John Pickard, known for his roles in 2point4 Children and Hollyoaks, is nearly unrecognisable 16 years after leaving the Channel 4 soap. Now 48, the London-born actor played Dom Reilly in Hollyoaks for five years until his character was imprisoned in 2010 for an arson attack on his half-brother's restaurant.
From BBC sitcom to soap exit
Pickard first gained fame as a young actor in the BBC sitcom 2point4 Children, starring alongside Clare Buckfield as Jenny. The show ran for eight series during the nineties before ending in 1999, following the working-class Porter family and their frequent misfortunes.
Today, he sports a bald head and a more mature style, having stepped away from the showbiz spotlight.
Family life and brotherly support
Off-screen, Pickard keeps a low profile on Instagram, where he occasionally shares glimpses of his family life with his 3,000 followers. Last December, he posted a photo of his young daughter, born when he was 42, in a woodland cabin. He has also shared holiday snaps, including a trip to Iceland in 2022.
He supported his brother, 51-year-old Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard, during Nick's appearance on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2023. John wrote: "Proud of you Bro int Jungle. Don't forget to vote @nickpickardofficial @imacelebrity "keep him in there!" Nick, who has played Tony Hutchinson since the show's first episode in 1995, finished in seventh place; the series was won by Made In Chelsea star Sam Thompson.
Behind the camera career
Beyond acting, Pickard has built a career in production. Three years ago, he celebrated graduating from Goldsmiths, University of London with a Master of Arts in Screenwriting. Marking the delayed ceremony, he joked online: "Master of Farts. @goldsmithsuol Our delayed graduation after the cove-19. Love to those who got me through, shared the strain and the pain of too many zoombie lessons. Big love to the cohort of 20-21."
His graduation was congratulated by celebrity friends, including former EastEnders stars Martine McCutcheon and Dean Gaffney, and ex-Hollyoaks actors Jamie Lomas and James Redmond.
Today, Pickard works as a producer at BearJam, an award-winning independent creative video production agency. A recent video caption introducing him said: "Meet John - one of the powerhouse producers behind the scenes at BearJam. From pre-prod to post, he keeps the creative wheels turning and the chaos under control (mostly). Got a question about life on set? Drop it below!"
BearJam also lists former TV star Trey Farley as a director. Farley, married to former Blue Peter presenter Katy Hill, appeared as Taz in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham and presented BBC's Saturday morning show Live & Kicking in the early 2000s.
