'Hollyoaks' Craig Vye on Ethan's hit and run shock: Interview

Hollyoaks detective Ethan Scott finds himself in a terrible situation next week as he makes a massive error of judgement while driving.

Feeling lonely and isolated following recent events in the village, Ethan texts his former flames Theresa and Liberty while he's behind the wheel. However, there's horror on the way as Ethan's attention is turned away from the road and he accidentally knocks down new fresher Rob Edwards (David Atkins).

Shocked by what he's done, Ethan makes another dreadful decision as he drives away from the scene - leaving viewers to wonder whether an unconscious Rob will live or die.

Here, actor Craig Vye - who plays Ethan - chats to Digital Spy about the dramatic events in store.

What leads up to this car accident involving Ethan and Rob?
"Well, before the accident, Ethan has been away from the village for a short period of time. Due to the developments in the murder case and it becoming clear that Silas was the killer, Ethan has been away from the village to escape the heat of the situation.

"Ethan feels partly responsible for not having caught Silas, and he's been scapegoated as one of the main reasons that Silas was able to carry on killing for as long as he did. So this accident takes place just after Ethan has returned to the village. At this point, he's feeling quite isolated from everybody in the village and he's really at a low ebb."

How does the accident happen?
"Ethan is trying to re-adjust and settle back into life in the village, and in a moment of solitude, he makes the stupid decision to text Theresa as he's starting to drive off in his car. This is due to the low and depressed state that he's in. He's asking Theresa whether he can see her, and he also sends the same message to Liberty.

"As he's so engrossed with what he's doing on his phone, Ethan isn't paying attention to the road. He turns a corner at some speed and crashes into Rob, who's left in a very bad state."


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Is Ethan just looking for friendship when he texts the girls, or is he hoping he could win one of them back?
"I think, in the back of Ethan's mind, he's always considering that he could possibly win one of them back. Ethan can be quite manipulative at times and he hasn't behaved particularly well when it comes to his love life at all! I think he's trying to worm his way back into their affections. Ethan feels like he needs someone in his life, and as we all know, he likes both girls!"

What does Ethan do when he realises that he's knocked someone down?
"Ethan abandons the scene. After the crash, he does stop his car and it's a shock when he sees that he's hit somebody. He doesn't necessarily know who it is at this point, but he can see somebody lying on the floor in a very bad way. Ethan gets out of the car in a panic-stricken state and he can't quite believe what's happened.

"As Ethan is a detective, he realises very quickly that the first thing the police would do is check his phone records if he reported this, to make sure that he wasn't on the phone or texting. So that's one reason for his decision. It's also because he's already feeling quite isolated, depressed and alone in the world.

"So, in the end, Ethan makes an extremely poor decision - he gets back in his car and drives away. This all happens in a matter of seconds and he's in a state of deep shock."

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What happens when Ethan confides in Theresa about what's happened?
"Theresa is very, very shocked. She's the first person who Ethan thinks of confiding in, because he cares a lot about her and he thinks that she might still care about him too. Ethan also knows that Theresa has been in a similar position herself, because she killed Calvin and will be able to understand his predicament. Theresa is shocked by what's happened, but she's determined to help Ethan in any way she can."

Hollyoaks has worked with the road safety charity Brake on this storyline. Are you hoping it can make a positive impact?
"Yeah, I think that's what we're all really, really hoping for - because it is an important issue. I think a lot of people would probably confess that they use their phones in the car, even though it's illegal. People may think they can get away with it, and think that an accident won't happen to them.

"Brake have a Road Safety Week from November 21, which is the week after these episodes air, so it ties in very nicely with this storyline. So we're trying to team up with them, do something positive and get the message out to younger people that texting while driving means that your eyes are off the road 400% more than they normally would be, and you're 23 times more likely to crash. Those are quite frightening statistics and they show the reality of the situation."

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After the troubles with Silas and now this incident, do you think Ethan would ever reconsider his future in the police force, or will he be determined to redeem himself?
"Well, this is something that's really important to him. The hit and run storyline is something that will seriously affect Ethan and how he perceives himself in this career. It throws up a lot of questions for him. But I think, ultimately, Ethan is 100% in love with and devoted to the job of being a detective. I think that realisation comes upon him and adds a lot of gravity to the situation."

You've been at Hollyoaks for nearly a year now. Are you enjoying your time on the show?
"I'm absolutely loving it! It's just the best job that you could ever ask to have, really. Everybody involved in the show is so lovely - the cast, the staff and the production. It's like a real family. I know a lot of people in soap say that, but I think there's a real camaraderie among the actors here - especially as most of us are a similar age and have a similar mindset.

"We're all young, ambitious actors and so we all pull together. We also have a lot of fun - Hollyoaks is certainly the most fun that I've had in any acting job, bar none!"

Did you enjoy Ethan's three-timing storyline with Theresa, Liberty and Rae earlier this year?
"Yeah, it was great fun to film! Working with all three of those girls was just brilliant. Jorgie is amazing and such fun to work with - I don't think a day goes by where we don't crack up as we're working on set together. We were sailing very close to the wind with that particular shoot, as so often during takes we would just absolutely burst out laughing!

"The director, Sarah Walker, also gave us a lot of licence to improvise and play with the scripts for that storyline. That added its own element of fun, and working with all three girls was just great."

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You've had a lot of scenes with Jamie Lomas (Warren) and Emmett Scanlan (Brendan) this year. Is it nice to work with the bad boys of the show?
"Yeah, it's brilliant! I was once asked who I would play in Hollyoaks if I didn't play Ethan, and my answer was that I'd love to play Warren or Brendan. I think there's a fascination among actors when it comes to playing bad characters - it involves elements of human behaviour that normal people would never usually explore, or want to explore!

"I hope that I don't have any of the attributes that Warren or Brendan have in real life, but we do know that there is a dark side to human behaviour, and the chance to explore that is really interesting and really exciting. It throws up a lot of questions for people watching as well.

"So it's brilliant working with those two - it's nice to have that conflict between Ethan and the two characters, and the intense battles that they have. Ethan would love to be able to pin them down for something, and that presents some really meaty material for me to get my teeth into."

Are there any similarities between Ethan and yourself?
"Well, Ethan obviously has his faults and I'm sure I have mine. But I'd certainly like to think that I don't treat women badly at all - I would never like to treat women like Ethan does.

"However, Ethan is also young, ambitious and go-getting with his career. That's certainly something that matches me, because I'm very ambitious with my acting career. I trained at RADA and did a three-year course there. I've worked at The Globe, The National and some other really prestigious theatres around the country. I've also worked in TV and film regularly for BBC, ITV and other channels.

"Ethan also wears his heart on his sleeve. Despite his faults, he's quite open with the people that he relates to. I think that's another attribute that I share with him. But that's probably as far as it goes! I certainly wouldn't like to behave as badly as Ethan does."

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Doug and Riley are among Ethan's best friends on the show. Are you hoping he can maintain those friendships?
"Definitely. PJ and Rob, who play Doug and Riley, are good friends of mine in real life. I'm also good friends with Danny and James, who play Dodger and Will. We're all really good mates and we all live in the same area of Liverpool.

"In many ways, when we're at work together, it's like being at the best university in the world! We have an absolutely amazing time at work, and then we all go back to our flats and we're all in walking distance of each other. So we all get together and we hang out together all the time. We have a real laugh. I love all the guys and the more material and scenes I get with them, the better!"

What has Hollyoaks' new producer Emma Smithwick been like to work with so far?
"Emma has been fantastic. She knows exactly what she's doing and she's got a very clear idea of the direction that she wants to take the show in. I think she's really in touch with issues that face young people, modern culture and what young people want to see from a show like Hollyoaks. Emma is bringing loads of fresh and exciting ideas to the show that I think people are going to love."