Danny Lomax

On 1 July 2013, it was announced that former Coronation Street actor Stephen Billington had been cast on Hollyoaks as newcomer Danny Lomax, with it being reported that Billington had already begun filming and would debut later that month. It was also reported that Danny, a new teacher at Hollyoaks High, would be a new love interest for his colleague John Paul McQueen (James Sutton), and that Danny has many "skeletons" in his closet which could impact other characters in the soap. Billington said that he and Danny are somewhat similar as they both teach and get on with younger people, but revealed that Danny has a "whole side to him that's completely different" to the actor. Billington did not elaborate, but confirmed that that side would be "revealed over time". The actor added, "You'll still like [Danny], but he's much more complex than he first appears. Aren't we all?" Billington later told Digital Spy that he hoped that viewers would still like Danny after the reveal of his secrets, adding that Danny is able to charm his way out of "difficult situations", with the actor hoping that he would be able to do the same with the audience. He specified that Danny is "definitely not a bad person", adding: ==Development==

Romance with John Paul When Danny begins working at Hollyoaks High, he catches the eye of teacher John Paul, who is "delighted" that Danny seems to be attracted to him. Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood revealed that Danny's romance with John Paul would not only mean that John Paul would "get his share of the action", but also lead to "dark and unexpected consequences" for other characters. Billington told Digital Spy that it was "really lovely" working with Sutton. This was not revealed to viewers before the airing of the episode, which saw Ste's partner Doug Carter (P. J. Brennan) phone Ste's father, who is revealed to be Danny. Roper's casting and Sam's introduction had not been announced beforehand as Hollyoaks bosses wanted to surprise viewers. It was reported that Sam, who was billed as a "lioness" when it comes to her family, would be "prominent" character on the soap over the coming weeks as Danny "desperately" tries to juggle his "stable family life" and his secret relationship with John Paul. Kirkwood had decided to introduce Ste's family as he believed that Ste was "undoubtedly one of our most important characters" of the soap and was conscious that he was "languishing on his own" without a family. Their arrival brought more "family drama" for Danny due to a "shocking twist" where Tegan gives birth during her first appearance, having not known that she was pregnant. Danny admits that he wants a relationship with him again, but just as it "seems" that their affair is "back on", John Paul rushes to hospital after learning that his son Matthew McQueen (Malachy and Connor Birchall) is unwell. In January 2014, Billington teased to Digital Spy that John Paul and Danny's storyline was not "quite over" despite the characters having kept their distance from each other, and speculated that things could become difficult for Danny later in the year due to the possibility of Sam finding out about the affair, which Billington speculated would cause "severe ructions". The actor hoped that the Lomax family would stay together despite the ructions, as he got along well with the actresses of his female family, calling them "brilliant actors" and "such a joy to work with". He believed that Danny's inability to be faithful is his "main weaknesses", and that Danny does not believe his affairs impact his family life, explaining: "In an ideal world, it would always be a secret. He doesn't believe his relationships outside the marriage impact on it or the family. But his affair with JP is having an effect, because Danny loves him, which I don't think has happened before. He has had affairs, but he hasn't ever fallen in love with the person. He loves Sam and wants to be the one to explain things to her in his own words." Danny assumes that it is the homophobic bullying, which he knows about, and blames Robbie Roscoe (Charlie Wernham) about it, with Billington teasing that Danny could "have a go" at Robbie about it due to believing that he is completely to blame. The confrontation becomes physical when Danny loses his temper and warns Robbie that the truth will come out eventually. Billington believed that Danny thinks it is the "worst" that it is Peri that found, as she is the one who loves Danny unconditionally. When Peri confronts Danny over the "betrayal", their argument has an "unexpected outcome" when she falls down the stairs leading to the Lomax home, which Leela witnesses from a distance. Billington explained that Leela believes that Danny has given Peri a little shove but he has actually not, and he is "beside himself" and "absolutely horrified" that his "little girl" has been hurt. Billington teased that the affair would later be revealed to the whole family, and revealed that Danny would not be the one to confess to it. Danny is set up to look like he is talking anonymously online to George Smith (Steven Roberts) via a gay dating app. This leads to Danny's bisexuality being outed when Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) causes more drama for the family and messes with the sound board at the Hollyoaks High talent show, which leads to everyone – including the Lomax girls – hear Danny tell George he is bisexual when George confronts him backstage. Billington blamed Sienna for the situation, calling her "evil". Danny then ends up returning to his "cheating ways" when he meets up with George and, unable to resist temptation, shares a "shock kiss" with him. Departure and aftermath It is later revealed that Danny is actually Peri's grandfather as she is the biological daughter of Leela and Cameron Campbell (Cameron Moore). Later, in order to get Peri away from Cameron, Sam and Danny decide to emigrate to New Zealand with Tegan and Peri, with Leela deciding to stay behind. Ste becomes hurt when he finds out that they are leaving without him. O'Donnell revealed that this shocks Peri, and makes her feel confused as she does not understand why she has been lied to her whole life. In the final moments of the episode that aired on 5 August 2014, Sam and Danny are involved in a "shock car crash", with their lives hanging in the balance after their car hits a van and flips over. The following episode confirmed that both Danny and Sam had died at the scene and Leela, Tegan and Ste are told the "tragic news" by the police. It is initially thought that Camera had hit them by accident, but in December 2015, it is revealed that Cameron targeted Danny and Sam deliberately, as he saw them driving and accelerated his car towards them. Camera drunkenly admits this to his brother Lockie Campbell (Nick Rhys) and says, "That's what happens when you come between me and my daughter". ==Storylines==

Danny arrives as the new drama supply teacher of Hollyoaks High School to organise a production with John Paul McQueen (James Sutton). An attraction grows between the two and they kiss and go on a date, but when Danny is offered a permanent position at the school he tells John Paul that nothing else can happen between them. Danny later changes his mind and has sex with John Paul but he later ignores his calls. He then returns and pleads with John Paul for another chance, which he is given. Danny is warned by headteacher Patrick Blake (Jeremy Sheffield) to not mix his personal life with his professional role. When John Paul does not show up to a date, Danny retaliates by flirting with Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson). However, he runs off when he realises that Ste is his biological son. John Paul assumes that the pair have had sex but Danny denies this and confides in John Paul that he has a son, though he does not reveal that it is Ste. After having sex with John Paul, Danny secretly meets up with his wife, Sam Lomax (Lizzie Roper). Danny continues seeing John Paul behind Sam's back and is blackmailed by his student Robbie Roscoe (Charlie Wernham) over this, who threatens to expose his affair if he does not prevent his expulsion. Ste's husband, Doug Carter (P. J. Brennan), finds out that Danny is Ste's father and confronts him. After Doug is later killed in an explosion, Danny stops Ste from committing suicide and tells him that he is his father. Danny's wife and daughters – Tegan (Jessica Ellis), Leela (Kirsty-Leigh Porter) and Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell) – move to Hollyoaks and Ste moves in with them. Danny is shocked but happy when Tegan unexpectedly gives birth. When John Paul is raped, he does not tell Danny but he is aware that something is going on. Danny assumes that it is Robbie's homophobic bullying and confronts him. Peri later finds John Paul and Danny kissing on camera and confronts Danny over the betrayal, which results in Peri falling down the stairs. Peri is revealed to have a brain tumour and Danny tells Peri that her tumour made her imagine what she saw. Sam finds out about the affair but stays quiet. She later tells Danny and forgives her as he promises to not cheat on her again. However, Sam then finds out that Danny has an online gay dating profile, which was set up by Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) in order to drive the Lomax family apart. Danny finds out that the dating profile was speaking to George Smith (Steven Roberts), so he visits him and they end up kissing. Danny's bisexuality is outed to the whole school when Sienna messes with the sound system to broadcast Danny and George's conversation to the whole school. It is revealed that Danny is in fact Peri's grandmother and that she is the daughter of Leela and Cameron Campbell (Cameron Moore). Danny and Sam decide to leave the village with their family when they find out that Cameron has been released from prison, wanting to keep Peri away from Cameron. However, Peri does not want to go, and when Leela reveals to her the truth about her parents, Danny and Sam decide to leave the village on their own. Before leaving, Danny disowns Ste when he finds out that he revealed to Cameron that they were leaving. Tegan and Peri secretly call Danny and Sam to ask them to pick them up, but as Sam and Danny are driving, another car smashes into them and kills them. The Lomax family is devastated to learn this, with Ste taking an overdose following a meltdown. Cameron is eventually revealed to be the other driver, but claims it was an accident. However, he later reveals that he targeted them on purpose as they were trying to take his daughter away. Cameron is eventually arrested for the murders of Danny and Sam alongside several other people that he killed. Leela names her second child, Daniel Lomax, after Danny. ==Reception==

Early in Danny's stint, Billington felt that viewers were very "intrigued" by Danny, with the actor revealing that he had received many "very lovely" messages on Twitter, which he had signed up for when he joined the soap. A writer from Digital Spy placed Ste finding Danny and his family as one of Ste's most memorable moments, commenting that "Hollyoaks loves to give people whole new families more or less out of nowhere", and noted how despite Danny "being interested in Ste's future husband John Paul", Danny had still "come within a hair's breadth" of "getting off" with his own son. In November 2013, Daniel Kilkelly from the same website believed that Danny was "happily married" despite pursuing a relationship with John Paul, and wrote that it was clear than the two men's connection was "still much more than a friendship". Carena Crawford from All About Soap called Danny "dodgy" and a "dirty dog" and opined that Danny had been "up to his old tricks again" in regards to the storyline with George. David Brown from Radio Times wrote that tensions were running high and "there was an air of desperation" when Danny and Sam attempted to "evade Cameron's clutches". Charlotte Tutton from the Daily Mirror attributed Danny's death as being one of the reasons why the Lomax family was one of the three most "cursed" families in Hollyoaks. In May 2015, Tutton's colleague, Natalie Corner, named the Lomax car crash that killed Danny as one of the soap's most "explosive" storylines from the past year, writing that "Hollyoaks is never worried about killing off characters without warning". Patrick McLennan from What to Watch wrote that the car crash had a "tragic outcome". Digital Spys Kilkelly noted that Cameron's charms "fooled us all" as he made viewers believe that killing Danny and Sam was an accident. Kilkelly believed that the "horrifying" hit and run was one of Cameron's most villainous moments, commenting "how convenient" it was that the crash happened just as Danny and Sam were trying to take his daughter away. ==References==