HOLLYOAKS

Craig: Come on let's not make a big deal out of it.
JP: You're sleeping with me Craig. And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm a man. And in my books, that makes you gay.
Craig: Just keep your voice down.
JP: You're meant to be coming out of the closet, not getting back in it. I mean, today, you're not gay, and what about tomorrow? Am I going to be your special little friend? Then why say it?
Craig: Because I wanted Jake to feel more comfortable.
JP: Oh, you wanted Jake to feel more comfortable. You mean you more like.
Craig: Alright, fine. I felt exposed. Alright, I froze. You believe me right?
JP: If you can't be as honest with me as you were with Sarah, then we have got big problems.
Craig: Look, just, please. Listen to me. I have changed my whole life for you. Come on. Let's rejoin the queue. Alright?

***

JP LOOKING AT HAPPY COUPLE KISSING IN QUEUE

Craig: OK, so there's a bus that goes from the airport to the city centre in Dublin. Guess we should take that and just get to the flat from there.

JP NODS

Craig: I couldn't afford much rent, so it's probably going to be a bit of a horrible one. But it'll be our one. Just the two of us.
JP: Where we can lock ourselves up and hide away from the world, yeah?
Craig: Yeah. Exactly.
JP: Kiss me, Craig.
Craig: Huh, what?
JP: I want you to kiss me.
Craig: Here?
JP: Right here.
Craig: Come on don't be stupid.
JP: I'm not being stupid.
Craig: There's people looking.
JP: So? Is that how we're going to live our lives is it? Hiding away from everyone, feeling ashamed.
Craig: I'm not ashamed.
JP: So, embarassed?
Craig: No!
JP: I want to be like them. I mean I've got every... look at them, look at them! I've got every right to be like them.
Craig: Don't you think you're over reacting?
JP: No! I need to know we've got a future together. I need to know that you want to be with me.
Craig: Of course I want to be with you.
JP: So kiss me. Please.... It's not that you won't. It's that you can't! Isn't it? JP: I don't believe this.

***

JP WALKING OFF AWAY FROM CRAIG. CRAIG FOLLOWING

Craig: John Paul!
JP: Leave me alone.
Craig: Where are you going?
JP: Home.
Craig: Come on, don't be daft! You're overreacting. You're just going to give up on us like that?
JP: I just needed you to do one thing.
Craig: How can you let this happen? You're just going to walk away?
JP: It's not like this happened over night is it? You had months to get your head around this.
Craig: I know it's been difficult.
JP: DIFFICULT? Do you have any idea how many times you'd split up with Sarah? I mean, would we even be here now if she hadn't walked in on us?
Craig: Yes. Yes yes, of course.
JP: How can you be so sure?
Craig: I chose you.
JP: No. I forced you to choose. You see?! Even now, you can't bring yourself to hold me.
Craig: Please. We're going to go to Dublin!
JP: What? What's going to happen when we get to Dublin, eh? Is it going to be maybe when we're in our second year? Maybe when we graduate? I mean, when? You don't know who you are. I love you Craig. With all my heart. You've changed my life totally. Irreversibly. And I'm never ever going to forget you. But however much I love you. I know I deserve more. I'm sorry.
Craig: Don't leave me... John Paul...

James Sutton Radio 4 Interview - 20/09/07

Interviewer: "More recently, Hollyoaks has been praised for its sensitive handling of the love affair between Craig and John Paul."

Bryan Kirkwood: "It's a really interesting process for me, as the producer of the show. As I said, we're telling a story, a very straight forward, honest, story between two lads, who have fallen in love. You know, we go through endless edits of the scripts and the actors approach it and put their own interpretations of it, as does the director and I can watch episodes in the rough cut, which is the first viewing and to be perfectly honest, I've been quite shocked sometimes by how upfront the love scenes have been. And I've kind of had to have a word with myself, almost, to sort of think, no, we're not doing anything wrong here simply because it hasn't been seen in this kind of honest way before that I'm kind of a little bit hesitant. It doesn't make it wrong. We've portrayed this love story in exactly the same way we portray a heterosexual love story and it's the first time I've seen that on telly, where the camera hasn't moved away at just the right moment so as not to offend viewers. We haven't shied away from the idea of offending viewers because quite honestly, to me, there's nothing to be offended by."

**Clip is played of the scene in the Dog between JP and Craig before Craig goes to take his exam that he ultimately walks out of to go see JP.

Bryan Kirkwood: "It was very important for us, right from the start, that JP didn't fall into any kind of any ready-made, kind of cliches, the likes of which you see all the time on TV. You know, this is a lad who is great at football. He was in the soccer team at school. That's where he fell in love with Craig, in fact. So, we see him taking his frustration out on his punch ball in his bedroom. You know, it may seem like detail, but it's been very important we show a straight forward, masculine lad, who just happens to be gay, who doesn't sort of surround himself with the kind of paraphernalia that's kind of accepted to mean gay. The icons and the actresses and all that kind of stuff. That's valid and that matters to some people but not all. And so, yeah, it was very important that we veer away from that stereotype."

James Sutton: "There's always going to be some idiot, isn't there, who shouts something at you across a bar or whatever, but it's 99% of the time people have been absolutely brilliant. Straight men, gay men, you know, right across the board, are just astounded at how sensitive and how wonderful this story has been. I've encountered very little abuse, really. I can only think of a couple of instances where someone's, you know, shouted something or, but not very much, not very much."