However he ended up becoming a father after sleeping with Lola and getting her pregnant.
As Ben grew older, he got into a relationship with childhood friend Abi Branning. You need the contrast.
‘Then the others, different cultures, just different ways people perceive gay life, homosexuality.
Jeremy was very much out but it wasn’t largely in the public domain when he was cast in Holby City.
As it enters a new era and steamrolls to its 30th birthday, there’s a lot to be excited about.
‘If I can show that I’ve done that, imagine these kids that are watching the show nowadays, when they’re my age, the world could be hopefully a lot better than it is right now.’
MORE: The secret LGBT+ history you need to know about
MORE: Emmerdale’s Ash Palmisciano feared coming out as trans but what followed was magical
MORE: Scientists once hid their identity – is life in STEM better today?
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Spearheading a digital first model and going online before all others, including globally, Hollyoaks is once more thinking outside of the box.
In my work in the TV drama industry over the last decade, it is something that I have found consistent – if a TV show gets an LGBTQ+ pairing right, then they are onto a winner.
HOLLYOAKS consists of 4898 episodes of 30 minutes.
STORY: Hollyoaks takes a look at the lives, loves, and careers of a group of teenage friends and their families as they graduate through GCSEs, A-Levels, and College into the world of work.
GAY COUPLE STORYLINE: A gay plot featuring the character Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) and Brendan (Emmett J.
Scanlan), the pair embark on an "unusual friendship". I thought that would be a very interesting comparison to see how each country and each culture looks at their LGBTQ+ community.’
Get it pitched, that could be a winner!
It’s easy to fall into the trap of dubbing Hollyoaks as a fluffy, teen soap filled with sexy people – I have long fought to challenge that narrative.
You need the tranquility to go along with all the craziness.’
He and Nate have quickly become best mates, something which Oscar says helps when it comes to more intense scenes as they have a trust for one another.
Rather than being daunted by the fan excitement and support, Oscar is evidently honoured to be gifted with the role and the storylines, and his love for the fans is clear.
‘Filming with Nate has been easy because we get along so well.
Perhaps most notably, the chemistry between Kieron, 38, and former co-star Emmet J Scanlan drove the iconic ‘Stendan’ relationship to a cult status it will never shake off. I suspect it probably still does.
‘I hope not here in the UK. I hope casting directors and producers across the board in the UK have joined the 21st century and it’s not an issue, but you don’t know.’
It certainly seems to be the case for Hollyoaks, a show which proudly showcases its allyship with the LGBTQ+ community and which tackles both the positive and uplifting angles along with the more challenging issues.
He is played by actor Antony Cotton.
Antony, like his character Sean, is openly gay and when Sean first appeared he was out and proud.
Over the years Sean has had a few lovers.
Setting itself aside from many other shows, it was the first soap to cast a female transgender actress in a trans role and has also recently led the way with a powerful story focusing on the exploration of Ro’s gender identity as he came out as trans at the age of 12.
‘It was a really proud moment and still something people mention to me and it still lives in people’s hearts and people were really touched by it.’
The three of us were sitting in conversation as the actors enjoyed some down-time.
With Hollyoaks commencing the filming of a stunt sequence ahead of a big change in September that will see a flash forward by a year, Kieron and Jonny have been exceptionally busy.
‘It’s just something growing up, before you say those words ‘I’m gay,’ it’s the scariest thing in the world,’ he reflected to me.
‘Especially growing up in the early 2000s, there just wasn’t much representation and it’s embedded in.
But whatever happens, he’s going to be at the thick of the action where he belongs.
From what I hear, it would be very apt given the spicy scenes ahead…
Kieron added that he hopes the dynamics can shift somewhat, with the conflict putting Ste on a more level footing than past pairings that have seen him victimised.