Holby City legend David Ames is swapping hospital scrubs for a new life in Hollyoaks as he prepares to take on a new soap role.
Confirming the news on This Morning, David has teased he'll be heading to the Channel 4 soap to take on a very interesting character after Sally St Claire (Annie Wallace) has stepped down as headteacher.
During an interview with Sharon Marshall, David was asked why he was on the Hollyoaks set and replied: "Well, I heard that there was a vacancy at Hollyoaks High School so I thought I’d step in and fill the role! I'm stepping in as the new headmaster!"
Hollyoaks has since confirmed the news with a statement that reveals David will be playing a character called Carter Shepherd, the new head teacher of Hollyoaks High who arrives in the village to connect with his daughter Freya Calder, played by Ellie Henry, who is reprising her role.
Fans of the soap will remember that in previous Hollyoaks storylines, Freya was injured in a car accident caused by John Paul McQueen.
Speaking of his new role, David said: “I am incredibly excited to join the Hollyoaks cast as such an intricately layered character with a very poignant and vital storyline to come.”
While Ellie added: “I am absolutely thrilled to be returning to Hollyoaks! Last year saw a lot of life-changing events for Freya, she is now navigating life as a disabled young person without her mum which gives us so much to explore. She’s also had a little transformation in the time she’s been away which is exciting. We have so much coming up this year that I cannot wait for people to see!”
David Ames is best known for playing Dom Copeland in the BBC soap Holby City and was a long-standing member of the cast until it ended in 2022. He first appeared in season 15 and was there until the final episode.
Dom had a lot of roles within the hospital, going from a clinical registrar to a clinical lead, before finally settling on a more senior role as a consultant general surgeon.
His character was an interesting one, with the official BBC page describing him as "troubled and trouble in equal measure" but also "intelligent and sharp-witted", with a sensitive side too. He quickly became a household name for Holby fans.
Right now, we don't know anything about David's Hollyoaks character other than his occupation, so it will be interesting to see if he has any similarities to Dom.
Hollyoaks airs Mondays to Fridays on at 6:30 pm on Channel 4 and at 7pm on E4.
