Hollyoaks recruits real-life hardman for Later

Martial arts star Michael 'The Count' Bisping is to make his TV acting debut in Hollyoaks Later. The real life hardman is set to play tough guy Nathan in the late night spin-off of the Channel 4 soap, to be shown on E4 later this month, and is set for a clinch with Hollyoaks babe Candy McCulloch. Mike, 31, told The Daily Star: "Nathan is a bit of a bad boy, but he does have a heart after all. He's a nasty b*****d, which is why I found it so easy to play him." The fighter already has some acting experience and has appeared in a film, which led to him getting the part in the show. He revealed: "I did a bit of drama at school as one of my options, but it was a bit of a doss to be honest. "Last year I did a movie called Beatdown and I had a proper role, a lengthy speaking part. Like anything I do, I throw myself into it heart and soul, and went to acting lessons in Manchester. The acting coach I went to was connected with Hollyoaks, and they got in touch with me and asked if I'd be interested in Later." Mike thought the show would be easy, but admits it was almost as tough as one of his fights. He said: "Being naive about TV, I assumed as it was a five-episode series, we could film it in a week, but it took three months. I didn't realise it was 15 and 16-hour days, six days a week, a hell of a lot of work." Mike makes his TV debut in Hollyoaks Later on E4 at 9pm from Monday, October 25. Click here to watch whatsontv.co.uk's weekly soaps video preview, the Soap Scoop

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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.