Get off the Bandwagon Blog

HOLLYOAKS: CHANNEL 4, 18.30

For someone that used to be very much a bit-part character in one of the lesser watched soaps on TV, OB leaving Hollyoaks shouldn’t have been that much of a television spectacle.

But just as the 18-30 soap has grown and improved beyond all recognition in the past couple of years, so Darren Jeffries’ portrayal of one of soapland’s most lovable characters has aged perfectly.

Of course the show’s transformation can be largely put down to incoming producer Bryan Kirkwood, and the same can probably be said about the character of OB. Initially Sam ‘OB’ O’Brien was a nothing character, brought about to give a then teenage Max Cunningham someone of his own age in the show to interact with. At that stage no-one would’ve predicted that they would become one of the longest-running and most-loved partnerships in soap history.

But it is in the last 18 months or so that OB has really come into his own, for the first time dealing with serious storylines including relationships, bereavement, alcoholism and of course the epic Max and Claire episodes last Christmas. Despite his finest moment undoubtedly being punching the evil Claire (watch here), his leaving storyline involving the new ‘Maria’, Summer Strallen has been equally as brilliant. While she may have been planted in the soap as publicity for The Sound Of Music, it is Darren Jeffries’ heartfelt goodbye to his character that has drawn the real publicity.

Two weeks of ‘will he’/'won’t he’ finally climaxed last night with OB’s departure, and it was handled perfectly by all concerned. Indeed there was the fairytale kiss as we had come to expect from soapland, but far more poignant were the final scenes with just Max, OB and little Tom saying their farewells.

You have to congratulate Hollyoaks for dealing with it in such an understated way, it is rare in soap these days to have a main character’s exit without it turning into excessive melodrama. While the fans will be sad to see the end of a great on-screen partnership (the tributes have already started), you get the feeling it won’t be the last time we see Darren Jeffries and Matt Littler working together, as we commented a couple of weeks ago.