Tom Cunningham is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ellis Hollins.

With Tom being a young child for most of his tenure, his early years featured minimal storylines, including the numerous death of his family, being abused by Clare Devine (Gemma Bissix) and having various guardians including Steph Cunningham (Carley Stenson) and Jack (Jimmy McKenna) and Frankie Osborne (Helen Pearson).

Other storylines have also included his friendships with Nico Blake (Persephone Swales-Dawson) and Dylan Jenkins (James Fletcher) and his relationships with Peri and his foster sister Jade Albright (Kassius Nelson).

Tom departed the village with Half Sister Cindy Cunningham in the episode aired on 4 September 2024, in an unannounced departure.

The actor's drama teacher Judith Barker learned of the part through an agent friend and put him forward for the role.

Gordon's daughter Dawn Cunningham (Lisa Williamson) died of leukaemia two years before he was born, the suicide of Helen's son Lewis Richardson (Ben Hull) in 2001, Helen and Gordon are killed in a car crash in 2004 and Tom survived the crash.

Some time after, Mandy cannot cope looking after Tom and hands him over to Gordon's son Max Cunningham (Matt Littler).

Max and best friend Sam "OB" O'Brien (Darren Jeffries) raise Tom in their flat.

When Mandy's baby daughter Grace Hutchinson dies due to S.I.D.S, Tom looks for a mother figure in Clare.

Clare draws on the walls of Max's flat and pours water on his bed sheets and blames Tom's misbehaviour.

Weeks later, Clare tells Tom that he was the cause of his parents' death, and would eventually kill Max.

Max begins to get close to Steph Cunningham (Carley Stenson), who Tom develops a crush on.

Gilly Roach (Anthony Quinlan) tells Max that Simon has images of Tom in his swimming costume on his computer, believing he may be a paedophile.

Steph grows closer to Niall, but ends their romance when she catches him angrily grabbing Tom.

Steph takes Tom on holiday to Scotland with her brother Craig Dean (Guy Burnett).

Steph then begins dance classes, which Tom and niece Holly Hutchinson (Lydia Waters) attend.

However, Tom then later confides in Frankie Osborne (Helen Pearson) about what happens to people after they die and he begins to believe that he is seeing Warren's ghost.

Tom, Frankie, Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna) and Darren then watch a farewell video from Steph which she filmed weeks before.

The girl is revealed to be Frankie's granddaughter, Esther Bloom (Jazmine Franks) and she eventually moves in with the family.

Dodger Savage (Danny Mac) gets a call about it so he sends his and Sienna's father, Patrick Blake (Jeremy Sheffield), who knows about her fake pregnancy, down to check on it.

When Tom tries to comfort an upset Peri, the two end up having sex, but soon after they say that they should never mention it again and that it won't happen again.

Harry Thompson (Parry Glasspool) accidentally sends the video just as Peri gives birth to a baby girl.

The culprit is revealed to be Peri, but Tom is unaware that she is responsible for posting pictures on-line, humiliating him.

On New Year's Eve, the Osbornes return to the village and it is revealed that Jack murdered a boy when he was young and falsely imprisoned his brother for it.

In October 2017, Tom attends Jade's memorial at Hollyoaks High when an explosion caused by Mac occurs.

Tom gains consciousness and tries to escape from the building, along with Alfie, Peri and Lily, but the roof collapses, trapping them.

When Cindy makes a speech at the opening of her new business, Tom grabs the microphone off her and reveals to the guests that she stole his money.

In August 2018, Tom is horrified when he discovers that the Cunninghams' lodger, Milo Entwistle (Nathan Morris), is responsible for the car accident that killed his parents.

[3] Ruth Deller of entertainment website Lowculture included Tom in one of her monthly columns featuring popular and unpopular soap opera characters.

Criticising Tom she states: "For a little while, it seemed as though the Birdseye Botherer had disappeared from the planet, but no, he's back to taunt us, this time with his underage drinking and the overreaction to it.