Character Profiles

Ben O’Riley

Ben O’Riley is a 22 year old post-graduate who still lives at home.  Ben is a medium build with brown eyes and dark hair. He is also transgender and would like to undergo a sex-change operation in the future.

Since leaving university, he has a part-time job in a local call centre, and cannot afford a place of his own. He lives with his older adoptive sister as his parents are dead. Since his parent’s death, Ben’s relationship with his sister has been unstable and they tend to clash a lot as Ben can be very stubborn and argumentative. Recent events including the revelation of Ben’s sexual preference has also added a strain to their relationship as his sister does not agree with it.

Ben has felt this way about his gender for approximately the past five/six years, and his close friends are aware of his intentions. His greatest fear was telling his sister, and whether or not she would accept him for who he is. He has already lost his parents, and he doesn’t want to lose the only family he now has left.

One of Ben’s most devastating moments was the death of his parents. As both Ben and his sister are stubborn characters like their mother also was, Ben’s dad was a sort of ‘peace-maker’ in the family who Ben respected and his absence has affected personal relations in the house.

Ben has found himself in this current predicament as he chose to confine in his sister and tell her how he really feels about himself.

Maggie O’Riley

Maggie O’Riley is Ben’s older sister, who was adopted by Ben’s parents when she was young. Born in America, she moved to England with her birth parents when she was 9. Tragically they were killed not long after and she was later adopted by Ben’s late parents. She is a 32 year old teacher at a private Catholic school. She is stout, with dark hair and kind features.

She is a stubborn character and not very approachable as a person. She has quite a tough exterior and isn’t very understandable towards others. As a person, Maggie has quite traditional beliefs and values and is a very proud woman who values what her friends and others think of her. She is also willing to put the opinions of what others think of her in front of her own brother’s needs.

She is always smart and well-presented to keep up her own standards, however behind her exterior and barriers she is very scared of being alone. Over the years she has become increasingly insecure about herself, but despite this, she will constantly keep up her stern attitude to everyone.

Maggie used to be a kind, understandable being, but has been damaged by continuous distressing incidents throughout her life, including the death of her birth parents, being put up for adoption, then finally finding another set of parents who loved her to also be tragically killed.

Since her adoptive parent’s death, Maggie has felt she needs to take on the role of Ben’s mother, when really all he needs from her is to be the loving sister she once was.

Mick Morton

Mick Morton is a 23 year old mechanic and old school friend of Ben. Described as always being the ‘class-clown’, Mick is a big-hearted guy, but is still very immature for his age.

He has a big interest in cars and any related topics such as quad bikes, go-karting, etc.; which lead him on to leaving school and becoming a mechanic instead of going to university. He is also a bit of a ‘film fanatic’ and enjoys watching a variety of movies in his spare time. 

Mick has always had a close relationship with Ben and is aware and supportive of his friend’s transgender decisions. Like Ben, Mick also had a similar situation a few years back where he fell out with his parents and left home, but unfortunately was never able to reconcile the relationship. He knows that it is important that Ben tries to sort things out with his sister so he still has someone close to turn to and doesn’t lose the only family he has left.