Hollyoaks fans disappointed over Scott Drinkwell's strange exit scenes

Hollyoaks fans have shared their disappointment over Scott Drinkwell's final scenes on the soap, with some branding his exit "rushed" and "weird".

During Monday's (July 15) streaming episode, both Scott and Freya Calder made their exits from the show, with Scott's departure initially being shrouded in mystery.

After Scott vanished following a row with newcomer Jeremy Blake, Maxine Minniver was convinced that something terrible had happened to her best friend — but the truth was revealed when Freya announced that Scott was on a video call with some big news.

He revealed over the phone that he was already on a cruise and heading for a new life in Spain, explaining that he felt "absolutely terrible" for leaving without saying goodbye but he'd received an offer he couldn't turn down.

Channel 4

After arranging to meet Freya at the airport in Barcelona, he said his goodbyes to Maxine. "I know it's bittersweet, okay, but of all my friends and family you've given us the confidence to move on, fly the nest and do things for me now," he said.

After the scenes aired, some fans took to social media to share their disappointment at Scott's low-key exit, with one writing on X: "Really rushed exit for Scott." Another wrote, "Scott's exit was kinda dry. They could of done loads better with that."

Another fan commented: "I wasn't expecting Scott's goodbye to be like that. Was expecting him in person everyone saying goodbye to him especially a scene with John Paul." A fourth viewer tweeted: "Scott deserved a better exit."

"They've done Ross so dirty with Scott's exit scenes," another fan wrote. "Why didn't he get a proper send-off? Why do we need to pretend he's on a cruise? Why did he leave without saying a proper goodbye and without Freya? Goes against everything his character is about."

ross adams as scott drinkwell in hollyoaks

Lime Pictures

Ross Adams, who played Scott, has shared his own disappointment with his character's exit scenes. The actor wrote on X: "It wasn't the exit I wanted for him but I'm so grateful to have played him", alongside a broken heart emoji.

Adams confirmed in March that he had decided to leave his fan-favourite character behind after almost a decade in the role of Scott. He revealed on Instagram at the time that his choice to leave "was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make".

"Sometimes though, you've just got to be brave – and now feels like the right time for me to try some other things that I've been super keen to do," he said. "I really hope you'll all come with me for the ride!"

Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.

Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.

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