Lee Stanley - Lewis Richardson

Lewis Richardson was the older brother of Mandy Richardson and son of Helen Cunningham from her first marriage.

Lewis first arrived in Hollyoaks as part of the Richardson family, and was protective over his sister Mandy after the pair used to receive abuse from their father Dennis. Lewis moved in to a flat above the Video Shop with his friends Jude and Dawn Cunningham. Lewis than briefly dated Jude but ended it with her after discovering from Benny about Jude’s criminal activities. Shocking news came for Lewis when he discovered that his sister Mandy has gone missing and Lewis and his father began to search for her. Lewis began to panic with the possibility that Mandy had committed suicide, but fortunately, Lewis found Mandy alive in a hospital, and rushed to her bedside. Lewis was devastated when Mandy confessed that their father Dennis had raped her. Lewis supported Mandy, as the pair reported the incident to the police and Dennis was arrested. Lewis took care of Mandy and helped her through her trial, as their father was found guilty and was sentence for seven years.

Lewis than began to have an affair with Ruth Osborne, but they kept it a secret, but it lasted a while when Ruth confessed that she slept with Luke Morgan and Lewis dumped her. Beth Morgan arrived in Hollyoaks, and Lewis immediately got together with her, but realised Beth was too young for him and he split up with her. Lewis was shocked to discover a pregnancy test kit and assumed it was Mandy's, but it turned out to be his mother Helen's, as she revealed she was pregnant with Gordon Cunninghams child. With Lewis's mother getting married to Gordon, soon Lewis realised that he still had feelings for Ruth and the pair got back together. Lewis was than hailed a hero after rescuing Lucy Benson, with Tony Hutchinson and Ruth from Rob Hawthorne. Lewis than went into business with best friend Rory "Finn" Finnigan, as the pair opened up night-club The Loft. He then started to get friendly with a local club owner Lorraine Wilson, and Lewis started to gamble in her casino. Lewis's life was turned upside down, when he heard that Ruth had an abortion of his baby, and he ended up hitting her. Lewis started to borrow money off Lorraine, soon he ended up in debt and Lorraine offered Lewis the chance of wiping out his debt, if he sleeps with her. Ruth than discovered Lewis's debts and his stealing, and ended up hitting him and in a rage he hit her back. Lewis and Ruth broke up, and Helen began to get suspicious of Lewis's gambling problems which continued to spiral and, in a moment of madness, he almost hit his own mother. Lewis decided to clear his head out and went to Ireland and returned as a new man with flash clothes. However, a loan shark came after Lewis, because he took a loan out in Ireland using the name of Ruth's dead husband Kurt Benson. Lewis was told that the loan must be repaid within thirty days. In order to pay off his debt, Lewis slept with Geri Hudson, and stole the money that she made from a charity event. Soon, Ruth discovered Lewis's debts and persuaded Tony to buy Lewis out of The Loft, thus severing all links with him.

In the late night series Hollyoaks: Movin' On, Lewis tried to persuade Ruth to get back with him, but Ruth got angry when she discovered that Lewis used Kurt’s name for his debts. Lewis than went to Ruth’s flat and tried to force himself on her, and Ruth told him that he was just like his father, which encouraged Lewis to beat her up bad and left Ruth for dead. Lewis felt guilty for what he had done so he took an overdose of pills and later died in hospital. With early influences of his fathers violence towards his family, Lewis never wanted to be anything like his father, but towards the end he realised that he's just like him and couldn't do anything about it. Lewis left a devastated mother behind and a sister who found it hard to understand how the person who had protected her against their father could ever hurt another woman.

On his character's decision to commit suicide Ben Hull said "Lewis's greatest fear was that one day he would become like his father, alcoholic and abusive - and he has." The Daily Record initially described him as a "nice bloke" but later commented on Lewis saying "He's just turned from one of the most easy-going blokes around into a woman-beater. Yep, when he finds out Ruth has aborted the baby, he hits her. Not a good move at all. It might be Ruth, but we can't condone this, can we? I'd smash both their heads together, the rotten pair." and described the storyline as a cracker. The Sunday Mercury described him as a "wheeler-dealer". He was nominated for Best villain in 2002 at the British Soap Awards.