Hollyoaks to revisit Luke Morgan’s male rape storyline 17 years on
By Will Stroude
Hollyoaks
is set to revisit Luke Morgan’s male rape storyline almost two decades after the hard-hitting scenes were first aired.
Viewers have seen Gary Lucy reprise his role as Luke on the Channel 4 soap in recent weeks following a 15-year absence, and the former Eastenders star says the most memorable storyline from his initial stint on the show between 1999 and 2002 is set to play a part in his return.
Lucy became the first British soap star to portray a male rape victim when his character Luke was brutally assaulted by the bullying Mark Gibbs (Colin Parry) in 2000 during a special late night episode of the show that sparked national headlines.
During an appearance on Loose Women last month, Lucy revealed that it was the prospect of revisiting the iconic storyline that tempted him back to the role.
“Bryan Kirkwood is the exec now. He’s amazing and he’s the one who called me up about the job. His idea for the story, I won’t go into all of it, but it is incredible”, the actor explained.
“Basically having not dealt with it properly and run away, how does that then impact on your life 15 years on? What happens and what sort of state are you in? To show that playing out on screen will be phenomenal.”
Speaking to DigitalSpy about what fans can expect from Luke’s return to the village, Lucy said: “Obviously Luke’s rape was a massive thing that happened, which people will remember if they saw it, but the people who haven’t seen it might think: ‘God, he’s not very nice’.
“But he’s still a lovely guy and it’s just the impact of what happened to him.”
Lucy, who was just 17 years-old when Luke’s ordeal was filmed and broadcast, said that the storyline’s legacy continues to follow him to this day.
“I was very young when we did the storyline and it was the first time it had been covered. I think we handled it brilliantly.”
He added: “It was so long ago but some people still say ‘Hollyoaks‘ when they talk to me, rather than Footballers’ Wives or The Bill. I think it’s all down to that story, as it had such an impact.”
Hollyoaks
airs weekdays t 6.30pm on Channel 4.
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