Lewis Richardson (Hollyoaks)
| Lewis Richardson | |||||||||||||
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| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Ben Hull | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 1995–2001 | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 6 November 1995 | ||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 15 October 2001 | ||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Phil Redmond | ||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances |
Hollyoaks: Movin' On (2001) | ||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
| Occupation | Businessman | ||||||||||||
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| Father | Dennis Richardson |
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| Mother | Helen Cunningham |
| Stepfather | Gordon Cunningham (1999–2004) |
| Sisters | Mandy Richardson |
| Half-brothers | Tom Cunningham |
| Nieces |
Grace Hutchinson Ella Richardson |
Lewis Richardson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks, played by Ben Hull. Lewis was introduced by Phil Redmond as part of the Richardson family. Lewis made his first on-screen appearance on 6 November 1995 before departing on 15 October 2001. Lewis was initially a "good bloke" but changed, becoming like his abusive father. Lewis's exit from the serial was devised by series producer Jo Hallows who decided to kill the character on screen as part of a suicide storyline. The storyline was devised to show the "full horror" of suicide.
Hull was cast in the role in 1995. Hull said that "as soon as I heard about the show - and this was before it was actually aired - I thought it had enormous potential, and I really wanted to be part of it". Hull described hearing of his casting as a "such a wonderful feeling". Hull quit the role in 2001. Hull said that he felt it was "time to do other things" adding that he was "very proud of Hollyoaks and what we've done with it". Hull added that "playing Lewis has been a wonderful experience. It's been hard work, but well worth it". Hull said that he quit because "I'd go home after filming and feel incredibly depressed, playing such a tormented and depressed character was exhausting". Hull admitted he had reservations after quitting the role and questioned if he had made the right decision.
Hull described Lewis saying: "He was not a nasty person because he was just evil - he was that way because of the way he was brought up and I think people saw through that". Hull also described Lewis as "tormented". Hull said that when styling his character he was "going for a whole James Dean look and failed miserably on all counts". Hull described the character's time on the serial saying that Lewis "started off as a lovely bloke but tried to murder his girlfriend and then committed suicide".
Lewis's characterisation changed over his duration on the serial, being described as a "nice guy-turned-baddie". Lewis has been described as a "nice guy", a "lovable rogue", "hapless", a "wheeler-dealer", "troubled", a "self-destructive soul", "messed- up", a "violent thug" and a bad boy. Lewis has also been branded a "heartthrob" and "hunky", while his duration on the serial has been described saying he was "the boy-next-door who had a stormy relationship with Ruth, turned into a gambling, wife-beating monster and ultimately topped himself".
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