Lewis Richardson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ben Hull.

[5] Hull described the character's time on the serial saying that Lewis "started off as a lovely bloke but tried to murder his girlfriend and then committed suicide".

[7] Lewis has been described as a "nice guy", a "lovable rogue",[1] "hapless",[8] a "wheeler-dealer",[9] "troubled",[2] a "self-destructive soul", "messed- up",[3] a "violent thug"[4] and a bad boy.

[10] Lewis has also been branded a "heartthrob" and "hunky",[11] while his duration on the serial has been described saying he was "the boy-next-door who had a stormy relationship with Ruth, turned into a gambling, wife-beating monster and ultimately topped himself".

[12] On his character's decision to commit suicide Ben Hull said "Lewis's greatest fear was that one day he would become like his father, alcoholic and abusive - and he has".

Hull felt that the storyline was done responsibly as it "shows the reality of suicide and there are helpline numbers at the end of the programme.

Hallows decided to highlight the unglamorous side and "the full horror" of suicide, she felt satisfied that the storyline had achieved this.

[13] Describing the emotional impact the storyline had on her, Hallows said: "I saw Lewis's death being filmed and, even though I knew what to expect and what was coming next, it was so absolutely terrible it brought tears to my eyes.

Hallows hoped the scenes would have a positive impact for those facing similar problems to Lewis and would help them to talk about their difficulties.

Hallows opined that the decision for Lewis to commit suicide was made to raise awareness of the subject and not to gain viewers.

[13] The Liverpool Echo described Lewis's final scenes as "a shocking soap storyline as graphic as any ever seen on TV".

[13] Lewis first arrives in Hollyoaks as part of the Richardson family, and is protective over his sister Mandy (Sarah Jayne Dunn) because they were both abused by their father Dennis (David McAllister).

Lewis moves into a flat above the Video Shop with sisters Jude (Davinia Taylor) and Dawn Cunningham (Lisa Williamson).

Lewis begins a relationship with Ruth Osborne (Terri Dwyer), following the separation from her husband Kurt Benson, although they decide to keep it secret.

Lewis is shocked to discover that his mum Helen Richardson (Kathryn George) was pregnant with Gordon Cunningham's (Bernard Latham) child.

Lewis rescues Lucy Benson (Kerrie Taylor), Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) and Ruth from Rob Hawthorne (Warren De Rosa).

Lewis goes into business with Rory Finnigan (James Redmond), as the pair open a night-club which they call The Loft.

To repay his debt Lewis has sex with Geri Hudson (Joanna Taylor) before stealing money off her which she had made from a charity event.

They felt that Lewis hitting Ruth was "not a good move at all" and added that they would "smash both their heads together, the rotten pair".