Hollyoaks star Danny Mac breaks silence on Dodger’s dark return plot
"We are just at the start of something much, much bigger."
Hollyoaks star Danny Mac has spoken in depth about his return to the show for the first time.
The actor has recently reprised his popular role as Dodger Savage after 10 years away from the Channel 4 soap.
Now working in the police, Dodger has returned to the village on an undercover mission to investigate Rex Gallagher’s sinister secrets.
Rex’s recent criminal actions pave the way for one of the biggest Hollyoaks stories of 2025, with Dodger right at the centre of it.
Danny recently caught up with Digital Spy for an exclusive chat about what’s to come.
We last saw Dodger 10 years ago! Has the show ever approached you to return before this?
“I’ve always been in contact with the show since I left in 2015. I was very, very lucky that Dodger left with the door wide open.
“There were many conversations over the last decade, where [former executive producer] Bryan Kirkwood would reach out and say: ‘Is there any chance you would come back for this?’ That’s down to the Blakes and the Savages having so many fantastic storylines, which would have opened the door for Dodger to return.
“Fortunately for me, I left back then and I’ve never looked back. It’s been job after job and I’ve been busy, doing work that I was really excited about.
“I started Hollyoaks very early in my career and it was a solid four years of work. It was great, but then I really wanted to spread my wings and do as much as I could, because that’s what we all aim for as actors. I’ve been blessed that I’ve been able to do that.”
How did this return come about?
“Logistically, personally and professionally, when I spoke to [executive producer] Hannah Cheers originally it wasn’t the right time, but things then literally slotted into place so I asked her if it was worth us having a chat.
“Hannah told me: ‘Danny, it couldn’t be a better time to have this chat. I’ve just come out of a meeting and this would be the cherry on the top of what’s going to happen’.
“We met for dinner and it was really lovely. It wasn’t even about a pitch to get Dodger back, it was about where Hannah was at, where the show was at, how Hannah has been personally and the same with me.
“Then it progressed to talking about the opportunity for Dodger’s return and how he could be utilised in the story. As it’s the show’s 30th anniversary this year, I just feel very fortunate and grateful. I’m really honoured that Hannah feels Dodger can be part of this exciting and explosive milestone.”
Was it important to you that Dodger had changed since we last saw him?
“Yeah, I know how much I’ve changed and developed over the past 10 years – and I know for a fact that Dodger will have been through that as well. Probably even more so, because his life and his experiences are so much crazier than mine in some respects! Dodger’s had to deal with all of those things while getting older, so it’s how he carries all of that.
“I’m really grateful that Dodger gets to come back on the front foot, rather than arriving back to the family with his tail between his legs. He’s back in a way that he might not have planned, so his two worlds are colliding again. For that to be in Hollyoaks is exciting for me and hopefully it’s exciting for the show too.”
We know that Dodger is working as an undercover police detective and targeting Rex. Do you know how far into the mission Dodger is?
“There are some things I’m still waiting to find out. I filmed a bit at the end of last year and I’ll be coming back in a few weeks, so a lot of those details will have continued to develop while I’ve been away.
“I do know that the foundations are there for this to be a huge, ongoing journey for all of those characters involved. I think we are just at the start of what is going to be something much, much bigger.
“How much Dodger already knows about the bigger journey, I’m not fully sure yet! I don’t know if he already knows how big the journey is going to be and he’s at stage one, or whether he thinks he’s at stage 10 but actually it’s going to 100. Either way, it’s going to be really exciting.”
We’ve seen in the New Year trailer that Dodger clashes with Donny soon. Can you tell us about their dynamic?
“Yes, Dodger is doing his undercover work and then Donny goes back to the police force and gets on his high horse by arresting him! It’s the last thing Dodger needs at this point. He can’t be seen to be on the wrong side of the law while he’s trying to work so closely with Rex.
“It really puts a spanner in the works in a huge way for Dodger. It’s his first big trip-up.”
Have you filmed any scenes with Anna Passey, who plays Sienna, yet?
“That’s all still to come! We’ve been in scenes where our characters are crossing paths, but they’ve not actually seen each other yet. We haven’t connected on screen but it’s going to be really exciting when that happens. I don’t know how, where or when that happens yet.”
Dodger and Sienna’s biological father Jeremy is also in the village…
“I’ve not had a script yet where we see Dodger realise that. We may presume that he already knows, because he’s in a relationship with Maxine.
“That relationship is massively helpful as a tool for myself, Hannah and the writers, because it means we can presume that anything Dodger needs to know, he could have already been told by her. So we don’t need to spend the first few months just having Dodger reacting to all of this crazy news about his family!
“I’ve got my own thoughts and feelings towards how I think Dodger should and would act around Jeremy. It’s a collaboration between everyone, so I’m looking forward to getting into those discussions about it.”
How serious is Dodger and Maxine’s relationship? Are you pleased to be working with Nikki Sanderson again?
“I’m always pleased to be working with Nik, she’s awesome. As for how serious it is, that’s a bit of a complicated question! I don’t think we can expect that the relationship is everything it seems to be.
“There’s more to be discovered within that. Again, I’m not trying to be secretive but I’m not totally sure on what’s been finalised by Hannah and the writers yet.”
Is Dodger going to be a match for dangerous characters like Rex and Grace?
“That’s a really exciting question because Dodger was always in the crazy, soapy drama storylines and that was really fun. He always skirted around the likes of Brendan and Warren, but he was never really involved heavily. That was always too dark for him.
“Now it feels like Dodger is really caught between those two worlds and that’s really fun for me. I think it gives him a real legitimacy and a gravitas within his character.
“For me personally, I don’t think anyone can get in Dodger’s way. His morals will always be what they are, but when you’ve lost everything, you’ve got nothing else to lose and I think that’s where he’s gone to.”
Will he always be ‘Dodger’ or will he become Mark now?
“We have discussed that, but we haven’t come to a conclusion yet because it’s another great question. Is he always going to be Dodger or has he outgrown that now?
“I think Dodger’s identity has always been a real question mark anyway. When he started the show, he went on a great journey. He thought he knew exactly who he was, but then bit by bit, they ripped any identity he had away from him and then left him with nothing.
“Even the person that Dodger thought was his dad when he left, now isn’t his dad. So at what point does he go: ‘I don’t care anymore’?
“With those questions, there’s so much up for grabs for Hannah and the writers. It’s not up to me at all, but I’m sure I can have a voice in those discussions and Hannah will give me those chances.
“We can either watch him discover who he is, or find out who he’s decided he is. If I’m honest, I don’t quite know myself yet which way it’s going to go!”
