Kieron Richardson: 'I look up to Emmett' (VIDEO)

Kieron Richardson says he looks up to his Hollyoaks co-star Emmett J Scanlan, following a big year for the actor both on- and off-screen. Kieron, who plays Ste Hay in the Channel 4 soap, and Irish actor Emmett were nominated for Best On-Screen Partnership at the British Soap Awards with Emmett winning awards for Best Newcomer and Villain of the Year. In the soap, Ste came out as gay and suffered abuse from boyfriend Brendan Brady, played by Emmett. Kieron said: "Emmett is a lot more advanced than me as an actor so he's been like my teacher. What he's taught me has come across on screen and I've shone a bit more than I did in the past. And he's pleased with the way viewers responded to both himself and his character coming out as gay. "It was a big thing for me to do and it could have really backfired. But all round it's been a positive thing to do." CLICK below to watch an interview with Kieron Richardson

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.