Mike Barnes

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Michael "Mike" Barnes is a fictional character in long-running Channel 4 British television soap opera Hollyoaks. He is played by actor Tony Hirst.

[edit] Character History

Mike is the patriarch of the Barnes family. He is a constant irritant to wife Kathy, from his relaxed parenting methods, to his perceived lack of ambition where his job is concerned (Kathy was enraged when he quit his job, then was disgusted when he took a job at the local laundrette). Sensitive, affable, and laid-back, it is clear that his daughters favour him over their more strict mother. He is their defender when he feels his wife is pushing them too hard, and their friend when they need a shoulder to cry on.

Mike rarely loses his temper, but when he does, it's explosive, such as the time he caught 15-year-old Amy sneaking home drunk, or when he found out his wife had slept with Rhys Ashworth, their daughter Sarah's boyfriend. The latter was the incident that led to Mike throwing Kathy out of their home. Kathy moved back in after the girls begged their father to give her a second chance. Mike found that couldn't stand to be under the same roof as his cheating wife, and moved out into his own flat. His daughters soon followed him, as living with Kathy without their father as a buffer proved impossible.

Mike and Kathy eventually reconciled for the sake of their daughters, but there is no telling how long this will last.

Mike recently struck up a friendship with Tina McQueen when she started coming into the laundrette after the family washing machine had broken down. They bonded over a love of literature, and this led to Tina's boyfriend Dom thinking they were having an affair. This was soon settled after Mike and Tina explained the situation.

Mike had no idea that his daughter Amy was pregnant until coming home to find her in labour, but helped Sarah deliver his granddaughter Leah on the kitchen floor.

After reading Amy's diary, he came to the assumption that Amy was sleeping with boyfriend Josh Ashworth and took it upon himself to drag her out of school and to the doctor to put her on "the Pill". Although she tried to tell him that she wasn't sleeping with Josh, Mike refused to listen and wouldn't allow her to see him anymore.