Danny Lomax
Danny Lomax is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Stephen Billington. The character and casting were announced in July 2013, with Billington making his first appearance on 8 July. Billington, who had previously appeared on Coronation Street, was happy to be cast on another soap. He had previously auditioned for another role on Hollyoaks but was glad he did not receive it as he preferred Danny's character. Danny was introduced as a new drama teacher and as a love interest of John Paul McQueen. Danny was characterised as being charming, caring and secretive, with it being teased that Danny has many secrets that would come out. It is revealed that Danny is happily married to Sam Lomax whilst having a relationship with John Paul. Sam and her daughters with Danny – Tegan, Leela and Peri Lomax – later move to Hollyoaks. Danny is also revealed to be the father of established character Ste Hay and the two develop a father-son relationship. Hollyoaks producer, Bryan Kirkwood, had introduced the Lomaxes in order to give Ste a family unit on the soap. The family deal with various dramas, including Tegan giving birth and Peri's brain tumour.
Danny and John Paul struggle to keep their distance from each other and they are caught kissing on camera. Billington revealed that Danny believes that his affairs do not impact his family life or marriage, but his affair with John Paul is having an effect due to Danny loving him. Billington believed that John Paul and Danny were well suited for each other due to John Paul's caring personality which shows some of the goodness that Danny has lost. The pair's romance led to a storyline regarding homophobic bullying. Danny and John Paul's affair is eventually revealed, and Danny ends up cheating on Sam again with George Smith. Danny is also later revealed to be Peri's grandfather due to Peri being the daughter of Leela and Cameron Campbell. Billington later left the role and made his last appearance on 5 August 2014. Danny and Sam decide to leave Hollyoaks in order to escape, but as they are leaving they are killed in a car crash, which had been kept a secret until broadcast. It is later revealed that Cameron is the driver who murdered the couple and he is arrested for his crimes.
Casting and characterisation
On 1 July 2013, it was announced that former Coronation Street actor Stephen Billington had been cast on Hollyoaks as newcomer Danny Lomax, with it being reported that Billington had already begun filming and would debut later that month. It was also reported that Danny, a new teacher at Hollyoaks High, would be a new love interest for his colleague John Paul McQueen, and that Danny has many "skeletons" in his closet which could impact other characters in the soap. Billington had been hoping to be cast in another soap opera for several years, and had previously auditioned for Hollyoaks in 2012 for a different role, which he was glad to not received as "Danny is so fun to play". Billington enjoyed working on Hollyoaks and called it a great place to work, explaining that "Everyone is friendly and professional so it's a joy to be here". The actor joked that it is always "funny" when he has to snog another actor that he has just met. He added that he had been recognised in public a few times by fans, which he thought was "quite nice because I'm quite a shy person!"When asked to sum up the character in five words, Billington said, "Charming, fun, caring, complex, secretive". Billington said that he and Danny are somewhat similar as they both teach and get on with younger people, but revealed that Danny has a "whole side to him that's completely different" to the actor. Billington did not elaborate, but confirmed that that side would be "revealed over time". The actor added, "You'll still like , but he's much more complex than he first appears. Aren't we all?" Billington later told Digital Spy that he hoped that viewers would still like Danny after the reveal of his secrets, adding that Danny is able to charm his way out of "difficult situations", with the actor hoping that he would be able to do the same with the audience. He specified that Danny is "definitely not a bad person", adding:
Development
Romance with John Paul
When Danny begins working at Hollyoaks High, he catches the eye of teacher John Paul, who is "delighted" that Danny seems to be attracted to him. A "smitten" John Paul and Danny begin a relationship, but it was teased that Danny's secrets would come out and cause consequences for other residents. Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood revealed that Danny's romance with John Paul would not only mean that John Paul would "get his share of the action", but also lead to "dark and unexpected consequences" for other characters. Billington told Digital Spy that it was "really lovely" working with Sutton. Billington revealed that many fans of Sutton had followed him on Twitter – which Billington had signed up for when he joined the soap – and he was happy about receiving reactions from them. Billington believed that Danny and John Paul are a good match, explaining that John Paul appeals to Danny as he is such a good person, which attracts Danny as "it's some of the goodness that he's lost himself along the way". The actor added, "John Paul can also be quite vulnerable, so that brings out a side of Danny that wants to look after him. There'll certainly be times when Danny upsets John Paul, but there's a strong bond there. It actually surprises Danny that he feels so strongly for John Paul". Danny's relationship with John Paul later led to a "serious" storyline focussed on the homophobic bullying of John Paul, which developed into 2014. Hollyoaks executive producer Bryan Kirkwood that John Paul had made some "mistakes" in his relationship with the married Danny that would "come back to haunt him".Paternity reveal
In August 2013, Danny was revealed to be the father of established character Ste Hay. This was not revealed to viewers before the airing of the episode, which saw Ste's partner Doug Carter phone Ste's father, who is revealed to be Danny. Billington was "absolutely thrilled" by this development as he believed that Ste was a great character that had a lot of stories revolving around him. He also believed that Richardson was a fantastic actor who he liked working with and that the storyline was a big opportunity, which he was enjoying. Billington added that he finally felt that he now belonged more at Hollyoaks due to now having a "pretty big storyline". He believed that the reveal would be a surprise to viewers and was happy that the audience found out before the other characters did, joking that viewers would be "screaming at the screen" due to the suspense. Billington had been aware "since the beginning" that Danny being revealed as Ste's father would be one of the developments for his character.Speaking of Danny's backstory, Billington revealed that Danny had been trying to get in touch with Ste for years but was prevented by Ste's mother Pauline Hay, who "had her own reasons" for doing so. He revealed that Danny feels guilty for missing so much of his sons life, with the actor believing that Danny would have been a good father to Ste and might have kept him out of the trouble that he got into. Billington revealed that whilst Danny knows that he has a son in the village, he initially does not know it Ste after meeting him. The actor teased that the eventual reveal would be "dramatic and fun to watch", adding, "It's going to be a massive thing for Ste's character, because he's never met his dad before. Plus, with his mum dying recently, he's completely alone at the moment. The realisation that Danny is his dad, whenever that happens, will be a really great moment for both characters." Billington hoped that Danny would be able to take a "fatherly role" to Ste once the truth is revealed.
Introduction of family
In the following episode, Lizzie Roper debuted on the soap as Sam Lomax, Danny's wife. Roper's casting and Sam's introduction had not been announced beforehand as Hollyoaks bosses wanted to surprise viewers. It had previously been teased that Danny would be seen getting into a woman's car, who it was not revealed until transmission that it was his wife. It was reported that Sam, who was billed as a "lioness" when it comes to her family, would be "prominent" character on the soap over the coming weeks as Danny "desperately" tries to juggle his "stable family life" and his secret relationship with John Paul. It was also announced that Danny and Sam's three daughters would join the soap later that year. Kirkwood had previously teased that soap would be introducing Ste's sisters to the Hollyoaks cast. Kirkwood had decided to introduce Ste's family as he believed that Ste was "undoubtedly one of our most important characters" of the soap and was conscious that he was "languishing on his own" without a family. Danny and Sam's daughters – Tegan, Leela and Peri Lomax debuted in October of that year. Their arrival brought more "family drama" for Danny due to a "shocking twist" where Tegan gives birth during her first appearance, having not known that she was pregnant. Billington explained that Danny loves and wants to be with Sam and wants to be the one to explain things to her in his own word. Billington called Danny's double life with her and John Paul "such a stress" and joked that he would not be able to do that due to it being "too much hassle". He added that while John Paul has been final about it "being over", Danny still holds a touch for him.Affairs and family dramas
In November 2013, John Paul and Danny's romance is revisited when Danny supports and comforts John Paul after witnessing him being the victim of homophobic bullying. Danny admits that he wants a relationship with him again, but just as it "seems" that their affair is "back on", John Paul rushes to hospital after learning that his son Matthew McQueen is unwell. John Paul feels very guilty that he was with Danny when Matthew needed him "the most", whilst Danny follows John Paul to the hospital, desperate to make things work. John Paul's grandmother Marlena McQueen spots the pair's connection and encourages John Paul to do what makes him happy, but warns Danny to not hurt her grandson, threatening "serious consequences". The following month, Ste urges John Paul to end his affair with Danny before someone gets hurt, which then leads to a physical and verbal fight between the two.In January 2014, Billington teased to Digital Spy that John Paul and Danny's storyline was not "quite over" despite the characters having kept their distance from each other, and speculated that things could become difficult for Danny later in the year due to the possibility of Sam finding out about the affair, which Billington speculated would cause "severe ructions". The actor hoped that the Lomax family would stay together despite the ructions, as he got along well with the actresses of his female family, calling them "brilliant actors" and "such a joy to work with". Billington had not seen the potential exposure of the affair in any scripts at that point, but speculated that Sam would beat up and punch Danny when she finds out, and that Danny's daughters would blame him too, particularly Leela. Billington hinted that Danny would toughen up when his affair is revealed. He believed that Danny's inability to be faithful is his "main weaknesses", and that Danny does not believe his affairs impact his family life, explaining:
"In an ideal world, it would always be a secret. He doesn't believe his relationships outside the marriage impact on it or the family. But his affair with JP is having an effect, because Danny loves him, which I don't think has happened before. He has had affairs, but he hasn't ever fallen in love with the person. He loves Sam and wants to be the one to explain things to her in his own words."
That same month, Hollyoaks aired a storyline where John Paul is raped by Finn O'Connor, which Billington praised as he believed it was an important issue to raise and was impressed by the acting of the actors involved. Billington was surprised that John Paul did not go to Danny after the rape as "Danny is the person who would be there to support him". Billington revealed that in the scripts he read at that point, John Paul had still not confided in Danny about the rape, though he explained that Danny knows something is wrong with John Paul and keeps asking him about it. The actor called Danny not knowing about the rape a "huge" Elephant in the room and explained that Danny is frustrated that John Paul is not opening up to him and assumes that he is being distant with him as he does not want to get involved with a family man. Danny assumes that it is the homophobic bullying, which he knows about, and blames Robbie Roscoe about it, with Billington teasing that Danny could "have a go" at Robbie about it due to believing that he is completely to blame. The actor added that Danny does not "have a clue" about Finn, adding that "nobody would suspect Finn".
Billington revealed to All About Soap that Danny would "man up" in the following months, which he was pleased about, saying that it was nice to see Danny "with some balls for once" when he stands up to Robbie. He explained that when Danny discovers that John Paul's books and stationary have been vandalised with homophobic slurs, he decides to "do something about it" and then tells John Paul's grandmother about what John Paul has been going through and explains to her that is why he hit Robbie. That March, when John Paul faces prison after he attacks Robbie, Danny confronts Robbie in the schoolyard and urges him to do the right thing by confessing to the homophobic bullying campaign, knowing that time is running out for John Paul. The confrontation becomes physical when Danny loses his temper and warns Robbie that the truth will come out eventually. Danny supports John Paul and urges him to plead mitigating circumstances due to the homophobic bullying, which John Paul considers but ultimately does not do. Billington explained that pressure between John Paul and Danny has piled on because of "poor" John Paul's assault case.