Darren Osborne

Darren Osborne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. He was introduced by executive producer Phil Redmond as part of the Osborne family, and played by Adam Booth, made his first on-screen appearance on 18 November 1996. Booth left the role in 1997, but the character was recast in 1999 with current portrayer Ashley Taylor Dawson. Dawson decided to leave Hollyoaks in 2000 to concentrate on his band, allSTARS*, but returned in 2003 and has since remained in the role.

Darren was initially characterised as a "bad boy" who has matured throughout his tenure. One of Darren's more notable storylines included his battle with a gambling addiction which led him to lose his share in The Dog in the Pond, be disowned by his father and have his family reject him. Darren later helped his father, Jack (Jimmy McKenna), to fake his own death as part of a scam, which drew comparisons to the John Darwin disappearance case. Other storylines have included a relationship with Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring), a "shotgun" marriage to Hannah Ashworth (Emma Rigby) and a brief affair with Suzanne Ashworth (Suzanne Hall). More recently Darren's storylines have seen him form a relationship with Nancy Hayton (Jessica Fox) that "came out of nowhere" but was kept long term as the pairing was popular with the serial's audience. Pressure was then put on Darren and Nancy's relationship when Suzanne returned pregnant with Darren's twins, leading to Darren and Nancy splitting up when he became a father. The pair soon after reunited and married in early 2012 after Darren planned a surprise wedding for Nancy.

Dawson has received numerous awards and nominations for his portrayal of Darren. Dawson has been praised by both the British press and his colleagues for his portrayal. The character has been both praised and criticised by the British press, for his "bad boy" status, his relationships, his storylines centring around his money troubles, his fashion sense and his growth as a long-term character.