Note: The following article contains discussion of themes including abuse that some readers may find upsetting.
Hollyoaks viewers finally got to see fan-favourite character Brendan Brady back on screens for Thursday's first-look edition of Hollyoaks Favourites.
It has been seven years since Emmett J. Scanlan left the Channel 4 soap for Hollywood, where he's had success with roles in Guardians of the Galaxy, Constantine and Krypton.
The episode shown on Hollyoaks Favourites dealt with Brendan opening up about the tragedy of his past, when he revealed to Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) that he had been abused by his father Seamus.
Related: Hollyoaks Favourites announces schedule change as Harry Thompson death repeat is postponed
A spiralling chain of the events throughout the episode saw Seamus at odds with his son and showing absolutely no remorse for his horrific behaviour, while Brendan's sister discovered their father's abuse just as tragedy struck.
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This pivotal episode in Brendan's character arc made for emotional viewing, though long-time fans loved seeing the character back on screen after seven long years.
"Look at him I have missed you Brendan," one excited fan tweeted, with another beaming: "Brendan Brady will always be my fave #hollyoaks character!!"
One of his biggest fans even shared their hope of a comeback: "I'm never gonna lose hope of Brendan coming back, hands down best character #Hollyoaks ever had."
When Hollyoaks Favourites was first announced, Kieron Richardson β who introduces many of the episodes β revealed that he'd had the most requests for ones featuring Brendan.
"I've not had [it] for quite a while, but now people are saying: 'Tell them to put this episode on! Bring back Brendan," he revealed.
"The first few episodes are a celebration of the characters that are still in the show now. Even though they're a back catalogue of episodes, they feature the cast members that are still in Hollyoaks.
"But the longer it goes on, the further we'll go back into the episodes. I've had a lot of messages about this and I'm sure there'll be a Brendan episode in there somewhereβ¦"
And right he was!
Hollyoaks airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look episodes airing on E4 at 7pm. Wednesdays through Fridays on E4 will feature classic episodes called Hollyoaks Favourites to compensate for the soap suspending filming.
Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 (www.nspcc.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline on (1-800-422-4453) or the American SPCC (www.americanspcc.org).
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