Brookside is a British television soap opera, set in Liverpool, England, which began on the launch night of Channel 4, 2 November 1982. It ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003. It was produced by Mersey Television and conceived by Grange Hill and Hollyoaks creator Phil Redmond.
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.
Kurt Benson is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Jeremy Edwards. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 23 October 1995. He was created by Phil Redmond as one of the serial's original characters. Despite the character's supposed death in 1999, Kurt returned in 2020 as part of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary, with the explanation being that he faked his death.
Lucy Benson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kerrie Taylor. Taylor appeared from the first episode on 23 October 1995. Taylor later quit the role with the character leaving in January 2000 when she went travelling. The character's storylines included a heroin addiction. The character has been described as a "good daughter" type who changed becoming a "hopeless addict".
James "Jambo" Bolton is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Will Mellor. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 October 1995. Jambo was one of the show's original characters. Mellor left the cast in 1998. In 2004, Mellor reprised his role briefly for a Christmas special episode.
Helen Cunningham is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Kathryn George. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 20 January 1997. Helen was centric to several storylines including her marriage with Gordon Cunningham, dealing with the suicide of her son Lewis Richardson and her daughter Mandy Richardson's abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, Dennis Richardson. Producers also created an advanced maternal age storyline for the character, where she becomes pregnant with Gordon's child and gives birth to Tom Cunningham. In 2003, writers featured Helen in an infidelity story with Tony Hutchinson. Helen and Tony, who is younger engage in a sexual affair which nearly ruins her on-screen partnership with Gordon.
Dawn Cunningham is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Lisa Williamson. Williamson was cast as one of the original characters on Hollyoaks in 1995, and was the first member of the Cunningham family to arrive in the village, before the introduction of her family. However, she left in 1997 when the character died following a battle with leukemia.
Robert "Rob" Hawthorne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Warren Derosa. Derosa first appeared in the role in January 1996 before the character departed, making his final appearance on 31 December 1999. The character is known for his status as a villain, with Derosa describing him as a "theatrical villain".
Lewis Richardson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Ben Hull. Lewis was introduced by Phil Redmond as part of the Richardson family. Lewis made his first on-screen appearance on 6 November 1995 before departing on 15 October 2001. Lewis was initially a "good bloke" but changed, becoming like his abusive father Dennis Richardson. Lewis's exit from the serial was devised by series producer Jo Hallows who decided to kill Lewis on screen as part of a suicide storyline. The storyline was devised to show the "full horror" of suicide.
Ruth Osborne is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Terri Dwyer. She first appeared in January 1996 as the cousin of Natasha Andersen, and departed in 2001. She made guest appearances between 2003 and 2004, and another in 2008. Dwyer expressed interest in returning full-time in 2009.
Carol Groves is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Natalie Casey. Carol first appeared in the serial on 22 January 1996. In August 2000 it was announced that Casey had quit the role and would film her final scenes at the end of the month. Carol remained with the serial until 11 December 2000 when she left the village to never return.
Maddie Parker is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks, portrayed by Yasmin Bannerman. She first appeared on 23 October 1995. She remained in the role until 1997 when she quit the role. Maddie left Hollyoaks on 18 August 1997.
Paul Collins is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Jim Wiggins. One of the show's original characters, Paul debuted during the episode broadcast on 2 November 1982. Wiggins was cast by Brookside creator Phil Redmond and Janet Goddard. Paul is introduced as the husband of Annabelle Collins and father to Gordon Collins and Lucy Collins. Paul is characterised as an unlucky character who has been made redundant from a lucrative management role. He is forced to move to a small house on Brookside Close and change his lifestyle. Writers made him appear as a product of a different generation and an ex-army officer who had a sense of discipline instilled in him. Wiggins has described Paul as "aloof" and "conservative", which made viewers unsympathetic to his plight.
Jonathan Gordon-Davies is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Steven Pinner. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 6 April 1987. Pinner was cast in the series after a period of unemployment and he credited the role as being his saviour from depression. Jonathan is characterised as an upper class solicitor from a wealthy family in London. Writers created Jonathan alongside his fiancée Laura Wright. Together they represented the young urban professionals (yuppies) of 1980/1990s British society. The two characters move into number nine Brookside Close, the house previously occupied by similar upper class character Heather Haversham. Writers created a wedding story for them, which was broadcast on 11 August 1987 and commemorated the 500th episode of Brookside. Jonathan was portrayed at odds with his interfering father-in-law Geoff Wright. He would invite himself into Jonathan's home and perform DIY home improvements to Jonathan's chagrin. His faulty repair of a light switch causes Laura to electrocute herself and fall down some stairs. The story formed Cunliffe's departure from the series after less than one year on-screen. Laura was killed off in January 1988, but writers decided to develop Jonathan's character further.
Petra Mary Taylor is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, played by Alexandra Pigg. One of the show's original characters, Petra debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 23 November 1982. Brookside is set in Liverpool and Pigg is a Liverpudlian from Knotty Ash. Her casting was announced on 5 October 1982 and she spoke optimistically about joining the show. Petra is characterised as a moody typist working at an insurance office. Petra is introduced into the series alongside her husband Gavin Taylor. The Taylor's problematic marriage causes Petra's moodiness and writers scripted her transformation into a tragic character.
Hollyoaks began airing on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 23 October 1995. The target audience was that of teenagers and it initially dramatised the lives of seven of that age group who lived in Hollyoaks, a fictional suburb in the city of Chester in Cheshire, England.
Jo Hallows is a British television producer and director, best known for her work on Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks and BBC drama series Grange Hill. Hallows was also Head of Drama Production at Mersey TV.
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.
