| Dan Hunter | |||||||||||||
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| Hollyoaks character | |||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Andy McNair | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 2001–2004 | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 19 April 2001 | ||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 24 December 2004 | ||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||
| Spin-off appearances | Hollyoaks: Leap of Faith (2003) Hollyoaks: After Hours (2004) | ||||||||||||
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Dan Hunter is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Andy McNair. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 19 April 2001. McNair attended an audition for the role and was called back for a second audition, after which he was informed he had won the role. Dan is characterised as "moody and non-conformist" and has an anger problem. McNair believed Dan is defined by his miserable personality. He never became bored of playing the character's misery and admired his characterisation. He is initially portrayed as a loner who is disinterested in romance due to the pressure of working at his family garage business. Writers portrayed the illness diabetes via Dan and he takes insulin to control his condition. McNair found the story challenging to portray and thoroughly researched the condition to add authenticity to the character.
He introduced as part of the show's Hunter family consisting of Dan, his parents Les Hunter (John Graham Davies) and Sally Hunter (Katherine Dow Blyton) and siblings Lisa Hunter (Gemma Atkinson) and Lee Hunter (Alex Carter). Producers later introduced Dan's other sister, Ellie Hunter (Sarah Baxendale), who had been a missing person in Ibiza. Writers developed a feud between them, with Dan blaming her for ruining their family, resulting in a fight which prompts Dan to stop taking his insulin. Dan's main friendship was with Ben Davies (Marcus Patric), whose characterisation suited Dan's dislike to talk about their problems. A prominent relationship story for Dan was developed with Debbie Dean (Jodi Albert). Writers portrayed a "stormy" couple dynamic, with Dan also romancing Debbie's sister, Steph Dean (Carley Stenson). Other storylines include a rally driving plot and helping a criminal repair stolen cars. McNair made his finale appearance as Dan during the episode broadcast on 24 December 2004.