Hollyoaks had its fair share of explosive storylines last year, with everything from tragedy, romance, and scandal.
And it looks like 2023 will be even more dramatic as bosses line up some nerve-wracking plans in a row that will keep viewers hooked for months to come.
In recent episodes, poor Diane was shot with a crossbow by Tony’s evil half-brother Eric during the terrible siege in The Dog.
Drama: It looks like 2023 will be even more dramatic as Hollyoaks bosses string together some nerve-wracking plans that will keep viewers hooked for months to come.
While Juliet struggles to cope with her cancer diagnosis, there are scenes of her trying to cope with her family and her romance with Peri Lomax.
And Hollyoaks producer Lucy Allan has hinted at what’s to come for these characters, while also teasing out the twists and turns that other villagers will face in the upcoming scenes.
Here we take a look at the five major storylines that will captivate fans of the Channel 4 soap.
Julia’s cancer story
While Juliet (Niamh Blackshaw) is still adjusting to her life since being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, Lucy teased to Metro.co.uk that fans are watching a heartwarming special featuring the teenager and her on-off friend Peri (Ruby O’Donnell ) will see.
Lucy told the publication: “It’s a huge emotional story. We talked about Juliet: the fighter! It was important to us that Juliet didn’t lose Juliet through this story. What I can tell you is that we’re going to Brighton to film a special episode for Juliet and Peri – we really wanted to see their happiness as a couple. We know they’re huge fan favorites, people love them together.”
Synopsis: While Juliet (Niamh Blackshaw) is still adjusting to her life since being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, Lucy teased that fans will see a heartwarming special episode involving the teenager and her on-off friend Peri
She went on to say that while viewers haven’t fully turned on Nadira (Ashling O’Shea) in the midst of her affair with Juliet, fans are still rooting for Juliet and Peri as their long-running romantic arc continues.
And as Juliet stays strong in her battles with cancer, her emotions turn to anger and she questions the unfairness and injustice of her diagnosis.
Fans will also see Peri handling the situation not only as Juliet’s partner but also as a nurse and how she navigates the two.
Meanwhile, Juliet’s plight also challenges her brothers James and Romeo and mother Donna-Marie (Lucy-Jo Hudson).
Fight: Juliet remains strong in her battles with cancer, her emotions turning to anger, and she questions the unfairness and injustice of her diagnosis
Lucy shares how the mother-daughter relationship is “challenged” throughout the story after Donna-Marie’s absence has made up much of Juliet’s life, and how she copes with it when her daughter needs her most.
In contrast, it was Romeo (Owen Warner) who was always there for his little sister, and viewers will see how he struggles to cope as the character deals with his new romance with Rayne (Jemma Donovan). distracts.
Lucy goes on to praise Juliet actress Niamh Blackshaw for her “extraordinary performance” in terms of her performance, before concluding that Julie and Peri will meet an “extraordinary character” during their trips to Brighton.
She says the girls will bring the character back to the village, teasing that the person is a familiar face who recently won another show.
Evil Eric’s fate
In the dramatic pub siege scenes, Eric (Angus Castle-Doughty) was shot by the police after shooting Diane (Alex Fletcher) with a crossbow.
However, Eric was not killed (like many soap villains are) as the bullet misses when he is tripped by Maxine.
Lucy reveals that Eric’s not dying is intentional as it then gives the character a chance to face his problems, with the producer going on to say that “as Incel, if he doesn’t succeed, he wants to die” – that’s what she intends to do not given him what he considers a “victory”.
“As an Incel, if he doesn’t succeed, he wants to die”: Lucy reveals that Eric intends not to die, as it gives the character an opportunity to face his problems
She explained how bosses wanted to be “careful” not to “sensationalize” the plot, but to make sure “justice was done in the right way.”
She said: “For us, the right way would be not to let him die. It was important to us that he wasn’t given that. We’ll also play justice against Eric for our community, but also some of the realities of who Eric is. This is a deranged, damaged person who has victimized himself, so we’re going to look at that too.’
What’s next for Mason?
Fans have seen 15-year-old Mason (Frank Kauer) become involved in the misogyny/incel storyline after being groomed and manipulated by Eric, with Lucy revealing that they didn’t want to “rogue” the online world, but instead wanted to start conversations around the world issues.
After the siege and the discovery of his involvement in Eric and the Men’s First Forum, Mason’s sisters Lizzie and Serena are disowned by him, while his parents Honor and Dave refuse to go to the police – which only angers their daughters more.
Drama: After the siege and the discovery of his involvement in Eric and the Men’s First Forum, Mason’s sisters, Lizzie and Serena, are rejected by him, while his parents, Honor and Dave, refuse to go to the police
Lucy told Metro of the episode: “We’re going to see a big journey for him and explosive fallout in this family as a result of all that comes out. Whether you’re the 15 year old or the parents, the lack of knowledge you might have about the online world and where people live is fascinating to behold.
She also opened up about how the Hollyoaks writers were fascinated by what happened when Mason’s online world was taken from him and how he’s dealing with it, teasing that we’re “not quite at the end” of Mason’s story – adding that the latest developments are a ‘big climax’ but not the end.
Darren and Charlie (and Nancy’s departure)
With actress Jessica Fox temporarily leaving to welcome her first child, it means her character Nancy will also be leaving the village for a while.
But Dancy fans can rejoice as Lucy confirmed that Nancy and Darren won’t be breaking up (again!) but that there is a “challenging reason” why the teacher has to go.
After Nancy left, Lucy shared how the soap will explore the mental health of teenagers in the Osborne household, and how Darren and Charlie are coping without “the rock” that is Nancy.
Leaving soon: Dancy fans can rejoice as Lucy confirmed that Nancy and Darren won’t be breaking up (again!) but that there is a ‘challenging reason’ why the teacher has to go
Storyine: With Darren embroiled in a huge, emotional depression storyline last year, the soap opera bosses were keen to highlight the reality of mental health, noting that “it’s not just there and gone.”
With Darren embroiled in a huge emotional depression storyline last year, the soap bosses were keen to highlight the reality of mental health, noting that “it’s not just there and gone.”
Sienna and Ethan (and their not-so-happy life after)
With a turbulent love life during her years in Hollyoaks, the show bosses don’t plan for Sienna (Anna Passey) to have a happy ending any time soon.
Lucy recounts how Hollyoaks plan to take time to “invest” in the couple while seeing the “dynamic” mix, while Ethan (Matthew Bailey) tries to be a stepfather figure to Sienna’s children, with her father Warren (Jamie Lomas) is in the way.
But the couple faces a bump in the road, but it won’t be Warren who comes between them, but a new character coming to the village with “explosive consequences.”
The producer teases that Ethan has a plan for the newcomer that’s “downright awful,” which will lead to some big “challenges” for him and Sienna in the coming months.
Hollyoaks airs weekdays from 6:30pm on Channel 4.