was an incredible experience. Brendan's an extraordinary character to play." Scanlan, in an interview with Digital Spy, explained the research he put into the abuse storyline: "The thing about it is that every case is different and every story is different. The principles are the same, but it's always different. With this, the writers give you your homework, so to speak — you explore it and you research it, because you want to give it the best truthfulness that you can. Obviously it's your work that's going out on screen, and your credibility goes with that. So you definitely need to do your homework." After asked about what kind of impact and response he wanted the storyline to have, Scanlan replied: "I've always wanted the storyline to be subtle. I didn't want it to be thrown into this violent, sociopathic gay relationship straight away as that would lose its credibility — and credit to the writers and Paul Marquess because it has been very subtle and it's built over the weeks," he continued, "I also want the story to evoke emotion — not just in the cast around me, but in the crew, the writers, the producers and the people who are investing half an hour of their lives into watching Hollyoaks each night. Whether those emotions are hatred, disgust or love or anything — I just want it to evoke something. I want it to touch on things, and I hope people are affected by it. But things like this are completely outside of the actors' control - we just have to give some truth to the storyline and try to make it as interesting as possible. We can't leave people short-changed. You never know, Brendan might become the most hated guy in England soon - that'd be a nice thing to have on the resumé!" Departure On 9 January 2013, Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy announced Brendan's departure from the show. Scanlan had decided to leave the role and his character is scheduled to depart in March 2013. He explained that "the time has come for me to sign out of Hollyoaks, to bow out as Double B aka Brendan motherfucking Brady." Sharing the experience with fans had been the "greatest honour" for the actor. Kilkelly added that producers had devised a dramatic exit storyline for Brendan but remained secretive about any other details. Storylines Brendan first arrives