Since then, he has befriended Ben too, even offering him an alibi, and those watching were relieved to be represented by a character, who has managed to come through struggles and defy the tropes that all gay characters are central to drama relating solely to their sexuality. Step forward Lewis (Aidan O’Callaghan), an instantly likeable and amiable character, whose first appearances included him involving Callum in an LGBTQ+ campaign of positivity and awareness. And it is vital to show this LGBTQ+ people always feel that vulnerability that comes with the threat of such bigoted attacks. That LGBTQ+ people can be happy, funny, comfortable in their identity and confident.Ĭallum Highway’s (Tony Clay) attack at the hands of homophobic abusers and Ben Mitchell’s (Max Bowden) understandable reaction to this is at the forefront of the show and has been since new year.

Was it too much to ask that Ben’s friend could actually just be – a friend? (Picture: BBC)