Hollyoaks: In the City, currently airing on E4 in Britain, is the late-night spinoff of the enormously popular Hollyoaks soap opera. The show's headliners are Ben and Lisa (Marcus Patric and Gemma Atkinson), a well-known Hollyoaks couple, but the large number of gay and bisexual characters in the series have been the real centers of attention since the series' first episode. Hollyoaks: In the City has even drawn comparisons to Britain's late-1990s breakout hit, Queer As Folk, which was later made into the American series of the same name.

Since the show purportedly revolves around Ben and Lisa, all of the characters are connected to them in some way.

After Lisa moves to Liverpool with her boyfriend, Ben, she takes a job at Gloss, a high-profile modeling and escort agency run by Burton Phillips (Lee Warburton). Burton is, at the best of times, a smarmy bisexual. He owns an entertainment empire that includes Gloss and Attraction, the upscale nightclub next door, and he is more than willing to take advantage of his power and status to get what he wants, including sex.

Burton's latest boy toy of choice is Troy (Adam-Jon Fiorentino), a straight male model who sleeps with Burton in order to get more modeling jobs with the agency. Unfortunately for him, Burton quickly loses interest in Troy, and those jobs never come to fruition, leaving Troy to lounge around outside the agency on days when he should be working.

Also in the mix is Ben's friend Adam (Philip Olivier), a schoolteacher. At the start of the series, Adam has a girlfriend he often neglects, and he is hesitant to take the relationship to the next level and meet her parents. Soon he finds himself trying to justify why he isn't interested in any of the women he dates, while attempting to hide his romantic interest in men from his two straight best friends, Ben and Tank Top (Leon Lopez).

Later in the series, Adam finally gives in to his true feelings with Josh (Oliver Lee), an openly gay, 16-year-old student who is, ironically, the most sexually confident gay man on the show.

Also playing a small role in the large, gay-centric cast is Enrique (Sandro Squillace), a bisexual barman at Burton's nightclub. Flirtatious with both men and women, Enrique is the more likeable bisexual man on the show, even if he only appears sporadically.

Although there is no shortage of gay and bisexual characters on Hollyoaks: In The City, not all of them are great role models for the gay community.

On the negative end of the spectrum is Burton. He is a very stereotypical bisexual man, attracted to anybody at any time and more than willing to use sex to get his way. Confident to the end, he is not a likable character, and is involved in many illicit activities involving drugs, loan sharking and possibly even the murder of Kay (Kym Marsh), one of his models who didn't repay her debts. Nonetheless, he is highly respected among all of his friends and employees, and his sexuality is never presented as the reason for his actions. He is oversexed, but due to his love of opulence more than his bisexuality.

Troy is also an intriguing character. Though he identifies as straight, he doesn't scruple to use his sexuality to advance his career. Having left Australia with a decent amount of fame to pursue modeling in Britain, Troy is upset not just about his inability to find work but also his subservient status with Burton. However, he does not question his role as “gay for pay,” and he seems comfortable with the idea despite his heterosexuality.

Troy and Burton both dally in potentially dangerous stereotypical arenas, but still come across as strong, decent characters (as decent as soap opera characters can be, anyway). Sexuality is never an issue for them — regardless of self-identification — and there is no gay bashing or sexual questioning. Troy and Burton simply do as they please, though their motivations remain questionable.

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