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The most positive gay character on the show is, somewhat surprisingly, young Josh. Although he is only 16, he is the most confident and outspoken about his sexuality, making it a part of his life much more easily than his closeted counterpart, Adam. In early episodes, Josh must deal with a crush from his female best friend, but he defuses it by telling her that he cares for her, but is still well and truly gay.

The actor who plays Josh, Oliver Lee, is no stranger to gay roles despite his relative inexperience on the acting circuit. Four years older than his Hollyoaks: In the City character, this is already Lee's second major gay role.

Lee's big break came several years ago when he was cast as Jamie in the stage adaptation of Beautiful Thing, a story about two teenage boys who fall in love. The show toured the United Kingdom and was heralded by critics and audiences alike, and it also gave Lee, a straight man, some insight into being gay and out. “Once or twice, when unruly school groups were in the theatre, I got heckled and called a poof,” he told bent magazine. “It was an odd experience. It made me think about what young gay guys go through.”

Philip Olivier, who plays Josh's teacher Adam, also embraces the learning experiences he's had, both on- and off-screen. Though he is also straight in real life, Olivier recognizes that he is a gay icon in Britain, and he doesn't mind at all. He has even released a semi-nude calendar which has sold 20,000 copies (mostly to gay men, according to him). “I've never known why gay men like me so much but they've kept me working,” he quipped to bent magazine.

In a sign of support for his gay following, most of Olivier's public appearances are at Pride events, and he also hosted Mr. Gay U.K. in 2005. His real-life experiences have even caused him to change his perception of homosexuality. “I used to think my gay friends had a choice, but it isn't their choice,” he says. “When you are gay it affects your whole life.”

Toward the end of the series, Olivier will get to portray these difficulties when he hooks up with Lee's character, an experience he recognizes from his own life. “I've seen similar things happen with a couple of my friends and they've been 'round my place, pouring their hearts out. That's why I took this part, [because] it's so true to life.”

Lee Warburton, the actor who plays Burton , is also open-minded when it comes to his sexuality and applying his real life experiences to his roles; it is even rumored that Warburton is bisexual in real life, though he has never publicly come out.

He previously played a gay nursing assistant on the British drama Casualty and doesn't like to invest too much thought in labels, gay or straight. “I think there's too much made of straight actors playing gay characters and vice versa,” he told RainbowNetwork.com in 2003. “I genuinely have to take whatever comes along. I go for a nice body and pretty face, but if I get chatting to someone I can fall in love just as easily.”

In fact, all of the men of Hollyoaks: In the City are surprisingly open-minded in an industry where it's still OK for actors to collect a paycheck for “playing gay” and then talk about how “repulsive” the experience was (just ask Colin Farrell, who said exactly that in a GQ interview in 2004).

The actors are not the only gay-friendly people on set; the writers, too, seem to have tapped into something deeply personal with Hollyoaks: In the City, and the show thankfully avoids most common gay stereotypes.

Most interestingly, none of the multitude of gay characters on the show are particularly campy, something nearly unheard of in British television. From the original Queer As Folk to teatime soap Emmerdale and American import Will & Grace, gay characters in Britain are most often personified as limp-wristed, lisp-heavy nice guys with a strong fashion sense. The men of Hollyoaks: In the City adhere to none of those stereotypes.

There is also a plethora of gay story lines, from the expected coming-out story to the more surprising depiction of a teen who is out and proud, and of course the stereotypical turmoil of a slutty bisexual man (or two). Though they are not all wholly positive representations, it is refreshing to see gay plot lines where sexuality is secondary to the main story being told.

These story lines are typical for a soap opera, but also reflect the fact that the show is a late-night drama. (Sex and nudity are allowed on British TV after 9 p.m.) The original Hollyoaks is one of Britain's most notoriously over-the-top soaps, airing on the very liberal Channel 4 — the same network that features the uncensored antics of Big Brother and lesbian teen drama Sugar Rush. It is also the birthplace of the original Queer as Folk.

Featuring a strong, diverse group of gay characters and a steady supply of interesting story lines, it's easy to see why Hollyoaks: In the City has transformed from the Ben-and-Lisa show to one that revolves almost exclusively around the personal lives and exploits of gay and bisexual men, faults and all.

Hollyoaks: In the City airs every Monday at 9 p.m.
on E4 in the United Kingdom.

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