“The Mcqueens are all mad!”
James is delighted to have been reunited with his screen family…
Hi James! How did your return to Hollyoaks come about?
It all happened quickly. I’d just finished a play in New York, and finally got to go on my honeymoon.
I got back home and Bryan Kirkwood [Hollyoaks’ executive producer] invited me for dinner and asked me to come back. It was lovely.
What was your response?
I said yes straight away, to be honest. I’ve always loved the show – they write very well for John Paul, so it was easy to slot back in. And from a practical point of view, doing theatre tours and being away from home is not conducive to a happy marriage!
There aren’t that many Mcqueens left in the village now…
I know, but John Paul still has his sister. I love that
I get to work with Jen Metcalfe [Mercedes] again – we have a great friendship off screen, and our characters have a lovely dynamic. Mercedes gets to be quite vulnerable with John Paul, which she doesn’t get to do very often.
What’s it been like working with the new Mcqueen family members?
It’s great – they’re all mad! It’s been really nice to work with David Tag, who plays Sylver, as he wasn’t here the last time I was in the show. John Paul fancies the hell out of Sylver, he’s a hunk!
What’s happened to Craig and John Paul’s relationship?
Craig’s run off with a personal trainer – I know, I can’t believe it either! It’s all dealt with on screen, though, it’s not glossed over.
And how will JP react to seeing his ex-boyfriend James again?
Things will be strained. John Paul walks back into quite a heated moment between James and another male character in the show, so that’s interesting! I love working with Greg Finnegan [James] – we’ve worked on various projects together off screen, too. It’ll be fun. Their relationship didn’t end very well at all, did it?