Exclusive: Hollyoaks star on major changes in Darren Osborne stories
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks star Ashley Taylor Dawson has discussed future plans for his character Darren Osborne as familiar faces return to the village.
This week's hour-long special sees Darren's wife Nancy arrive back following her extended trip to the US, but she won't be the only person reappearing in his life.
Show bosses have previously revealed that Darren's twins Frankie and Jack Jr will be joining the cast as new regulars. Last seen as babies in 2011, the characters are now played by Isabelle Smith and Ryan Mulvey.
The twins' mum Suzanne Ashworth will also be returning to Hollyoaks, as will Suzanne's daughter Hannah Ashworth – Darren's ex-wife.
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Freddie Roscoe – Darren's half-brother – will also be coming back further on down the line.
Speaking to Digital Spy about the dramatic start to 2024, Ashley commented: "It's been great. Nancy comes back, but she doesn't have time to settle in before the twins come back, Hannah comes back and then Suzanne is back. There's a lot happening all at once.
"Plus, you've still got the rest of the family. You've still got Charlie going through everything he's going through. Then Freddie turns up out of the blue, causing mischief! It's going to be an interesting year ahead."
He continued: "Because of how busy it's going to be with Suzanne and the kids, Darren and Nancy don't even get the chance to deal with their own issues. They don't even really talk about Morgan!
"Everything they've been through gets brushed under the carpet because the kids are back and Suzanne is back. They don't get a chance to talk about everything they've been through with Charlie, or their recent problems with money.
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"It's straight into another story and another problem. It's typical Nancy and Darren – they're dealing with things right off the bat."
Darren has been absent from his twins' lives but will try to be a better father to them following their return.
Digital Spy understands that Frankie and Jack Junior have been aged up for storyline reasons, so will be older than established in previous continuity.
Ashley explained: "When it comes to the twins, there's a massive guilt complex there for Darren. I think Darren always thought he was doing the right thing by leaving them, because he's no good to them.
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"He's been in and out of their lives, but now it's about trying to make amends and trying to be the father that they need. It's never that easy, so we're going to see the fallout of that.
"Then in the first scene where Darren sees his brother Freddie again, it's a shock. It comes completely out of the blue.
"Darren is the big brother, but he knows you can't tame Freddie! They haven't told us much more yet about what to expect, but I'm sure there'll be drama ahead with that one."
The new storylines for Darren have been steered by Hollyoaks' new executive producers Hannah Cheers and Angelo Abela, who took over in August last year.
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Hollyoaks' new team immediately set to work on changing existing storylines and creating fresh ones, building up to this week's dramatic road crash stunt.
Ashley added: "No disrespect to anyone who was here beforehand, but Hannah was here in the show's heyday. She's fantastic with scripts and she understands the show better than anyone.
"It's a credit to both of them. Hannah and Angelo came in, they took the show and they dragged people in, pulled people out, and everyone's storylines got messed up!
"But that's how it should be. Soap should keep you guessing, it should keep you interested, you should be on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what's going to happen next.
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"I think there's an argument for drawing stories out, but also getting through them and having things be nice and punchy for a younger audience. Hannah and Angelo do that really well and they've made strong decisions straight from the off.
"It's incredible what they've done in a short space of time. They're making decisions like bringing people back, which is great because it's what the show needs. It needs a bit of nostalgia and it needs people you recognise. There is a buzz around the place and everyone seems to be back in the groove again."
Hollyoaks' hour-long stunt episode drops on Channel 4 Streaming at 7.30pm on Monday (January 15) and airs on E4 on Tuesday (January 16) at 7pm.
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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