Phoenix's storylines in the soap have included being adopted by the Osbornes following the death of his mother, his relationships with Imran Maalik (Ijaz Rana) and Oliver Morgan (Aedan Duckworth/Gabriel Clark), being bullied by Juliet Nightingale (Niamh Blackshaw), becoming pregnant and putting his son up for adoption and coming to the realisation that he is non-binary, but later transitioning to a trans man and changing his name to Phoenix.

Grant has expressed gratitude for being able to portray the character due to the explorations of Brooke's autism, non-binary identity and later transition to a man.

As Grant is autistic and trans, he was glad to convey these qualities through the character, hoping he could act as representation for those respective groups of people.

[1] Kirkwood added: "every light shines brighter, every smell is stronger – and every word [he] takes to heart that little bit more.

[1] Further details about his introduction were released on 1 July 2018, and it was revealed that Phoenix is the child of Fran Hathaway, who murdered Becca Dean (Ali Bastian) in 2007.

[4] Digital Spy stated that for Nancy, Phoenix would serve as a "permanent reminder" of Fran murdering her sister and hinted that there would be "tough times" ahead.

The actor also applauded the programme for embracing his character, commenting: "I think it's really good that Hollyoaks has been able to represent an autistic person, because it is bringing so much awareness and I've had people reach out to me.

Grant added that it was important for an autistic actor like himself to portray Phoenix due to the deeper understanding that someone with autism would have.

Grant's mother Carrie echoed his comments, adding that it was a special experience and that having Tylan alongside them "made it like it was more home-life than work!

He stated that it had taken a toll on Phoenix's emotions, but that ultimately, the decision to leave Oliver was right due to the situation being "destructive" for the character.

When asked what advice he would give Phoenix, Grant replied that he would tell him that "this is just a chapter of your life, and it can feel like more, but the only thing that is certain is that nothing is certain.

[8] When Grant transitioned to a trans man in real life, it was confirmed that his character would take "centre stage in a heartwarming scene" in September 2023.

Grant also revealed that Hollyoaks had originally chosen for his name to be River, but due to the introduction of Rayne Royce (Jemma Donovan), they felt it was too similar and chose Phoenix instead.

[9] Phoenix's name change is understated on screen as opposed to being a big storyline, which Grant appreciated due to being in a "climate that is very scary to live in for a lot of trans people".

Phoenix also forms a connection with Imran Maalik (Ijaz Rana), but ends their relationship after finding out that he has been abusing his mother Misbah (Harvey Virdi) and sister Yasmine (Haiesha Mistry).

In a piece on the character, Jay Tee Rattray, an autistic person who advocates for disabled representation in media, praised Phoenix.

Rattray explained that "there was no weird voice, no blank expression, it was completely natural", and that unlike other television series, there were obvious signs that Phoenix is autistic without it being stereotypical.

Rattray felt that other forms of media tend to portray autistic characters as emotionless and appreciated that he is different.

Rattray also applauded the way Hollyoaks handle Phoenix's direct nature, writing that it would be easy to make it a source of comedy or drama, but they do not.

[10] For his portrayal of the character, Grant was nominated for Best Soap Newcomer at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards; he came in eighth place with 3.9% of the total votes.

[14] Grant was also shortlisted for Celebrity of the Year at the National Diversity Awards, who stated that he "made history" for being the first BAME actor to portray an autistic character in a mainstream drama series.