We sat down with actor, screen acting academy founder, and Hollyoaks favourite Ross Adams to talk about life after Scott Drinkwell, the future of British soaps, his deeply personal adoption journey, and why, after a decade on one of TV’s best-loved shows, he finally decided it was time to go.
That Chapter Feels, Closed but Never Say Never
For an actor who spent a decade playing one of British soap’s most beloved characters, walking away from Hollyoaks was never going to be simple. Ross Adams who played Scott Drinkwell for nearly ten years describes his last day on set as nothing short of surreal.
“I vividly remember driving out of Lime Pictures, pulling up to the security barrier, watching it lift, and thinking: this is the last time. It was bizarre.”
The decision to leave was a long time coming. A combination of the show reducing its output, its move off Channel 4, and a growing desire to write himself all played their part. But perhaps the biggest nudge came from an unexpected place — a trial script.
“The previous exec producer Lucy Allen was wonderful. When we chatted about my contract renewal, I mentioned that I’d love to write an episode. She let me do a trial script, which she loved, and I ended up writing a full episode. I really enjoyed it.”
That creative appetite, combined with the realisation he was approaching 40, made the leap feel now or never.
“I was so comfortable there. And I think you know, it’s the comfortable situations that are the hardest to walk away from. But if I didn’t do it then, I never would.”
Would he ever go back? He gives the diplomatic answer “Never say never” but his feeling is clear.
“I do feel like that chapter has closed now. Particularly with Alex Fletcher leaving. She was such an integral part of my family unit on the show. If I went back, I’d want to do a proper stint, not just one episode. But I think that chapter is done.”
Can Soaps Survive? Ross Has Some Thoughts
Ross isn’t just a soap fan, he’s a soap insider. Before Hollyoaks, he worked as a storyliner and script editor at both Coronation Street and Emmerdale. So when he talks about the future of the genre, he speaks from a place of both genuine expertise and concern.
“EastEnders used to get 20 to 25 million viewers on Christmas Day. That world feels unimaginable now.”
The rise of streaming, the chase for younger audiences, and the general fragmentation of how we watch television have all taken their toll. But his prescription is straightforward.
“Don’t alienate your loyal, older soap fans. Tell stories that involve characters people know and care about. That’s how you maintain the die-hard audience.”
He is also acutely aware of what disappearing soaps would mean for northern talent specifically. Three of the four major British soaps are filmed in Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool.
“If soaps were to disappear entirely, it would be genuinely devastating for northern cast and crew. The stakes are really high.”
>> Read another exclusive interview with star of Emmerdale and Coronation Street, Gaynor Faye, who opens up about her latest project and her career highlights.
Scott Drinkwell Was More Important Than He Realised
Playing an openly gay character in a long-running soap for nearly a decade carries a weight that not every actor fully appreciates in the moment. Ross admits that the significance of Scott Drinkwell who was a character that began as polarising, and grew into one of the show’s most layered figures, only became clear over time.
“I vividly remember the first few episodes going out and making the mistake of checking Twitter. People genuinely disliked him. I went to see our exec at the time convinced that Scott was too polarising.”
That changed. Brian Kirkwood, the executive producer, began contextualising Scott’s behaviour through his backstory: the adoption, the mental health storyline, the foster parenting arc — and the audience came with him.
“I think characters like Scott are more important now than ever in a world that feels so polarised. I think representation on screen really matters. Soaps were never afraid to have a character like Scott and be proud of it.”
On the broader question of whether LGBTQ+ representation has genuinely improved on British television, he is honest about his concerns.
“It feels like we’ve regressed. Things were moving in the right direction, and then somehow we’ve gone backwards. I have friends who are trans who don’t see themselves represented on screen anymore. That’s really sad.”
Five Years In and Still Waiting
Perhaps the most personal part of our conversation concerns something Ross has spoken about publicly before. His journey of adopting. It is a story that did not have the ending anyone hoped for, and one he chose to share not for sympathy, but to help others who might have been through something similar.
“When our journey ended the way it did, a lot of people simply didn’t know how to approach it. I felt a real need to share what happened so people felt able to ask questions.”
The result was a BAFTA-nominated documentary, funded by the charity Together TV and made entirely by Ross himself. He describes the process as cathartic, a way of processing a very particular kind of grief.
“The bedroom was ready, everything was in place, and then it wasn’t happening. It was grief, but grief that nobody really knew how to acknowledge or help us through.”
Five years on, the journey continues. They are still waiting to be matched, with a stricter set of criteria following what happened. He is trying to stay positive, but he is not pretending it is easy.
“We’re not ready to give up. We remain hopeful and if it doesn’t happen, we’ll get a puppy.”
What Comes Next: Villains, Comedy and Saturday Night Live
Starring in Good Ship Murder continues to keep Ross busy (series four is filming in Malta) but his ambitions for what comes next are varied, colourful and, in one case, perhaps a little unexpected.
“I’d genuinely love to play a villain. I’ve spent a lot of my career playing earnest, warm, often quite camp characters. I love that but I’m ready for something completely different.”
He has also been writing including a TV series he hopes to get commissioned, and has ambitions to do more comedy, ideally alongside Ruth Jones. And then there is the dream project he floats almost shyly.
“I’d love to be part of a Saturday Night Live-style sketch show. In a world as divided as this one, we need comedy more than ever. I just love the silliness of it all.”
For someone who has spent a decade being one of British soap’s most recognisable faces, the desire to be seen differently feels both understandable and exciting. Whatever comes next, Ross Adams has clearly earned the right to choose it on his own terms.
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