Robert "Rob" Hawthorne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Warren Derosa. Derosa first appeared in the role in January 1996 before the character departed, making his final appearance on 31 December 1999. The character is known for his status as a villain, with Derosa describing him as a "theatrical villain". Casting Derosa initially auditioned for the role of Tony Hutchinson, however it was Nick Pickard who was eventually cast. Two weeks later, Derosa received a call from the producers and was offered the role of Rob. The actor auditioned two days later and he began filming his first scenes shortly afterwards. Derosa left Hollyoaks after his character was stranded at sea in the video spin-off Hollyoaks: Off on One. He told Wendy Granditer of All About Soap that he thought that was it and he did not want to return to the show. However, the producers called him and asked if he would return for a four-night special. Derosa said he read the scripts and knew he had to return. He added "Since then the storylines have stayed strong and the producers have allowed me to turn Rob into a real theatrical villain, which I love." Storylines Rob never saw eye-to-eye with Kurt Benson; despite this, he dated Kurt's sister Lucy. Rob’s best friend was Dermot Ashton, and they both got into trouble. It started when Rob and Dermot caused a stir in Hollyoaks by putting a tablet in Natasha Anderson’s drink during Lucy’s 18th birthday bash. This then led to Natasha’s death. Kurt and Bazz pointed the finger at Rob and Dermot; however, neither of them had any real proof. Rob felt guilty over Natasha’s death and broke off his relationship with Lucy. Despite that, Rob still wanted to be with Lucy and Lucy gave him one last chance. Dermot told Rob that he had money problems and Rob planned to rob a drug dealer's lock up. Rob had taken Lucy and Carol Groves as alibis and the robbery was going according to plan, but the dealer caught them. Rob, Dermot, Carol, and Lucy all managed to escape, but they were chased by the dealer. Despite Lucy and Carol's protests to stop the car, Rob continued and lost control. The car ended up in the River Dee, but they survived, apart from Dermot. Lucy then confessed all to the police, but