Legendary gay Hollyoaks character set to leave soap after 20 years

John Paul McQueen, one of the most recognisable characters on Channel 4 series Hollyoaks and a pioneering gay character in British soap history, will reportedly leave the show in the coming months.

The character, played by 42-year-old British actor James Sutton, has appeared on and off on Hollyoaks since 2006, making him one of the show’s longest-serving faces.

According to The Sun, Sutton recently filmed his final scenes for the soap, and will be bowing out at some point in the spring.

Since arriving in the eponymous village in Chester, John Paul McQueen has led some of the soap’s most riveting storylines, and made an indelible impact on LGBTQ+ representation on British TV. 

Most notably the character, who is part of the infamous McQueen dynasty, came out as gay in his first year on the soap, having kissed Craig Dean (Guy Burnet) at a party. The kiss was witnessed by John Paul’s girlfriend at the time, Hannah Ashworth (Emma Rigby), and led to him coming out to his loved ones.

John Paul and Craig later entered into a relationship, with the couple becoming affectionately known as McDean by the show’s fans.

The character later entered into major relationship with characters including Kieron Hobbs (Jake Hendriks), Danny Lomax (Stephen Billington) and fellow Hollyoaks heavyweight Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson).

Sutton also led the character through groundbreaking storylines including being raped, experiencing same-sex domestic abuse, attempted conversion therapy, struggling with addiction, and finding out that he is the child of Sally St. Claire (Annie Wallace), the show’s historic transgender character.

The Sun reports that John Paul McQueen will leave the soap in a typically “explosive exit” in the next few months.

“James is a much-loved member of the cast so it was an incredibly emotional day,” a source told the newspaper of the actor filming his final scenes.

“He’s been a huge part of the show for the last 20 years and everyone is sad to see him go.”

It’s far from the first time John Paul has left the leafy suburban village for pastures new, as the character previously exited in 2008 for a four year break.

After returning in 2012, Sutton left the soap again in 2017, before making another reappearance in 2019. He has remained a fixture of the long-running show since then, and it is not yet certain whether the star’s alleged exit from Hollyoaks this time around will be permanent.

While Sutton is best known for playing one of British soaps’ most famed gay characters, the actor is straight in real life. He split from his former partner Tamara Jane in early 2025.

The actor has previously spoken about feeling “lucky” for getting to play a gay character on TV, and acknowledged that nowadays, such a role should go to a gay actor.

“It’s just like kissing a hairy woman,” he joked about his many same-sex romance scenes, during a 2025 interview on the Tom’s Talks podcast.

“I don’t think it would happen nowadays that a straight actor would be cast in such a high profile gay role. I don’t think that would happen and I think it’s right that that wouldn’t happen,” he stated.

“I think it’s very important that representation for LGBTQ+ people is at the forefront of our minds when we’re casting these parts. Back then, it wasn’t so much.”

He also revealed that he became aware of the gravity of his character after receiving letters from gay fans, who shared the “tangible difference” that John Paul McQueen had made to their lives.

“For the first time, young men, boys, were sat at home with their parents and grandparents and they were watching this gay love story take place on screen, and they were thinking: ‘That’s me. That’s how I feel’. It gave people a voice.”

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