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Andrew Hayden-Smith joins Hollyoaks as a hunky new detective

By Fabio Crispim

Former Byker Grove star Andrew Hayden-Smith has announced he’s joining the cast of Hollyoaks in a new interview with Digital Spy.

The 32-year-old actor and presenter, who began his career in Byker Grove and appeared more recently in Russell T Davies’ Cucumber and Banana, has revealed he’s joining the Channel 4 soap as no-nonsense investigator DS Armstrong.

“DS Armstrong is pretty ruthless. He is quite young for a DS, so he does not mess around with cases like this,” says Hayden-Smith.

“He knows what he wants: he knows how to go about things so anyone with something to hide should be pretty worried. He will definitely put the frighteners on. I’ve filmed some really exciting scenes.”

“DS Armstrong is very authoritative so anyone hiding secrets is anxious when they are in his presence, and rightly so.”

The 32-year-old former Doctor Who star hasn’t revealed which characters he might clash with, but hints it could be related to Nico, Maxine and Darren who all played a part in a recent murder in the village.

He said he’ll be sharing scenes with “people who have reason to be in trouble with the law,” adding: “I can’t say anymore at this time.”

Hayden-Smith says that being on Hollyoaks is “quite different to Byker Grove. The storylines are grittier and the way we film here is faster-paced, but I am settling in great and I am really enjoying it.”

You can catch Hollyoaks on weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4.

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