‘Hollyoaks’ bosses chose fan favourite Ste Hay for its far-right extremism storyline because they thought viewers would "care" more.
Scriptwriter Jayshree Patel has opened up about the soap’s upcoming plot which will see Kieron Richardson’s popular character targeted by newcomers Jonny Baxter (Ray Quinn) and Stuart Sumner (Chris Simmons).
Speaking to Digital Spy, Jayshree said: "If you gave this story to someone who we’ve just brought in for this to happen to, I don’t think the audience would care as much. They wouldn’t be invested in the character.
"Ste is a person who actually could fall into that kind of group. No-one’s born bad. Ste is a kid who left school without qualifications. He has really tried to achieve things in his life, but one thing after another got in the way.
"In a way, Ste is looking for status and that’s what it represents for him. It’s this idea of white working class young men who are lacking status, and who then look for status somewhere else. We’ve already seen Ste’s vulnerability, and therefore he’s a prime target for extremist groups."
Despite Ste being popular with viewers, Jayshree isn’t concerned about fans turning on him because of the storyline.
He added: "I think when you look at Twitter, you’re seeing fans saying: ‘Oh, no, Ste, don’t!’ No one’s saying, ‘Oh, I can’t be doing with Ste anymore’. What they’re saying is, ‘Please don’t do this’.
"I think there’s still hope from the audience that there will be redemption for Ste and he will be able to come out of it. He’s faced his demons many, many times before, and I think fans are hoping that he does so again. But obviously I’m not going to tell you whether he does or not."
Hollyoaks writer reveals why Ste Hay was chosen for far-right storyline
