Fair City fans are set to see father-to-be Steo arrive in Carrigstown from prison on Sunday night, with actor Gerard Jordan - soon to be a dad again himself - relishing the twists and turns ahead for his character.
Steo's arrival will turn up the heat on the love triangle that also involves mother-to-be Jess (Ciana Howlin) and her boyfriend, Greg (Shane McCarthy) - Steo's best friend.
Steo and Jess had a secret romance; she is now pregnant with his child - and in a new relationship with Greg.
In the episodes ahead, newcomer Jordan says Fair City fans will see the "intelligent" and "eager" Steo pulling out all the stops to be a part of his child's life.
"He believes that the baby could actually save his life," Jordan explained.
"I think all of it is about doing the right thing. He definitely has an interest in Jess, but he also has a massive interest in the baby.
"I think he believes he can be a good dad. Like, I don't think he had too many father figures in his life. He wants to step in and be that father figure for the baby."
In his bid to do the right thing, Steo is tested time and time again.
"He's kind of so stubborn in a way that the more they push him away, the more he wants to be in the baby's life," Jordan continued.
"The baby is definitely a way out for him and a way to get on the straight and narrow and get a job and everything else.
"You'll see in some of the episodes he's trying his best to get on the straight and narrow as much as he possibly can. It looks as if he's going to try to get a job. I would say in the past that would have never happened to him. He was always trying to find another route to make money."
The Steo-Jess-Greg storyline will be a big part of Fair City this Christmas, with Jordan promising that it will tug at the heartstrings.
"You'll see going into the New Year it kind of gets really interesting then," he teased. "He's a good character that can go any way. He can go down the bad boy route, he can go down the good boy route..."
The role of Steo comes at a special time for Jordan: in real life, he is due to become a dad again in January and has been cast in Fair City after parking his acting dream for many years.
"I actually played a character in Fair City 10 years ago!" he laughed. "I played a landlord - I was only a nipper at the time! But I haven't been in the acting industry since that time.
"I had a family and I kind of had to make a decision. The work as an actor, it's quite difficult - it's on and off, it's on and off. The money wasn't coming in consistently. I had a baby on the way and I just decided to get into sales. I've been doing well in sales, but my passion has always been acting.
"Julian Benson is my agent and he kind of kept knocking at the door all the time and saying, 'Look, we need to get you back out there'. I'll be honest with you, I kind of thought it was gone and dead. Sometimes your dreams get away from you and you just say, 'Do you know what? I don't think it's for me anymore'.
"Julian sent me for a few auditions. They were kind of out of my age gap, but he said, 'It's just to get yourself out there and get your confidence back up'.
"So he kept sending me for ads and I kept getting rejected. Then he said, 'Fair City's after coming and I think you'd be perfect for this character'. I read it and I said, 'Do you know what? I could do something with this'.
"I thought I was slightly a little bit older than him, but I did the audition and felt good after the audition and then I got a call a few days later to say I got it.
"I have to say, I was over the moon with it, I really was. I think it's the first role I've ever got where I'm kind of like, 'Jeez, this is a big deal!'.
"It's a great part and I have to say, genuinely - and I know this will sound so clichéd - the people in RTÉ and the Fair City cast and crew are absolutely amazing. The way it works... I'm thrilled to be there. Everybody has been absolutely brilliant since I arrived. [I'm] Feeling very welcome. It's a great experience and hopefully it continues now."
Asked if he has been spotted on the street yet as Steo, Jordan replied laughing: "A few of the guys were saying, 'When you get more into it, there'll be more and more people stop you on the street and stuff like that'.
"But no, nobody has recognised me yet. The only people that are loving it at the moment are my kids - they absolutely love watching it!"
Fair City airs on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
