"Hollyoakes" tackles trans bullying, with teen bodybuilder and ant Dan Hough as the bully. Plus bonus muscle twinks

Link to the n*de photos

In the spring of 2024, the British soap Hollyoakes began a storyline where Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) and his estranged wife Diane discover that 14 years ago a drunken midwife switched the babies, so their biological child was raised by someone else, who has since died, so.....welcome to the family, Rose!

Rose was played by Ava Webster, but after he comes out as transgender and changes his name to Ro, the part was taken over by trans actor Leo Cole, seen here with his recast siblings, Brook Debbio and Alex Fletcher. 

Tony already had a gay son who was murdered, a daughter who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and a daughter by the wife of his kidnapped best friend, who was then murdered.  Diane had an affair with Tony's father while he was kidnapped, was a murder suspect, and saw her "we were on a break" boyfriend murderd. So a son who was transitioning?  Not a problem.

Tony's girlfriend Marie and her two adult sons were also perfectly accepting of the new member of their family, but not her youngest son, Arlo (Dan Hough).  

Dan joined Hollyoakes in March 2024, and spent his first season in a standard soap opera plotline, being kidnapped by his half-brother (Tyler Conti), re-kidnapped by his Dad (Andrew Dowbiggin, left), re-kidnapped again, sedated,  murdered (and in a big reveal, found to be alive after all), and returned to his Mother.   His next season involved bullying.

He grew jealous when Ro befriended a girl he liked.  He tried to force Ro to do his homework, and when his future stepbrother refused, attacked.  Ro pulled a knife to defend himself, but accidentally stabbed his deaf friend Oscar, leading to his arrest. 

Arlo began a course of violent attacks, transphobic insults, and cyberbullying, with suggestions that he self-harm-- while being perfectly polite around the parents. This causes Ro to fall into depression, drink heavily, skip classes, and stay away from social events.

Hollyoakes changed its logo to the colors of the Trans Pride Flag for episodes that aired during Britain's Mental Health Awareness Week, 12-18 May, 2025.  An online friend suggested that Ro join a trans youth support group.  He set out, but changed his mind and announced that he was going to end his life.  After some searches by his frantic parents and Marie and audience suspense, he turned out to be fine: he called the real-life National LGBTQ+ Helpline  (with the number displayed at the end of the episode),  talked to a trans counselor,  and wants to go on living.

Not coincidentally, the episode aired shortly after Britain's Supreme Court determined that the 2010 Equality Act did not apply to trans people, and the Health Secretary announced a ban on puberty blockers for trans youth under age 18.  Trans rights are under attack in Britain nearly as virulently as in the U.S.

What about Arlo?  When his role in the bullying came out, Mom Marie interrogated him.  He claimed that he didn't hate trans people, he was retaliating for Dad Tony's abuse.  That turned out to be a lie, so he admitted that he hated Ro because "he has everything, and I have nothing."  . 

This was Arlo's last appearance on Hollyoaks, but Ro is a continuing character.   

I wanted to researched these boys who have had such a positive impact on LGBT youth in Britain. There's not much out there on Leo Cole: he's from Manchester, came out as trans at age 12, has an older brother, and is into motorbiking.  This is his first on-screen acting role.

There is quite a lot about Dan Hough (Arlo).  He was been nominated for the TV Times Favourite Young Actor Award and the Inside Soaps Best Young Performer Award (for Hollyoakes), and the London Film Critics Young Performer of the Year Award (for Speak No Evil).  -- all  in the same month!  And...wait, what's he doing with a bodybuilder's physique at age...ten?

More after the break

It's not that unusual, I guess.  Strength training can begin when yu are...

Actually, the photo was taken in the spring of 2025.  Dan was sixteen years old.

 

Biography: Dan began training with the performing arts school Stagecoach in 2022, and received some theatrical roles, including Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Kenicke in Grease.

In 2024, he was cast in Speak No Evil: An American family (husband Scott McNary, wife, daughter) is invited to weekend at the "idyllic country estate" of a British family (husband James McAvoy, left, wife, son Dan).  Unfortunately, the Brits are hiding "an unspeakable darkness."  

Dan's Ant has a terrible secret of his own: he's not really the couple's child, and the reason he can "speak no evil" is...

Then came Hollyoakes. Dan has no further works listed on the IMDB, but he is attending Kings' Interhigh, an online school, so presumably he needs free time for auditions. In the spring of 2026, he is taking his A-levels (like high school graduation in the U.S.)

His Instagram mostly shows family, trips, and award nominations.  Here he and a buddy recreate a screamng scene from Speak No Evil.

Looks like the same buddy hugging him on a boat.  Very cozy and shirtless, with hands in interesting places, guys.

 Not quite enough to identify Dan as gay in real life, but I'll take it for now. 

Bonus:  This profile was a little beefcake-light, so I'm including some muscle twinks (n*de on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends).

See also:Adam Rickitt: British teen idol kisses two guys and pretends to be gay for 15 years. With Prince Harry and a n*de tiktok guy

Mitch Hewer: "Controversial" gay teen on British tv grows up to star in pantos, play Fortnite, and post a gay video

Manny and Gavin D. : Gay-coded Wisconsin brothers, a wrestler and a bodybuilder, aren't into girls, until.... With some d*ck pics

Alfie Williams: A missing p*nis, a youthful scoundrel, a zombie fighter. Is he or his character gay? Or both? With Chi d*ck update