Hollyoaks General News Thread

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Former Hollyoaks star Zoë Lister has insisted that she has no regrets over her decision to quit the soap.

The actress departed her role as Zoe Carpenter late last year, and her character's final episode was screened in January.

Lister is currently appearing in a touring production of the John Godber play Teechers, which focuses on three students and their experiences at secondary school.

Speaking to the Derby Telegraph about moving on from the world of soap, Lister explained: "I could have stayed for years and years and enjoyed a comfortable existence, but I wanted to explore new things.

"It felt it was time to go so I just ran with my instincts. Looking back, I was nervous but now I know I've done the right thing. I love theatre work. It gives me such a buzz."

She continued: "[Hollyoaks] was the break I'd been praying for. I threw myself into the part and enjoyed every minute of it. I had three superb years and it was brilliant. I know being on Hollyoaks helped me to get this part in Teechers. I am eternally grateful for the chance I was given and that's why I give everything I do 100%."

Teechers will continue to tour the UK until December.

[Perdita]

Hollyoaks star Sheree Murphy has admitted that her young son Taylor gets embarrassed when he watches her character's kissing scenes.

Since arriving in the village earlier this year, Murphy's outrageous alter ego Eva Strong has caused a stir by embarking on a secret relationship with her daughter's adoptive brother Ravi Roy and locking lips with teenager Duncan Button.

Speaking to The Mirror, Murphy confessed: "Whenever there are any love scenes, my 9-year-old Taylor cringes and says, 'I'm going to tell dad!' He's so embarrassed!"

She continued: "One of Eva's relationships was with a 16-year-old and although the actor was 22, I felt like an old nana. I couldn't imagine dating a younger man. I wouldn't be able to take my clothes off in front of them for a start! Nothing looks the same. I'm very happily married, anyway."

Murphy is currently taking a break from Hollyoaks, meaning that Eva will depart screens later this month. However, the character is expected to make a comeback next year.

Discussing her return to acting, the 35-year-old said: "I'm enjoying working and earning money. Not being in Hollyoaks all the time suits me. It's worked out perfectly."

Along with Taylor, Murphy and her footballer husband Harry Kewell are parents to 7-year-old Ruby and 2-year-old Matilda.

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Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe will reportedly take part in the new series of Dancing On Ice.

According to The Sun, the 27-year-old, who plays Mercedes McQueen in the Channel 4 soap, was photographed training at a rink in Manchester.

Metcalfe had been widely rumoured to take part in the current series of Strictly Come Dancing.

"Jen is a natural," a source told the paper. "She's doing really well and can't wait for the show. It makes up for missing out on Strictly."

Previous Hollyoaks stars to compete in the ITV skating competition include Kieron Richardson and Chris Fountain.

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Hollyoaks star Anthony Quinlan has hinted that Tom Cunningham could be at the centre of a custody battle in a forthcoming storyline.

Tom's guardian Steph Roach died in the soap's Il Gnosh blaze earlier this month, leaving the youngster's future uncertain as Quinlan's character Gilly and the rest of Steph's loved ones struggle to cope with her passing.

Speaking to Inside Soap, Quinlan admitted: "Everyone keeps asking me if Gilly's going to be the one to look after Tom.

"It's not a foregone conclusion, though, and there are going to be a few twists and turns where his custody is concerned. There could be quite a battle ahead!"

Last month, Tom's half-sister Mandy (Sarah Jayne Dunn) arrived back in the village and tension developed when she told Steph's mother Frankie (Helen Pearson) that she wanted to start taking care of him.

Since then, however, Mandy has been caught up in the drama of Warren Fox's (Jamie Lomas) return and her intentions as far as Tom is concerned are currently unclear.

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Jacqui McQueen takes centre stage in Hollyoaks next week as she faces a traumatic time in late-night special 'King of Hearts'. With Kathleen's demands for cash leaving her family in crisis, Jacqui recruits boyfriend Rhys to help raise the funds by scamming dangerous Danny Houston in a poker game. However, when Danny discovers the hapless plot, things get much worse for the pair as he orders them to repay the debt and more, leading to some sinister threats and terrible danger... Claire Cooper, who plays Jacqui, recently spoke to DS about the special episode.

When did you first hear that you'd be at the centre of this Hollyoaks special?
"We heard about it a few months ago and I was really excited but I didn't know what my involvement would be at first. As the weeks and months progressed, I heard that I would be quite heavily featured in it, but I still didn't know how much until I got the script. Normally in a script we get about 40 lines or 60 on a good day, but I had 147 lines! That's quite a lot for an episode, so I was really chuffed and felt very flattered and privileged to be given the opportunity to do so much."

Kathleen's return sparks the whole storyline - how does Jacqui feel about her being back?
"She hates her with a passion - her worst enemy ever has been dragged back! It's funny and comedic at times, but then it can get deadly serious. Kathleen's threatening to reveal the truth about Theresa being Calvin's killer and the McQueens covering it up - unless the family pay her £2,000. Jacqui just can't understand why she would do that - it's pure evil. It gets a lot more serious then and it just escalates. But Kathleen is such an interesting character and I think the audience will also see a different side to her in this late-night episode."

How does Jacqui get involved in the situation back at home?
"Jacqui, yet again, is left to pick up the pieces - the family all rely on her. Jacqui didn't even know that Kathleen was back - it's Myra that comes round even though she's still not on good terms with Jacqui, asking if she can come and sort it out. Jacqui will have to sort it out because she doesn't want to go down for it, but there's another part of her that can't help but help her family. She's very loyal - she's probably the most loyal one out of all of them, along with Myra."


Trying to scam Danny Houston is a very risky move - why do Jacqui and Rhys make such a bold decision?
"It's pure desperation. At the end of the day, if she doesn't get this two grand, they're all going down because Kathleen will definitely follow through with her threats. There's a scene with Jacqui and Cheryl where Jacqui says that she's very good at poker - she's quite confident in the game but she wants to fix it as well. But then they say it's a men-only game, so she's screwed then and she makes Rhys play instead, which is definitely a big risk!"

Danny also offers to wipe the debt clean in return for one night with Jacqui. How does Jacqui react to his indecent proposal?
"When he makes it, Rhys is being hung from a great height by Danny and his heavies - but there are witnesses around. Jacqui's a bright girl so she thinks, 'You know what? I'm going to call his bluff'. She doesn't want to sleep with him and also she knows he's not going to drop Rhys in front of so many people. So when he says it, she considers her options, weighs them up and says he could be the last man on earth and she wouldn't sleep with him!"


What happens next?
"Time ticks on and it gets a lot worse. Then she's thinking about her family, she's thinking about Rhys and she considers just putting herself on the line. It's quite admirable, but Rhys doesn't see it in that way - he sees Jacqui as his girlfriend who he adores and he doesn't want her to do something like that. Jacqui says that she can just see it as sex, but it causes a bit of an argument between them."

As the crisis comes to a head, Jacqui is held at knifepoint by Danny - can you tell us about that scene?
"Danny wants Jacqui to strip but she refuses, so he sends all these horrible heavies out of the room. She's not scared of him, but then he pulls out a knife. That changes the situation - the dynamic changes immediately. He could do something really horrible to her - it's not necessarily about killing someone, he could slash her face or anything. In a situation like that, your mind plays tricks as you wonder what someone could do to you, so when I was playing it, I wanted to show how horrendous it was for Jacqui. She wonders whether she could die like this - all to protect her family…"


How does working on a late-night episode like this compare to filming an ordinary episode of Hollyoaks?
"Well, we get so used to the everyday ones, it's almost like we're taken out of our comfort zones. It's exciting. You can take it a bit further - there's a few swear words and we can do more things, as people will see in this episode. At 6.30pm, we have to be so careful because of compliance and things sometimes get cut out. With this, we get to tell a story in more detail and sometimes a bit more true to form - showing how people do respond, as obviously we can't show too much at 6.30pm! It's nice to have that freedom and the opportunity to play with it."

Is more time spent on a late-night episode like this, or is it still a similar schedule?
"Well, it's an hour-long episode so it took slightly longer, but the scheduling works exactly the same. We're on a tight ship here and we have a lot to do - especially as I was about to go on holiday to America when we were filming it! I was doing long days and was very grateful that they allowed me to get to America in the end!"

Did you film any scenes with Donna Air, who guests as a glamorous drugs runner in the episode?
"I didn't have any, unfortunately! But we did get to have a good chat and she's absolutely lovely. It was a pleasure to have her on board."

What's it been like to work with Darren Day, who plays Danny?
"He's been a pleasure to work with. You can sometimes have preconceptions about people because of newspapers and things like that, but I generally try not to read things like that and use my own judgement by taking people on their own merit. He's a fantastic actor and he's not what people think he's like. I've thoroughly enjoyed working with him and I wish he could be here more. He's a great asset to Hollyoaks. I think people give him a hard time and I just hope this is a fresh start for him because he's a very good actor and he deserves to be out there."

[Perdita]

Jacqui McQueen has returned to the forefront of Hollyoaks this year - and judging by some of the comments from fans on the DS forums and Twitter, it's been one of the most popular decisions made by new producer Paul Marquess.

Jacqui's new romance with Rhys, rivalry with Bart and rocky relationship with the rest of her family have all made for some exciting and interesting scenes over the past few months - and as always, the fantastic Claire Cooper has been a joy to watch.

I recently interviewed Claire about Jacqui's role in Hollyoaks' upcoming late-night special 'King of Hearts' - and you can read the main chat by clicking here.

Read on, however, for loads more Hollyoaks chat from the star…

Rhys and Jacqui's relationship is proving really popular with Hollyoaks fans - are you enjoying it and are you pleased with the reaction?
"Yes, definitely! We were just talking about this on set. When the relationship first started, we didn't know how they were going to gel and how it was going to work, because people were such fans of Jacqui and Tony. Some people still ask me if those two are going to get back together, but people are really taken with Rhys and Jacqui and it's really good to play. I love working with Andy and he brings so much to the set every day - his energy is fantastic. We have good banter and he understands how I like to work, and I try to understand how he likes to work. It's a nice collaboration and we try to make it funny, emotional, hard-hitting, three-dimensional and as interesting for the audience as possible."


Ste and Brendan have been christened 'Stendan' and on Twitter recently you were looking for an official name for Jacqui and Rhys - has one been chosen yet?
"We had Ja-Rhys - a bit like Ja Rule - and we had Racqui! It'll be interesting to see what people want to call us! I quite like Ja-Rhys because it's a bit like a rude girl sort of thing! We've had quite a few suggestions!"

What's the atmosphere like at work now that Hollyoaks is back on form and receiving a lot more praise?
"It's lovely for us all to be back up there again. Everyone is working incredibly hard - the producers are working non-stop doing crazy hours, and so are the writers and actors. We're really pulling it together because we want to be up there. We have been up there before and we are again now - I think we're really pulling it out of the bag. We've got some great actors and I think we're offering the audience something really exciting."

Jacqui has featured in the show a lot more since Paul has taken over, hasn't she?
"She has! When Paul came in, nobody knew what he was going to do, but he seemed to like what I did and he's worked on it and developed it. Paul has really taken me under his wing, he's worked me so hard and he's given me opportunities that I could only have dreamt of. I think that Jacqui's one of those characters who, if she isn't on screen for a while, it takes the audience time to warm to her again. But when they do, they find her funny, they find her interesting and I try to give them as much as I can. I try to tame Claire back because I'm a really emotional, sensitive person and very different from Jacqui, so I do work hard and I feel very privileged."


The issue between Jacqui, Myra and Bart is still ongoing - will there be any resolution there?
"I think there'll be something that will happen, but the audience will have to wait and see! Things have to pass in some way or form, and they do. But only until the next time! Something else always happens with the McQueens! Jacqui absolutely adores her family. She might not adore Bart, but she adores the rest of them and would do anything to protect them. Myra knows this and that's why she always comes back to Jacqui for help."

Have you enjoyed working with Jonny Clarke, who plays Bart?
"Oh, Jonny's lovely! He's such a sweetheart and we have so much fun. I do have to throw him about a lot - when you see it on screen it's just for a minute, but when it's take after take, it feels like it's all day long! The poor lad - I've scratched him and my rings have got on his face and all sorts. I keep saying, 'Are you alright?' and he says, 'Yeah, yeah, it's fine!' He goes home bruised and battered!"


Where does Jacqui go from here?
"There's going to be something really exciting in the New Year, but I can't say anything about it. But it's going to be very exciting and I hope the audience will be hooked. There's also lots of good stories coming up for the other characters from the bits and pieces that I'm hearing. The place is buzzing and I think people need to keep their eyes on Hollyoaks because it's going to be a fantastic year."

Away from Hollyoaks, you run a designer dress hire boutique called The Closet with Jennifer Metcalfe and Leah Hackett - how it's all going?
"Oh, just brilliant! We've just launched a new website and I'm so excited. It's going really, really well - we recently dressed Deniece Williams for the MOBOs in two of our dresses. The business is based in Liverpool but we want to be a website company so our new site shows the exact measurements of each dress, so if someone's in Scotland or in London they can take down the measurements, measure themselves and they'll know whether the dress is going to fit. We don't want the website to be about us, we want it to be about the dresses - it's about people getting fabulous dresses worth thousands of pounds for £100 a night, or whatever it is for that particular dress. I think it's the way forward, to be honest, as you only wear dresses once or twice and it's such a waste. It's hard work and it's all hands on deck, but we're all really enjoying it."

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Interview with Guy Burnet

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/in...uy-burnet.html

[Perdita]

Hollyoaks star Gemma Merna has revealed that she recently found a suspicious lump hidden behind one of her breast implants.

The actress, who plays Carmel Valentine in the Channel 4 soap, told the News of the World that she'd always worried that her implants may hide a lump and so went for a check-up straight away.

"I do check my breasts regularly. But I'd always worried that because of my implants I wouldn't be able to find any lumps that may be there. And the one I did find was just under my implant. I was getting my make-up done at Hollyoaks when I noticed a tender area under my left armpit. So I just felt the area and found a lump.

"It was only quite small but I was scared. I was worried it had been there for ages. That was really terrifying, knowing something could be growing but hidden because of the implants. I did panic but I put the word cancer to the back of my mind.

"I wasn't daft, I knew I had to get it checked out straight away. I saw my GP that day. He said he needed a second opinion and got me an appointment at Ormskirk and District General Hospital within a week. It was very fast. That's when the fear set in."

Merna, who is currently planning her wedding to fiancé Ian Minton, added that the lump turned out to be benign tissue but stressed the importance of young girls checking their breasts regularly.

The soap star recently admitted that she is "freaked out" by the strange fan mail she receives.

DS

[Perdita]

Bronagh Waugh has revealed that she would like Hollyoaks bosses to explore the past of her character Cheryl Brady.

Speaking to Digital Spy on the red carpet at the British Soap Awards, the actress admitted that she is keen to learn more about what makes her alter ego tick.

Waugh explained: "I would love that - I'm really, really crying out for my own storyline. I've been there for two years now and I'm always getting lots of great stuff to do, but it's always kind of in the background of other people's stories.

"I've come up with a few ideas and I've spoken to producers, so hopefully they'll find something for me, because I'd really like to find out what her background is because I think it's quite interesting why she is the person that she is.

"There might be a few secrets in there, so I think that would be really interesting to explore - why her and Brendan are the way they are. Is it something to do with their family or their dad?"

Asked whether Cheryl can forgive Brendan following her recent discoveries about him, she replied: "Oh, I hope so. It's her brother and the two of them have this beautiful connection in which they're always linked, so I think she will forgive him.

"It's not about him being gay why she's upset - she's upset about all the lies. And I think he's going to work really hard to make it up to her, so fingers crossed it'll be on the up because they make a great team - they're very strong when they work together, so hopefully they'll work things out."

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Many soapland actresses have a tendency to be rather glamorous, particularly those who appear in Hollyoaks.

Okay, so Jacqui McQueen may lack a little sartorial elegance, but Claire Cooper, who plays her, is far more glamorous in real life than her on-screen alter ego.

"I'd describe Jacqui's style as hideous!" the actress told Inside Soap. "My look has changed over the years, but now I know what I like and what suits my body shape. I've got quite an athletic figure and don't have very big boobs, so I go for something that flatters me and might add a little curve."

Meanwhile, Jennifer Metcalfe admits she had liposuction last year because she didn't like the size or shape of her hips.

Defending the move, she said: "I think surgery is a really personal decision that only you can make. If there's something on your body you really don't like, it doesn't matter if your mother doesn't see it or your boyfriend doesn't see it - it's what you feel comfortable with."