Hollyoaks bids farewell to Seth Costello just after Christmas as young actor Miles Higson bows out from the soap after more than a year in the role.
Initially the quiet man in the Costello family, Seth has become more prominent this year as he found himself embroiled in Mercedes and Carl's affair dramas and was left grief-stricken following the murder of his mum Heidi.
Most notably, Seth also had a memorably dark plot in this year's Hollyoaks Later - which saw him endure a horrific experience as bad boy Warren Fox targeted him with some twisted behaviour on an adventure holiday weekend.
Here, Miles chats exclusively to Digital Spy about leaving Hollyoaks and his future plans.
How are you feeling now that your time on Hollyoaks has come to an end?
"I'm feeling alright! My time at Hollyoaks was the best year of my life and I loved it, but now it'll be nice to do something new and have a change. I was sad to leave, but everything happens for a reason and I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds."
What was your last day on set like?
"It was funny, because I obviously knew I was leaving but it didn't feel like I was, as it just felt like a normal day. But then at the end of my last scene, a whole load of cast and crew came out to say goodbye to me, and I started crying like a little baby! It was quite emotional."
Why does Seth decide to leave the village?
"You'll see that he partly does it out of brotherly love - he wants to help his brother out by making a fresh start. The other main reason is that so much has happened in the village and Seth has just had enough of it, so he wants to get away from it all."
What highlights can you name from your time at Hollyoaks?
"All of it! I've honestly loved every minute, from beginning to end - from the first day when they dressed me up as a clown to take family pictures of me, to the day I left. I've genuinely had the time of my life."
As a young actor, what did you learn from your time at the show?
"Quite a lot! This is my first proper acting job, so it was great to have the family there around me - people like Kim Tiddy, Paul Opacic and Jeff Rawle. It was the same with Rob Norbury and Victoria Atkin too. Everyone in our family was great - I think the Costellos were a really strong family. We all worked together and helped each other out, so that was nice - especially when I was first starting out on the show."
Your performance in Hollyoaks Later had loads of praise this year, so were you particularly proud of those dramatic scenes?
"Yeah, I was - I was just pleased to get my own storyline, to be honest! I really enjoyed filming those episodes as it was nice to do something different. It almost didn't feel like we were filming Hollyoaks - it felt like something else, because it was all done out on location. It was a bit like doing a film. I also got to work with new people like Jamie Lomas and PJ Brennan. I learned so much over that period and it was a nice opportunity to prove myself as an actor."
Did you have a lot of people tweeting you over those scenes?
"Yeah, I had quite a few people tweeting me to say they'd enjoyed them and it's really nice when people get in touch - I really appreciated it."
How well did you get along with your on-screen family?
"We all got on really well. With me and Rob, we really were like brothers - we'd fall out, make up and have a laugh together. It was really nice to have Rob around at work. I still talk to Victoria - I was texting her the other day - and I'm still in touch with Paul, Kim and Jeff too.
"I'm still in contact with a few others too. The week after I left Hollyoaks, I went on holiday to Wales and PJ came with me, and I went to see Rihanna with Karen Hassan the other week too."
When did you first realise that you wanted to be an actor?
"It was back when I was about 10. I've always been quite creative, and I always knew that I never wanted to work in an office doing the same thing day in, day out. I was looking at careers where I could be creative and as I can't sing, acting seemed like the next best thing!
"I'd been to quite a few auditions before I got the role of Seth, including some other ones for Hollyoaks and Grange Hill too when it was still running, but this was my first big part."
What do you hope the future holds for you?
"I'm hoping that my agent will be able to get me some new auditions in the New Year and I can hopefully have a bright future in some new roles."
What would be a dream role for you?
"Well, my favourite films are the James Bond films and my favourite TV show is Doctor Who, so I always used to say that I'd love to get a role in either of them! But at the same time, if you get a role on something that you love, it ruins the fantasy of it and brings it home that it's not real - so maybe it'd be best not to go on a show that I love!"
Over on our forum, there's a Miles Higson/Seth Costello appreciation thread, so is there anything you'd like to say to the people who are supporting you?
"I didn't know that, but I'd like to say thank you to them! It's always really nice to know that someone rates what I'm doing. You always want your work to affect people and make them happy, so if it's had that impact on some people, then that makes me happy too."
Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe