Brendan Brady
Encyclopedia
Brendan Brady is a fictional character
from the British Channel 4
soap opera
Hollyoaks
, played by Emmett J. Scanlan
. The character was introduced in 2010 by series producer Paul Marquess
during part of the show's overhaul the character has become incredibly popular and liked.
He is the older half brother of already established character Cheryl Brady
(Bronagh Waugh
). Following the announcement of Brendan's casting, he was quickly billed as the show's new 'bad boy' character. The character is currently a part of a high-profile homosexual domestic abuse storyline with Ste Hay
(Kieron Richardson
). Scanlan has received both positive and negative reception from various news publications since his first appearance as the character in August 2010.
after being put forward for the role by casting director Dorothy Andrews. Scanlan previously auditioned for the roles of Kieron Hobbs and Des Townsend, but was asked by producers to drop his accent. Brendan was originally to be from Belfast, Northern Ireland, like sister Cheryl Brady
. This detail was however changed to make Cheryl and Brendan half-siblings and Brendan's backstory was changed so he comes from Dublin, Ireland, to avoid confusion with Scanlan's accent.
Details of the character of Brendan were first hinted in April 2010, when Marquess referred to Brendan as a "very nasty man" appearing from Cheryl's past. Later in April, Brendan's casting was officially announced.
At the same time of his casting, the characters of Lynsey Nolan
(Karen Hassan
) and Bart McQueen
(Jonny Clarke
) were also signed to appear in the show. Marquess spoke of the characters' arrivals, saying: "This is a really exciting time for Hollyoaks and Brendan, Lynsey and Bart bring more fun, drama and sexiness to the show." Scanlan commented on his new role, saying: "I'm a bad-ass in it. I play a bad guy with a dark secret who goes by [the] name of Brendan. It's a good healthy stint of six to seven months and I can't wait to get started. It's all about new experiences and Hollyoaks has a very impressive history. It's great to be part of it." Scanlan originally signed a six-month contract, which was later extended.
Actress Bronagh Waugh, who plays Brendan's sister Cheryl, has claimed that Brendan is "one of the most evil soap villains ever", stating: "Brendan is the nastiest bad boy I've ever seen — I'm talking worse than EastEnders
Dirty Den
. If you think he's been mean so far, you haven't seen anything yet! The thing is that he does care for Cheryl and has good intentions towards her. But events won't turn out the way he planned."
During an interview in May 2010, Marquess was asked about Brendan and if he was a bad boy. He replied: "Oh, definitely — he's an absolute bastard! I think people are going to think, 'Here's the next Warren
', but they'll be surprised when they find out what the real story is. He is Cheryl's half-brother… and Cheryl won't hear a bad word against him..."
In a further interview with Press Association
, Scanlan said: "I have never had the opportunity to play somebody as complex and as damaged as Brendan. He is without doubt a sociopathic, self-loathing, homophobic gay man and that in itself is a fascinating attraction for any actor to play. I think any actor would love a challenge, when you're doing a role if it pushes your boundaries and takes you out of yourself and allows you to experience different things. I think that's great. So coming up to do the part was exciting for me."
Scanlan later spoke about his character and said: "Brendan is a king manipulator. He lulls people into a false sense of security — it's like a fly being drawn to the spider. Because he's such a king manipulator, he can talk the underwear off this fella [Ste] and he's very confident. So yeah, he definitely knows. He sees Stephen as a young, vulnerable guy who has no male friends, who hasn't had a father figure, and who — like Brendan — is a father himself. So Brendan can play with that." He also called Brendan "unpredictable" and "complex".
Marquess revealed in December 2010 that 2011 would explore more of the character's background and the reasons for his "twisted" personality: "What we've played in 2010 in introducing Brendan is this very dark and twisted character. One thing we want to do in 2011 is to explain why he's like that. The whole domestic violence angle does continues to play but in really quite an unexpected way. The safest thing I can say is everyone should remember it was Ste who hit Amy [Barnes] first. So it's a dark and interwoven story made all the more complicated by the introduction of a new love interest for Ste."
announced an upcoming gay plot featuring his character Ste Hay
and Brendan, claiming the pair would embark on an "unusual friendship". However, Brendan and Ste's relationship will become violent, touching on domestic abuse. After the announcement, Paul Marquess said: "This is a long running storyline and while it is dark to begin with, the lessons that Ste learns are ultimately positive and life affirming. This story is about not being afraid to be who you are and while this is something Brendan struggles with, Ste is refreshingly accepting of his feelings towards another man. I hope viewers will be glued throughout the twists and turns as we unravel how Brendan came to be the twisted person we have been watching on screen."
Meanwhile, Scanlan admitted he was glad Brendan is becoming "a complex character" and "not a gratuitous soap villain, but a multi-layered character with depth, a troubled past and an unsure future". He continued: "I hope that as the storyline develops, viewers will be able to understand why Brendan has become the villain they see today. Brendan is compelled to manipulate and control everyone who crosses his path. At the moment this makes him dangerous but when we identify why he behaves this way, we will discover his vulnerabilities and this is exciting..."
Scanlan later explained: "Because Hollyoaks is a 6.30pm show we had to find different ways to tell the story in a convincing way and leave most of it to the imagination of the audience. And in more cases than not, your own imagination is much more visual and more horrific than what you see on screen, so we tried to push things, drop little things, without actually showing anything explicit, but it was an incredible experience. Brendan's an extraordinary character to play."
A spokesperson for Hollyoaks described the storyline in October 2010, saying: "Ste doesn't realise how much power and control Brendan is wielding over him. He's still coming to terms with his sexuality. Brendan is the only man he's ever slept with so he feels a connection he’s never felt before. Even when Brendan beat him up he somehow managed to turn it all on Ste so he was the one that ended up apologising. And sadly, once they've slept together things are only going to get worse. This storyline is one of the darkest in the soap's history and viewers will be shocked at the lengths Brendan goes to over the next few months."
Scanlan, in an interview with Digital Spy
, explained the research he put into the abuse storyline: "The thing about it is that every case is different and every story is different. The principles are the same, but it's always different. With this, the writers give you your homework, so to speak — you explore it and you research it, because you want to give it the best truthfulness that you can. Obviously it's your work that's going out on screen, and your credibility goes with that. So you definitely need to do your homework." After asked about what kind of impact and response he wanted the storyline to have, Scanlan replied: "I've always wanted the storyline to be subtle. I didn't want it to be thrown into this violent, sociopathic gay relationship straight away as that would lose its credibility — and credit to the writers and Paul Marquess because it has been very subtle and it's built over the weeks," he continued, "I also want the story to evoke emotion — not just in the cast around me, but in the crew, the writers, the producers and the people who are investing half an hour of their lives into watching Hollyoaks each night. Whether those emotions are hatred, disgust or love or anything — I just want it to evoke something. I want it to touch on things, and I hope people are affected by it. But things like this are completely outside of the actors' control - we just have to give some truth to the storyline and try to make it as interesting as possible. We can't leave people short-changed. You never know, Brendan might become the most hated guy in England soon - that'd be a nice thing to have on the resumé!"
(Bronagh Waugh
). Before arriving in Hollyoaks village, Brendan was married to Eileen Brady (Rachel Doherty), who he had two children to; Declan, the eldest who has severe health issues, and Paddy. He also lost a daughter Niamh before Declan. Brendan had numerous affairs with other men, including Eileen's nephew Macca (Drew Dilon). He however ended his relationship with Macca to stop Eileen finding out. Eventually, Eileen discovered Brendan's cheating and ended their marriage, with Brendan telling Cheryl that Eileen had been having an affair.
) and Cheryl. He holds Cheryl back, and introduces himself. He then catches up with Cheryl and reveals he caught his wife Eileen in bed with another man, and so he left his wife and kids behind in Ireland. Cheryl is sympathetic towards him. Whilst staying with Cheryl, Brendan steals £20 from her wallet. Later on in The Dog in the Pond
, Cheryl mentions how she was unable to buy The Loft nightclub. Brendan tells her he has a friend called Danny Houston (Darren Day
) who could help out. Barman Carl Costello
(Paul Opacic
) recognises the name and warns Malachy Fisher
(Glen Wallace
) that Danny is shady and potentially dangerous. Malachy confronts Brendan about this, but Brendan warns him to mind his own business. The McQueen home is robbed by Veronica (Lynsey McLaren), an accomplice of Brendan's. Brendan begins working as a manager at ChezChez after Cheryl goes into partnership with Danny. Brendan then robs the club, but is recognised by Malachy. Cheryl does not believe that Brendan is responsible for the theft of the club's takings. To cover his tracks, Brendan later frames Veronica, who is arrested.
Brendan befriends Carmel Valentine (Gemma Merna
), and plans to use her to smuggle drugs into the country from Barcelona
. Ste convinces Carmel not to go, but when Brendan decides to take Ste's ex-girlfriend Amy Barnes
(Ashley Slanina-Davies
), Ste convinces Carmel to go ahead with the holiday after all. The student halls of residence is burgled by Doug Carter
(PJ Brennan), who gives Brendan the money for drugs. Brendan's wife Eileen turns up at ChezChez unexpected. She reveals that their son Declan is ill and needs money for specialist treatment. Brendan accidentally mugs Cheryl, believing it was Rhys Ashworth
(Andrew Moss
). He then pays Eileen the money. As she leaves, Ste tells Malachy he believes Brendan was responsible for Cheryl's mugging, after seeing Brendan give Eileen the money. Malachy and Lynsey Nolan
(Karen Hassan
) confront Cheryl, who again refuses to believe Brendan would do such a thing.
When Rae Wilson
(Alice Barlow
) returns, Brendan is jealous of her and Ste's relationship. Veronica arrives at ChezChez and ends up kissing Ste, following Brendan's orders, as Rae walks in. When Ste overhears Brendan talking to Veronica, he confronts him as to why he was trying to end Ste and Rae's relationship. Brendan invites Jacqui McQueen (Claire Cooper
) to lunch with him and Danny. He assumes that he and Jacqui have a relationship, however seems angered when Jacqui does not show interest. Ste overhears a phone conversation between Brendan and Macca, whom he is shouting at. Brendan violently begins trashing the office when Macca ends the phone call and when he notices Ste, he tells him to leave. After Brendan returns from a business trip, he is furious to discover Macca has arrived in Hollyoaks and has been given a job by Cheryl. Brendan later threatens Macca, who is not seen again. Jacqui finds Brendan with bloody hands, suggesting he beat Macca up. After a night out, Brendan and Ste return to Brendan's home, where they eventually kiss. Brendan reacts by throwing a confused Ste out. The next day, Ste is worried when Brendan confronts him. However, they kiss again. Ste questions whether Brendan is avoiding him, however Brendan tells him to lock the door to the cellar so they are alone. As Ste tries to kiss Brendan, Brendan punches Ste, and he falls to the floor. Brendan later manipulates Ste into telling Cheryl that he was mugged.
Brendan later tells Ste that it was all his fault and manages to get Ste into bed yet again. Amy finds out about Ste and Brendan and Brendan's abuse of Ste. Brendan continually threatens her to keep quiet. On the same night, Il Gnosh is set fire to whilst Amy is babysitting in the flat above and she is almost killed. At hospital, Macca reappears following his beating from Brendan, who he tells he wants back. Brendan threatens Macca, telling him to leave for Northern Ireland once again. Cheryl then invites Macca to stay with her and Brendan. Amy tells Ste that she thinks Brendan started the fire and decides to move away for her own safety. Macca tells Rae about Ste and Brendan's relationship. Rae confronts Ste over the affair and later tells Cheryl that Brendan is gay, which he denies. Brendan begins a brief relationship with India Longford
(Beth Kingston).
Brendan and Ste go on a date in public. However, Brendan is uncomfortable and leaves. Danny and Brendan decide to get rid of Warren. Brendan, however, double-crosses Danny after discovering he was responsible for the death of Brendan's former male lover. Danny agrees to sign over his half of Chez Chez, but tells Brendan he will be paying Ste a visit. Angered by Danny's threats, Brendan attacks and murders Danny by beating him with a hammer until he is killed. Warren and Brendan then dispose of Danny's body. Amy returns and confronts Brendan, telling him Rae is pregnant with Ste's child. Brendan later ends his relationship with Ste, giving him a final kiss as Mitzeee (Rachel Shenton
) watches. Mitzeee confronts Brendan and agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend in exchange for him managing her modeling career, to which Brendan agrees.
When Rae goes to an abortion clinic, Brendan manages to stop her and reveals that his first child Niamh died at birth. He also reveals his father left his mother for Cheryl's mother. Brendan and Rae become friends, but he continues to sleep with Ste. Mitzeee causes Rae to discover the affair. Brendan and Rae argue, which causes Rae to miscarry her child. After this, Rae blames Brendan.
After Danny Houston's body is found, Warren is arrested after Brendan planted his credit card into Danny's dead body. Warren realises that Brendan has set him up and reveals to Ste that Brendan killed Danny Houston to protect him. After Ste confronts him, Brendan confirms that he killed Danny. Devastated, Ste tells them they're over. Brendan realises that Warren told Ste about Danny. Furious, he goes round to his and Mitzee's new flat where he catches her and Warren kissing. Fuming, they both storm outside and a huge fight erupts. Eventually, after fighting their way around the villiage, they decide to call a truce on their silly feud.
After pushing Ste too far Ste attacks Brendan then reveals to Cheryl he's gay. Cheryl also overhears Brendan telling old friend Pete Hamill
(Peter Mitchell) he did steal from the club. Cheryl blames Brendan for her falling out with Malachy before his death and refuses to speak to Brendan. Brendan returns to Ireland but comes back two weeks later and hires Jenny (Daisy Turner
) to scam Warren out of £200,000. After getting the money Warren threatens to tell everyone he is gay which leads to Brendan outing himself by kissing Ste in the middle of the club. With his £200,000 Brendan buys 49% of Chez Chez
Ste tells Brendan he has a new boyfriend Noah Baxter(Law Thompson). Brendan then goes out of his way to split them up, first by attempting to seduce Noah. Though the plan works briefly, and Ste and Noah split, they reunite quickly. Ste then decides to move away with Noah but later changes his mind, after witnessing Noah cheating once again. Ste contemplates reuniting with Brendan, but he finds out the man Noah was with had been hired by Brendan. However, Brendan goes out of his way to get Ste back, eventually telling Ste he loves him. The pair sleep together again, when Brendan's ex wife Eileen walks in on them and demands to know what is going on. Brendan revels it is a misunderstanding, and Eileen warns Brendan that if the children find out, she will ban him from seeing them. Eileen then tells Brendan he will have to look after Declan (Jay Duffy) while she is away. He agrees to do so. Desperate to keep Ste as well though, Brendan agrees to go to Paris with him, but at the last minute, bottles it, heading to Blackpool with Declan instead.
Brendan also supports Lynsey, after she believes Silas Blissett
(Jeff Rawle) is out to get her. Ste returns, and soon reveals to Declan that he is gay. Having to suffer Declan's questions, Brendan is angered by this, and warns Ste to stay away. As Ste continues making sniping comment to Brendan, Brendan lashes out, as Declan walks in. Ste threatens to go to the police, and gets as far as the police station before Brendan stops him, telling him about life growing up with his father. Brendan reveals that his dad would often come home drunk, drag Brendan out of bed, wanting to fight, whilst calling him names, which are linked to sexuality, but also in Brendan's head as weakness. Ste tells Brendan to tell Declan the truth, and Brendan agrees to do so, but changes his mind later. Brendan decides that he wants to be in a relationship with a woman, and sees a vulnerable Lynsey as the perfect one. He makes his move on her, but is quickly rebuffed, and as the pair argue over the coming days, are unaware they are being watched by a camera Silas has hidden in the flat. As Lynsey continues to think she is being manipulated by Silas, she decides to leave for a while, but Brendan witnesses Silas watching Lynsey depart and warns Silas that he is keeping an eye on him. A week later Lynsey returns from her trip and says she feels calmer. However Brendan confesses to Lynsey that she might be right about Silas and tells her that he saw Silas watching her as she left. Brendan then helps Lynsey and Cheryl with their friendship. Silas however keeps on breaking into the flat and keeps messing with Lynsey's mind. So Brendan confronts Silas and threatens to kill him if he ever goes near Lynsey again. After confronting Silas, Brendan tells Ste to go and keep an eye on Lynsey. Rae is not happy by the way Brendan bosses around Ste. Shr calls Brendan selfish and a bully. Brendan then grabs Rae's arm and tells her to stay away from him. Silas then helps Rae by telling her she should stand up to Brendan more often, but really he is after revenge on Brendan after his threat. Rae then goes to Lynsey's flat and yells at Ste, accidentally admitting Brendan is gay in front of his son Declan. Brendan then confesses to his son that he is gay and that is why he left his mother. Declan however, takes the news well and the pair hug. But Brendan goes after Rae and puts his hands on her throat and tells her to stay away from Declan and his family, or he will kill her. Rae is murdered by Silas and her body is planted in Brendan's car boot. Silas leaves a note on the car telling Brendan to go to the woods, and Brendan assumes this note is from Lynsey, who earlier told him she was meeting someone from an online chatroom. He then goes to the woods to look for her, but she is not there. A phone rings in the boot of the car, and Brendan opens the boot to find Rae's dead body. At that moment, the police arrive and arrest Brendan, having been tipped off by Silas and suspecting Brendan of Rae's murder and the murders of India Longford and Rebecca Massey previously. He is put in prison and refused bail. He is then visited by Cheryl and Warren, who say they will find a way to show the police that he is innocent. Lynsey tries to show the police her online chat with the stranger, but the stranger's account has been deleted. Warren visits Brendan in prison and threatens Brendan to try and get Brendan to give his share of the club to him. When Brendan refuses to hand over his part of the club, Warren orders his friends inside to beat Brendan up. However even after this, Brendan refused to hand over his share of the club.
, but did not make the sh ortlist. Scanlan was nominated in the categories of "Best Actor" and Brendan for "Villain of the Year" at the 2011 British Soap Awards
as well as "Best Newcomer" and "Best Onscreen Partnership" with Kieron Richardson. He went on to win "Best Newcomer" and "Villain of the Year". At the All About Soap
Bubble Awards Brendan, Ste and Rae won the award for "Best Love Triangle". Scanlan won "Best Newcomer" at the 2011 Inside Soap Awards
. He was nominated in the category of "Serial Drama Performance" at the 2012 National Television Awards.
A writer for the homosexual blog and news website AfterElton.com expressed his shock at the scene featuring Brendan hitting Ste and also called the story "compelling". He said, "I must say that even though I've been following this storyline since it began, and I knew what was coming, seeing Brendan hit Ste was quite shocking… and the storyline is just beginning. The show has said it's going to be a dark, long-running story arc so I can only imagine what's ahead. I admit that I find the storyline quite compelling, and I've been drawn into it. While some people have seen this as a romance, it's never played that way to me. Ste and Brendan's scenes do have an element of sexual allure since the actors have chemistry, but there's too much darkness and manipulation on the edges of every scene to make real romance even possible. He also gave credit to the show for its slow build up over a few months.
Inside Soap
writer Laura-Jayne Tyler also praised Scanlan's character: "Ever since the moustache-twitching rogue rocked up in Chester, he's been pure dynamite. His criminal antics are so dodgy that I'm sure he's going to put the likes of Dirty Den to shame, and the gay domestic abuse plot involving him and Ste has got to be the biggest love shock of the year."
Ruth Deller of lowculture.co.uk
listed Brendan as her favourite character of soap opera during the second half of 2010. She also commented on him, stating: "Twirling his comedy evil moustache, turning Ste into his sex slave, randomly bullying the weakest residents of the village just because he can, Brendan has made our forum users come over all unnecessary."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the British Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, played by Emmett J. Scanlan
Emmett J. Scanlan
Emmett J. Scanlan is an Irish actor from Dublin.In 2008 and 2009, Scanlan appeared in the Justin Timberlake-produced MTV series The Phone, as "The Operator"...
. The character was introduced in 2010 by series producer Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess
Paul Marquess is a Northern Irish-born British television producer.-Television career:His credits include Brookside, The Bill and Family Affairs. He also originated the idea for the series Footballers' Wives...
during part of the show's overhaul the character has become incredibly popular and liked.
He is the older half brother of already established character Cheryl Brady
Cheryl Brady
Cheryl Brady is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Bronagh Waugh. The character first appeared on-screen on 25 November 2008, during the first series of the Hollyoaks spin-off, Hollyoaks Later, as the former love interest of Malachy Fisher...
(Bronagh Waugh
Bronagh Waugh
Bronagh Waugh is a Northern Irish actress currently playing the character of Cheryl Brady in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as well as appearing on T4 On The Beach as herself....
). Following the announcement of Brendan's casting, he was quickly billed as the show's new 'bad boy' character. The character is currently a part of a high-profile homosexual domestic abuse storyline with Ste Hay
Ste Hay
Stephen "Ste" Hay is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kieron Richardson. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 17 February 2006. Ste was created by David Hanson and was originally intended to be a short-term character for seven episodes...
(Kieron Richardson
Kieron Richardson
Kieron Mark Richardson is an English actor best known for playing the role of Ste Hay in Hollyoaks.-Career:...
). Scanlan has received both positive and negative reception from various news publications since his first appearance as the character in August 2010.
Creation and casting
Irish actor Emmett J. Scanlan was cast as Brendan by series producer Paul MarquessPaul Marquess
Paul Marquess is a Northern Irish-born British television producer.-Television career:His credits include Brookside, The Bill and Family Affairs. He also originated the idea for the series Footballers' Wives...
after being put forward for the role by casting director Dorothy Andrews. Scanlan previously auditioned for the roles of Kieron Hobbs and Des Townsend, but was asked by producers to drop his accent. Brendan was originally to be from Belfast, Northern Ireland, like sister Cheryl Brady
Cheryl Brady
Cheryl Brady is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Bronagh Waugh. The character first appeared on-screen on 25 November 2008, during the first series of the Hollyoaks spin-off, Hollyoaks Later, as the former love interest of Malachy Fisher...
. This detail was however changed to make Cheryl and Brendan half-siblings and Brendan's backstory was changed so he comes from Dublin, Ireland, to avoid confusion with Scanlan's accent.
Details of the character of Brendan were first hinted in April 2010, when Marquess referred to Brendan as a "very nasty man" appearing from Cheryl's past. Later in April, Brendan's casting was officially announced.
At the same time of his casting, the characters of Lynsey Nolan
Lynsey Nolan
Lynsey Nolan is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Karen Hassan. The character originally appeared in the first series of the Hollyoaks spin-off, Hollyoaks Later, as the former girlfriend of Kris Fisher...
(Karen Hassan
Karen Hassan
Karen Hassan is a British actress, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her work includes roles in Hollyoaks Later and Hunger. As of 2010 she is playing Lynsey Nolan in the main series of Hollyoaks.-Hollyoaks:...
) and Bart McQueen
Bart McQueen
Bartholomew "Bart" McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jonny Clarke. He first appeared onscreen at his stepmother's funeral in August 2010, introduced by producer Paul Marquess as a member of the McQueen family...
(Jonny Clarke
Jonny Clarke
Jonny Clarke, is an English actor. He is best known for playing the character of Bart McQueen in the channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:...
) were also signed to appear in the show. Marquess spoke of the characters' arrivals, saying: "This is a really exciting time for Hollyoaks and Brendan, Lynsey and Bart bring more fun, drama and sexiness to the show." Scanlan commented on his new role, saying: "I'm a bad-ass in it. I play a bad guy with a dark secret who goes by [the] name of Brendan. It's a good healthy stint of six to seven months and I can't wait to get started. It's all about new experiences and Hollyoaks has a very impressive history. It's great to be part of it." Scanlan originally signed a six-month contract, which was later extended.
Characterisation
The main focal point of Brendan's characteristics was his 'villain' persona. Scanlan described Brendan's personality, saying: "I don't know how to describe him in five words. I don't think he is either good or bad. Brendan's a man who defines his own moral code and principles, and lives with the consequences. He's the type of dude that will hit you as quick as look at you, but never touch a girl. His principles may be different to yours or mine but he's not good or bad, he's just... Brendan." A Hollyoaks spokesperson has said that Brendan is "pure evil." and that "he loves having power over people." Scanlan has also claimed that Brendan "defines his own morals, his own principles and lives with the consequences".Actress Bronagh Waugh, who plays Brendan's sister Cheryl, has claimed that Brendan is "one of the most evil soap villains ever", stating: "Brendan is the nastiest bad boy I've ever seen — I'm talking worse than EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
Dirty Den
Den Watts
Dennis Alan "Den" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den"....
. If you think he's been mean so far, you haven't seen anything yet! The thing is that he does care for Cheryl and has good intentions towards her. But events won't turn out the way he planned."
During an interview in May 2010, Marquess was asked about Brendan and if he was a bad boy. He replied: "Oh, definitely — he's an absolute bastard! I think people are going to think, 'Here's the next Warren
Warren Fox
Warren Fox is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jamie Lomas. He first arrived in 2006 as an old acquaintance of Sean Kennedy and quickly became known as the show's main villain...
', but they'll be surprised when they find out what the real story is. He is Cheryl's half-brother… and Cheryl won't hear a bad word against him..."
In a further interview with Press Association
Press Association
The Press Association is the national news agency of the United Kingdom and Ireland, supplying multimedia news content to almost all national and regional newspapers, television and radio news, as well as many websites with text, pictures, video and data content globally...
, Scanlan said: "I have never had the opportunity to play somebody as complex and as damaged as Brendan. He is without doubt a sociopathic, self-loathing, homophobic gay man and that in itself is a fascinating attraction for any actor to play. I think any actor would love a challenge, when you're doing a role if it pushes your boundaries and takes you out of yourself and allows you to experience different things. I think that's great. So coming up to do the part was exciting for me."
Scanlan later spoke about his character and said: "Brendan is a king manipulator. He lulls people into a false sense of security — it's like a fly being drawn to the spider. Because he's such a king manipulator, he can talk the underwear off this fella [Ste] and he's very confident. So yeah, he definitely knows. He sees Stephen as a young, vulnerable guy who has no male friends, who hasn't had a father figure, and who — like Brendan — is a father himself. So Brendan can play with that." He also called Brendan "unpredictable" and "complex".
Marquess revealed in December 2010 that 2011 would explore more of the character's background and the reasons for his "twisted" personality: "What we've played in 2010 in introducing Brendan is this very dark and twisted character. One thing we want to do in 2011 is to explain why he's like that. The whole domestic violence angle does continues to play but in really quite an unexpected way. The safest thing I can say is everyone should remember it was Ste who hit Amy [Barnes] first. So it's a dark and interwoven story made all the more complicated by the introduction of a new love interest for Ste."
Domestic abuse plot
In September 2010, Kieron RichardsonKieron Richardson
Kieron Mark Richardson is an English actor best known for playing the role of Ste Hay in Hollyoaks.-Career:...
announced an upcoming gay plot featuring his character Ste Hay
Ste Hay
Stephen "Ste" Hay is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kieron Richardson. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 17 February 2006. Ste was created by David Hanson and was originally intended to be a short-term character for seven episodes...
and Brendan, claiming the pair would embark on an "unusual friendship". However, Brendan and Ste's relationship will become violent, touching on domestic abuse. After the announcement, Paul Marquess said: "This is a long running storyline and while it is dark to begin with, the lessons that Ste learns are ultimately positive and life affirming. This story is about not being afraid to be who you are and while this is something Brendan struggles with, Ste is refreshingly accepting of his feelings towards another man. I hope viewers will be glued throughout the twists and turns as we unravel how Brendan came to be the twisted person we have been watching on screen."
Meanwhile, Scanlan admitted he was glad Brendan is becoming "a complex character" and "not a gratuitous soap villain, but a multi-layered character with depth, a troubled past and an unsure future". He continued: "I hope that as the storyline develops, viewers will be able to understand why Brendan has become the villain they see today. Brendan is compelled to manipulate and control everyone who crosses his path. At the moment this makes him dangerous but when we identify why he behaves this way, we will discover his vulnerabilities and this is exciting..."
Scanlan later explained: "Because Hollyoaks is a 6.30pm show we had to find different ways to tell the story in a convincing way and leave most of it to the imagination of the audience. And in more cases than not, your own imagination is much more visual and more horrific than what you see on screen, so we tried to push things, drop little things, without actually showing anything explicit, but it was an incredible experience. Brendan's an extraordinary character to play."
A spokesperson for Hollyoaks described the storyline in October 2010, saying: "Ste doesn't realise how much power and control Brendan is wielding over him. He's still coming to terms with his sexuality. Brendan is the only man he's ever slept with so he feels a connection he’s never felt before. Even when Brendan beat him up he somehow managed to turn it all on Ste so he was the one that ended up apologising. And sadly, once they've slept together things are only going to get worse. This storyline is one of the darkest in the soap's history and viewers will be shocked at the lengths Brendan goes to over the next few months."
Scanlan, in an interview with Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
, explained the research he put into the abuse storyline: "The thing about it is that every case is different and every story is different. The principles are the same, but it's always different. With this, the writers give you your homework, so to speak — you explore it and you research it, because you want to give it the best truthfulness that you can. Obviously it's your work that's going out on screen, and your credibility goes with that. So you definitely need to do your homework." After asked about what kind of impact and response he wanted the storyline to have, Scanlan replied: "I've always wanted the storyline to be subtle. I didn't want it to be thrown into this violent, sociopathic gay relationship straight away as that would lose its credibility — and credit to the writers and Paul Marquess because it has been very subtle and it's built over the weeks," he continued, "I also want the story to evoke emotion — not just in the cast around me, but in the crew, the writers, the producers and the people who are investing half an hour of their lives into watching Hollyoaks each night. Whether those emotions are hatred, disgust or love or anything — I just want it to evoke something. I want it to touch on things, and I hope people are affected by it. But things like this are completely outside of the actors' control - we just have to give some truth to the storyline and try to make it as interesting as possible. We can't leave people short-changed. You never know, Brendan might become the most hated guy in England soon - that'd be a nice thing to have on the resumé!"
Backstory
Brendan is the older half-brother of Cheryl BradyCheryl Brady
Cheryl Brady is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Bronagh Waugh. The character first appeared on-screen on 25 November 2008, during the first series of the Hollyoaks spin-off, Hollyoaks Later, as the former love interest of Malachy Fisher...
(Bronagh Waugh
Bronagh Waugh
Bronagh Waugh is a Northern Irish actress currently playing the character of Cheryl Brady in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as well as appearing on T4 On The Beach as herself....
). Before arriving in Hollyoaks village, Brendan was married to Eileen Brady (Rachel Doherty), who he had two children to; Declan, the eldest who has severe health issues, and Paddy. He also lost a daughter Niamh before Declan. Brendan had numerous affairs with other men, including Eileen's nephew Macca (Drew Dilon). He however ended his relationship with Macca to stop Eileen finding out. Eventually, Eileen discovered Brendan's cheating and ended their marriage, with Brendan telling Cheryl that Eileen had been having an affair.
2010—
Brendan first arrives during a fight between Mercedes Fisher (Jennifer MetcalfeJennifer Metcalfe
Jennifer Joanne Metcalfe is an English actress and model. She joined the cast of soap opera Hollyoaks in June 2006, playing feisty Mercedes McQueen.-Personal life:...
) and Cheryl. He holds Cheryl back, and introduces himself. He then catches up with Cheryl and reveals he caught his wife Eileen in bed with another man, and so he left his wife and kids behind in Ireland. Cheryl is sympathetic towards him. Whilst staying with Cheryl, Brendan steals £20 from her wallet. Later on in The Dog in the Pond
The Dog in the Pond
The Dog in the Pond is a fictional public house in the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. It has been at the centre of the show's setting since it began in 1995. The pub was burnt down in episodes airing in September 2006 during the 'Fire at The Dog', which killed five regular characters...
, Cheryl mentions how she was unable to buy The Loft nightclub. Brendan tells her he has a friend called Danny Houston (Darren Day
Darren Day
Darren Day , is an English actor, singer and television presenter, well known for his West End theatre starring roles.-Early life:His paternal grandfather was a support and warm-up act for George Formby...
) who could help out. Barman Carl Costello
Carl Costello
Carl Costello, is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Paul Opacic. The character was introduced by executive producer Paul Marquess and debuted onscreen during the episode airing on 19 July 2010. He came to the village as the new owner of The Dog in the...
(Paul Opacic
Paul Opacic
Paul Opacic is an English actor. He is currently best known for his role as Carl Costello in Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:...
) recognises the name and warns Malachy Fisher
Malachy Fisher
Malachy "Mal" Fisher is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Glen Wallace. Malachy first appeared in 2007 on a recurring basis and became a permanent character in 2008. The character has been noted for being at the centre of a HIV plot...
(Glen Wallace
Glen Wallace
Glen Wallace is an Northern Irish actor, born in Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland.He is most notable for playing Malachy Fisher on popular Channel 4 teen soap opera, Hollyoaks from 2007 onwards. He also played Mr Michaels in Wire in the Blood in 2006. He appeared in Casualty, playing Bill...
) that Danny is shady and potentially dangerous. Malachy confronts Brendan about this, but Brendan warns him to mind his own business. The McQueen home is robbed by Veronica (Lynsey McLaren), an accomplice of Brendan's. Brendan begins working as a manager at ChezChez after Cheryl goes into partnership with Danny. Brendan then robs the club, but is recognised by Malachy. Cheryl does not believe that Brendan is responsible for the theft of the club's takings. To cover his tracks, Brendan later frames Veronica, who is arrested.
Brendan befriends Carmel Valentine (Gemma Merna
Gemma Merna
Gemma Ann Merna is an English actress. She is known for playing Carmel Valentine in Hollyoaks.-Awards:...
), and plans to use her to smuggle drugs into the country from Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. Ste convinces Carmel not to go, but when Brendan decides to take Ste's ex-girlfriend Amy Barnes
Amy Barnes
Amy Barnes is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ashley Slanina-Davies. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 14 November 2005. Amy was created by executive producer David Hanson and Slanina-Davies was offered the role whilst looking for...
(Ashley Slanina-Davies
Ashley Slanina-Davies
Ashley Slanina-Davies is an English actress born in Standish, near Wigan, who is notable for playing the role of Amy Barnes on Channel 4's teen soap, Hollyoaks...
), Ste convinces Carmel to go ahead with the holiday after all. The student halls of residence is burgled by Doug Carter
Doug Carter
Doug Carter is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by PJ Brennan. He initially appeared in the programme's online spin-off series Hollyoaks: Freshers, before debuting in the main series in the episode airing 13 September 2010. He left on 17 September before returning...
(PJ Brennan), who gives Brendan the money for drugs. Brendan's wife Eileen turns up at ChezChez unexpected. She reveals that their son Declan is ill and needs money for specialist treatment. Brendan accidentally mugs Cheryl, believing it was Rhys Ashworth
Rhys Ashworth
Rhys Lesley Ashworth is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Andrew Moss. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 October 2005.-Character creation and casting:...
(Andrew Moss
Andrew Moss
Andrew "Andy" Moss is an English television actor. He is currently best known for playing Rhys Ashworth in the Channel 4 teenage soap opera Hollyoaks since 2005.-TV credits:...
). He then pays Eileen the money. As she leaves, Ste tells Malachy he believes Brendan was responsible for Cheryl's mugging, after seeing Brendan give Eileen the money. Malachy and Lynsey Nolan
Lynsey Nolan
Lynsey Nolan is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Karen Hassan. The character originally appeared in the first series of the Hollyoaks spin-off, Hollyoaks Later, as the former girlfriend of Kris Fisher...
(Karen Hassan
Karen Hassan
Karen Hassan is a British actress, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her work includes roles in Hollyoaks Later and Hunger. As of 2010 she is playing Lynsey Nolan in the main series of Hollyoaks.-Hollyoaks:...
) confront Cheryl, who again refuses to believe Brendan would do such a thing.
When Rae Wilson
Rae Wilson
Rae Wilson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Alice Barlow. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 5 October 2009. Barlow was cast into the role, which fulfilled her dream of starring in a soap opera. Fellow cast member Helen...
(Alice Barlow
Alice Barlow
Alice Barlow , is a British actress and singer, best known for her role in Hollyoaks as Rae Wilson.-Career:While a teenager Barlow won a national talent search Festival4Stars. In 2008, Barlow took part 'The Stobart Factor' a talent competition, which was judged by The X Factor judge Louis Walsh...
) returns, Brendan is jealous of her and Ste's relationship. Veronica arrives at ChezChez and ends up kissing Ste, following Brendan's orders, as Rae walks in. When Ste overhears Brendan talking to Veronica, he confronts him as to why he was trying to end Ste and Rae's relationship. Brendan invites Jacqui McQueen (Claire Cooper
Claire Cooper
Claire Elizabeth Cooper is an English actress who currently plays Jacqui McQueen in British Channel 4 series Hollyoaks...
) to lunch with him and Danny. He assumes that he and Jacqui have a relationship, however seems angered when Jacqui does not show interest. Ste overhears a phone conversation between Brendan and Macca, whom he is shouting at. Brendan violently begins trashing the office when Macca ends the phone call and when he notices Ste, he tells him to leave. After Brendan returns from a business trip, he is furious to discover Macca has arrived in Hollyoaks and has been given a job by Cheryl. Brendan later threatens Macca, who is not seen again. Jacqui finds Brendan with bloody hands, suggesting he beat Macca up. After a night out, Brendan and Ste return to Brendan's home, where they eventually kiss. Brendan reacts by throwing a confused Ste out. The next day, Ste is worried when Brendan confronts him. However, they kiss again. Ste questions whether Brendan is avoiding him, however Brendan tells him to lock the door to the cellar so they are alone. As Ste tries to kiss Brendan, Brendan punches Ste, and he falls to the floor. Brendan later manipulates Ste into telling Cheryl that he was mugged.
Brendan later tells Ste that it was all his fault and manages to get Ste into bed yet again. Amy finds out about Ste and Brendan and Brendan's abuse of Ste. Brendan continually threatens her to keep quiet. On the same night, Il Gnosh is set fire to whilst Amy is babysitting in the flat above and she is almost killed. At hospital, Macca reappears following his beating from Brendan, who he tells he wants back. Brendan threatens Macca, telling him to leave for Northern Ireland once again. Cheryl then invites Macca to stay with her and Brendan. Amy tells Ste that she thinks Brendan started the fire and decides to move away for her own safety. Macca tells Rae about Ste and Brendan's relationship. Rae confronts Ste over the affair and later tells Cheryl that Brendan is gay, which he denies. Brendan begins a brief relationship with India Longford
India Longford
India Longford is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Beth Kingston. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 September 2009 and was introduced by series producer Lucy Allan as a new student at Hollyoaks Community College...
(Beth Kingston).
Brendan and Ste go on a date in public. However, Brendan is uncomfortable and leaves. Danny and Brendan decide to get rid of Warren. Brendan, however, double-crosses Danny after discovering he was responsible for the death of Brendan's former male lover. Danny agrees to sign over his half of Chez Chez, but tells Brendan he will be paying Ste a visit. Angered by Danny's threats, Brendan attacks and murders Danny by beating him with a hammer until he is killed. Warren and Brendan then dispose of Danny's body. Amy returns and confronts Brendan, telling him Rae is pregnant with Ste's child. Brendan later ends his relationship with Ste, giving him a final kiss as Mitzeee (Rachel Shenton
Rachel Shenton
Rachel Shenton, , is an English actress, who has appeared in a number of British television series, commercials, films and has also done voice overs. She is currently portraying Mitzeee on Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.-Career:Shenton was born in Stoke-on-Trent on the 6 November 1987 and has lived...
) watches. Mitzeee confronts Brendan and agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend in exchange for him managing her modeling career, to which Brendan agrees.
When Rae goes to an abortion clinic, Brendan manages to stop her and reveals that his first child Niamh died at birth. He also reveals his father left his mother for Cheryl's mother. Brendan and Rae become friends, but he continues to sleep with Ste. Mitzeee causes Rae to discover the affair. Brendan and Rae argue, which causes Rae to miscarry her child. After this, Rae blames Brendan.
After Danny Houston's body is found, Warren is arrested after Brendan planted his credit card into Danny's dead body. Warren realises that Brendan has set him up and reveals to Ste that Brendan killed Danny Houston to protect him. After Ste confronts him, Brendan confirms that he killed Danny. Devastated, Ste tells them they're over. Brendan realises that Warren told Ste about Danny. Furious, he goes round to his and Mitzee's new flat where he catches her and Warren kissing. Fuming, they both storm outside and a huge fight erupts. Eventually, after fighting their way around the villiage, they decide to call a truce on their silly feud.
After pushing Ste too far Ste attacks Brendan then reveals to Cheryl he's gay. Cheryl also overhears Brendan telling old friend Pete Hamill
Pete Hamill
Pete Hamill is an American journalist, novelist, essayist, editor and educator. Widely traveled and having written on a broad range of topics, he is perhaps best known for his career as a New York City journalist, as "the author of columns that sought to capture the particular flavors of New York...
(Peter Mitchell) he did steal from the club. Cheryl blames Brendan for her falling out with Malachy before his death and refuses to speak to Brendan. Brendan returns to Ireland but comes back two weeks later and hires Jenny (Daisy Turner
Daisy Turner (actress)
Daisy Turner is an English model and actress. She is currently the face of TV advertisement, Envirofone.com. Daisy made her debut on Hollyoaks in the recurring Jenny on April 15th 2011. She is the younger sister of former EastEnders actress Lacey Turner.-Early life:Daisy was born in Hendon, London...
) to scam Warren out of £200,000. After getting the money Warren threatens to tell everyone he is gay which leads to Brendan outing himself by kissing Ste in the middle of the club. With his £200,000 Brendan buys 49% of Chez Chez
Ste tells Brendan he has a new boyfriend Noah Baxter(Law Thompson). Brendan then goes out of his way to split them up, first by attempting to seduce Noah. Though the plan works briefly, and Ste and Noah split, they reunite quickly. Ste then decides to move away with Noah but later changes his mind, after witnessing Noah cheating once again. Ste contemplates reuniting with Brendan, but he finds out the man Noah was with had been hired by Brendan. However, Brendan goes out of his way to get Ste back, eventually telling Ste he loves him. The pair sleep together again, when Brendan's ex wife Eileen walks in on them and demands to know what is going on. Brendan revels it is a misunderstanding, and Eileen warns Brendan that if the children find out, she will ban him from seeing them. Eileen then tells Brendan he will have to look after Declan (Jay Duffy) while she is away. He agrees to do so. Desperate to keep Ste as well though, Brendan agrees to go to Paris with him, but at the last minute, bottles it, heading to Blackpool with Declan instead.
Brendan also supports Lynsey, after she believes Silas Blissett
Silas Blissett
Silas Blissett is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jeff Rawle. Rawle's casting was announced in December 2010 and it was revealed that he would portray a killer. Rawle was approached by Hollyoaks and met with series producer, Paul Marquess, who...
(Jeff Rawle) is out to get her. Ste returns, and soon reveals to Declan that he is gay. Having to suffer Declan's questions, Brendan is angered by this, and warns Ste to stay away. As Ste continues making sniping comment to Brendan, Brendan lashes out, as Declan walks in. Ste threatens to go to the police, and gets as far as the police station before Brendan stops him, telling him about life growing up with his father. Brendan reveals that his dad would often come home drunk, drag Brendan out of bed, wanting to fight, whilst calling him names, which are linked to sexuality, but also in Brendan's head as weakness. Ste tells Brendan to tell Declan the truth, and Brendan agrees to do so, but changes his mind later. Brendan decides that he wants to be in a relationship with a woman, and sees a vulnerable Lynsey as the perfect one. He makes his move on her, but is quickly rebuffed, and as the pair argue over the coming days, are unaware they are being watched by a camera Silas has hidden in the flat. As Lynsey continues to think she is being manipulated by Silas, she decides to leave for a while, but Brendan witnesses Silas watching Lynsey depart and warns Silas that he is keeping an eye on him. A week later Lynsey returns from her trip and says she feels calmer. However Brendan confesses to Lynsey that she might be right about Silas and tells her that he saw Silas watching her as she left. Brendan then helps Lynsey and Cheryl with their friendship. Silas however keeps on breaking into the flat and keeps messing with Lynsey's mind. So Brendan confronts Silas and threatens to kill him if he ever goes near Lynsey again. After confronting Silas, Brendan tells Ste to go and keep an eye on Lynsey. Rae is not happy by the way Brendan bosses around Ste. Shr calls Brendan selfish and a bully. Brendan then grabs Rae's arm and tells her to stay away from him. Silas then helps Rae by telling her she should stand up to Brendan more often, but really he is after revenge on Brendan after his threat. Rae then goes to Lynsey's flat and yells at Ste, accidentally admitting Brendan is gay in front of his son Declan. Brendan then confesses to his son that he is gay and that is why he left his mother. Declan however, takes the news well and the pair hug. But Brendan goes after Rae and puts his hands on her throat and tells her to stay away from Declan and his family, or he will kill her. Rae is murdered by Silas and her body is planted in Brendan's car boot. Silas leaves a note on the car telling Brendan to go to the woods, and Brendan assumes this note is from Lynsey, who earlier told him she was meeting someone from an online chatroom. He then goes to the woods to look for her, but she is not there. A phone rings in the boot of the car, and Brendan opens the boot to find Rae's dead body. At that moment, the police arrive and arrest Brendan, having been tipped off by Silas and suspecting Brendan of Rae's murder and the murders of India Longford and Rebecca Massey previously. He is put in prison and refused bail. He is then visited by Cheryl and Warren, who say they will find a way to show the police that he is innocent. Lynsey tries to show the police her online chat with the stranger, but the stranger's account has been deleted. Warren visits Brendan in prison and threatens Brendan to try and get Brendan to give his share of the club to him. When Brendan refuses to hand over his part of the club, Warren orders his friends inside to beat Brendan up. However even after this, Brendan refused to hand over his share of the club.
Reception
Only one month after his first appearance on Hollyoaks, Emmett J. Scanlan was nominated for the award of 'Best Newcomer' at the 2011 National Television AwardsNational Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
, but did not make the sh ortlist. Scanlan was nominated in the categories of "Best Actor" and Brendan for "Villain of the Year" at the 2011 British Soap Awards
British Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards is an annual awards ceremony to honour the best of British soap operas.The first event took place in 1999 and takes place in May each year. Although it is an ITV production, the events were held at the BBC Television Centre, in London until 2010. The 2011 awards relocated to...
as well as "Best Newcomer" and "Best Onscreen Partnership" with Kieron Richardson. He went on to win "Best Newcomer" and "Villain of the Year". At the All About Soap
All About Soap
All About Soap is a fortnightly UK magazine, released on Tuesday. Storylines of the shows it covers are from soap operas shown in the United Kingdom and from Australia....
Bubble Awards Brendan, Ste and Rae won the award for "Best Love Triangle". Scanlan won "Best Newcomer" at the 2011 Inside Soap Awards
Inside Soap Awards
The Inside Soap Awards is a yearly award ceremony run by Inside Soap magazine since 1996. The awards celebrate the British and Australian soap operas and their actors. Until 2007, EastEnders had won the award for "Best Soap" on every occasion...
. He was nominated in the category of "Serial Drama Performance" at the 2012 National Television Awards.
A writer for the homosexual blog and news website AfterElton.com expressed his shock at the scene featuring Brendan hitting Ste and also called the story "compelling". He said, "I must say that even though I've been following this storyline since it began, and I knew what was coming, seeing Brendan hit Ste was quite shocking… and the storyline is just beginning. The show has said it's going to be a dark, long-running story arc so I can only imagine what's ahead. I admit that I find the storyline quite compelling, and I've been drawn into it. While some people have seen this as a romance, it's never played that way to me. Ste and Brendan's scenes do have an element of sexual allure since the actors have chemistry, but there's too much darkness and manipulation on the edges of every scene to make real romance even possible. He also gave credit to the show for its slow build up over a few months.
Inside Soap
Inside Soap
Inside Soap is a weekly UK magazine, released every Tuesday. It covers current and future storylines in soap operas shown in the United Kingdom....
writer Laura-Jayne Tyler also praised Scanlan's character: "Ever since the moustache-twitching rogue rocked up in Chester, he's been pure dynamite. His criminal antics are so dodgy that I'm sure he's going to put the likes of Dirty Den to shame, and the gay domestic abuse plot involving him and Ste has got to be the biggest love shock of the year."
Ruth Deller of lowculture.co.uk
Lowculture
lowculture.co.uk is a UK television website founded in January 2003 by Paul Lang, who currently works as the art director of Doctor Who Adventures.-Purpose:...
listed Brendan as her favourite character of soap opera during the second half of 2010. She also commented on him, stating: "Twirling his comedy evil moustache, turning Ste into his sex slave, randomly bullying the weakest residents of the village just because he can, Brendan has made our forum users come over all unnecessary."
External links
- Character profile on the E4 website