Ben Bradley is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, portrayed by Ben Richards. The character and casting were announced in April 2015 and Richards made his first appearance as Ben on 26 May 2015. Richards and his family moved to a cottage in Liverpool close to the Hollyoaks set after he was cast. Ben was introduced as a police sergeant and a mentor for Jason Roscoe (Alfie Browne-Sykes), and Ben was given links to long-running characters Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson) and Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna). Ben was also introduced as a love interest for Sienna Blake (Anna Passey). Richards explained that Ben has a hero complex and sees Sienna as a project that he can fix. It was also teased by Richards and the media that Ben would have a big secret which would have big effects.
Ben's secret daughter Carly (Sophie Wise) was later introduced, and it was revealed that Ben's secret involved helping Carly escape from a drug dealer and start a new life. Sienna suspects that Ben is having an affair with Carly and confronts her, which leads Sienna's daughter Nico Blake (Persephone Swales-Dawson) killing Carly in an altercation. Sienna and Nico cover up the crime and a grieving Ben blames Trevor Royle (Greg Wood) for her death. Ben and Trevor become enemies and Ben tries to kill Trevor and frames him for other crimes. Ben remains unaware of the truth about Carly's death and gets closer to Sienna and Nico. Richards compared the storyline to Othello, and believed that Ben is a good guy who believes that he is making the wrong choices for the right reasons. Sienna and Trevor then start an affair and Sienna marries Ben despite being in love with Trevor.
In May 2016, Richards announced that he would be departing Hollyoaks and teased that Ben would have an unhappy ending. In the storyline, Ben finds out about Sienna and Trevor's affair and takes the blame when Nico stabs Trevor to death. Ben is arrested and made his last appearance on 27 May 2016. Ben is later released offscreen and divorces Sienna. In 2018, the character was revisited when Sienna gets a stalker and suspects that it is Ben, which led to the introduction of his son Josh Bradley (Rupert Hill). Richards revealed that Ben and Sienna's pairing initially had a positive reaction from viewers. Critics had mixed opinions about the character and in 2018 speculated that he was Sienna's stalker.
Casting In April 2015, it was announced that Ben Richards had joined the cast of Hollyoaks as new regular character Ben Bradley and he had already begun filming for the role. It was revealed that Ben is a police sergeant who would feature in a storyline involving established character Jason Roscoe (Alfie Browne-Sykes), which would see Jason joining the police force for a fresh start and Ben becoming his mentor and giving him the confidence that he needs. Ben was also introduced as a love interest for the "village's schemer" Sienna Blake (Anna Passey), with a Hollyoaks insider revealing, "Never one to miss an opportunity, Sienna immediately sets her sights on [Ben] when he arrives in the village. Unfortunately Ben seems not to have been completely truthful about his past and is making a big mistake if he thinks this will slip past Sienna". A spokesperson for the soap told Digital Spy, "We are delighted to confirm that Ben Richards has joined the cast. We hope Sgt Bradley settles into Hollyoaks village - despite becoming unwisely entangled with Sienna Blake." Shortly before he began filming for the role, Richards' partner gave birth to their first child. The family later moved to a cottage close to the Hollyoaks set in Liverpool. Richards developed a close family friendship with his co-star Ayden Callaghan, who portrayed Joe Roscoe, despite the characters not interacting often in the soap, as Callaghan's partner was pregnant at the same time that Richards' partner was. Richards made his first appearance as Ben on 26 May 2015.
Development Introduction and characterisation Teasing what was to come for Ben, Richards explained that he would be "very, very involved" in upcoming storylines, and explained that Ben would have some problems with "a big crime" that Ben is "very personally" involved in, and that Ben would have both challenges are as a police officer in addition to emotional challenges. The actor also teased that Ben would face "all sorts of challenges". Richards added, "Ben is an interesting character and there's lots planned for what's going to happen to him. I've heard some ideas of what's planned for the future and it should be really exciting and interesting." In an introductory Hollyoaks video promoting the character, Richards described Ben as an "all-round nice guy", "dependable", "caring" and a "top bloke" that someone would want to get a drink with. He described Ben as a "Mr Fix-it" and a "sucker" for somebody who is in trouble or "a bit broken" as Ben will "fix" them; Richards hoped that Ben would be the Sargeant that the village "desperately needs".
Ben first appears when he is assigned to be the mentor of Jason, who is now a working as a PCSO. Describing Ben and Jason's working relationship, Richards explained that Ben and Jason link up quickly as Ben wants to be police officer, and Jason looks up to Ben as he sees him as the "kind of policeman that [Jason] wants to be", and thus Ben becomes his role model. Ben first investigates the hit and run of Dylan Jenkins (James Fletcher), unaware that Jason was involved in it. Ben notices that Jason seems uncomfortable when they speak to Dylan at the hospital. He later researches Jason and is concerned what he finds. It was teased by Digital Spy that Jason's career would begin poorly due to these circumstances. Upon Ben's introduction, it is revealed that Ben used to work with long-running character Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna), and Richards revealed that future plots would explore their friendship, and that he had filmed some "really good stuff" with McKenna and Ashley Taylor Dawson, who plays Jack's son Darren Osborne. Richards called McKenna a "lovely actor" to work with. Offscreen, Richards built up a friendship with Dawson and praised him for being a "smart actor".
Romance with Sienna and secret
Ben is single when he comes to Hollyoaks and he meets Sienna Blake (Anna Passey). Richards called Ben's relationship with Sienna "very interesting" due to Sienna being "such an unusual character" with a varied history and a lot of "skeletons in her closet". Richards teased, "Watching that dynamic with Ben, and the fact that he has got various things going on in his life which he is keeping secret, causes mayhem. At the moment Ben doesn't know about her brother Dodger, but he does find that Darren, who is a really good mate of his, is Sienna's ex. That is going to be fun, interesting and also slightly awkward." Describing Ben, Passey called him "the hot new police officer on the scene" and noted how people were "waiting to see" if he would save "from herself". Sienna and Ben first meet when he saves Sienna's handbag, which is stolen, and he gives it back to her; Passey explained that this causes Sienna to see "love hearts and birds singing and it's a whole new thing for her". Sienna becomes "smitten" when she meets Ben and is delighted when he asks her out on a date the following week, with the pair sharing a kiss. Sophie Dainty from Digital Spy wrote that it was "clear" that Sienna has "romance on her mind", but questioned whether Ben could be hiding something. Richards liked working with Passey and called her "sweet" and a "constant professional", explaining that it made it easier working with someone who is "so committed".
Richards teased that Sienna would be keeping Ben on his toes, and that Ben wants to fix Sienna as she is a "very broken woman", explaining that with Sienna "there's a lot to fix, but Ben is very aware about her troubled past and it doesn't scare him off at all. In fact, if anything, it probably makes him like her even more. She becomes a bit of a project in his eyes". Richards believed that their relationship would not be simple or straightforward, though he added that this was never the case in Hollyoaks. Richards was not sure if the pairing was a "healthy match" but believed that Ben has a "bit of a hero complex" and feels like he needs to save people, adding, "If there's any woman with a broken wing, that means he has to come in and fix it. Sienna fits that bill completely - she's a broken woman and he feels that he can save her". Richards added that it is the first "proper stability" that Sienna has had "for a long time".
Richards revealed that the first "bit of tension" between the couple would occur when Ben meets Sienna's controlling father, Patrick Blake (Jeremy Sheffield). When Patrick returns from his holiday, he finds out that Sienna's new relationship with Ben "gets in the way of his controlling behaviour". Richards explained that Ben is a "strong character" who is there to support Sienna, which Patrick cannot handle. The actor did not reveal whether Patrick would come around, but he added that Ben can "hold his own" against Patrick as he is a policeman and is used to dealing with "all sorts" everyday. In the storyline, Ben and Sienna are "left red-faced" when Patrick returns from his holiday with Theresa McQueen (Jorgie Porter) and finds them getting intimate on the sofa. Patrick immediately gets to know Patrick and at an "awkward lunch" he quizzes Ben on his intentions towards Sienna. Ben makes his feelings towards Patrick clear and refuses to be intimidated by him, telling Patrick that he will not leave Sienna. An "unnerved" Patrick then tells Sienna that she should end her relationship with Ben, claiming that he is not good for her.
Death of daughter Prior to Ben's debut, Richards teased that Ben has a "big secret" that Sienna does not know about, but he did not specify what it was, though he later teased that viewers would find out what Ben is hiding and why. Richards also revealed that Ben has a "complicated" family past which would get in the way of his relationship with Sienna. In the storyline, Nico becomes suspicious of Ben and follows him, and she then warns her mother than Ben is not all that he seems. Richards explained that Sienna is a "very highly-strung character" and thus she becomes very paranoid when she realises that Ben is hiding a secret from her. Richards teased that viewers would learn more about Ben when his secret is revealed and that there would be "massive" consequences "from this strand of story" for him, which would have a "massive ripple effect". Passey teased at the 2015 British Soap Awards that Ben and Sienna's relationship would not go smoothly due to Ben's secret. She also teased that Sienna would not deal with it well and would go "on the warpath". The secret was used to reignite the feud between Sienna and Jack's daughter-in-law Nancy Hayton (Jessica Fox), as Sienna assumes that Nancy is having sex with Ben as revenge for Sienna stealing Darren from years prior, though in fact Ben was just staying at her home to talk to Jack; Sienna confronts Nancy and "furiously" slaps her and lashes out when she denies it, leading to a "big catfight".