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Hollyoaks fans were left stunned earlier this month when the soap's bosses announced that Jamie Lomas had returned to the role of Warren Fox. Viewers thought that they had seen the last of the notorious villain when he appeared to be killed by a falling ceiling mirror during a fire at The Loft in May 2009. However, in a huge storyline twist, the Hollyoaks residents are about to discover that Warren made it out of the burning club alive - before fleeing the village. With Warren about to make his screen comeback, DS recently chatted to Jamie about what's in store.
How did the return to Hollyoaks come about?
"Back in June or July, I received a phone call from [producer] Paul Marquess with the pitch of bringing Warren back. As far as I was concerned, Warren was dead and buried, but I was aware that the viewers had never actually seen his body. So Paul came to me with this genius plot and it was just too good to turn down as an actor - it's got so many twists and turns in it, and intrigue and mystery. As an actor that's what you want to do, and I always loved playing Warren when I was here before. When I left under Bryan Kirkwood, my character had run its course, but Paul has basically brought in a new cast so there's so much scope for new stories. You know what Warren's like - he's just going to come straight in and cause mayhem!"
A storyline where a character comes 'back from the dead' is always going to be a bit controversial, so did you have any reservations about returning?
"Well, it's like I said before, the saving grace was that they never actually saw my body - all they saw was me getting hit by a mirror. So we're going to do a whole storyline on how Warren got out, what happened and whose body it was that they found badly burnt. It's really exciting and I think the fans are going to love it."
We've heard that you've filmed some flashback scenes showing what really happened in The Loft fire - can you tell us anything about them?
"I can't really say anything about them! It's all top secret. Like I said, I knew about this storyline in June or July, and I went to the Hollyoaks charity ball a few weeks later and a lot of my fellow cast members were there who I used to work with. They're extremely good friends of mine and I even had to keep it a secret from them! That was really difficult. All I can say about the storyline is that it'll have everybody hooked and for me, it's just a delight to be playing this character again."
Can you tell us what Warren's main motive for leaving the village was?
"Well, he was in a bad way. Obviously he killed Louise and found out that she was pregnant with his kid, and everything was getting on top of him. The net was closing in on him because I think he'd confessed to Calvin, and so he basically knew that it was the end of the road. So those are some of the reasons why he wanted to flee."
Does Warren come back with a bang, or he will he keep a bit of a low profile in the village at first?
"I can't really say, but nothing is ever done subtly with Warren! The audience are going to be shocked. Also, pretty much as soon as he comes back, they're obviously going to have to explain everything and what happened."
How difficult was it for Warren to let Spencer and Katy think he was dead?
"Warren is Warren and he just looks after number one. At the end of the day, Katy had left the village and she'd basically washed her hands of Warren. Warren just cares about himself - the only person who he watches out for is himself."
Has Warren changed much in the last year?
"You'll see! All I can say is that he's come back to cause mayhem. Wherever he is, he can't help but cause trouble. He's just one of those people."
With Brendan Brady and Danny Houston also in the village, do you think Warren will meet his match in the bad boy stakes?
"I hope so! But obviously Warren is scared of no man. Warren was always a character who got a kick out of rubbing people up the wrong way and winding them up. That's how Warren gets his kicks and if he knows that he's getting to people, that's what keeps him going. So there'll be loads of scope there for him. Brendan and Danny are the type of characters who won't be running to the police, so there's loads of room for good storylines and I'm really excited about it."
Have you received a warm welcome back from the Hollyoaks team?
"Yeah, definitely! I know it sounds like a bit of a cliché, but when you're here for such a long time like I was - I was originally here for three years - these people become like your family. It's not just the cast, it's the production and the crew and everyone from make-up. I mean, I walked into make-up and everyone was saying, 'I can't believe you're back!' It's a lovely place to work and the people are great. They welcomed me back with open arms."
It was Bryan Kirkwood who first introduced the character of Warren to Hollyoaks - have you spoken to him about your decision to return?
"I haven't spoken to him, but he did send me a text the other day when the news was reported in a paper. The paper said that I'd begged for my job back, which wasn't true! Bryan just said that he wished me all the best. Me and Bryan were always friends anyway. But obviously he's got his own stuff to deal with down at EastEnders, and I'm up here working for Paul! I'm a big fan of Paul's work, so I'm really excited about starting work for him."
