Beyond the Hub Buster Smith: A Real Mr Nice Guy by DJ Forrest

You learn a lot in life and one of the things you learn is that not all paedophiles are someone that stands out from the crowd – in fact, some of them can be a Real Mr Nice Guy. You know the types – the ones who do the shopping for the old lady in the street, perhaps drive your kids to school or comes over for car advice and tinkers with the old engine or two while making small talk – winning the family over – all the while hatching little plans that go unnoticed. He’s the guy who can win over anyone with a friendly smile.

When Buster Smith first appears on the scene it’s after Damon’s Mum has been laid to rest and the boys are going through the bucket list, and call up the mobile number, which is answered ironically by the guy entering The Dog in the Pond, at that exact moment. From then on, it’s that winning smile, that talkative man that can win over Marnie Nightingale, and not be too phased by the fact she has a tag on her ankle. He can flirt with any woman in the bar and leave them feeling flattered that anyone showed them attention for that briefest of moments. He is the perfect gentleman.

But then we see how Brody reacts the moment Buster enters the bar. Something hidden behind the eyes. The fear. The old memories come flooding back and you hope that it’s not what you think it is – hoping that we can get beyond Paedo Pete – knowing that was a storyline and a half that kept us glued to the screen – how can you top that? Can they dare bring another paedo into the Village?

Seemingly they can – but where Paedo Pete kept his control of the McQueen family Buster moves in a slightly different manner, and it’s only when the mention of Luke Morgan’s ordeal at the hands of a bully from his past, that Buster finds his way into Ollie Morgan’s life.

The love of football and what it meant to Luke at the time and knowing that his son has a talent that shouldn’t go to waste, is helped by the football academy run by, yes, you’ve guessed it, Buster Smith. Buster himself is a known football celebrity, and suddenly you start thinking of the real life coach who was charged for assaulting many of the boys in his care on the news quite recently and suddenly you can see where this is going.

However, Digital Spy and the Hollyoaks camp posted up Spoilers a month into Buster’s story so nothing came as a surprise after that.

What happened to suspense to keep you guessing the whole summer???

Young Morgan has been abused but we don’t know how, but we can imagine plenty and to be fair, given the time slot of this soap, it is handled very well to not upset any younger viewers – however, we all know what goes on behind closed doors, right???

Ollie threatens to tell his Dad – but his Dad is consumed with rage about his new wife cheating on him with someone – and he’s back on the grog – and football means a lot to Luke, and seeing his son achieve goals that he could only dream of, makes Ollie realise that telling his Dad about the abuse he’s receiving from Buster, could tip him over the edge, and break his heart. Having already discovered that his Dad only wants the best for Ollie and is proud of him already – how can he destroy what could keep his dad off the booze?

On top of that, after encouraging Imran to buy booze on his Mum’s credit card but is caught and punished for it, Ollie stands to lose more than his pocket money for a fortnight – he could also lose his place in the training academy and his captaincy with the team. Buster is going to make him pay and in ways that are likely to include more time in the football locker room.

It will be interesting over the coming weeks to see how far Ollie can be pushed before he’s forced to say something – and who he talks to about it. Would he tell Imran, already causing grief to his own family, or would he confide in Brody, when perhaps Brody sees the tell tale signs. Only time will tell I suppose.

If you’ve been the victim of abuse in the past, watching the online story may bring back memories that you’re unsure how to handle. These days, there are people who you can talk to and not feel any shame for the abuse you’ve received.

Survivors Manchester helps young men and boys who have been affected by sexual abuse and rape. Follow the links below to get in touch with someone who will help you. Don’t filter your feelings, talk to someone.

You can copy and paste or click on this highlighted link

http://www.survivorsmanchester.org.uk/ or phone the helpline number on 0161 236 2182.

For male and female survivors go to www.thesurvivorstrust.org. In an emergency, please dial 999.

The Coffee Shop Buster Smith's Shocking Secret - Competition

If you’re a fan of a Soap Opera, then you will know that, every character has a secret, be it shocking, deceitful, murderous or otherwise, and to be fair, they wouldn’t be on the show, if they didn’t have one.

So, it comes as no surprise that new arrival, Buster Smith, ex-football celebrity, is hiding a shocking secret. All will be revealed some time later on this year, but that gives us plenty of time to think what it could be. Perhaps in some soap opera twist, Buster is Nana McQueen’s love child – another McQueen to add to the family tree – but in all fairness, perhaps not.

If you know Hollyoaks, the characters, the plots and the twists, then you’ll know that sometimes a shocking secret isn’t often as shocking as you are led to believe – but then, in light of certain news events recently, that perhaps it could be closer to the bone than you think. I personally, have no idea what Buster Smith’s shocking secret is, and am as keen as the next person to find out.

Hollyoaks has already played out the paedophile story and the physical abuse one, the manipulative granny story and the scheming bitch story – but then again, there’s still room for another scheming bitch story…

So, the competition.

We want you to come up with as many ideas as you can think of, for what Buster’s shocking secret may be. You don’t have to necessarily be a fan of Hollyoaks – but it may give you a head start in knowing the characters – but even if you’re not a fan, a chance guess may be enough to win – who knows.

We’ll collect your ideas over the course of the season and the person to guess as close to this reveal, will win the prize.

A signed photo of Buster Smith actor, Nathan Sussex, which let’s be fair, is well worth sitting on your desk or wall.

All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning, is to drop us a Tweet using the hashtag @ProTorchwood #BustersShockingSecret and tell us what you think it is.

You can also enter on our Facebook Page by just adding the hashtag BustersShockingSecret and your answer. Or post below this article. Please don’t attempt to send smoke signals, as it often gets lost in translation!!! And don’t tell the Weevil, that also gets lost in translation.

You can enter as many times as you want. Nathan Sussex (Buster) will choose the winner once the BIG REVEAL has been made.