Hollyoaks actor James Sutton feels the soap’s upcoming HIV storyline is “a really important story to tell”.

The Channel 4 soap will see James’s character John Paul McQueen’s partner Ste Hay diagnosed as HIV positive next year, after the couple wed in the Christmas Eve special. It will be the first time a gay soap character has suffered from HIV.

Ste will hear the news in January after he had unprotected sex with a stranger, sparking a long-running storyline which will explore how he lives with the condition and the effect it has on his new marriage. Cast and producers have worked with the Terrence Higgins Trust, a HIV and sexual health charity, while developing the story.

James Sutton
James Sutton (Ian West/PA)

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, James Sutton said: “It required an awful lot of research and preparation and we’ve got to get everything spot on. It’s an awful lot of hard work but it will be really great and another one of the storylines that Hollyoaks tells really well. It’s important that we challenge people and educate our audience as well.”

“The male rape storyline that I did was another one that we had to tackle very sensitively and make sure it was done thoroughly, and the response was incredible.”

He continued: “It’s terrifying. I still get really nervous doing stuff like that because it’s so important and there’s no middle ground, you either smash it or it’s terrible.

“But it’s the storyline I’m proudest of in my career and after we worked with Survivors Manchester [which supports male survivors of sexual abuse and rape], they got more young people coming forward. To have a positive impact in the real world is more rewarding than anything.”

John Paul McQueen is engaged to Ste Hay in Hollyoaks
John Paul McQueen is engaged to Ste Hay in Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures)

Kieron Richardson, who plays Ste, has argued that his character’s upcoming HIV storyline does not fuel stereotypes.

Speaking on Gaydio’s breakfast show, Kieron said: “Some people have had the opinion that we shouldn’t really be doing it because we don’t want to be stereotyped and it is just gay people that get HIV.

Kieron Richardson
Kieron Richardson ( Ian West/PA)

“My opinion on it is that we aren’t doing that and that probably is why it hasn’t been done before because people are shying away from it. We can’t get away from the fact that unfortunately it is predominantly on the rise at the moment within the gay community.”

He added: “It is going to be eye-opening for people and hopefully they will go and get tested. It’s not a flash in the pan one – there is going to be a positive outcome in the end.”