Hollyoaks viewers overjoyed by John Paul McQueen's return

From Digital Spy

Note: The following article contains discussion of sexual assault that some readers may find upsetting.

Hollyoaks viewers are overjoyed following John Paul McQueen's huge return to the village.

James Sutton made his long-awaited comeback as the fan-favourite character in Friday's (December 6) episode in the latest twist in Edward Hutchinson's (Joe McGann) plot against Finn O'Connor (Keith Rice).

Edward accelerated his plan after Edward's mate discovered a news article revealing that the doctor was arrested for piloting a plan that killed his wife years earlier.

Although Finn told his mum Diane (Alex Fletcher) about Edward's dark past, the cunning manipulator was once again able to talk her round. Edward dug up dirt on Finn's rape trial that he passed on to a sceptical Yazz.

"It's quite an eye-opener," he warned.

The climax of the episode saw Edward secretly meeting with Sally St. Claire (Annie Wallace) in the park, where they were interrupted by a taxi — and out stepped John Paul!

John Paul was lured back to the Oaks under the guise of there being some kind of an emergency, but was horrified when Edward revealed that they really needed his help getting rid of his rapist Finn!

Despite the extremely dark undertones of his return plot, many viewers were excited to see John Paul back:

James Sutton has dropped hints about where John Paul's story goes next, confirming that he will confront Finn after some encouragement from old flame James Nightingale.

"It's very difficult for John Paul to face Finn," Sutton said. "Having left the country for a few years to try to get over what happened to him, he is still very afraid of what Finn might do and what it means to be face-to-face with him. It's very complicated for him and very difficult but he does go and see Finn."

Hollyoaks airs Mondays through Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look episodes airing on E4 at 7pm.

Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct. If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.

Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.

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