Emmerdale's Marshall Hamston made his debut on the ITV soap earlier this year as a possible love interest for Arthur Thomas.
Since then he's featured in his own heartbreaking scenes, with a devastating twist revealing his dad Colin, played by actor Mark Noble, had been violent towards him.
Arthur's mother Laurel discovered bruising on Marshall's arm, while she was also horrified to hear homophobic Colin verbally attack his own son before disowning him.
Viewers have taken to Marshall and still hope that he and Arthur will get together, while they recently agreed to be friends for the time being.
But who plays the character and how old is he? Here's what we know about the star's roles away from the village...
Who plays Marshall in Emmerdale, and what else has he been in?
Marshall is currently played by actor Max Fletcher, who has portrayed the character since his arrival in January.
While IMDB lists Emmerdale as Max's only TV role, Lime Talent Agency & Management's website lists other credentials including theatre, commercials and TV.
Max appeared in a BBC drama called Floodlights, while he also appeared in the CBBC series How I Found My Two Best Friends.
How old is Marshall in Emmerdale, and how old is actor Max?
Marshall is thought to be around 15 or 16 years old, as he appears to be the same age or in the same school year as Arthur.
Arthur was born in August 2007, meaning he will turn 16 years old in August this year.
Actor Max is thought to be 14 years old currently, and will turn 15 later this year.
What happens between Marshall and Arthur?
The boys have decided for now to be friends, as Marshall told Arthur he wasn't ready for a relationship after coming out as gay to his father.
Marshall is still accepting who he is with the support of Arthur and Arthur's family, having been too scared to be himself because of his abusive and homophobic father telling him being gay was "wrong".
Viewers hope that in the future, Marshall and Arthur might make a go of things.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
