Hollyoaks has waved goodbye to one of its most popular teen characters, as Alfie Nightingale left the village in Wednesday night's E4 episode (January 30).
Alfie has been part of the show's cast for over three years, but has now bowed out to take up an exciting internship in the US.
Digital Spy recently caught up with Richard Linnell, who plays Alfie, to hear about his future plans and why it was the right time to go.
How are you feeling after leaving the show?
"I'm just so thankful. It's been the best three years I could have asked for – far better than I had any right to expect when I joined the show. I met some amazing people there, who felt like a real-life family. I've also been given some incredible storylines to portray.
"There isn't a single bad cast member at Hollyoaks. Every single person in that building – from the cast to the crew – are people that I'll miss deeply. I'm very grateful for the experience that I had."
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Why was now the right time to leave?
"When I came into the show, I always thought that I would stay for about three years. I also felt that I'd been very lucky, as I was given two very big storylines back-to-back.
"I felt that it'd be good to go out on a high, so I went and spoke to the producers and we worked out a happy ending for Alfie."
Were you glad that Alfie got some happiness at the end?
"Yes – I'm glad he didn't die, certainly! Alfie had been through so much, so I think the audience would agree that it was the right ending."
The door seems like it's been left very much open…
"It does seem open – who knows what will happen? America isn't that far away and we've seen characters come back before. Alfie could come back with a weird accent!
"It could also be a great vehicle to bring in a new character. Maybe they could bring in Alfie's new girlfriend and she'd turn out to be related to someone in the village. It's not in my hands, though!"
What are your fondest memories of playing Alfie?
"I'd definitely have to mention the issue-based storylines. When we explored Alfie's mental health, we had some really incredible scenes to tackle.
"But then there are other, more everyday, memories of just being on set and having fun with the rest of the cast. When you're enjoying yourself like that, it feels like you haven't worked a single minute. So that's probably what I have the fondest memories of, the fun days on set."
What kind of impact did Alfie's issue-based storylines have?
"When you explore storylines like that, you're told by the producers that you're going to get feedback from them and there'll be a reaction on social media. But they can never prepare you for the reaction you're going to get – and luckily for me, how positive it was.
"You'll get messages from people saying: 'This is helping me get through the same situation.' With Alfie's mental health storyline, it was fantastic to get messages from people who said that it had helped them to open up to their family, or to better understand what a friend or family member was going through.
"When there's a tangible change in the world or somehow you've helped someone, you can't ask for anything more than that. It's absolutely amazing."
Did you enjoy getting to film Alfie standing up to Mac in the final episode?
"I did actually. It was so cathartic – and David [Easter] is so good at being evil! (Laughs.) It was great to get in his face and show Alfie giving Mac a piece of his mind. That was actually the last scene I filmed."
Do you think Mac will ever get his comeuppance?
"I feel the winds of karma are blowing, that's all I'm going to say!"
Haiesha Mistry is staying in the show, so it didn't work out for Alfie and Yazz. How did you feel about that?
"It was my decision to leave and I'd been in Hollyoaks for longer than Haiesha, so I didn't want to be responsible for taking her out of the show when she didn't want to go yet!
"I'm glad that the Maalik family have got lots of stuff coming up and I'm looking forward to seeing that. It's great that she's sticking around and will have a big storyline."
Who will you keep in touch with?
"As many people as I can! Ellis Hollins (Tom) definitely, he's basically my brother at this point. Greg Finnegan (James) and Lysette Anthony (Marnie), my remaining family. Anna Passey and Jess Fox, the old guard who've been around for a while. I'm a bit of an old soul, so I always got along well with those guys. But I'll be staying in touch with as many people as I can."
Did you have a big leaving party?
"I'm not one for big parties personally, particularly if they're involving me! (Laughs.) There was a quiet round of drinks with some of the cast. Luckily only a week and a half after I finished filming, we had the Hollyoaks Christmas party. That was the chance to say goodbye to everybody, including the crew."
What have you been up to since leaving?
"I've decided to start making my own YouTube videos. I've already made a vlog about my last week at Hollyoaks. I've also just started an intense driving course. It's only been a couple of months since leaving, so I'm getting my house in order!
"In the future, I just want to be happy doing my job in whatever way I can be. I'd love to do more theatre, more television and explore more challenging roles."
You must have been proud to see your former co-star Kassius Nelson (Jade) in A Series of Unfortunate Events recently!
"I'd known about this in bits and pieces for about 18 months beforehand, when Kassius started filming it. I knew she was filming for something in Canada, but I didn't know what it was. Then I found out it was for Netflix.
"Gradually more bits and pieces came out, but I didn't know it was A Series of Unfortunate Events until they announced it and I thought it was brilliant. I was so proud."
Would you do another soap in the future?
"Definitely not right now, but I'm never going to rule it out. I've always been interested in the medical ones, like Holby, as I think they're really interesting."
Would you ever do something as yourself? Obviously we've just seen Malique in I'm A Celeb...
"I think they're highly unlikely to ask! The jungle looks like a lot of fun. I might take a look at what presenting stuff is out there, because I do enjoy that. We'll see what happens!"
Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first look screenings at 7pm on E4.
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