Hollyoaks marked a major milestone this week as cast, crew, and fans gathered at St George’s Hall to celebrate 30 years of the Channel 4 soap with a glittering Liverpool screening, while teasing a dramatic storyline involving a Brookside crossover that will leave fans reeling.
The red-carpet screening on Monday night brought together stars past and present, with familiar faces including Gemma Bissix (Claire Banks-Devine), Tamara Wall (Grace Black), Kieron Richardson (Ste Hay) and Chelsee Healey (Goldie McQueen) among those in attendance.
They were joined by Anna Passey (Sienna Blake), Georgie Porter (Theresa McQueen), Alex Fletcher (Diane Hutchinson), Ruby O’Donnell (Peri Lomax) and Kirsty-Leigh Porter (Leela Dexter). Long-time favourites Jessica Ellis (Nancy Osborne), Nick Pickard (Tony Hutchinson) and Ellis Hollins (Tom Cunningham) also took part in the celebrations, alongside former stars Gemma Merna (Carmel McQueen), Duncan James (Ryan Knight) and Jamie Lomas (Warren Fox).
Channel 4’s chief content officer Ian Katz opened the evening with a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the show’s dramatic legacy, revealing that in three decades Hollyoaks has featured 57 births, 88 marriages, 51 broken engagements, 294 deaths and 13 serial killers, quipping that the fictional village of Chester is “about ten times more dangerous than Tijuana, Mexico, the murder capital of the world.”
The upcoming anniversary storyline promises high drama, centring on the wedding of Tony and Diane Hutchinson, a celebration that quickly spirals into chaos when a plane crash devastates the village. At least three characters are expected to meet a tragic end, in what producers describe as one of the soap’s most ambitious stunts to date.
In a rare move, episodes will only air at 7pm on E4 throughout the anniversary week, with Channel 4 opting not to release them early online in a bid to preserve the element of surprise.
Adding to the excitement, the celebrations will also feature a special crossover with iconic Liverpool soap Brookside. Fans will be treated to a reunion between beloved Brookside legends Sue Johnston, Ricky Tomlinson and Louis Emerick, more than 20 years after the show ended.
The Brookside special episode, featuring a crossover with Hollyoaks, will air on E4 at 7pm on Wednesday, 22nd October.
Photo Credit: Dave the PaP
READ MORE: Brookside return date has been confirmed for the Special Crossover Episode
