Ben Bradley (Ben Richards)

[Perdita]

Former Footballers' Wives and The Bill star Ben Richards has joined the cast of Hollyoaks as a new regular.

The actor has already filmed his first scenes in the role of Ben Bradley, a police sergeant who will arrive on screen at the end of May.

Ben Richards as Ben Bradley in Hollyoaks
© Lime Pictures
Ben Richards as Ben Bradley

Ben will feature in storylines with Jason Roscoe (Alfie Browne-Sykes) when the teenager tries to make a fresh start by joining the police force.

The new arrival will also become a love interest for Sienna Blake (Anna Passey), but fans will have to wait and see whether the village's schemer is finally set for some happiness.

A Hollyoaks spokesperson told Digital Spy: "We are delighted to confirm that Ben Richards has joined the cast. We hope Sgt Bradley settles into Hollyoaks village - despite becoming unwisely entangled with Sienna Blake."

A show insider added: "Ben soon becomes a mentor for Jason when he joins the police force, giving Jason the confidence that he has found a vocation that he can succeed in.

"Never one to miss an opportunity, Sienna immediately sets her sights on him when he arrives in the village. Unfortunately Ben seems not to have been completely truthful about his past and is making a big mistake if he thinks this will slip past Sienna."

Richards had only just started filming on the Channel 4 soap when his partner Kirsty Duffy gave birth to baby girl Freja Amelie, their first child together.

Next month the family will be relocating to a cottage close to the Hollyoaks set in Liverpool.

Richards previously played the roles of Bruno Milligan in Footballers' Wives and Nate Roberts in The Bill.

[tammyy2j]

So Sienna is staying around for the foreseeable

[Perdita]

Hollyoaks newcomer Ben Richards has revealed details of his character Ben Bradley for the first time, describing him as a nice guy with a huge secret. ( That is a first in a soap!! )

The former Footballers' Wives and The Bill star has been brought in as a new regular for the Channel 4 soap. His character Ben is a police sergeant who will become a mentor for Jason Roscoe and a love interest for Sienna Blake.

Speaking about Ben's arrival, Richards told All About Soap: "He's one of life's nice guys and just an ordinary, lovely bloke. Ben's got a bit of a hero complex and if he finds someone that's a bit broken and needs fixing, then he'll be the man to try and do that. You'll see him trying to help a couple of people in the village.

"He's a policeman and a colleague of Jason Roscoe's. Jason is a PCSO and wants to be a copper, so him and Ben link up quite quickly. Jason has found a vocation that really means something to him and he looks up to Ben.

"In Jason's eyes, Ben is the kind of policeman that he wants to be. He very much becomes a role model."

Ben and Sienna's pairing will be an unlikely new relationship for the show, leaving viewers to wonder whether he could prove to be a good influence on the ruthless schemer.

Richards continued: "She's definitely going to keep Ben on his toes. Sienna is a very broken woman and I guess Ben just wants to mend her. With Sienna there's a lot to fix, but Ben is very aware about her troubled past and it doesn't scare him off at all. In fact, if anything, it probably makes him like her even more. She becomes a bit of a project in his eyes.

"He's got a big secret that she doesn't know about, but I can't tell you what it is. In his family life he has a complicated past as well, which would get in the way of things with Sienna. It's not going to be simple and straightforward, but when is it ever in Hollyoaks?"

Hollyoaks airs Ben's arrival next week on Channel 4.

[tammyy2j]

Ben Richards has promised that there will be a "massive ripple effect" when his character Ben Bradley's secret is revealed.

Ben has been settling in well following his recent arrival in the village, but recent episodes have hinted that he is hiding something from his love interest Sienna Blake (Anna Passey).


The police sergeant arouses the suspicions of Sienna's daughter Nico next week and she decides to follow him, fearing that he is cheating on Sienna with another woman. Nico then warns her mum that Ben isn't all he seems.

Speaking to Digital Spy about the drama to come, Richards explained: "Sienna is a very highly-strung character, so when she realises that Ben is hiding a secret, it fuels massive paranoia from her.

"You'll learn more about Ben when the secret is revealed and the consequences from this strand of story for him are massive. You'll find out what he's hiding, why he's hiding it and it will have a massive ripple effect."


Discussing the Ben and Sienna pairing, he continued: "The reaction to it so far has been really positive. There seems to have been a lot of love online for this coupling.

"I'm not sure it's a healthy match, but Ben has got a bit of a hero complex where he feels like he needs to save people. If there's any woman with a broken wing, that means he has to come in and fix it.

"Sienna fits that bill completely - she's a broken woman and he feels that he can save her. For Sienna, maybe it's the first proper stability she's had in a long time.

"Now you're also going to start seeing the first bit of tension within the relationship. It starts when Patrick comes back from his holiday and he finds that Sienna's new relationship gets in the way of his controlling behaviour. Ben is a strong character and he's there to support Sienna, so Patrick can't hack it at first.

"We'll have to see whether Patrick can come round to it or not, but Ben can hold his own against him. He's a copper, so he's used to dealing with all sorts on a daily basis."

While Ben's storylines have so far focused on his relationship with Sienna and his attempts to mentor Jason Roscoe, future plots will also explore his friendship with Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna). Viewers recently discovered that the pair used to work together years ago.

Richards added: "Ben is an interesting character and there's lots planned for what's going to happen to him. I've heard some ideas of what's planned for the future and it should be really exciting and interesting.

"I've been shooting some really good stuff with Jimmy recently. He's a lovely actor to work with and there's been a lot more stuff that I've filmed with him and Ashley Taylor Dawson, who plays Darren. We're really starting to explore that relationship."

[lizann]

his ex sadie makes him unboringish some what interesting

[moonstorm]

Oooh I like Sadie, hope she is staying.

[Perdita]

Hollyoaks star Ben Richards has confirmed that he's leaving the show for good.

The actor's character Ben Bradley will bow out from the Channel 4 soap at the end of his current storyline, which sees the policeman caught up in the Blake family's many dramas. But will Ben find out about Sienna's affair and Nico killing his daughter Carly before he goes?

Richards's exit has been on the cards for a while, as he's been signed up to star alongside Beverley Knight in the West End production of The Bodyguard.

While it wasn't clear at the time of the Bodyguard announcement whether Richards would be leaving or taking a break, he's now confirmed that he's already filmed his final scenes for Hollyoaks.

"If you look at the different elements coming together, it definitely looks like it's leading towards an unhappy ending," Richards told Inside Soap.

"If he does discover everything, it will be interesting to see whether he can still have a happy ever after. I feel sorry for the guy! All I can tell you is that it's a very strong finish."

He added: "It will be great to be back in the West End. Muscial theatre was my first love and it's always something I'll return to, but I'm lucky I've been able to do television and film projects in between.

"I start rehearsals for The Bodyguard in June and we open in July. Beverley is down to earth, so I think we will have a lot of fun."


Digital Spy

[lizann]

sent down for killing trevor?

[lizann]

what does he think of nico now

[lizann]

is he returning?