of any character from the show but "back in the day... with the string vests and highlighted hair". Producer Bryan Kirkwood said that he thought Dawson was a "brilliant actor", and added, "Ashley's one of those people that can do comedy and pathos within the blink of an eye". Kirkwood said that "Darren's one of my favourite characters". Fellow producer Paul Marquess spoke positively of Dawson's performance in an interview with Digital Spy, stating, "I think Ashley Taylor Dawson, who plays Darren, is a really strong actor, and by the end of this year we'll see a very different side to his character". Co-star Kieron Richardson commented on Dawson's performance as Darren, calling Dawson one of the serial's "strongest actors", adding that Dawson compelled him to watch when he was on screen. Richardson added that Dawson "makes me laugh, he does comedy really well and he does vulnerability really well". References External links Character profile at Channel4.com Character profile at Hollyoaks.com Character profile at BBC America Hollyoaks characters Television characters introduced in 1996 Fictional bartenders Fictional gamblers Male characters in television Fictional drug dealers Male villains Fictional English people of Scottish descent Ashworth family Osborne family (Hollyoaks) Fictional criminals in soap operas Fictional prisoners and detainees