Callum Kane

Callum Kane is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', played by Laurie Duncan. The character and Duncan's casting was announced on 25 August 2011. Callum was introduced to the show along with five other regular characters. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 6 September 2011. While appearing in the sixth series of ''Hollyoaks Later'' in October 2013, Callum was killed off. His exit came as part of a "cast cull", which coincided with the show's 18th anniversary. Duncan's departure from the show was kept secret to ensure viewers would be surprised. The actor later admitted that he cried when he learned that he was leaving.

Callum was portrayed as loyal, moody and clever. He was not into socialising and did not care what anyone else thought of him. Duncan thought Callum was a bit of a mystery, especially as he was introverted and often preferred to spend his time reading and watching European cinema. Duncan was pleased when Callum's family were introduced, as they helped to give an insight into why Callum is the way he is. Callum got on well with his sisters, but had a difficult relationship with his alcoholic mother Martha (Carli Norris). Other storylines saw Callum befriend homeless student George Smith (Steven Roberts), embark on a relationship with Maddie Morrison (Scarlett Bowman) and almost dying after being shot during a robbery. The character was well received by critics.

Casting

On 25 August 2011, Rebecca Davies from Digital Spy announced that Callum Kane would be introduced to ''Hollyoaks'', along with five new regular characters. Channel 4 released a promotional video of the new characters spraying each other with paints and dancing around a studio. Duncan received the role of Callum a few months after he appeared in an episode of '' Law & Order: UK''. He said he was enjoying working on set and had made some good friends.

Development

Characterisation

A writer for the official ''Hollyoaks'' website said Callum was both loyal and compassionate. He would always help out someone in need and tries to do the right thing. The writer observed that Callum was moody, clever and "a little bit gloomy." While Duncan described his character as being "a bit of a mystery man." Callum does not care what anyone else thinks. He does not enjoy socialising or being perceived as a cool guy. Duncan said "I think, most of the time, Callum is the kind of character who just doesn't really want to be bothered by anything or anyone. He wants to do his own thing, get on with his own life, and he's very introverted." Callum often preferred to spend his time reading and watching European cinema. Duncan revealed that he chose to do some research for that aspect of his character's personality and began to read much poetry. Callum reads much Bukowski and Duncan told Elizabeth Horsfall from ''AGENT2 Magazine'' that he chose to read some of Bukowski's works and had not put the book down for three days. When asked if Callum was similar to him, Duncan replied that he talks all the time, unlike Callum who prefers to be quiet. He also thought they were both nice people, but Callum was "a bit more intense" than himself.

Family

Callum was the first member of the Kane family to arrive on-screen. His older sister, Ash ( Holly Weston), was introduced a couple of weeks later. Duncan stated that Callum loved his sister and although he would not admit it, she was probably his best friend. He added that Ash had helped him out a lot over the years. Series producer, Emma Smithwick, commented that Callum and Ash both had "a mysterious quality" about them and she was interested in exploring their history and backstory. Smithwick explained that this involved expanding the family, by bringing in some "satellite family members" and characters to facilitate it.

Callum's mother, Martha (Carli Norris), and younger sister, Lacey (Georgia Bourke), were later introduced to the show. Duncan described Callum's relationship with Lacey as being "love-hate" and said that Callum tries to be a father figure to her, which annoys Lacey. Duncan was happy that the Kane family was being expanded and thought it gave "a big insight into everything that Callum has been through before." The family's history helped explain why Callum behaved the way he did. The Kane family were brought together when Ash contracted meningitis, which panicked Callum. Weston believed that the storyline showed just how close Callum was to his sister. The storyline also revealed that Martha suffered with an alcohol problem. Without Ash around, Callum had to deal with Martha, which proved to be difficult. Weston explained "You'll see why Ash and Callum moaned about Martha before. They've always hinted at Martha being a bit of a nightmare mum, but the viewers have never really understood why. So now you get a good picture of that." Norris later revealed that Ash, Callum and Lacey's father was a rich archaeologist, who lived in Dubai.

Callum became so fed up with his mother's drinking that he locked her in a cupboard, which led to his arrest. After attending a support group for teenager's with alcoholic parents, Callum became frustrated that Ash did not believe their mother had a drinking problem. Duncan explained that Ash was in denial because she had not been at home to see bad things were and how much Callum was struggling. When Martha covers Ash's shift at the local nightclub, she supplies Lacey and her friend with alcohol, while drinking herself. After Callum saw the CCTV footage, he fought with Ash, got drunk and locked Martha in a cupboard. He was then "stunned" when the police turned up to arrest him. Duncan commented "He's confused when the police nick him, and he realises that he's behaved in the way his mum might." Callum spent the night in the cells, where he realised that he had gone about things in the wrong way.

Callum became concerned when Ash began dating Ally Gorman ( Dan O'Connor) and moved him into the Kane home. Duncan told an ''Inside Soap'' columnist "Callum knows that something isn't right about Ally. This guy has come in and fairly intruded on the Kane family. Callum's quite certain that Ally really hasn't got their best interests at heart, and wants to know more." When Ally threw Martha out of her house, Callum asked George to help him find some "dirt" on Ally and they find two letters addressed to a "Dave Burns" - who turned out to be Ally. Realising Ally was not who he said he was, Callum presented his findings to the Kane family, but Ally managed to talk his way out of the situation.

Helping George Smith

When Callum was paired up with fellow sixth-form student George (Steven Roberts) on a college presentation, they became friends. Callum later discovered that George was squatting due to being homeless. Callum agreed to keep George's secret, but he became "increasingly concerned" about George and his health. He was also wary of George's squat-mate Phoebe Jackson (Mandip Gill), who did not like him interfering, especially when he wanted to stay over. Speaking to Kilkelly about why Callum was keen to help George, Duncan stated "I think Callum just thinks that George is a really nice person. Callum is very caring deep down, and he can obviously see that George is in a lot of trouble. Because of that, he really wants to help out and make sure that George is okay." Duncan and Roberts visited a Centrepoint service in London to research homelessness, which they both found useful for the storyline. Duncan was glad to be part of a hard-hitting storyline like youth homelessness, especially as the subject was not being tackled elsewhere in the film or television industry at the time.

Callum later took George home with him and allowed him to stay with his family, as things were getting dangerous on the streets. When the Kane family prepare to move house, George becomes worried about what that means for him, but Callum was keen for him to stay with his family. Duncan said "Callum keeps trying to talk him round, though, as he's really quite eager to get George away from the streets and into a stable structure again." Duncan also revealed that Callum was aware that George had a crush on him, especially because George would stare intently at him, but Callum was not bothered. Duncan thought the storyline with George had been good for his character, as it showed a more human side to his personality and viewers realised that Callum was not "just an empty shell." Duncan stated that George's homeless storyline was his favourite and praised Roberts.

Relationship with Maddie Morrison

Callum's first love interest was Maddie Morrison (Scarlett Bowman). In an November 2011 interview published in '' OK!'', Bowman confirmed that Maddie and Callum would grow closer and she branded them "an unlikely couple". The actress said Maddie would really fall for Callum and show her vulnerability at the same time. In the same interview, Duncan said Callum was not desperate for a relationship, due to being introverted, but he becomes "alluring" to the girls. When Callum and Maddie go head-to-head in a college debate, there are "sparks" between them. During a night out, Maddie tries to make Callum jealous by flirting with Joel Dexter (Andrew Still), but when her evening ended badly, Callum came to her rescue and they ended up sharing their first kiss. Duncan thought Callum and Maddie made a good match, despite their different personalities. He told Kilkelly that Maddie brought out Callum's fun side, while Callum tried to help Maddie escape the image she was hiding behind and make her less bitchy. Duncan thought Callum would not be happy if he caught Maddie being rude to people and believed Callum would definitely let Maddie know about his feelings.

The couple were soon referred to by the portmanteau

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