Steven Roberts

Steven Roberts is a British actor. After finishing theatre school, Roberts was cast in the regular role of George Smith on the British soap opera Hollyoaks in 2011. Roberts was subsequently nominated for several awards for his portrayal of George, including the British Soap Award for Best Actor in 2012. Following his departure from Hollyoaks in 2014, Roberts has focused on theatre productions, including a tour of The History Boys in 2015, The Secret Garden in 2018 and Aladdin between 2018 and 2019. Since 2023, Roberts has starred in various pantomimes at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, including Mother Goose, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Roberts and his colleague Harry Howle won the "Best Sisters" Award at the 2025 Pantomime Awards for their roles in Cinderella.

Early life Steven Roberts and his parents lived near Lowestoft As a child, Roberts took part in several films and theatre productions. Roberts was best friends with his co-star Duncan, with Duncan calling their relationship "pretty inseparable" in February 2012. The role was Roberts's first job after finishing drama school, which he felt very lucky to receive. Danny Lomax (Stephen Billington) and Vincent Elegba (John Omole), hiding the fact that he is homeless and living on the streets from his friends, being pushed into prostitution and held captive along with Phoebe McQueen (Mandip Gill) by human traffickers, and being involved in a love triangle with Vincent and Phoebe. Roberts enjoyed working on the soap and liked when George's storylines became more serious; he was excited when he learned about George's homelessness storyline and praised Hollyoaks for raising awareness about homeless teenagers. The soap worked with the charities Centrepoint and Shelter for the storyline. Roberts enjoyed the experience and commented, "It was a hard week of work, but we had some little chances to let off steam as well". Roberts enjoyed the experience and commented that the schedule was "full-on" due to having to film quicker whilst on location.

For his portrayal of George, Roberts was longlisted for "Best Actor" at the 2012 British Soap Awards. For the same role, he was also nominated for "Best Actor" and "Best Newcomer" at the 2012 TV Choice Awards. Roberts was also longlisted and later shortlisted for "Best Newcomer" at the 2012 Inside Soap Awards. Roberts later left the soap and made his last appearance on 18 September 2014. Of his exit, Roberts said, "I hang up my multi-coloured, furry, patterned ensemble for the last time I'd just like to thank the whole Hollyoaks team and viewers at home for all their support during my time on the show. I've been lucky enough to be part of some great storylines during my time here and, to coin George's favourite word, the past three years have been 'fabulous'. Thank you." Roberts believed that the play was "thought-provoking" and called his character in the play slightly "more reserved" than his Hollyoaks character. He commented that he and his castmates got on well together and enjoyed touring to different locations in the UK. Roberts also enjoyed exploring the different sizes of theatres whilst touring, explaining, "Some can feel more intimate and some can feel bigger". Roberts called the production "lovely" and "magical", and noted that it was really visual due to puppetry being used for the animals in the garden. Roberts then played the central character in the Theatre Royal's production of Aladdin, which ran from 12 December 2018 to 31 January 2019. Roberts's Hollyoaks co-star, Lucy Dixon, had portrayed the same role a few years prior. The production was planned to run from 13 December 2020 to 3 January 2021; however, the production was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

Cambridge Arts Theatre roles

Roberts portrayed Silly Sammy Goose at the Cambridge Arts Theatre's production of Mother Goose, which ran from 30 November 2023 to 7 January 2024. Robert's performance was praised by British Theatre Guides John Johnson, who opined that Roberts and his colleague Matt Crosby made a "terrific comedy double-act", adding that their "interactions with the audience during the obligatory game show interview scene are warm and witty". The Cambridge Critiques Anne Garvey opined that Roberts did a "a wonderful job" in his role, adding that his character would "make this pantomime special for all the children who will fall for his quiet charm – and energetic slapstick. Well done for an exhausting performance done with sustained brio".

Roberts was then part of the cast of the pantomime Cinderella at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, which ran from 24 November 2024 to 5 January 2025. Zach Lonberg from Varsity opined that Howle and Roberts were "utterly hilarious" as the Stepsisters. For their roles as the sisters in the production, Howle and Roberts won the "Best Sisters" Award at the 2025 Pantomime Awards. In response to the award win, Cambridge Arts Theatre wrote on Twitter that they were "absolutely thrilled" for the "adorable" pair, whilst Cambridge News called the actors a "fabulous duo".

Roberts then played Happy Harry in the pantomime production of Sleeping Beauty at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, which ran from 27 November 2025 to 4 January 2026. Roberts rehearsed for the play in a church on Mill Road, Cambridge, whilst renovations were taking place, only moving into the theatre a few days before the show began. and Roberts said that he was excited to see what had been done with the theatre's renovation and added, "The theatre itself is such a family, I think you can feel it as soon as you step into the theatre [...] I think a lot of people in Cambridge are kind of chomping at the bit to get back to the theatre and we're really honoured to be the first show to open it, and hopefully we open it with a bang." whilst Angela Singer from Cambsnews.co.uk called Roberts "slick" and noted that his appearances on stage "never fail to get a response". Roberts has said that he likes doing pantomimes as it brings people together and his belief that there is "something for everyone" in the productions.

Acting credits Filmography

Year Title Role Notes 2011–14 Hollyoaks George Smith Regular role

Theatre Year Production Role Venue(s) 2015 The History Boys Posner Various (UK tour) 2018 The Secret Garden Colin Craven York Theatre Royal 2018–19 Aladdin Aladdin Theatre Royal, Norwich 2023–24 Mother Goose Silly Sammy Goose Cambridge Arts Theatre 2024–25 Cinderella Tess (Wicked Stepsister) Cambridge Arts Theatre 2025–26 Sleeping Beauty Happy Harry Cambridge Arts Theatre

Awards and nominations + List of acting awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result 2012 The British Soap Awards Best Actor Hollyoaks 2012 Inside Soap Awards Best Newcomer Hollyoaks 2012 TV Choice Awards Best Actor Hollyoaks 2012 TV Choice Awards Best Newcomer Hollyoaks 2025 The Pantomime Awards Best Sisters Cinderella