John Paul McQueen and Craig Dean

John Paul McQueen and Craig Dean are fictional characters and a supercouple from the long-running British Channel 4 television Soap opera Hollyoaks. John Paul is portrayed by James Sutton, and Craig is portrayed by Guy Burnet. On Internet forums, the couple is referred to by the portmanteau "McDean" (for McQueen and Dean). Supporters of "McDean" are often referred to as "McDeaners". The love story has been cited as "one of the biggest and most successful that Hollyoaks has told".

Writing and portrayals
The love story between characters Craig Dean and John Paul McQueen began when Craig, originally detailed as heterosexual, kissed best friend John Paul. This one event empowered the UK soap opera Hollyoaks to embark on one of daytime television's most successful romances, which gained a prominent following amongst fans and praise from LGBT rights groups. At first, actor Guy Burnet (Craig) was stressed about portraying a gay character. "I'll always be completely honest," he said. "I'll always be real. The truth is that it was difficult to play. It was talked about for a long while and I felt uncomfortable with the idea because I didn't think it was justifiable. I thought 'how can you make a straight guy who's a bit of a cheeky chappy, loves the girls and has a sort of camp sense of humour, gay?'" Burnet cited talking with the show's producers for having eased his reluctance about the change in his character. "It was sitting with Bryan and the other producers, discussing it and saying 'right, if we're going to do this, it's not a story about a character being gay, it's a story where we have to justify the guy's sexual confusion – why is he like this? And the most important thing is that he still has the love for the woman in his life.'" Burnet revealed that he did not necessarily see his character as gay or being romantically/sexually attracted to men, but rather solely romantically/sexually attracted to John Paul, and that he wanted the audience to be confused as to Craig's sexual orientation. Craig would still be "after" women.

James Sutton joined the show in September 2006 as newcomer John Paul McQueen, a then-seventeen-year-old school boy confused about his sexuality. The storyline revolved around John Paul struggling with his sexuality as he fell for best friend Craig Dean. Craig was written to initially reject John Paul, but "the two students eventually embarked on an affair which explosively came to light during a party to celebrate Craig's engagement to aspiring model Sarah Barnes". In an interview two years after his debut, Sutton discussed his take on the storyline, and the aspects of his character John Paul in detail. "He’s very, very quick to take offense sometimes," Sutton relayed. "He’s a typical 19-year old lad. His hormones are all over the place. He’s a bit up and down, so that’s a side of him I’m not too keen on, but he’s also very sensitive and loving and he cares a lot about his family and his friends and that side of it is very true to me as well and that’s kind of what I kind of brought to the table." Sutton revealed that, despite sexuality differences, he is not "too far removed" from his character. "I like to think I’m a bit more mature. Like I say, he’s very quick to boil up and get really emotional. We both have similar sense of — We are both very heavily into our music. I mean, John Paul’s a DJ and I play a number of instruments, so we’ve got that in common as well." Unlike Burnet, Sutton found comfort in portraying a gay character. When asked where he acquired "that attitude" for the role and whether he started out with it, Sutton replied, "I’ve always kind of had that. I spent a good part of my youth [in the theater] and there were a lot of openly gay men … so I was always around that kind of environment and always kind of comfortable around the gay community." He further relayed, "I still occasionally go to a gay bar with people and hang out and stuff, so I’ve never had any kind of [discomfort] or anything with it. And I’m just an actor and it’s just a part and … if they need me to kiss another guy or be physical with another guy or whatever it may be … I’m comfortable with myself to do that. I’m quite comfortable in my own skin, you know?"

Burnet cited Sutton as making it easier for him to play the part of Craig. "James was always good about it," he acknowledged. "James has played gay characters in the past from my understanding, in theatre roles and the like. He was quite comfortable with it, which, in turn, made things easier for me because I wasn't comfortable. It was difficult for me to do. James is a good actor and he's also very understanding." Burnet stated, "I can sit and talk to him and I'll give him advice and he'll give me advice and we won't ever take it offensively. We work well together because we can both tell each other 'actually, I don't think that was right, do it like this' or he'll say to me 'listen, Guy, do it like that'. In turn, we balanced each other out." Sutton gave incite to their working dynamic as well, stating, "Guy’s a very different kind of actor than myself and as far as our backgrounds go, he hadn’t really done any acting before Hollyoaks, so he didn’t have that kind of experience to draw on. He’s never shown to me in any of our scenes that he was particularly uncomfortable or anything. He’s a fantastic actor." Sutton elaborated, "I know he has made a comment before in the press about feeling uncomfortable with the kissing and the physical side of it, but I think that just goes down to — Guy’s very, very proud of his heterosexual masculinity, if you will. … He was a bit more uncomfortable than perhaps I’d prefer but very, very quick-thinking and he was always very professional."

One of the most significant storylines surrounding the couple's union was the aftermath of John Paul and Craig's affair being revealed to other characters within the series, particularly Craig's girlfriend (Sarah). "A lot of the aftermath stuff is really good," Burnet cited. "We changed a hell of a lot of it. It came out initially [at script stage] and it's in the same week as another major storyline so we went and spoke to [the producers] and manipulated the scripts slightly with the director, Nigel Keane, and the consequence was a fantastic four episodes to end it on, I think. Something real."

"When Sarah discovers Craig and John Paul together, it's almost about her, I feel. Everything's been about Craig and John Paul and I thought that it was important in the aftermath to remember that a Sarah isn't forgotten," Burnet stated. "It's easy for everyone to love the JP and Craig storyline for the two of them being together, but it has to be understood that what makes the story is Craig's love for Sarah and Sarah's love for Craig. So it was important in the aftermath to show the confusion of Sarah – forget the confusion of Craig for a minute – the confusion of Sarah who's been as much part of this storyline as we have."

Even with the relationship out in the open, the pairing's romance did not go smoothly, and ended when Craig went to Trinity College in Dublin. Burnet had decided to leave the series in 2007, stating, "Initially, the thing that threw me over the edge to say 'right, I am going to leave Hollyoaks' was when I was sat at home thinking 'I'd love to go to Tokyo; I'd love to go and live in Mexico; I want to go and live in Costa Rica; I want to go and do these things now while I'm young and can still do them.'"

Craig's departure left "John Paul free to embark on an even more scandalous fling with Father Keiron Hobbs". Viewers witnessed the priest being publicly outed by John Paul's mum, and viewers wondered what other surprises were in store for John Paul. However, in 2008, Burnet agreed to briefly reprise his role as Craig, which led to speculation that John Paul and Craig could be romantically reunited. This, upon recent news that Sutton would now be leaving the series, his final scenes due in September.

Sutton stated his reasons for leaving: "It’s not an easy decision to make. But I’m twenty-five-years old and I’ve done this character for two years now and I feel like I’ve made my mark and I’ve got to get off my soapbox now. I kind of feel like I’m ready to take a risk before I hit 30 and realize that actually I’ve missed my opportunity. A calculated risk." At the same time, Burnet issued his own reasons for returning. He told The Sun: "I’ve had so much support from fans since I left the show, so it’s great to have the opportunity to reprise the storyline and give viewers a resolution to the Craig and John Paul story." Sutton stated that he wanted Burnet to come back. "I was always very keen for Guy to come back and I know that Bryan Kirkwood and the writers, everyone was always keen for him to come back," he relayed. "It was just a question if the logistics of it could work out because Guy’s been living in L.A. since he left the show, so it was just a case of scheduling it in and making sure that if I was going to leave, he could come back and film. It’s worked out perfectly." Sutton had planned on leaving sooner, but stayed around longer so that Burnet could come back. "I never really imagined myself staying on a show for two years," he revealed. "It’s a great place to work because everybody’s so young and so up for the job … and you kind of get caught up in it and before you know it, you’ve been there for two years. Which isn’t a bad thing."

It was stated that the characters' reunion would start off with John Paul meeting up with Craig and John Paul not being pleased to see him because of the way "they left it at the airport". Craig comes back for John Paul "and some terrible things happen to John Paul and his life and Craig is there to comfort him".

Storyline
John Paul arrived in town in 2006; he met Craig while saving him from a beating by bully Sonny Valentine. The two became close friends. With some pressure from Craig, John Paul began dating schoolmate Hannah Ashworth. John Paul was reluctant to be with Hannah; he knew that he "should" fancy her, but also knew that he didn't. Despite this, he ended up having sex with Hannah, both losing their virginity to each other. However, they split up when John Paul revealed that he was harboring affections for someone else, which was mistakenly believed to be Craig's girlfriend, Sarah Barnes. This sent Hannah on a downward spiral and put a strain on John Paul and Craig's friendship, but due to the chaos John Paul's revelation caused, he began dating Hannah again. Soon after, on Hannah's 18th birthday, John Paul broke up a fight between Craig and Rhys Ashworth when Craig saw Sarah kissing Rhys. John Paul shouted that she wasn't good enough for Craig. He ran outside in tears and was confronted by Craig. John Paul confessed to Craig that he was in love with him. The following day, Craig was distant towards John Paul, but allowed John Paul to explain his feelings. Craig said that he still wanted John Paul as a friend, but only as a friend; John Paul said that he would continue to date Hannah and keep up the charade that he was heterosexual. But John Paul eventually revealed to everyone else that he was gay. At one point, Craig bullied him. Despite apologizing to John Paul for this, John Paul stated that their friendship was over.

In early 2007, John Paul embarked on a relationship with Spike, a DJ whom he met during his sister Jacqui's wedding reception. John Paul and Spike's relationship was the source of much jealousy from Craig, who immediately took a disliking to Spike and grew furious when John Paul tried to speak about his fears about having sex with Spike. During his exams in May 2007, Craig had trouble concentrating, as all he could think about was John Paul and Spike. He had been struggling to understand his romantic feelings for John Paul while maintaining a romantic relationship with girlfriend Sarah. Storming out of the exam, he went to John Paul's house. After talking with each other, Craig frustrated and in tears, both revealed their true feelings and slept together. Afterwards, however, Craig got out of the bed and shouted homophobic obscenities before storming out. Subsequently, Craig's relationship with Sarah began to deteriorate, as Craig struggled with his apparent homosexual tendencies. Unwilling to "come out", Craig concluded that he was not gay, stating instead that he only had romantic feelings for John Paul rather than actually being gay or bisexual. Craig negotiated an uneasy few months with Sarah, a situation further exacerbated by Sarah's modeling career, a source of even more jealousy from Craig.

Craig met up with John Paul under a tree; he insisted that he had sorted everything out in his head, he wasn't gay, and never would be, but this didn't mean that he and John Paul couldn't have sex from time to time; they could still continue to see each other, and no one would get hurt. John Paul reminded Craig of his love for him, and told him that he was sick of being used. An unfazed Craig told John Paul whether he liked it or not, they both knew how it was going to end up: he'd knock at John Paul's door, and John Paul would open it.

A few weeks later, two of Sarah's friends from the modeling industry met with her and Craig for a friendly get-together. Craig acted cold to the friends, particularly the male. The four dined at Il Nosh and bumped into John Paul who stayed to chat for a short while before leaving, followed by Craig. Back at John Paul's house, Craig told John Paul that he couldn't stop thinking about him, and although he loved Sarah, he loved John Paul too. Craig then lead John Paul upstairs where they once again slept together. Later, as Craig lay with John Paul in bed, his mobile phone rang, the caller ID showed that Sarah was calling him. However, Craig ignored it and went back to sleep in John Paul's arms, leaving John Paul with a smile on his face.

John Paul eventually told Craig to leave Sarah, and in turn he promised to leave Spike. Whilst John Paul and Spike broke up, Craig and Sarah did not, leaving John Paul furious and frustrated. Craig then arranged a last minute get-away for Sarah, without telling John Paul. Angry and upset, John Paul wrote a letter to Frankie Osborne saying that he had been sleeping with her son and that he was sorry that she had to hear about it from him. Later, once he had calmed down and realized his mistake, he managed to retrieve it with Spike's help. Despite no longer being a couple, Spike still offered John Paul something more causal, but he quickly realized he no longer had romantic feelings for Spike (despite Craig's betrayal) and told him it was over for good. When Craig returned from his holiday, and told John Paul that he still had feelings for him, John Paul snapped back that he had had enough and intended to end it with Craig for good. Despite this, they soon got back together again and the relationship continued in secret.

When Spike found out about John Paul and Craig's secret relationship, he teased and mocked Craig about it. When Craig confronted him, Sarah overheard and thought that he was having an affair. In an attempt to convince her that he loved her, Craig proposed marriage to Sarah, asking her to keep their engagement a secret. Throughout their engagement, Craig continued to see John Paul (who knew nothing of the engagement) and gave him a watch that once belonged to his grandfather. Once John Paul learn of Craig and Sarah's engagement, he became convinced that Craig would never leave Sarah for him. At an impromptu engagement party thrown by Frankie, John Paul and Craig hid upstairs and began to be intimate. Secretly, John Paul texted Sarah on Craig's phone and told her to come upstairs. She left the party and walked in on the two of them kissing. Completely in shock, Sarah ran downstairs and outed Craig to the party-goers, leaving John Paul to face the wrath of the Dean family and Mike Barnes. He later tried to apologize to Sarah, who demanded to know the details of the affair. After telling her, Sarah said that she could never forgive him. John Paul called Craig a coward for not accepting his sexuality.

Frankie and Sarah made attempts to reconcile the relationship, but it was no use, as Craig finally announced to his family that he was in love with John Paul. Craig's announcement lead to a show-down style confrontation between the McQueen family and the Dean family, from which John Paul and Craig ran away and discussed their feelings for each other. Craig told John Paul he loved him, but denied being gay with the words that "it's not about being gay, its about who you fall in love with"; this took place before asking John Paul to come with him to Dublin, an offer which John Paul accepted. As they prepared to leave together, Craig told his brother Jake that he was not gay, and he only cared for John Paul. John Paul overheard this and expressed concern at Craig's reluctance to come out; this was further exacerbated by Craig not being able to bring himself to kiss or hold John Paul at the airport as they waited for the plane to Dublin. Although John Paul loved Craig, he realized that he needed more than to be with a man who could not display affection towards him in public. Heartbroken, John Paul returned home, leaving Craig to go to Dublin alone. On Christmas day 2007, John Paul got a text message from Craig, wishing him a Merry Christmas, asking him to visit Dublin sometime and that he missed him. We don't see if he texts back.

John Paul moved on with Kieron Hobbs. However, on September 2 2008, Craig returns. John Paul's romance with Kieron was threatened when he confronted John Paul about any lingering romantic feelings he may have for Craig.

On 5 September, Craig and John Paul ended up in bed again and JP decided to tell Kieron he was still in love with Craig, but when he found Kieron he was dead. John Paul mistakenly believed that Kieron had taken his own life. Consumed with guilt, John Paul totally rejected Craig. However, they later agreed to stay mates. Craig later slipped a one way ticket to Dublin into John Paul's pocket.

On the 19th of September 2008, John Paul realized that he still loved Craig. He rushed to the train station, arriving in time to see a train leaving. He was devastated, until he looked over onto the other platform, where Craig was standing. John Paul ran round to him, and ranted at Craig. However, after he said that he loved Craig, Craig kissed him in front of everyone on the platform, proving that he didn't care what people thought. They were later seen on the train, where Craig told him that when they get to Dublin, he is to tell everyone that he is Craig's cousin Steve. John Paul looked shocked, but Craig laughingly revealed that he was joking. They were last seen cuddling on the train.

Timeline of events
(SOURCE: http://www.jpmq.org/timeline.html with some minor edits)

Cultural impact
In what began with character Craig Dean kissing best friend John Paul McQueen, a long-running storyline between two male lovers, portrayed by Burnet and Sutton, was initiated and became a "massive hit, gaining a cult following amongst fans". The John Paul/Craig/Sarah love triangle was also an aspect of the storyline intriguing viewers. Hollyoaks was named Broadcast of the Year at the 2007 Stonewall Awards, held at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. "The Channel 4 soap was honoured for its sensitive depiction of the gay love affair" between Chester teenagers John-Paul and Craig. Stonewall, an organisation that campaigns for equality for gay men and women, praised the show for its "sympathetic and convincing handling" of the "gritty and emotional" storyline. Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood stated, "I'm really chuffed that Hollyoaks has been recognised at the Stonewall Awards. It's a really prestigious award and one that means a lot to the show, to James and Guy, to our writers and most importantly the audience that engaged with the story."

Sutton added that he was "incredibly humbled" by the award, saying, "Stonewall is such an important organisation and it's amazing that we've been recognised by them for all the hard work we put into the storyline."

Despite the show's plotlines sometimes being over-the-top, the romance between John Paul and Craig remained rooted in believability. Sutton’s performance "so resonated with viewers" that he was voted “Most Popular Actor” at the 2008 Digital Spy Soap Awards. In addition, John Paul and Craig's love story was named “Storyline of the Year”. AfterElton.com cited Sutton for being "much of the reason for the storyline’s success". They stated that when they did a poll of their readers in 2007 for The 25 Best Gay Characters on Television, John Paul came in at #21. Sutton had not known about the poll, and when told of it stated, "Wow. That’s really cool. I don’t tend to read too much press and stuff, but I mean I’m aware that we’ve sold the program to other countries and surfing through the Internet, I’m aware that there are people who really, really watch it. I mean I’ve heard from the States and there’s a couple of people who are in the Far East, actually, who regularly post on forums about me and stuff. And that’s just incredible.

John Paul's relationship with Kieron Hobbs created a certain rivalry between the fanbases; the ones wanting John Paul and Kieron together and the ones rooting for John Paul and Craig to end up together. When asked of his choice between the two, Sutton stated, "You’re setting me up for a f**king fall now. Some people are going to be upset if I say Craig and some if I say Kieron. Oh, God. I’ll have to say Craig, I suppose."

Burnet and Sutton, have had different experiences with the fan reaction to the storyline, but both positive. "I don't get to see the forums much," revealed Burnet, "and I don't read too much [on the Internet] but I do through James – he reads a lot of the online stuff – and he lets me know. It's so moving that so many people actually care about the storyline." Burnet stated his appreciation for the fans making the storyline what it was. "From my understanding," he cited, "DS is a community of fans – without the fans, there is no show so I think the genuine way to move forward is to base a lot of plotlines – obviously if they're realistic – around what fans and communities want. At the end of the day, it's purely based around them. He voiced that "one thing [he's] learned is that there's a lot of politics around television and awards shows – a lot of it is bullshit. But when it comes to the fans, they're genuine. You can't beat the people. It's not a communist society. There's a great power there".

Sutton spoke of his amazement to all the fan reaction. "Very, very surprised. I never prepared myself for that to happen – for such attention to be given to this character and I was a bit overcome by it all, to be honest." He felt that no one warned him what he was in store for: "This just sort of happened. It just really did. Nobody warned me that I would be the focus of so much attention. It’s all been a bit mad, to be honest, in a really positive way. But no, no one could have prepared me for the interest that it’s gained." Sutton stated that he had spoken to young gay men and had e-mail conversations with people about the storyline and being gay and that it "really" opened his eyes to how difficult it can be and the prejudice out there, even still in Middle England, toward homosexuality.

The Internet has made shows like Hollyoaks more accessible to audiences around the world. When John Paul and Craig first slept together, it was not seen as significantly controversial, though prominent controversy was expected, and was rather seen as "incredibly, incredibly popular". For any series to be on at half past six, which is the time that Hollyoaks broadcasts (in the evening), controversy is typical when it involves two young men going to bed together, but this was not a prominent factor for the John Paul and Craig love story. The actors were not slighted in national press, and it was all "fairly positive" and "a story that needed to be told". Producer Kirkwood relayed: “The Craig and John Paul story is one of the biggest and most successful that Hollyoaks has told, winning many awards and legions of fans."