In August 2002, McGann was nominated for an Echo Entertainment Award for his portrayal of Sean. Billy Sloan of the Sunday Mail said McGann's character "achieved notoriety when he had a steamy, marriage-wrecking affair with upper-crust Lady Tara Thornfield". The Daily Mirror's Sally Morgan branded Sean a "love-cheat husband with a selfish streak who cared little for his own kids." While Tim Randall of the Daily Record called him a "love rat".
