'It's kind of mental': Actor lands first TV role in Hollyoaks

An actor from Lincoln has landed a role in Hollyoaks.

Indigo Kamal-Poole, 22, made his debut appearance as newcomer Xander on the Channel 4 soap opera last week.

Indigo, who wears hearing aids, said he secured the role following a Hollyoaks visible disabilities audition at the end of April.

Reflecting on his experience so far on the show, Indigo said: "It's so exciting all the time, very dramatic and it's definitely a bit of me."

Indigo's first scene as Xander aired on 26 August on E4 at 19:00 BST and Channel 4 streaming.

Indigo said Xander could be described as "massively emotionally driven and family orientated", and was a "lost lad looking for answers".

He added the experience so far had felt "very strange" and "really full-on" but had had "lots of nice responses which has been beautiful, really".

When Indigo heard he had landed the role, he described it as "kind of mental".

"There's always a part of you that doubts yourself. I was kind of like 'can I do this? Am I good enough for this?'

"It was my first real, professional credit, so that was a bit daunting.

"But then after a little while the excitement kicked in and as soon as I got on set all the nerves disappeared."

Indigo was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at the age of four, a condition that means his hearing ranges from mild to severe.

It was caused by damage to the inner ear or the nerve that carries sound signals to the brain.

Indigo, whose first experience of acting was at the age of 11 in The Starring Lincoln Theatre Company, which was directed by his dad, said he initially refused to wear his aids, recalling a time as a child when he threw them across the Co-op on Burton Road because he did not want to wear them.

"After that I started to not care and customised them," he added.

Indigo said his hearing aids had "not been mentioned at all" on the show, and are not the driving point of why he is on there.

He added: "One thing that's really important for me is for the hearing aids to not be the centre point of the character's existence.

"It's more like an accessory. I think they've got it bang on with the writing, may it continue."

Crystal Rolfe, director at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, said: "Importantly, while the character wears hearing aids, this isn't the focus of the storyline.

"Hearing aids are part of everyday life for millions of us. Showing it in that way sends a powerful message, especially for young people who may aspire to be actors or performers, that being deaf or having hearing loss should never be a barrier to achieving your dreams."

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