Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks teens Dillon Ray and Lucas Hay face another major obstacle next week as Misbah Maalik starts to oppose their relationship.
Misbah puts her foot down and tries to ban the young couple from seeing each other after they sleep together for the first time.
Misbah voices her concerns, as it's only a few weeks since Lucas was violent towards Dillon at the height of his confusion after he'd been brainwashed by 'conversion therapist' Carter Shepherd.
With Dillon and Lucas now determined to make a go of their romance, can they convince Misbah to back down?
Digital Spy recently caught up with Nathaniel Dass, who plays Dillon, for an exclusive chat about next week's episodes.
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Why do Dillon and Lucas decide to take the next step in their relationship?
"Dillon and Lucas' relationship has been progressing for so long. Their 'backwards and forwards' has taken so much time, so now they're together, they really want to have the full experience of being in a relationship.
"It's the first time both of them have really fallen in love with someone. They want to celebrate that and really confirm that they do love each other and want to be together."
As the week progresses, we'll see that Misbah thinks it's far too soon for this. What are your thoughts?
"It's a really tough one, because what Lucas was put through was obviously devastating and something that shouldn't happen to anyone. It had a big effect on him and Dillon – and all of the other people in Lucas' life.
"When you come out of a situation like that, your emotions can be affected and the way you look at everything can change. It can be really difficult to process things – and I guess it can make you jump into decisions that maybe aren't right at the time.
"With Lucas, he's out of that awful situation, and he just wants life to be good. He wants to have some sort of control, as he hasn't had control over his decisions in life for such a long time."
Dillon and Lucas' first attempt at sleeping together sees James and Ste interrupt by walking in on them! How does that play out?
"I think it's going to be a shock for any parent to walk into any kind of situation like that involving their kid! It's always going to be an awkward one.
"But James and Ste are amazing parents when it comes to loving their child. They have their ups and downs, but ultimately they just want to love and care for Lucas. It's a bit of a shock, but I think they take it well."
Later in the week, Lucas starts to have second thoughts and lies to Dillon about being grounded. Why is he suddenly getting cold feet?
"It's a result of everything that's happened recently. As much as Lucas is excited about what's to come with Dillon, it's a scary thought when you're opening up to someone and really giving yourself over. It takes a lot, so Lucas is just scared because he knows how much he does love Dillon.
"When you're in those situations, you can make decisions where you don't mean to hurt someone, but you do anyway. I think Lucas is just scared of what's to come."
Dillon and Lucas do end up sleeping together, but Misbah isn't happy about it and bans them from being a couple. How does that go down with Dillon?
"After everything that's happened and it taking so long for them to be together, Dillon does think it's unfair. I think anyone in that situation would – when you've wanted to be with someone for so long and had so many obstacles in the way. Dillon just thinks it's totally unjust.
"You're never going to have a calm reaction when someone's telling you how to live your life and what's right for you. Everyone wants those decisions to be in their own hands. If someone else is making that decision for you, it can be tough – you can lash out and say things that you don't mean.
"It's a tough one for Dillon – why are there so many hurdles when they finally thought they were over it? But there's always going to be challenges, especially in Hollyoaks where nothing ever runs smoothly!"
How did you and Oscar approach filming the romantic scenes?
"What's brilliant about being here at Hollyoaks is that we have intimacy coordinators in place to really help us through those kind of scenes. They help us make sure that myself or Oscar aren't feeling uncomfortable. We're never forced to do anything here.
"It's brilliant how they do it – but it also really helps that me and Oscar are really good friends in real life, so there was never that awkward barrier. Sometimes when two actors have just met and they have to get into intimate scenes, it can be a challenge. But me and Oscar have known each other for a long time – being comfortable with each other really helps."
What does the longer-term future hold for Dillon and Lucas? Will they always be an angsty couple, or is there some happiness on the horizon?
"Well, I can only say so much and only know so much! But I think after everything they've been through, it would be lovely to see them just be happy together.
"But knowing the track record of Hollyoaks, I can guarantee that there's probably going to be things that mess it up or get in the way. Fingers crossed, we'll see. Hopefully, they'll be happy together, I'd like to see that."
Oscar has admitted that he's always looking at the Hollyoaks and Lucas/Dillon hashtags to see what fans are saying online. Are you the same?
"To be honest, I don't really delve into that stuff, but I hear everything from Oscar! When I get to work, he'll update me on all the stuff that's been happening online. I do get to hear about it, but that's more from Oscar than myself.
"The fans have been amazing. It's just brilliant to know that people are enjoying the story and responding to it. It just gives us such a boost when we're on set, knowing that what we're doing is being loved.
"It helps so much – it does give massive motivation, and it's amazing that the hard work we're putting in is being appreciated. You can't ask for more as an actor."
Did you think Carter's recent exit came at the right time?
"I think from a Dillon perspective, it was amazing to see Carter get his comeuppance – he was awful! But from a Nate standpoint, I absolutely loved David Ames, and I didn't want to see him go.
"I loved working with him and thought he brought such an amazing energy to the set. He was always making everybody laugh. I didn't want to see him go, but from Dillon's point of view, it was the right time for it to happen."
Have you been told much about the one-year time jump coming up in the autumn?
"The time jump is being used as a tool in terms of storytelling. It's going to be really tough, as there are some people who might not be there after the time jump.
"But I think it's a really cool mechanic, and it's going to be really exciting for the fans to go on this journey with Hollyoaks and discover everything that happened during the one-year gap. I think it'll be really fun to watch."
After joining the show and getting to know the Maaliks, how was it to say goodbye to Ijaz Rana and Haiesha Mistry, who played Imran and Yazz?
"It's sad! When you have a family on Hollyoaks, they do become like a real family. I think everyone feels that within their on-screen families. Not that there's any separation between people, but when you join a family, they tend to be the people who guide you through the experience at the start, and they teach you a lot.
"It's really sad to see them go, but also amazing to see them get out there and find new paths. It's really lovely to see them do their thing, but seeing them leave is always a sad one."
What would you like to explore with Dillon next?
"I think from an acting standpoint, we've seen Dillon go through the love story with Lucas, and that's been great. But when I first joined the village, there was a bit of mischief – I remember I did a few things with Charlie. We stole some cars and got up to a bit of trouble.
"It's always fun to do stuff where you're being a bit of a nuisance, so if I get to do stuff like that, it'd be fun. We could see a bit of an edgy side to Dillon because he's been a bit of a lover boy so far!"
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
