Alfie Nightingale

Alfie Nightingale is the son of Cindy Cunningham and Mac Nightingale, and the adoptive son of Marnie Nightingale. He is also the half-brother of James, Nathan, Ellie Nightingale, Holly, Hilton Cunningham and Juliet Quinn.

2015-2019
Alfie strikes up a friendship with Nico Blake (Persephone Swales-Dawson), upon his arrival in the village quickly developing a crush on her. However, Nico does not feel the same way and tries to let him down easy because he is too clingy. He tries to befriend her by sneaking his bearded dragon lizard into school and setting off fireworks on the city hall, however, both incidents get him into trouble and fails to impress Nico. She confides in him, however, that she thinks there's a serial killer in the village who murdered her boyfriend, Dylan Jenkins (James Fletcher). Later in November 2015, Nathan discovered Mac's secret marriage to Cindy, after Alfie spotted them looking close and thought Mac was having an affair. Mac then revealed to Nathan that he was, in fact, Alfie's biological father and Cindy was his biological mother. He then told Nathan how he chose to move to the village in order for Alfie to be closer to Cindy. When Alfie's adoptive mother, Marnie, fails to show up to see him, Neeta Kaur (Amrit Maghera) comforts him. He then tells Mac he wants Neeta to adopt him. Mac disagrees fearing it'll reveal who Alfie's biological parents are and his marriage to Cindy and says it is because he already has Marnie. Alfie then collapses upstairs and is found by a distraught Mac. While in hospital he believes his cancer has return and confesses to Neeta that he wanted her to adopt him. Neeta is delighted and promises to get on it after he is better. At the hospital Tegan Lomax (Jessica Ellis) tells Alfie, Mac and Mac's daughter Ellie Nightingale (Sophie Porley) that Alfie's cancer hasn't returned much to their delight. Taking inspiration from Jason Roscoe's (Alfie Browne-Sykes) romantic gesture to his girlfriend and Cindy's daughter Holly Cunningham (Amanda Clapham) Alfie then leaves a bunch of flowers identical to the ones Jason bought Holly in Nico's locker; she, however, assumes that they were from Jason and this leads to her embarrassing herself at a Christmas party. Nico then confides to Alfie about her crush on Jason and her discovery that Holly is having an affair, unaware of Alfie's feeling for her.

Alfie wants to know who his birth father is so he runs a DNA test in The Hutch. He gets a fork Mac and Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) have been using but doesn't know who's it is. On the day of Mac's wedding Alfie asks Tony if he could make an Indian buffet on short notice and he agrees as Alfie is desperate but in all the excitement he forgets his bag. Tony opens his bag and sees the DNA test results proving that he is Alfie's biological father. A few weeks later, Alfie finds out that Mac and Cindy are his biological parents after his adoptive mother, Marnie, found out that they slept with each other fifteen years ago. Alfie then refuses to forgive and acknowledge Mac for lying to him. He then packs his bags so he can live with Cindy. While attempting to bond with Cindy, he shows some of his memorabilia from his past. Cindy then learns he suffered from Hodgkin's lymphoma when he was younger. Cindy then apologises to Alfie for not being there for him when he was younger. However, on the next day, Cindy tells him that he should go and live back with the Nightingales as they have raised him for much of his life after Neeta told her that he should. Alfie is able to forgive Mac eventually and he supports Jade Albright (Kassius Nelson), as she is diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Given that they have an on-and-off relationship, Alfie tells Jade he loves her. Jade, who resents her illness because her hair is falling out due to chemotherapy is encouraged by Alfie to fight against her illness by shaving and cutting off her hair that she is losing. Alfie also shaves off his own hair and afterwards, he tells Jade that his form of cancer has returned, shocking Nathan's girlfriend Rachel Hardy (Jennifer Brooke), who comes in the house with Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna). Alfie persuades Rachel not to say anything to Nathan or Mac because he does not want his family worrying about him, let alone let his illness destroy any hope of him and his family having a positive future ahead of them.

After visiting the doctor with Rachel, who informs him that his Hodgkin's lymphoma has returned, a devastated Cindy finds out while she's eavesdropping on a conversation between Alfie and Jade. Cindy tells the rest of his family about the news, leaving them all shocked. Alfie and Rachel then have a conversation with each other in the bathroom about Rachel going to his appointments with him. Unbeknownst to them, Marnie eavesdrops on their conversation. Marnie then tells the Nightingales that Rachel has been going to with secret appointments with Alfie pretending to be Ellie. These revelations anger Nathan, who cancels his and Rachel's trip to South America and also ends their relationship. Alfie convinces Nathan to give Rachel a second chance, and the couple leave for the airport. On their way there, Holly crashes into their car, causing an explosion that kills Rachel. It is later revealed that Alfie's chemotherapy treatments have not been working.

Alfie was later devastated when Jade lost her battle against cancer, Nathan's death and the discovery of Ellie being raped by Holly's boyfriend Nick Savage (Ben-Ryan Davies). Despite Holly asking him to tell Ellie to drop the charges, Alfie has decided to side with Ellie, but later helps Holly after learning she was also raped by Nick. Before leaving the village, Alfie then cut ties with his father upon learning that he killed Neeta and Nathan, abusing James & what he has done to his mother.

Memorable info
Born: 2nd September 2000

Full Name: Alfie Nightingale (born name: Teddy Cunningham)

Parents: Mac Nightingale and Cindy Cunningham

Siblings: James Nightingale (half-brother), Nathan Nightingale (half-brother), Hilton Cunningham (half-brother), Holly Cunningham (half-sister), Ellie Cunningham (half-sister), Juliet Quinn (half-sister)