PASSIONS' James Hyde welcomes the opportunity to finally move forward with his character Sam's romance with old-flame Ivy.

"We've been ready for it for a long time," enthuses Hyde. "All the fan mail I've been getting has definitely wanted Sam and Ivy to get back together, so we're happy to be able to give the fans what they tell us they want. The prospect of two people who have been kept apart for so long for so many reasons falling in love with each other all over again is a great storyline."

Hyde likens the chemistry he and co-star Kim Johnson Ulrich (Ivy) have fashioned between their characters to a modern-day Odd Couple — which isn't necessarily that off the mark considering Sam's blue-collar, middle-class life as small-town police chief and Ivy's blue-blooded past.

"Kim is an absolute pleasure to work with. One thing that people don't realize about Kim is that she's really funny! She's got a great sense of humor, and that lends itself to our scenes. We had a scene where Ivy burned up all of Sam's shirts and blamed it on the iron — she said 'This iron hates me' — which I thought was totally hysterical. I've certainly been learning from Kim as we go."

As Sam and Ivy rekindle their romance, Hyde enjoys the dramatic tension that lays beneath them. "I'm waiting for the time when Grace discovers the truth about Ivy's manipulations of her and David and comes back to convince Sam that Ivy is responsible for all of this." Or even better, "I'd love to see Sam finally snap from everything everyone has put him through, and go totally over the edge. We need to get Sam on a rampage!"