Hollyoaks actor James Sutton says Channel 4 was ‘so brave’ to air his gay teen romance storyline

James Sutton and Guy Burnet in Hollyoaks (Image: Channel 4)

James Sutton, the actor who has played John Paul McQueen on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks since 2006, has reflected on his iconic teen gay romance storyline.

In 2007, the character of John Paul began a romantic relationship with his schoolmate and best friend Craig Dean, played by Guy Burnet. The storyline caused the show to win Broadcast of the Year at the 2007 Stonewall Awards. He also received nominations at the British Soap Awards and Inside Soap Awards for his performance.

In a recent episode of the All Out podcast, Sutton spoke to host Jon Dean about how he feels about having played this gay character at a time when gay representation on television was still relatively rare.

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