Darren Osborne - Reception

Reception

"He's the typical blonde hair, blue-eyed boy that can ruffle the feathers of every female he comes into contact with. Darren has the ability of charming his way out of every situation and he can play a married woman like putty in his hands if he so wishes. Not only has he got the looks and the cocky arrogance that make him a bad boy but he's also got the body of a fire-fighter making him the perfect pin up for Hollyoaks. However, Darren is known for being better at making enemies than friends in Chester just as much as he is known for starting up affairs".

Dawson was nominated for "Sexiest Male" at the 2004 British Soap Awards, for "Sexiest Male" and "Best Villain" at the 2005 Inside Soap Awards. and for "Funniest Performance" in 2007 at the Inside Soap Awards. In 2009, he was nominated for "Best Actor" at the British Soap Awards, "Best Actor" and "Funniest Performance" at the Inside Soap Awards. Dawson was nominated for "Best Actor", "Funniest Performance" and "Sexiest Male" in 2010 for his role as Darren at the Inside Soap Awards. Also in 2010, at the British Soap Awards, Dawson was nominated for the "Sexiest Male" award. In 2011 he received a nomination for "Sexiest Male" at the British Soap Awards. In 2012 Dawson was again nominated for "Best Actor" and for "Best On-Screen Partnership" at the British Soap Awards. In 2012 Dawson was nominated for "Best Actor" at the 2012 TV Choice Awards. At the 2012 Inside Soap Awards Dawson was nominated for "Best Actor" and "Sexiest Male".

Darren was listed in "The Top 100 Soap Hunks of All Time" by What's on TV. Dawson was 8th in the "Sexiest Soap Stars" MSN poll. An Inside Soap critic commented that Darren was initially a "freckly auburn-haired forgettable schoolboy" when played by Booth. They added that Booth's Darren is a "very distant recollection" while Dawson has "made the part his own in such a big way that we've decided to wipe the other one from history".

His character was branded a "rat" and "dastardly" for splitting up Gina and Emily by the Daily Record. Upon Darren's 2003 return to Hollyoaks, the Sunday Mercury said he had become "even more of a pain in the neck". They later called the character "a really nasty piece of work" and when he stole from his father, they questioned if Jack would "see what he's really like". Inside Soap's Peter Griffiths referred to Darren as one of the serial's "reliable stalwarts", saying it was a "relief" when he appeared and added that Darren was one of the characters who can "be relied upon to deliver". He added that the "tried-and-tested" characters helped the show through its rough patches and that they should be given the storylines they deserved. Griffiths' colleague Sarah maintained that Darren was the only part of the show that held her interest. The Press and Journal described Darren's time on the soap, saying: "He languished in prison for helping his father fake his own death, has battled a crippling gambling addiction and has been known to steal people’s girlfriends and break up relationships".

Kris Green of Digital Spy responded negatively to Darren's marriage to Hannah, saying "I still have NO idea why the storyliners thought it was a good idea to marry them off". Green later said that Rigby's on-screen partnership with Jamie in Hollyoaks Later worked well and was "better than Hannah and Darren". Green later dubbed Darren and Suzanne "Suzarren" due to their dangerous liaison, while the affair was described as "sizzling" by the Daily Star.

Roz Laws of the Sunday Mercury said Darren and Cindy's scheming make them a perfect match. Laws commented that Darren and Cindy's relationship is more about "making money out of others’ misery" rather than romance, and sarcastically commented that the pair were "nice" after they decide to con Hannah and Tony. On Darren and Cindy's intention to scam Tony the Daily Star wrote: "Cindy and Darren are perfect for each other. They are both greedy money-grabbers and it isn’t long before they are looking for a way to fleece Tony for all they can get". MSN said the sexual chemistry between Darren and Cindy was undeniable after Cindy's return. On Darren and Cindy, Jaci Stephen of the Daily Mail questioned if there was "anyone either of these two haven't had now? I'm getting sex-sickness".

Inside Soap described Darren and Nancy as "one of soap's most unlikely pairings" and added, "It's clear they're made for each other". In a comedy storyline Darren buys Nancy a waterbed, which Stephen opined was "all the better to drown him in...", she added that Nancy isn't impressed "when she learns that he expects her to move in with his family. Still, it’ll all be waterbeds under the bridge when Nancy becomes pregnant (my theory)". Stephen's colleague Caroline Fitton commented on Darren and Nancy spending less time together because of her new job, saying it proved "the girl had some sense". Stephen later questionned if Nancy would forgive Darren after he planned a surprise wedding or if she would "notice that he has LOSER tattoed across his forehead?"

Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly questioned whether Darren could adjust to fatherhood, while What's on TV labelled him a "doting father". Once Nancy became pregnant again Claire Crick of All About Soap said "At last – some good news in Hollyoaks for once! Our favourite soapy couple, Nancy and Darren, discover they’re going to be parents once again in tonight’s episode, and we’ve got our fingers (and toes!) crossed that it works out for them this time". She said that "with Darren’s cheeky escapades and Nancy’s no-messing attitude, they’ll make the perfect parents and we can’t wait to see them with a little one". Crick went onto say "while Darren might be dad to twins already (remember them? You could be forgiven for forgetting they even existed – it seems Darren already has!), we think he’s got potential to be great daddy material".

Stephen of the Daily Mail questioned whether Darren would "ever be able to hold on to a fiver for more than an hour?" Stephen expressed disinterest in Darren's subsequent money troubles, saying "There are more money problems for Darren and Jack. Oh, not again". Stephen later called Darren's money troubles an "old chestnut" and opined that his business was "Mobs’ Grotto. There’s one vowel wrong in that last word". Stephen later compared Darren to the Greek government debt crisis and quipped that he "is to money what Greece is to global financial security". She added that viewers should never become optimistic about his finances improving because "for every ladder he climbs, there’s always a snake to bring him crawling back down to Earth".

Virgin Media criticised the character's original dress sense stating "he might be male, but that doesn't mean Darren can escape the fashion police. He may have gone to prison once already, but with his chunky gold jewellery and sinister string vests, it won't be long before he is carted away in cuffs for his crimes against style". Fellow cast member Jessica Forrest who plays Leanne Holiday opined that the character's style was the best style of any character from the show but "back in the day... with the string vests and highlighted hair". Caroline Fitton of the Daily Mail felt that Darren becoming a student was "just wrong" before questioning if he would "drop the faux-bling-chain T-shirts?"

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".