Hollyoaks actor Charlie Clapham has enjoyed a busy few months on screen since his arrival as Freddie Roscoe in May, and the drama continues in the soap's Christmas episodes next week.
The upcoming festive editions feature a wedding for one of the Roscoes, while Freddie is in for a big shock when he learns that his girlfriend Sinead O'Connor has tried to expose his feelings for Lindsey in an anonymous Christmas card to Joe…
Digital Spy recently caught up with Charlie to hear more about Christmas in Hollyoaks and what's ahead for Freddie next year.
How do you feel about the Roscoes taking centre stage this Christmas?
"It's great and I think it underlines how well the year's gone since we came in. A lot of people forget that we only came on screen as a family in early summer, so it hasn't even been a year yet but we're right at the heart of the show. To have a storyline that's so big at Christmas just puts an exclamation point at the end of that! It's great that it's gone so well."
What were the Christmas stories like to film?
"It was quite busy - as well as filming the Christmas episodes, we were starting to do some of the New Year ones at the same time. Your head's all over the place a little bit when that happens! As everyone has a break at Christmas, there's always a lot of filming that needs to be done before that and a lot of work for all departments - not just the actors.
"It was great to be involved, though - and I hope for the viewers it'll be interesting to watch the Roscoe family going through something quite dramatic."
The show has confirmed that there'll be a Roscoe wedding at Christmas, so will there be a lot of drama on the big day?
"Oh, definitely! I think this wedding will have a lot of consequences, as weddings often do for families. Will certain families want to be together, will they see it as a good move? Does everyone know who they're joining onto? These are all things that are very interesting to play.
What to Read Next
"In this story, so many characters have suspicions about each other and there are so many subplots that go underneath. That's really nice, because you can have a scene just around the breakfast table with so many hidden agendas on the go, simmering under the surface. That's when you know you've got some good stuff to work with, and in those scenes it's not just about the person who has the dialogue.
"For me, it's also so important to keep up with the work in general, because you don't have the privilege of shooting in sequence on a soap. Once every week or two weeks, I always look through to see where we're at, what Freddie is thinking and work everything out prior to filming. It's always a lot of fun."
How does Freddie feel when he finds out about the bombshell Christmas card that Sinead has written to Joe?
"Devastated - absolutely devastated. The thing with Freddie and Sinead is that she can't quite believe some of the things that he does, but it's the same on the other side! To have that in a couple on a show makes it a very watchable scenario.
"Freddie and Sinead just seem to surprise one other and drag each other into trouble, but they always make it through holding hands. I don't think Freddie will turn against Sinead for good because of what she's done, but at the same time, it's his big secret and if Joe found out, he'd be dead!
"It's a can of worms for the whole family too, as Sandy already knows about Freddie's feelings, and if Joe found out, he'd know that his mum has betrayed him as well. Obviously Lindsey now knows too, so there is lots at stake for the family. Freddie just can't believe Sinead's stupidity."
Is Freddie still glad that he told Lindsey about his feelings, or does he wish he'd kept quiet?
"When we started looking at how long Freddie had loved Lindsey for, we were talking about eight or nine years. I think for anyone, just to have a change in the way they feel after that time has got to be a relief. It's a release of the steam that was building up in his head! The beautiful thing about Freddie is his imagination, but because Lindsey has walked away from him, it's gutted him and gutted any imagination towards him and Lindsey ever being together.
"Maybe Freddie always assumed that there was a glimmer of hope that Lindsey felt the same way, but now that's completely crushed. Freddie is relieved that he's got it off his chest, but he's also having to deal with a lot of heartbreak now."
How do you describe Freddie's feelings for Sinead? There's a lot of debate among the fans about how strong his feelings are…
"This is something that I wanted to get clear for my own head. It's a tough one. There's a handful of factors involved when it comes to Freddie and Sinead. Firstly, Freddie's mum has told him that he needs to move on from Lindsey, and Sinead is his ticket out. Secondly, Sinead has seen Freddie do awful, inhumane things but she can see what kind of person he is deep down. She sees his vulnerability, the humanity and humility within him.
"For Freddie, that's all he's really wanted - someone to truly put him on a pedestal. He probably wanted that from his dad, who wasn't around when he was getting older. Freddie wanted it from Lindsey too, but it's Sinead who he gets that unconditional love from. Above all, I think Freddie also has a true concern for her wellbeing. He also genuinely cares about Sinead and the welfare of her daughter."
We know there are lots of Freddie/Lindsey fans out there. Do Freddie and Sinead have their own fanbase as well?
"Yeah, it's really weird sometimes! I was in the Manchester Christmas market the other week with my real-life girlfriend and there were people shouting over saying, 'Sinead loves you! Why won't you go with her and leave Lindsey alone? She's messed you around long enough now!'
"Then I've got the 'Frindsey' fans waiting outside the studio gate, making montages on YouTube and posting them to me on Twitter. There are Twitter fanpages for both 'Frindsey' and 'Frinead' and they're always asking me who I think he loves more. I can't believe how much people care about it, but it's really nice to know. It's also great to have a foot in both camps - I'm never hated by anyone!
"But both relationships make for an interesting love triangle and I love working with Stephanie Davis and Sophie Austin because both of them are capable of being electrifying just at the click of a finger. That's not just about turning on the waterworks - it's looking into their eyes and feeling a real connection. I couldn't ask for more."
The Freddie/Lindsey spark seems to have been a really popular storyline this year…
"Well, it was always planned that Freddie was in love with Lindsey, but I then started putting in looks before they were scripted. Directors picked up on them and they made it into the episode.
"I think it was just something interesting for this new family to come in and for people to think, 'Oh! What's going on there? Why is that going on?' It was something really subtle that grew instantly, and before you know it, we're not even at the end of the year yet and the nine-year secret has come out."
You've had some massive story weeks this year…
"I have and I can't thank them enough for it. I've just recently moved and had to box all of my scripts up. I'm really precious about them because I want to keep them for a long time! I was looking at them all and there's been some massive weeks with different directors. There was a Paul Walker block where Freddie buried DS Trent. There was the episode where Freddie first met Sinead, and episodes where Trevor was first introduced. There was also an Eddy Marshall block of Freddie taking Sinead to a client's house, and then of course the Alex Jacob block where I got kidnapped.
"In amongst that, there's been so many family scenes with little looks and glances, which are always interesting to play. It's been one hell of a year."
Will that high drama continue next year?
"I'm looking at my scripts at the moment and sometimes I won't be featured for a week or two, but then I'll be in solidly for a good block. That's a nice way to work, because you can really work hard on the prep and figure out where Freddie's head is at. Some of the blocks we've got are like mini-movies in a week, and there's some really big things for Fred in 2014. I just can't wait to get over the finishing line of Christmas, have a nice break and then dive straight back into it!"
Will Freddie have any involvement in Robbie's story with John Paul?
"Like I said earlier, you'll see all of the characters sitting around at breakfast with so much going on. Everyone branches off into their own stories, but it doesn't mean those things don't exist once everyone gets together. That's as real as it gets - when families come together over the dinner table there might be small talk, but there's things that people are going through which are affecting their actions.
"I know that little Charlie [Wernham, who plays Robbie] has been working for a while on different projects, and he's very in tune to what his character is and the journeys he's going through. We talk to each other about our storylines quite a lot, as we do care about what the other actors are going through.
"As far as I know, Fred has managed to put a little bit of distance between himself and troublesome Robbie for now, but with these two, they're the dark horses of the family and will always end up tangled in something together sooner or later!"
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers and news
Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first look screenings at 7pm on E4.
Digital Spy Soap Scoop video - press play below for gossip on this year's Christmas storylines, including shock violence and an arrest on Coronation Street, a murder plan in EastEnders, an Emmerdale fire and more Roscoe dramas in Hollyoaks.
