Niall Rafferty

Niall Rafferty
Hollyoaks character
Portrayed by	Barry Sloane Devon Richardson (flashback)
Duration	2007–08
First appearance	7 December 2007
Last appearance	27 November 2008
Created by	Bryan Kirkwood
In-universe information Occupation Hairdresser Family McQueen Father Martin Brownlow Mother Myra McQueen Adoptive mother Jean Snow Half-brothers John Paul McQueen Half-sisters Jacqui McQueen Mercedes Fisher Tina Reilly Carmel Valentine Michaela McQueen Grandmothers Nana McQueen Aunts Kathleen McQueen Nephews Max McQueen First cousins Theresa McQueen

Niall Rafferty (né Matthew Brownlow) is a fictional character from the long-running Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Barry Sloane. The character first appeared on 7 December 2007 and marked his final appearance on 27 November 2008 in Hollyoaks spin-off, Hollyoaks Later. Actor Barry Sloane has been nominated for several awards for his portrayal of the character.

Character creation

Backstory

Niall Rafferty is the illegitimate son of Myra McQueen and Martin Brownlow. Niall was abandoned at birth and spent the majority of his life in a children's home, before he was adopted by Jean Snow.

Casting and development

Producer Bryan Kirkwood established Niall as, "a tall stranger who walks into the village - a guy called Niall. He sets himself up as a hair stylist in the salon and he's very ambiguous and mysterious. Viewers will be wondering 'Is he gay? Is he straight? Is he a drugsman?' " He would soon be revealed as, "the big storyline of 2008 — Myra [McQueen]'s secret and abandoned son is back to wreak revenge on each of the McQueens in turn."

As 2008 progressed, Niall was distracted by his love for Steph Dean, but continued to commit a series of violent and manipulative acts against the McQueen family. Barry Sloane said, "When I started, Bryan said to me 'you have to come and see me and say if you feel it's going too far'. We've tried as hard as we can to keep him within the bounds of reality. We know that it has to come to an end eventually. I don't know when that's going to be, but fingers crossed that we can ride the wave as long as possible."

Niall was also inadvertently responsible for the death of one of Hollyoaks most iconic characters, Max Cunningham. Sloane said the scenes were some of the "best material he's done," and that Niall was full of remorse. He also remarked on the irony of Niall attempting to damage the McQueens, but then killing Max completely by accident.

Storylines

2007–2008

Niall arrives as a new hairdresser at Evissa. He helps Louise Summers, who has hurt her ankle. Her fiancé Warren Fox assumes Niall is mugging her and attacks him. Niall befriends co-worker, and half-sister, Carmel McQueen and her family. Jacqui McQueen is sceptical over Niall and his interests in the family. Niall claims he has two sisters, showing them a manipulated image, and that his mother died on Christmas Day. During Christmas, he is invited to the McQueens' household. At this, Niall is overwhelmed by the family, and he steals a photograph of the family. After Myra upsets Niall, he burns the picture of his family. In an attempt to get closer to his mother, Niall gets Myra a job as a cleaner in Evissa. He encourages her to be stricter with Michaela, who is playing truant from school. Michaela comes into Evissa high on marijuana. She confesses this to Niall, not realising Myra is in the room. Niall then makes sure Myra finds a drunken Michaela in her room the following day. Myra ends up slapping Michaela, who decides to move out. Michaela later moves back in, and, during a party at the McQueens, Niall gets Michaela drunk. She goes to her room and falls asleep on the bed. Niall follows her and injects her with heroin, which causes her to overdose. Michaela wakes up in hospital. Her family assume she is a heroin addict, unaware it was Niall. Michaela returns home. However, she moves out after realising her family no longer trust her. She moves into Niall's flat. Niall eventually gets her to move back home.

In an attempt to destroy the McQueens, Niall starts ruining their lives in small ways. First by alerting authorities when he finds out Myra is committing benefit fraud. Then, he discovers that Calvin Valentine accidentally proposed to Carmel. He then gets Louise to tell Carmel, who breaks off the engagement for a short time. To destroy their relationship more, Niall tells Calvin that Carmel knows about his sister Sasha's drug addiction. Niall meets Nana McQueen at The Dog. She reveals to him that she made Myra give up a child when she was fourteen, unaware the baby is Niall. Niall follows drunken Nana home and attacks her. She is not badly injured but cannot recall her attacker.

Niall makes a friend in Steph Dean. When she splits up with Max Cunningham, Niall comforts her. Niall begins to fall in love with her and kisses her. Steph then tells Niall that she loves Max and does not have the same feelings for him. Max confronts Niall, who admits his feelings for Steph. Before Steph's wedding to Max, Niall tries to change her mind. Steph marries Max, which leaves Niall devastated. Niall sits in his car looking at a picture of himself and Steph. He then speeds off, unknowingly towards Max's half-brother Tom. Max sees Niall, and pushes Tom out of the way. However, he is run down. As Max dies, Niall feels guilty and feels more separated from Steph. Kieron Hobbs and John Paul McQueen move in with Niall after their affair is revealed, which unknown to them was due to Niall. Niall saves Tina Reilly from being mugged by Jamie "Fletch" Fletcher. He then overhears her on the phone to Jacqui saying she is thinking of putting her unborn baby up for adoption. Niall then pushes her down a flight of stairs, which leaves her unconscious. He claims that Fletch pushed her. Fletch then fleas the village. Tina has her baby and goes through an emergency hysterectomy. Due to the this, her surrogacy plans are stopped, leaving Jacqui without the child she wished. During this time, Niall convinces Kieron to leave John Paul and the village. John Paul and Niall bond in his absence. Niall is annoyed when Kieron returns and continues in his relationship with John Paul. Kieron investigates Myra's long-lost son and discovers his identity. Kieron confronts Niall to give him the chance to tell Myra. Niall thinks quick and drugs Kieron's drink. Niall confesses everything to Kieron, who collapses and dies in Niall's arms. Niall then uses Kieron's phone to text John Paul with a 'suicide' message. Niall then leaves the flat as John Paul returns to find Kieron's body. Niall begins to enjoy his time with John Paul without Kieron. He is close to telling him his true identity. However, John Paul reveals he plans to leave with his ex-boyfriend Craig Dean. Niall is annoyed and drugs John Paul's drink like Kieron's. Niall goes to the bathroom. John Paul accidentally spills Niall's beer so swaps it with his. Niall returns and unknowingly drinks the drugged beer. When he discovers he is drinking the spiked drink, Niall makes John Paul leave the flat. However, Niall does not share the same fate as Kieron.

After John Paul and Craig leave together, Niall's life begins to go wrong. He is sacked from Evissa and Steph dumps him, realising she is sleeping with the killer of her husband. Niall approaches Myra with Kieron's folder he used to track her son. He asks Myra if she wants to find him and she tells him she does not. Niall is angered and decides to take revenge. He kidnaps Myra's daughters, except Jacqui, one by one, leaving notes. After abducting Tina, Niall takes her son Max to Myra's door and leaves a note identical to the one Myra left with him as a baby and also to the notes the McQueen sisters apparently wrote. Myra goes to the police, and admits to Jacqui of her secret sibling. Jacqui is angry and goes back to her flat, where Niall attacks her. Myra finally is told where to go — the church where she left a newborn Niall. Myra is shocked to find Niall at the church. He then admits he is her child and takes her to her daughters. Niall then tells Myra he will ask her six questions, and for each question she gets incorrect, she has to choose a child to die. Niall reveals John Paul is also tied up. After asking Myra the questions, she gets four wrong, and must choose two children to let go. Mercedes and John Paul volunteer, as Myra chooses Carmel and Jacqui to also die, saving Tina, due to Max, and Michaela, due to her being the youngest. Niall sends Michaela and Tina away as he has rigged the church with homemade explosives. However, Jack and Darren Osborne burst in to save the McQueens. Niall realises his plan might be over, so detonates the bomb. In the aftermath, the church lies in ruins as Niall and John Paul are nowhere to be found. Niall finds Myra trapped under concrete. She explains she would have accepted him if he had told her who he was. Niall regrets detonating the explosives. John Paul tries to get Niall away from Myra but she stops him, realising she loves her sons. Niall and John Paul then both try to free Myra. However, a large statue collapses towards John Paul and Myra, so Niall pushes then out of the way and appears to be crushed. The McQueens all exit the church as ambulances arrive. However, Tina dies due to being crushed by rubble. As an ambulance drives away, Niall's reflection appears in the window, revealing him to have survived. The McQueens believe Niall is dead. However, the police tell them that Niall's body was never recovered and that he is still alive.

Niall arrives back in Hollyoaks, with the McQueens no longer his target. He follows Steph and Tom to Scotland, where Craig takes them for a break. In the hills, Niall spies on Steph. After a day of waiting, Niall kidnaps Tom. Niall reveals himself and tells Steph he wants to talk. Tom, however, escapes Niall's hold. Niall goes back to the cottage, where he ties up Craig. Steph returns and is shocked to see Niall. The pair start to talk. Steph decides to go along with his plans. When Tom rejects Niall, he takes Steph to a barn. Niall tries to convince Steph that he wants to change. However, Steph claims she needs the toilet and Niall shows her where to go. Steph uses her phone to call the police. However, Niall catches her. Steph then attacks Niall, knocking him out. Steph escapes and Niall follows. He traps her on a cliff edge as Craig appears. Niall begins to beat Craig up and leaves him lying on the ground. Craig then tells Niall to look at scared Steph. Niall, finally realising everything he has done, says goodbye to Steph and falls backwards over the cliff. Back in Hollyoaks, Calvin Valentine reports the death of Niall to the rest of the McQueen family. They agree not to mourn his death.

Reception

At the 2008 National Television Awards, Barry Sloane was nominated for the award of 'Most Popular Newcomer' along with three characters from other soaps; Sloane did not win the award for his role as Niall. He was also nominated in the British Soap Awards for 'Sexiest Male' in 2009 and 'Villain of the Year' in 2008 and 2009. In 2009 the Church Explosion received a nomination for 'Most Spectacular Scene'.

External links

• Niall Rafferty on the E4 website