Hollyoaks Later

Last updated

Hollyoaks Later
Genre Serial drama
Starring Series 1 cast
Series 2 cast
Series 3 cast
Series 4 cast
Series 5 cast
Series 6 cast
2020 Special cast
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series6
No. of episodes31 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers Lucy Allan (series 1)
Bryan Kirkwood (series 2, 2020 Special)
Paul Marquess (series 3)
Claire Fryer (series 4)
Jane Steventon (series 5–6)
Camera setup Multiple-camera setup
Running time60 minutes
Original release
Network E4
Release24 November 2008 (2008-11-24) 
6 January 2020 (2020-01-06)
Related
Hollyoaks

Hollyoaks Later (originally Late Night Hollyoaks) [1] is a British television spin-off of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks . The series allows for more sexual content, 'edgier' storylines and stronger language than Hollyoaks. The show was on hiatus from 2014 to 2020, where it returned on 6 January 2020 for a one-off episode focusing on the conclusion of Breda McQueen's (Moya Brady) serial killer storyline. [2] [3]

Contents

Concept

Hollyoaks Later was devised after Hollyoaks had improved ratings. Tony Wood, creative director of Lime Pictures the production company of Hollyoaks, explained that it was decided that Hollyoaks would be expanded on because of its increased audience. [1] Camilla Campbell, the commissioning editor for drama at Channel 4, said that Hollyoaks had grown up in "eyes of the viewers" and had begun being taken seriously by the television industry and critics. This meant that a late night slot for Hollyoaks allows for writers and producers to take "the drama to another level and show some willies and fannies, whilst also keeping the fun playfulness that Hollyoaks fans love". [1] The series is darker in tone than parent show Hollyoaks and "explores issues difficult to dramatise in-depth before the watershed". [4] Lime Pictures described the show and its purpose saying that "the series delves deeper into the lives, loves and misdemeanours of the Hollyoaks regulars, shedding their teen image as they look to find their feet away from the Village". [5]

Series 1

On 5 June 2008 it was announced that a spin-off of Hollyoaks had been commissioned and would begin filming in September to transmit in November. It was confirmed the series would air on a post watershed slot on E4 for five episodes of one hour airing consecutively over five nights. [1] It was revealed that four storylines would occur throughout the series: Craig Dean (Guy Burnet) returns to save Steph Dean (Carley Stenson) during a cliff-top confrontation, an unlikely marriage between Malachy Fisher (Glen Wallace) and Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe), the debut gig of Hollyoaks' band the Dirty Diegos and the students of Hollyoaks Community College go on a road trip. [1]

Series 2

On 3 August 2009 it was revealed Hollyoaks Later had been recommissioned for a second series to air in September. The series again follows four storylines: siblings Hannah (Emma Rigby), Josh (Sonny Flood) and Rhys (Andrew Moss) go to a music festival, Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) and Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) marry, Sarah Barnes (Loui Batley), Zoe Carpenter (Zoë Lister) and Lydia Hart (Lydia Kelly) go to boot camp which ends with "nightmare consequences" and Theresa McQueen (Jorgie Porter) and Michaela McQueen (Hollie-Jay Bowes) go to London. [6] On the series, producer Bryan Kirkwood said: "We've selected some of the best loved Hollyoaks characters, put them in romantic, funny and dangerous situations and I'm hoping viewers love the result". [6]

Series 3

On 19 April 2010 it was announced that Hollyoaks Later had been commissioned for a third series to air in October. Paul Marquess produced the series and explained that it had been "seamlessly integrated" with the main show. [7] Roberto Troni, Channel 4 commissioning editor, said the storylines "will be a cocktail of fun, glamour and grown-up drama". [7]

Series 4

On 4 March 2011 it was confirmed that Hollyoaks Later would return for a fourth series to air in September. Hollyoaks series editor Claire Fryer produced the series working alongside Hollyoaks executive producer Tony Wood and Carolyn Reynolds. [8]

Series 5

On 18 May 2012 it was announced that Hollyoaks Later had again been recommissioned, with a fifth series due to air in September. Characters to be involved were revealed to include Brendan Brady (Emmett J. Scanlan), Mitzeee (Rachel Shenton) and Hollyoaks Sixth Form College students. [4] Producer Emma Smithwick revealed that the storylines had been in the planning process for a while. She added that the episodes "will give the characters a whole new playing field in terms of how we tell their tales". [4] Marianne Buckland, commissioning editor for Channel 4, said that the series "represents the next turn of the wheel for the brand and promises a glossier, more grown up feel. By their very nature, the lateness of Later allows us to be that little bit more risky and with Brendan Brady at the helm, a character so suited to a post-watershed stint, this year is more dark and dangerous than ever". [4]

Series 6

A sixth series of the spin off was announced on 12 June 2013. Long term character Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) will be reunited with former friends Kurt Benson (Jeremy Edwards) and Rory "Finn" Finnigan (James Redmond) as well as his brother Dom Reilly (John Pickard) "on an epic ride of Hangover-style proportions". [9] They will also be joined by Trevor Royle (Greg Wood) and guest star Danny Dyer. [10] Other storylines include Esther Bloom (Jazmine Franks), Tilly Evans (Lucy Dixon), Callum Kane (Laurie Duncan) and Holly Cunningham (Wallis Day) celebrating an 18th birthday "...in a rip-roaring plot as they all find danger in a cabin in the woods." [11] Meanwhile, Theresa McQueen (Jorgie Porter) will join up with a new recruit of the McQueen clan on a wild road trip. [9] Jane Steventon, who took charge of last year's successful series, will once again be the show's producer. The series will be executive produced by Hollyoaks boss Bryan Kirkwood. Kirkwood commented: "We are very happy to announce the commissioning of series six of Hollyoaks Later. It is a returning series that gives an annual late night treat to loyal Hollyoaks fans."

2020 Special

On 20 September 2019, it was announced that Hollyoaks Later would be making a one-off return in January 2020, which will focus on the conclusion of Breda McQueen's (Moya Brady) serial killer storyline. Joining Breda, characters such as Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe), [12] Sylver McQueen (David Tag), [13] and Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher) [14] will be involved. Other likely characters to appear are Breda's daughter Goldie McQueen (Chelsee Healey), and Breda's current pig-farm hostage, Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard). Tony's half-sister, Verity (Eva O'Hara), will also be making her first appearance in the late-night episode. [15] It has been promised that the special one-off edition will feature much "blood and gore" [16] and "a lot of violence", with the episode revolving "around the McQueens a lot". [13]

It has been revealed that a huge fire will break out at Breda's pig farm, leaving several characters in danger. [17] [18]

It has been confirmed that the episode will debut at 9pm on E4, on Monday 6 January 2020, [15] with a repeat at 11pm, Tuesday 7 January 2020 on Channel 4.

The episode is written by Heather Robson and directed by Neil J. Wilkinson. [19]

Casting

For each series of Hollyoaks Later cast members from Hollyoaks are selected by the producer of Hollyoaks Later Naim Ahmed to appear as their characters. [6]

Bronagh Waugh was cast as Cheryl while Melissa Walton was cast as Loretta Jones for guest roles in the first series. Shortly after their roles series producer Lucy Allan introduced them as series regulars in Hollyoaks. [20] Karen Hassan also appeared in a guest role in the first series of Hollyoaks Later as Lynsey. [21] Two years after her role in Hollyoaks Later Hassan reprised the role and was introduced to Hollyoaks by series producer Paul Marquess. [22] For the second series Nicola Stapleton was cast in a guest role as the friend of Cindy Cunningham, Savannah. [23] Alison Burrows was also cast as the mother of Theresa McQueen, Kathleen McQueen, for a role in the second series of Hollyoaks Later which was planned to introduce the character before she joined Hollyoaks in a regular role. [24]

The first series featured a cameo from British girl group The Saturdays. [25] Singer Bonnie Tyler was asked to appear in the second series for a cameo role which she initially rejected before being persuaded to appear when offered a singing role. [26] For the fifth series British rapper Lethal Bizzle was cast in a cameo role playing himself in scenes which featured him performing for a special VIP gig which Hollyoaks fans were offered the chance to attend. [27]

Transmissions

SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodes
1 24 November 200828 November 20085
2 28 September 20092 October 20095
3 25 October 201029 October 20105
4 5 September 20119 September 20115
5 17 September 201221 September 20125
6 7 October 201311 October 20135
Special 6 January 20201

Reception

Rebecca Bowden of Yahoo! said that she "absolutely love[s] the late night Hollyoaks episodes and although they can often be filled with plotlines that verge precariously on the unbelievable side, they are also always packed full of drama, emotion and more explosive content than can be broadcast during the show's usual earlier weekday slot". [28]

Related Research Articles

<i>Hollyoaks</i> British TV soap opera (since 1995)

Hollyoaks is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera Brookside. From 2005 to 2023, episodes have aired on sister channel E4 a day prior to their broadcast on Channel 4. In 2023, Hollyoaks was removed from Channel 4's early evening schedule, but remains on E4 and Channel 4's on demand service with episodes now uploaded to YouTube. At its inception, the soap was targeted towards an adolescent and young adult audience but it has since broadened its appeal to all age groups. Hollyoaks has covered various taboo subjects rarely seen on British television, for which it has received numerous awards. It has won the award for Best British Soap twice, in 2014 and 2019; its first win broke the 15-year tie between rival soap operas EastEnders and Coronation Street. Beginning with a cast of 15 characters, it now has upwards of 50 regular cast members. The longest-serving actor is Nick Pickard, who has portrayed Tony Hutchinson since the first episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandy Richardson</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Mandy Richardson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Sarah Jayne Dunn. She first appeared on 7 October 1996 and has been involved in various storylines, including dealing with sexual abuse while she was a child by her father Dennis, the suicide of her brother Lewis, and an on-off relationship with Tony Hutchinson before the couple married. Mandy had a miscarriage causing her to hit Tony. Mandy and Tony had a daughter together who they named Grace, only for her to die from sudden infant death syndrome. This led to the character and Dunn's exit from the serial in 2006. Dunn made a brief return in 2007 before making a return for six months in 2008. Dunn reprised her role as Mandy in 2010; in September 2011, Dunn announced her departure from the soap, and Mandy made her last appearance on 2 September 2011 before departing off-screen. Dunn later returned to her role in the sixth series of Hollyoaks Later in October 2013. In June 2017, it was announced that Dunn had reprised the role again and that Mandy would appear from July alongside Luke Morgan, played by Gary Lucy. Mandy returned on 26 July 2017. In November 2021, it was announced that Dunn's contract with Hollyoaks had been terminated due to starting an OnlyFans; viewers of the soap criticised the decision and Dunn herself voiced her disappointment with the production team. Her final scenes aired on 27 December 2021, and Mandy was given an off-screen departure on 31 January 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Hutchinson</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Tony Hutchinson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Nick Pickard. His first appearance on-screen occurred on 23 October 1995, the inaugural episode of the programme, and is the longest-serving character in the soap. The character was created by Phil Redmond, as one of several main characters for the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ste Hay</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Ste Hay is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kieron Richardson. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 10 February 2006. Ste was created by David Hanson and was originally intended to be a short-term character for seven episodes. The following series producer Bryan Kirkwood decided to bring the character back on a permanent basis. As of 2010, Richardson has revealed that he is committed to staying in the serial. In April 2017, Richardson began taking hiatus from the show due to paternity leave, and made a full-time return on 18 December 2017. In October 2019, it was confirmed that Richardson will take a hiatus from the show departing on 20 November 2019. He returned on 3 November 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqui McQueen</span> UK soap opera character created in 2006

Jacqui McQueen is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Claire Cooper. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 26 September 2006 and was introduced by series producer Bryan Kirkwood as part of the McQueen family. Cooper has stated that whilst Lucy Allan produced the serial she was not used and that Jacqui had "lost her identity". In 2010 when Paul Marquess took over the role, he recognised she was an under used character and split her apart from the McQueen family, subsequently increasing her role within the show. Jacqui has been portrayed as a "tough ex-con" and is extremely feisty, she often takes on the matriarch role within the McQueens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niall Rafferty</span> UK soap opera character, created 2007

Niall Rafferty is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Barry Sloane. He first appeared during an episode broadcast on 3 December 2007. Former Brookside actor Sloane was cast as the "mysterious" hairdresser Niall and was introduced by the series' producer Bryan Kirkwood. During Sloane's portrayal of Niall on-screen, he was central to a storyline involving the already-established McQueen family and it was revealed Niall was the illegitimate son of Myra McQueen. The storyline featured Niall seek revenge on the McQueens, which concluded in highly advertised episodes featuring Niall kidnapping his siblings and causing the death of his half-sister Tina Reilly. Niall was portrayed by upcoming actor Devon Jackson, the older brother of Hollyoaks actor Kieron Richardson, in flashback scenes depicting Niall's childhood.

<i>Hollyoaks Later</i> series 2 UK television soap opera (Sep–Oct 2009)

The second series of Hollyoaks Later is a British television series which ran for one week starting 28 September 2009. Hollyoaks Later is a spin-off of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diane Hutchinson</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Diane Hutchinson is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Alex Fletcher. The character made her first appearance on 1 September 2010. Diane was introduced into the series by Hollyoaks' executive producer Paul Marquess, during his rejuvenation of the show. Marquess axed numerous characters and replaced them with new families. Fletcher began filming in June 2010, the same month her casting was publicised. Diane was introduced with her husband, Rob and stepchildren, Sinead and Finn O'Connor. The O'Connors are one of three families that were introduced 2010. Diane is characterised as a "loving wife" and a "devoted stepmum". Fletcher initially hoped that Diane would be likeable, despite her over the top demeanour. Fletcher believed Diane has a good relationship with her step-children and was loathe to portray her as "the wicked stepmother".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amber Sharpe</span> UK soap opera character, created 2010

Amber Sharpe is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Lydia Lloyd-Henry in 2010 and Lauren Gabrielle-Thomas in 2014. The character was introduced as a member of the new Sharpe family, as part of series producer Paul Marquess' rejuvenation of the serial in 2010. She made her first on-screen appearance on 21 June 2010. Amber's storylines have included sleeping with Finn O'Connor and subsequently discovering she is pregnant and giving birth to her daughter Bella.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Costello</span> UK soap opera character, debuted in 2010

Carl Costello is a fictional character from the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Paul Opacic. The character was introduced by executive producer Paul Marquess and he debuted on screen during the episode broadcast on 19 July 2010. Carl arrived in the village as the new owner of The Dog in the Pond and the father of established character Jem Costello. Carl departed from Hollyoaks on 1 December 2011 with his son Jason Costello. Opacic later reprised his role and returned to Hollyoaks on 26 September 2012 and left again on the 5 October 2012. Opacic reprised his role once more in January 2013, which coincided with the exit of Mitzeee Minniver. He returned on 25 January 2013 and departed again on 15 February 2013. Opacic returned again for a guest appearance on 10 July 2018, which ended in his character being murdered by an unknown assailant on 11 July of that year. He reappeared via a flashback on 16 November 2018, which revealed Breda McQueen to be his killer.

Hollyoaks began airing on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 23 October 1995. The show targeted teenagers and initially dramatised the lives of seven teenagers living in Hollyoaks, a fictional suburb in the city of Chester in Cheshire, England.

<i>Hollyoaks Later</i> series 4 Season of television series

The fourth series of Hollyoaks Later is a British television series and late night spin-off of Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. The series aired in September 2011 at 10pm. The series revolved around Silas Blissett's search for another murder victim which culminated in the death of Rae Wilson, the stag do of Riley Costello, the hen party of Mercedes McQueen and Ricky Campbell and Duncan Button's trip to fat camp.

"Enjoy the Ride" is a storyline from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, broadcast between 12 and 16 November 2012 on Channel 4. The storyline focuses on the double wedding of Tony Hutchinson and Cindy Cunningham alongside Ste Hay and Doug Carter. Jono and Ruby Button plan to elope to Gretna Green so Maddie Morrison steals a minibus. Bart McQueen and Esther Bloom plan to stop the wedding. They momentarily distract Maddie, causing her to swerve off the road. Maddie is unable to stop due to the minibus' faulty brakes and crashes into the venue of the double wedding, endangering the wedding party and the occupants of the minibus. The minibus later explodes, causing further danger for the characters. The storyline was announced by the Daily Star on 21 October 2012. They reported that the disaster is the biggest in Hollyoaks yet. Steven Roberts, who plays George Smith, said that after the crash "no one will be the same, everyone is going to be affected by it in some way". To promote the storyline a televised advertisement was shown, featuring clips filmed specifically for the trailer. It revealed no details about the plot and was instead about the subtext of the storyline. Filming took place on location at Knowsley Hall, which Pickard described as a "very grand setting for a big Hollyoaks disaster". The scenes were filmed over a full week with two days dedicated to the stunt sequences. The filming of the stunts used dummies and stunt doubles and employed a mix of CGI effects and live action.

<i>Hollyoaks Later</i> series 6 British television series (2013)

The sixth series of Hollyoaks Later is a British television series and late night spin-off of Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. The series consists of five episodes, which aired from 7 October to 11 October 2013, on E4. The series transmitted to concur with the main show's eighteenth anniversary and acted as "a celebration of Hollyoaks past and present". These celebrations included several former cast members returning for the series as part of original character Tony Hutchinson's storyline. These returns included Jeremy Edwards, James Redmond, John Pickard and Sarah Jayne Dunn.

Hollyoaks Later (<i>Hollyoaks Later</i> episode) Episode of Hollyoaks Later

"Hollyoaks Later" is a late night episode of the television series Hollyoaks Later, a spinoff of the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, which was aired on 6 January 2020.

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