Dennis Savage (Joe Tracini)

[tammyy2j]

Dennis Savage and Leanne Holiday could be about to get a happy ending with a romantic proposal on the way in Hollyoaks.

As we reported at the weekend, next week's episodes see troubled Anna Savage get the blame for Texas Longford's murder when scheming Patrick and Sienna team up to frame her, wanting her to be locked away for good.

Although it's bad news for Anna, the surprising development does mean that wrongly-accused Leanne (Jessica Forrest) is freed as the authorities are finally forced to accept that she didn't kill Texas.

Dennis (Joe Tracini) - who returns to the village later this week - is naturally thrilled over the news, having spent days protesting Leanne's innocence.

After being released, loopy Leanne starts to see Dennis in a new light as she knows that he had faith in her all along.

When Leanne declares her love for Dennis, he can't believe his luck and immediately pops the question. As the pair then become a proper couple and begin excitedly planning their wedding, are they going to be a match made in heaven?

[tammyy2j]

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[Perdita]

Hollyoaks welcomes back Dennis Savage this week as he finally returns to the village after working away on an oil rig.

Dennis is his usual upbeat self as he arrives back, but he is soon faced with a few unpleasant surprises as he learns of Texas's murder and Leanne's prison ordeal.

Joe Tracini, who plays Dennis, recently caught up with Digital Spy to give us the lowdown on his character's comeback.

How does it feel to be back filming at Hollyoaks again?
"It feels great! I was gone for six months which was ages, but I do love it in this building. It's a bit different for me now because quite a few of my friends have left the show, but there's still a really nice vibe about the place and we're all having a good time. I'm over the moon to be back."

Did you enjoy the time off?
"I did enjoy the time off as I kept myself busy doing other stuff, but I really love what I do here at Hollyoaks. As much as I write and do other things, I enjoy acting more than anything else and I was really looking forward to coming back. I act because I'm not very good at anything else, so when I'm not acting, everything seems a bit pointless!"

Lots of people have been emailing us asking where Dennis is! Are you pleased that people seem to have missed him?
"It's really lovely that people care! The thing about soaps - which I've never really experienced with anything else - is that you're in people's houses every night when they're eating their dinner, so the viewers get really invested in the characters. It is nice that people have been asking when Dennis will be back, but I try not to think about it too much because I might get above my station!"

Is Dennis pleased to be back in the village?
"Well, Dennis has been off earning some money on an oil rig, so he's completely unaware of everything that's kicked off while he's been away. He's very happy at first but he finds out very quickly about Texas's death and Leanne - who's the love of his life - being in prison for the crime.

"Dennis is not happy and doesn't even consider the fact that Leanne might actually have done it. He doesn't hang about with trying to get her out of prison again!"

Does Dennis have any ideas on how he can help Leanne?
"Dennis has a million ideas, but none of them are particularly thought through! He literally tries to get as much help and support as he can from the various people in the village. You'll see that he runs around trying his best to get Leanne out in any way he can. But he hasn't come up with a Venn diagram or anything - he's literally flying by the seat of his pants!"

Does Dennis get much support with his crusade?
"Dennis does manage to get some support from the village, but obviously there are a lot of people who think that Leanne really did kill Texas. Those people aren't particularly forthcoming, but the people closest to Dennis are happy to help.

"They're also happy to see Dennis back in general, as he's quite a character! It's all been pretty gloomy with lots of people dying and having fights, so everyone's probably happy to see Dennis back being relatively chirpy!"

Is Will nervous about Dennis trying to clear Leanne's name?
"Yeah, Will is not happy! It's a funny one, as Will likes Dennis and Dennis likes Will in return. Will tries to stop Dennis from getting involved, so it's all a bit awkward!"

The good news is that Leanne is freed and Dennis proposes to her! How does that come about?
"Obviously Dennis loves Leanne and he has done for a long time. The main turning point is that Leanne has seen Dennis go to such a big effort to get her out of prison, when for the past two years she hasn't wanted much to do with him. When she comes out of prison, Leanne also says how much she's been thinking about Dennis. Basically she expresses a light interest and Dennis says, 'Well you might as well marry me, then!' He doesn't hang about and it's a lovely little scene.

"I also have to say that I'm delighted to be working with Jess [Forrest, who plays Leanne] again. I was really lucky when I joined the show and they put me with her, because we get along so well. I also think she's a brilliant actress. I've been watching the prison stuff recently and thought she was fantastic."

We've seen in the past that Leanne has taken an interest in Dennis before changing her mind again! Will things be different this time around?
"I think that's the plan! Leanne herself is different this time round after everything that's happened to her, and I think she feels a level of safety around Dennis. Also, Dennis has grown up a bit as well. He's still awkward and a bit of an idiot, but he has matured a bit.

"The main thing is that Dennis and Leanne make each other better people, and they both see that. Leanne also sees that while everyone else around her has been so inconsistent, Dennis will always be there for her. I think there's a level of settling there as well, to be honest with you. Leanne decides she's been in the village for two years and hasn't had much luck with men, so Dennis will do!"

[Perdita]

Here, Soap Scoop presents some bonus snippets from Joe on life at Hollyoaks, the other ongoing Savage plots, and more!

Is there more coming up for Dennis and Doug's friendship?
"There are bits and bobs. When Dennis comes back, Doug is one of the first people that he sees. It's actually Doug who tells Dennis about Texas's murder. I've always liked working with PJ."

Would you like Dennis to be involved in Will's downfall?
"Absolutely! Will is a nasty piece of work so if he does get his comeuppance, it'd be great to be there when it happens and maybe have a hand in letting everyone know that he's not a pleasant man! But you never know - he might just kill people for 15 years. I'd quite like to see how he'd do that, to be honest!"

Were you shocked when you found out that Will would become a killer?
"It was a surprise, but when you watched it play out on screen, they really did spend a lot of time exploring where it all came from. They didn't rush it. Sometimes things have a tendency to be done quickly, but in this case they really did build the story up over a year. Texas's death really was one big accident, but there's no going back from it for Will now!"

How do you feel about the Savages becoming a bigger presence in the village?
"It's great. I think the family clicked together straight away and I've always loved working with them. It's nice to do more and also to have a nice balance. We do light-hearted stuff but then we also get serious scenes.

"It's nice to have Anna Passey and Jeremy Sheffield in the mix too as the Blakes, because they're lovely as well. Well, not so much Jeremy as he's a giant and I'm five foot four, and it really does hit my insecurities as a man when I stand next to him! (Laughs.)"

After you lived together for a while, are you missing Emmett Scanlan (Brendan)?
"The day that I miss Emmett Scanlan is a very sad day! I still speak to him, but not much as he's a taxing man! No, the answer is I don't miss him - not even a little bit! (Laughs.)

"I do think that the hole Emmett left in the show has been very successfully filled by everyone. There's obviously an element of missing him, because he was such a big presence. But I think the show has done really well to move on from that and build up new stories. The show has really flourished even with Emmett gone. And that's not any disrespect to Emmett - I disrespect him in my own time!"

Who have you made friends with from the new cast?
"I do like all of them, which I was quite shocked by! I wasn't sure at first as they're all incredibly attractive and I thought, 'This is probably a bit much!' I really get on with Charlie Wernham [who plays Robbie], as he's a really sweet lad. I constantly irritate him about the fact that he was on Britain's Got Talent and didn't get to the final!

"Ayden Callaghan [who plays Joe] is a lovely bloke too. He's got really happy eyes! It doesn't matter how he's feeling, his eyes are always happy! Fab who plays Ziggy is also great - he just walks around loving life, which is wonderful to see. But they're all a wonderful bunch up here at the moment - we're all having a great time."

Dodger might need a friend when he arrives back in the village. Could Dennis take on that role?
"Absolutely! When I first came into Hollyoaks, they really pushed how much Dennis loves Dodger. Obviously Dennis doesn't really understand the ins and outs of everything that's happened, but he's always going to be there for Dodger. Dennis also likes to be around to provide a comparison to Dodger's face, to make him look even better - which makes Dodger happy!"

[Perdita]

Hollyoaks Dennis Savage will stage his fiancée Leanne Holiday's graduation next week, after letting her down by missing the real ceremony.

Dennis (Joe Tracini) is preoccupied with helping Dodger recover the mattress with a secret stash of money that he had thrown away unwittingly.

However, Leanne (Jessica Forest) is devastated when Dennis ends up missing her graduation as a result of this and ends up calling off their engagement.

Feeling guilty, Dennis is determined to make it up to her and stages his own graduation ceremony for her at the Lad's Pad.

Leanne is overwhelmed with Dennis's efforts and forgives him for his earlier absence.

[Perdita]

For our latest Inside Soap Awards chat, Digital Spy caught up with Joe Tracini, who is nominated in the 'Funniest Male' category for his role as Dennis Savage.

Here, the actor tells us who he's backing to win the prize this year, why things are about to go wrong for Dennis and Leanne, and how the best story for his character is yet to come.

How do you feel about being in the running for 'Funniest Male'?
"It feels really nice. It's always really sweet to have people thinking of you when these things are put together. You get into a habit of just constantly working, as lovely as that is, and it's easy to forget that you're making telly. It's great when something like this crops up and you find out that people appreciate what you're doing. It feeds my ego a stupid amount, so I'm very happy!"

You're up against seven other nominees, so have you thought about your chances of winning the award?
"Not in the slightest have I thought about winning! If anything, I've been pushing on Twitter for Dan Tetsell to win, who is my fellow nominee from Hollyoaks. I've been a fan of his for years and I think he's brilliant playing Jim McGinn in the show. I think Dan should win all awards, to be honest!"

Hollyoaks usually does pretty well at the Inside Soap Awards, so do you think it's in with a good chance again this year?
"I think it deserves to be. The show is really strong at the moment and we're currently filming some really exciting stuff to come. I think in the past year, it's been stronger than it has been in a long time. Hollyoaks definitely deserves to win some awards and we've got such a large following now, which we're very proud of.

"It'd be lovely to win, but even if we don't, it doesn't mean that we're just going to be pants from now on! We're still going to work as hard as we can whatever happens."

Dennis's relationship with Leanne runs into trouble next week. What can you tell us about that?
"Dennis misses Leanne's graduation and it's very awkward. It's because Dodger finds a mattress stuffed full of money while clearing out a house. Unfortunately, the mattress gets in Dennis's way, so he gets rid of it as he doesn't know about the money!

"Dodger is distraught when he finds out that Dennis has chucked the mattress in a skip, so basically Dennis has to try his hardest to search through the skip to get it back - while wearing a suit on the way to the graduation! When Dennis misses the ceremony, it puts a strain on his relationship. It's a real shame, because Dennis does try hard, but this time he's really let the love of his life down."

But then Dennis comes up with a fake graduation to make up for it…
"Yes, Dennis tries his best to please everyone, so he does a graduation at home for Leanne. He wants her to feel like the only person in the world, so he steals a lectern, puts it in the lads' pad and makes it a really special moment for Leanne. He even tip-exes out her graduation certificate to make it even better, which is actually slightly illegal and doesn't count!"

Why does Dennis then end up buying a run-down house in the village?
"Dodger says to Dennis that he can't keep hold of the money they've found. It's £100,000 and Nana McQueen is after the cash, so it really needs to be invested so it's out of their hands. Dennis decides to invest it into a house, and to say the house is unpleasant is an understatement - it's really not nice! However, Dennis moves some people in and hilarity ensues!"

Are you hoping Dennis and Leanne are going to get a big on-screen wedding in the show?
"I don't think Dennis is, but Leanne certainly is, even though it'll be her third time in a wedding dress! She wants the big guns out, but unfortunately Dennis has spent all of his money investing in a rubbish house! He'll try his hardest to make her happy, as he has done for two years, so they'll definitely plan a big do."

We asked our @soapscoop followers on Twitter to submit their questions and @trixie_ayla wanted to know whether Dennis, Doug and Leanne will grow close to discovering Will's killer secret?
"I'd like to think so! It's so hard to go to work every day knowing that Will is a murderer! I think it would probably be the plan that we'll all find out about Will, but who knows? Maybe he'll just stay around for ten years killing people while the rest of us act like idiots!

"I would really love to be involved. I'm hopelessly going around trying to be funny all the time, so it'd be lovely to be involved in some serious stuff as well - also because I love James Atherton and I think he's great."

We also had a question from @proudofkieron, who wanted to know which member of the cast you'd like more scenes with?
"Charlie Wernham who plays Robbie Roscoe, purely because I want to poke him in the face when he's trying to work!"

Another user called @TeamJorgiePDOI wanted to ask you what the most exciting thing about playing Dennis is?
"I love the name Team Jorgie! The most exciting thing about playing Dennis is that he actually used to be a secret agent. Nobody knows that - he was a spy for MI6! To be honest, I think it's such a deep secret that nobody will ever find out!"

Finally, @Murphy945 asked us which of Dennis's storylines has been your favourite?
"It's the storyline I'm currently filming, which I can't say anything about, so unfortunately it's a really pants answer! All I can say is that it's very exciting and not at all because of me!

"It's a really, really good time to be a fan of Hollyoaks, because it's all going to kick right off very soon. I'm really lucky to be involved in what's coming up and I'm really fortunate to be part of a show that's looking so promising."

[lizann]

he discovers patrick is abusing maxine

[lizann]

he is leaving if twitter is true

[Perdita]

Hollyoaks star Joe Tracini has announced that he is leaving the soap later this year.

The actor, who plays Dennis Savage, revealed the news on his Twitter page on Thursday (April 24).

Joe Tracini as Dennis Savage in Hollyoaks
© Lime Pictures
Joe Tracini as Dennis Savage

He told fans: "I want to tell you all from me that I'll be leaving Hollyoaks at the end of the year. It's an amazing place to work, and I'll miss it!"

Tracini, who joined Hollyoaks in late 2011, has not yet revealed any other information about his upcoming departure.

Dennis wakes up in a compromising position after his drunken night with Blessing and Dodger
© Lime Pictures
Joe as Dennis in Hollyoaks

Dennis has been at the centre of the show's comedy storylines since joining the village two and a half years ago, with many of his early plots revolving around his crush on Leanne Holiday (Jessica Forrest).

The funnyman also featured in a more serious plotline late last year as Leanne tragically died just weeks after they finally got together.

Tracini has already confirmed his first post-Hollyoaks project as he has signed up for the role of Buttons in a Christmas production of Cinderella at the Wolverhampton Grand theatre.

[tammyy2j]

I hope he don't die