carly
 * Alex Mellen; son of Sam and Carly
 * James Mellen; son of Tim, married an unknown woman