 |
Darren Jeffries | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 March 1982 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1997–present |
Darren Jon-Jeffries (born 2 March 1982) is an English actor, writer and presenter best known for his portrayal of Sam "O.B." O'Brien in Channel 4 soap-opera Hollyoaks . He is also known for presenting Freshly Squeezed and Red Bull Rivals on Channel 4, as well as Text Santa for ITV2.
Jeffries was born in Wrexham, Wales to Glynis Jeffries (née Jones), a teacher of sign language, and Wayne Jeffries, a professional carpenter.
As a senior, he attended Padgate Community High School in Warrington, (now known as Padgate Academy), whose notable former pupils also include Chris Evans and Kerry Katona. Jeffries also joined Padgate High sixth Form College and studied business, English literature, English language and drama.
At fourteen whilst attending Padgate High, he joined a Warrington-based acting course, culminating in a small performance at Warrington's Parr Hall where he was spotted by a North-West based acting agency. This led to an audition for the role of Sam "O.B." O'Brien in Channel 4 soap-opera Hollyoaks in 1997, which he subsequently obtained. He was a prominent cast member in the show until 2007, when he announced he would be leaving the series in order to pursue other projects. [1]
Soon afterwards in 2008 he carved a successful presenting career alongside Hollyoaks co-star Matt Littler beginning with a stint on Channel 4's V Festival coverage, followed by The Versus Chart on T4 throughout 2008 and 2009. In 2009 Jeffries and Littler were also the faces of The RAF's 'Least 9 till 5' media campaign, and presented their own radio show on the Lancashire radio station Rock FM.
In 2010, Jeffries hosted T4's Red Bull Rivals, where he and Matt Littler visited France, South Africa, Sweden and Greece whilst taking part in numerous Red Bull sponsored sports. From 2011 to 2012 he was the presenter of Channel 4's flagship music show Freshly Squeezed, alongside Matt Littler, Jameela Jamil and Matt Edmondson.
Throughout 2013 he hosted The British Soap Awards spin-off show on ITV2 alongside Matt Littler, Zoe Hardman and Joe Swash, presented a Text Santa spin-off show for ITV, and throughout 2014, guest presented The Gadget Show numerous times for Channel 5.
In 2014 Jeffries returned to performing, and appeared numerous times on stage and television in various productions, whilst also studying at The Manchester School Of Acting. In 2016, Jefferies reprised his role as OB in Hollyoaks. In February 2023, he portrayed Pete Farnsworth in an episode of the BBC soap opera Doctors . [2]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–2008, 2016–2017 | Hollyoaks | Sam "O.B." O'Brien |
| 2000 | Hollyoaks: Breaking Boundaries | Sam "O.B." O'Brien |
| 2014 | Cardboard Andy | Andy |
| 2022 | Brassic | Minimart owner |
| 2023 | Doctors | Pete Farnsworth |
At The 2008 British Soap Awards, Darren Jeffries and Matt Littler won The Best On-Screen Partnership Award. [3]
T4 was a scheduling slot on Channel 4 and E4. It also aired on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot had a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. Channel 4 originally produced the strand in-house until 2002, when production was passed onto independent companies. The slot was targeted at the 16–24 age group.
Matthew Edmondson is a British television and Sony Award-nominated radio presenter, best known for his work with BBC Radio 1 and ITV2.
Max Cunningham is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ben Sheriff from 1995 to 1997, and Matt Littler from 1997 to 2008. He first appeared on 13 November 1995, and Littler took over the role in September 1997. In 2008, Max was the second longest running character in Hollyoaks, after Tony Hutchinson. In May 2008, it was announced that Littler had decided to leave the show and would depart in July 2008.
Sheree Victoria Murphy is an English actress and television presenter, best known for her roles as Dawn in Only Fools and Horses, Tricia Dingle in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, Eva Strong in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks and Dakota Davies in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.
William Russell "Ross" Davidson was a Scottish actor best known for his role as Andy O'Brien in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.
Matt Littler is a British actor and director born in Bury, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. He is most famous for playing the role Max Cunningham from 1997 to 2008 in the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.
Mel Burton is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by actress Cassie Powney. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 September 2003. Powney joined the cast along with her twin Connie Powney, who plays Mel's twin sister Sophie Burton. They auditioned for the roles six months after deciding they should stop putting themselves forward for twin roles. Mel was introduced along with Joe Spencer and Robbie Flynn, as new students attending Hollyoaks College. The character's family were introduced a month later. Mel is characterised as being clever, introverted and more controlled than her sister.
Freshly Squeezed is a British breakfast television programme which was broadcast every weekday morning on Channel 4 from August 2006 to December 2012.
Clare Devine is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by actresses Gemma Bissix and Samantha Rowley. Bissix reprised the role in 2009 for the culmination of Warren Fox and Justin Burton's storylines. She later returned to the show in 2013. Clare was killed-off in October 2013, and Bissix said that it would allow Hollyoaks to develop other villainous characters. Bissix has won three British Soap Awards for her portrayal of Clare, and has been named one of the best British soap opera characters.
Tom Cunningham is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ellis Hollins. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 28 December 1999. With Tom being a young child for most of his tenure, his early years featured minimal storylines, including the numerous death of his family, being abused by Clare Devine and having various guardians including Steph Cunningham and Jack and Frankie Osborne. However, a turning point came for Tom when it was announced that his girlfriend, Peri Lomax would fall pregnant, and deal with Peri's subsequent decision to give their baby away for adoption. Other storylines have also included his friendships with Nico Blake and Dylan Jenkins and his relationships with Peri and his foster sister Jade Albright. Tom departed the village with Half Sister Cindy Cunningham in the episode aired on Wednesday 4 September, in an unannounced departure.
Sam "O.B." O'Brien is a fictional character in the long-running Channel 4 British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Darren Jeffries. He debuted on-screen on 6 October 1997 before leaving on 26 February 2008. He later made a brief return in July of the same year, last appearing on 11 July. O.B.'s storylines revolved around his friendship with Max Cunningham and several relationships. The character has been described as iconic and is most notable for his "classic comedy duo" status with Max. Jefferies was nominated for several awards for his time on the show. During a Hollyoaks live video in October 2016, it was announced that Jeffries would be returning to the role. O.B returned on 17 November 2016 and made his last appearance on 2 January 2017.
Andrew "Andy" Holt is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Warren Brown.
Chloe Bruce is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Mikyla Dodd. She made her first on-screen appearance on 15 March 2000. The character is noted for her storylines involving self-image issues and acting as the "agony aunt" within the serial.
Richard Edwards is an English television presenter, journalist, and author.
The Cunningham family are a fictional family in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks. The family were one of the original families introduced in 1995, debuting on the first episode of Hollyoaks. They originally consisted of Gordon Cunningham and his ex-wife Angela, and their children: Dawn, Jude, Cindy and Max.
Duncan Button is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Dean Aspen. He debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 2 November 2009. Duncan was originally credited as Duncan Smith until he was credited as Button. In May 2011, it was announced that Aspen had quit his role and Duncan departed the series on 11 November 2011. Aspen reprised his role as Duncan for the sixth series of Hollyoaks Later in October 2013.