OK, I'm aware I maybe the only one sad enough to beg the producers for this, but this is a plea to all tptb in Hollyoaks land to not ruin the sunset ending. With JP returning it does seem likely everything will be ruined and many Mcdeaner hearts will be broken but here are a few acceptable scenario's of JP's return:
[LIST][*]Craig comes back as well and they become the, young, gay version of Frankie and Jack.[*]JP's back to help his sisters out. Still in a loving long distance relationship with Craig only has a few minor problems, only really there as agony aunt and leaves to go back to Craig.[*]JP's has had an identity crisis and has ran away to his Mummy realises he loves Craig and goes back to him.(This is like a last resort)[/LIST]

You're not the only one sad enough to want this, I'm here too.

Sadly I don't see any of your bullet points as being likely to happen though, especially the Craig returning one. Guy won't come back.

John Paul sleeps with guys. That's what he does.
If they bring him back in a long distance relationship then Hollyoaks won't be able to milk the drama of having him fall for someone in the village. They will never be able to resist that so sadly bullet point two isn't happening.
I therefore vote for bullet point three. He comes to his senses and returns to Craig again eventually. We might have to wait a long time for this though depending on how long the 'foreseeable future' actually means.

Don't be so negative! Maybe they just want John Paul back because they know loads more people will tune in to see him back then when he's done his job they'll get rid of him!

You never know.

spose they could kill craig off

NEVER!!!

The most we can hope for in my (pessimistic) view is that JP lasts a year or two, has a few pointless relationships, then leaves to be with Craig again.

Worst is that one of them is killed on or off-screen (!).

There's a lot of pretty grim stuff in-between those two extremes as well.

The most I'm hoping for is that JP/JS gets some decent material while he's around.

I'd be very surprised if there's any scenario which leaves McDean intact. Willing to be surprised obviously! Otherwise tis best to practice not caring.

I don't think there's anything fans can do to alter how JP comes back.

They can't kill off all Frankie's kids one by one!

No, they'll just dismiss Craig in a line, probably, like he never featured in JP's life even though he lived with him for at least 3 years.

This has really upset me. It's like an illusion cruelly shattered! But as JP will probably be in some blokes bed in his first week. I'm just blocking it all out! I haven't watched HO for years and won't again now, so it'll be easy to pretend nothings changed. They ruined JP's character when Craig left so they'll probably just carry on doing that.

The saddest thing is the end of al those will they won't they give us a mention/reference to McDean.

Imagine - if BK hadn't gone back, James wouldn't have been asked back.

Sorry I'll go back to my denial land. It's safe there.
Have you been reading the Craig thread?
I have said on there many, many times () that an email, text or phone call is not out of the question. When it's time for James to leave again, they could have him speak to Craig on the phone and agree to go back to Dublin and try again. This would still be pretty crap but at least it doesn't ruin Mcdean forever and completely?
I don't particularly like this scenario but it's better than imagining them apart forever now.

Yes, I suppose this isn't soo bad.

If we clubbed together how much do you reckon we could offer Guy to come back? I can give a packet of smarties and a lifetime supply of pens.

Yes.
This would be enough to persuade him to return from LA and his successful acting career in the states.
Although we should be careful what we wish for here.
I personally didn't ever want to see John Paul or Craig return, either separately or together. Why? Because I imagine one would just end up cheating on the other at some point. I thought that as long as JS and GB both stayed away they could live on happily together in our minds at least, without being tarnished by crap storylines.
Now I desperately cling to the idea of James returning to Craig eventually (though we won't ever see Craig on screen again) and a few phone calls and texts. How crap that this is all I have to hope for.

Guy Burnet is not like a Hollywood superstar, surely if they offered him a decent amount of money and a good storyline he would reprise his role as Craig.

No, he wouldn't. That's clear from his interviews. He's working hard to carve a career in America and doing a good job without (yet) being spectacular. Hollyoaks is very much in his past. The Sunset ending was a special favour to his fans who wanted it to happen. We were lucky to get that!

You might get the odd one off appearance from him sometime, but no more than that, I wouldn't think.
If he lived in this country - maybe. But he's lived in America for a few years now, he's not gonna be leaving there.

I remember the main joy of getting the Sunset ending was that they left together and would stay together forever because - as you rightly say - if they HAD stayed, they would have been split up at sometime, but having them leave together meant they'd be together forever.

How ironic that is now.

I'm not going to watch or read anything about Hollyoaks and just imagine in my head JP has returned to Craig within 3 months!

I know a few people who are planning to do this. Good plan right?
For me personally, I still watch HO. Yes I could easily give it up (ironically I only started watching again a few months ago because I didn't care once JP and Craig had left...) but curiosity would probably get the best of me and I'd end up watching JP's return anyway. I couldn't help myself, even though it's far easier to live in denial.

I actually stopped watching Hollyoaks not too long ago. Having Riley die and never be happy with Mitzeee, Rhys cheating on Jacqui and Ste choosing Doug over Brendan was enough for me on it's own with out committing the sin of ruining McDean!

The problem is if it turns out not as bad as we think I'd like to watch it but then I'll have to watch/read and risk being disappointed. So I guess I'll never know!

Yes, I thought this but I guess I'd be happy with them running the pub or something for a year or so not having too many drama's just having them there seeing them happy. Maybe deal with things that don't involve their relationship and see them handle it together then go off happy again.

If I was the producer that's how I'd write it. Dammit why am I not producer!

First I have to admit I HATED the McDean storyline.

But I have to agree with you all that it is a travesty that JP and Craig will inevitably be split up to facilitate John Paul's return. Happily ever after happens so rarely in soap that it really is a special thing when it happens.

Sometimes producers should just leave well alone regardless of how good an actor someone was, or how popular their character was.

They say you should never go back and although I hotly anticipate John Paul's return (I'm genuinely excited), I think it's a bad call.

Thank you!
I've been slagged off on so many forums for having the apparently 'childish' view that a soap happy ending would last forever, particularly between a couple of teenagers.
But as you say, soap happy endings are so rare for straight couples and even rarer for gay ones. It was nice to think that Hollyoaks broke that trend and had that Sunset Ending legacy. Until now, I was naive enough to believe that that legacy meant enough for them to leave alone without being sacrificed for the sake of drama. Sadly I was mistaken.

My plead won´t make a difference

So yeah...way to go to ruin a great love story.

He adds something into Hollyoaks... gives it the excitement factor once again.

I'd have preferred if he came back with Craig but this can only be a good thing.

JS is well aware of how we feel, he's received enough tweets saying how we feel that they are breaking up Mcdean and so have Hollyoaks.
Doubt they particularly care but it never hurts to remind them exactly what Mcdean meant before to us before they proceed to crap all over it.

Its been 5/4 years since the McDean storyline and I'm sure in that period of time a lot has changed in all of our lives... but the one thing that still remains the same is our love and devotion for the storyline. So to mess around with the storyline/couple that meant so much to a lot of people is sad and wrong... and to top it off i have that horrible sick feeling that i had back then has returned, Which i wasn't prepared for.

Then that's me done with HO.

Ok they decided to bring JP back which I'm not great about.
They have decided to break up the relationship of Craig's and John Paul's which upsets me.
They decide to kill Craig off in order to shows us why JP has return and I'm likely to hunt down BK and do something stupid!! (Only joking........Just).


Edit - My 600th post and I've got nothing to smile about on here anymore

*hugs Charlie*

Well said, hun.