Duncan James teases about his Hollyoaks role: 'I'm going head to head with Ste!' (VIDEO)

Duncan James said he and Ste Hay are heading for a showdown when his character, Ryan, turns up in Hollyoaks.

Duncan chatted to What's on TV at the British Soap Awards: "I'm going to be going head to head with Ste in quite a few of the scenes. I come in as Amy Barnes's new partner... I can tell you, he's a policeman from the CID, so me and Ste are going to have very different views on things straight from the offset."

He continued: "But I'm a father, I'm a good guy and I have very strong beliefs, so it's going to be great fun"

The Blue singer said he was more excited than nervous about his debut. "I think I will be nervous on day one of shooting. I went up last week and I got to see how it works and saw the schedulling, it's full on, I'm not going to stop for the next year."

He said the reaction on Twitter had been encouraging. "It's been fantastic, really positive. So I'm ready to start filming. I can't wait to get my teeth into this part."

Watch the interview with Duncan James, above."]

The British Soap Awards screen at 8pm on ITV on Sunday, May 29

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.