Armstrong lusts after Leela
LEELA IS GETTING NO SLEEP THANKS TO DS ARMSTRONG, BUT ACTOR ANDREW HAYDEN-SMITH LOVES BEING AT THE CENTRE OF IT ALL…
Those Hollyoaks coppers are a dodgy bunch, and time after time we’ve seen members of the force commit crimes at the same rate as they solve them. However, DS Armstrong most definitely raised the bar recently, when he was unveiled as Leela’s mystery stalker! It was a revelation Inside Soap didn’t see coming – and it seems viewers didn’t either.
“Everybody seemed to think it was Peri,” reckons Andrew Hayden-smith, who plays the rogue policeman.
“Only one person tweeted me to say, ‘What about Armstrong?’”
And with the boys in blue usually serving as background characters, Andrew wasn’t expecting to be central to one of Hollyoaks’ most sinister stories.
“It was a bit of a shock to me!” admits the 33-year-old actor. “Until now, I’ve been busy solving cases and arresting various people, so this was a really nice surprise. I’m so pleased to have been given a story I can get my teeth into – and now that I’m more regular,
I feel like a proper part of the cast.”
As the DS who’s been hired to solve his own crime, the current set-up is working a treat for cunning Armstrong, who’s guaranteed a meeting with pretty blonde Leela every time he scares the bejeebers out of her! He may be having some success winning her round, too, as Tegan has already teased her sister about harbouring feelings for the detective. But Armstrong still has stiff competition – in the form of Zack Loveday, who has also fallen head over heels for Leela. Unfortunately for the love-struck teen, Armstrong has planted a hidden camera in his victim’s house, and interrupts Zack and Leela just as the boy is going in for a kiss!
“There are a couple of scenes where Armstrong is actually boiling with rage, because he sees how close they’re getting,” reveals Andrew. “He likes to be in control, and I think he’ll do whatever it takes to get Zack out of the picture.
“Don’t forget that Armstrong knows all about Louis being Daniel’s father as well,” he continues. “He’ll definitely use that piece of information to his advantage if he has to…”
It looks as if the cop needs to be taking more care that he doesn’t end up on the wrong side of the interrogation table – as this week, colleague Ryan is alarmed by something Armstrong says after Leela is harassed again.
But until the law catches up with his character, Andrew is happy to take time out from stalking and leave the criminals quaking in their boots.
“Maxine has been my favourite person to interrogate so far,” decides the star, who has previously had roles in Byker Grove and Doctor Who.
“She’s a lovely character and was very vulnerable in those scenes. So that meant it was kind of awful to film, but I really love working with Nikki [Sanderson, who plays Maxine] as well.
“It would be a laugh if I could get Jess Ellis [aka Tegan] in the interrogation room,” continues Andrew. “We get on great and live together in Liverpool. She’s a good mate and it’s been funny working on this story because we’ll be filming a serious scene together, and then we’ll go home to watch First Dates!”
The good news for Andrew is that he’ll be dealing a lot more with the Lomax family over the coming months, as this story is far from over, and his character is certain to get even more twisted.
But he’s not giving that much away.
“I’ve heard that I’m going to be doing some big things over the summer,” teases the actor with a knowing smile. “We’ll also find out lots more about Armstrong as the story goes on. There’s definitely an underlying issue at play here – and I’m looking forward to getting the scripts that reveal what reason he has to stalk Leela.
“You’ll even find out his first name soon!” adds Andrew. “Everyone has been trying to guess it on Twitter. But there are a couple of scenes coming up with Leela in which he obviously wants to get close to her, so he speaks to her on a personal level. But who knows? Who he says he is might not be true…”
Armstrong is boiling with rage at Zack and Leela!