Jump to content

Hollyoaks: Discussion Thread


Toups

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Thanks for the article. I didn't know Marquess worked with Brian Park at Corrie. The Deirdre in prison story was a huge national event at the time.

I think some of these culls leave some long term damage. Eastenders has never been the same without Kathy, and a few other characters from that era could have stayed (like Sanjay and Gita). Overall it was probably a success. I do think they do a disservice to Thelma Barlow (Mavis on Corrie). They imply she was fired for being past it. She actually quit the show because she was upset when they wrote out her husband on the show, Derek. She's continued to act regularly since leaving the show -- just a few years ago she did well in a Doctor Who episode (she was in the one where her scientist husband did experiments to become young; he did, but he also became a monster, and killed her).

These days new producers don't cull soaps as much, but there is so much dead weight at Hollyoaks, I won't be surprised if the axe falls, unless they don't have the budget.

Can anyone tell me about Marquess's time at Family Affairs? I wish that show were available. It was on for 7 years yet I have almost never seen any of it. The closest you get is some of the clips of the lesbian stories on the show.

Edited by CarlD2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 3.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Members

For a while they suspected his father of killing her, but finally he came forward and was eventually found to be acting in self-defense and a state of fear. When he went back to the place where she'd drowned, her mother showed up and almost drowned him. Then they had a heart-to-heart, and she accepted what happened, but said she could never forgive him for leaving her daughter there.

There's a long writeup here on the Murray family.

http://www.brooksidesoapbox.co.uk/page61.htm

The little boy who played him, Ray Quinn, was runner-up to Leona Lewis on the X Factor and won Dancing on Ice last year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator

Thank God!!! Lucy's tenure was soooooo boring. Hope this new guy makes the show more exciting. Since UK soaps are always planned so far in advance, I'm going to assume Lucy's stuff will last air around May or June? That's so far away. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Sunday start for new 'Oaks chief

Incoming Hollyoaks producer Paul Marquess is due to begin work at the soap only two days after his appointment, Digital Spy can confirm.

Yesterday, Marquess was announced as successor to Lucy Allan who quit her role as the Channel 4 serial's leading producer after only 12 months in office.

DS today learned that Marquess will take the reins at Hollyoaks' set at Lime Pictures in Liverpool tomorrow morning.

The cast and crew of the Chester-based soap have been drafted in for a weekend's filming following several days of disruption due to the recent snowy weather.

Marquess is expected to introduce himself to the rest of the Hollyoaks team at some point in the day, before acclimatising himself to his new surroundings.

A source today told DS: "It's all been a very quick turnaround at the top. There'll be a short handover period, but Paul officially takes the helm on Monday and he's really looking forward to the challenge."

Speaking of his new appointment yesterday evening, Marquess said: "I'm a huge soap fan so to be handed the reins of Channel 4's flagship teen drama is not only a huge challenge but also a massive honour."

Marquess's previous television credits have included Brookside, Family Affairs, The Bill and Footballers' Wives.

Edited by dannigold
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

They're not wasting any time! Usually transitions are longer. Even Kim Crowther, whose tenure at Corrie won't be remembered with fondness, is not actually leaving until mid-year.

So the stories Allan had planned will be significantly changed then?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

LOL! They couldn't wait to get rid of Lucy Allan! :lol:

I'm assuming he'll be planning stuff for when her material runs out, unless he can somehow tweak her latter stuff that maybe hasn't been shot yet.

This should be an interesting year for most of the UK soaps, as EastEnders, Corrie, and Hollyoaks are getting new producers.

Edited by Y&RWorldTurner
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I wonder what will happen with the Flash Forward episode which not only was six months in the future, but would be spinning off yet another story, the Who Killed Calvin story. As for the cast, I do worry about which characters will stay and which will go. It needs a revamp, but I'd like certain regulars to stay...

- The McQueens

- Tony, Dom, Cindy and Holly

- Steph, Darren, Frankie, Jack and Newt (I don't care for these characters, but I know they've been around for years and people enjoy them)

- Lauren and Sasha, the two remaining Valentine's

- Josh, Amy, Ste and all of their kids

- In the college sect I'd keep Hayley and Dave. Not sure I even remember who else is in the halls. Oh I'd keep the girl who shits on herself too. She reminds me of Jessica.

- My babys dad Zak needs to stick around, along with Elliot, Malachy, Kris and Nancy

- Since Kris seems to mainly date girls, why not keep Ravi and develop a male love interest for him? Dump Anita.

Those are the people I'd like to say off the top of my head. I'm sure I'm forgetting one or two people. Overall they have a decent cast that needs better storylines, but there are certainly gaps that need to be filled. I just hate that this show in particular seems to constantly have people coming and going. With the young focus I expect that, but when revamping the show they need to develop some of the older characters like Darren, Steph, Zak, Nancy, etc. so they can have a strong group of characters going into their mid-20s-early 30s if we're looking to the future.

Glad to hear this guy has mostly positive feedback. I'm willing to accept major changes even if they suck. I just want someone with a bold vision and attempts to do SOMETHING. Lucy Allan seemed to be piggy backing off of Kirkwood's material. None of her new characters were anything special and her stories were dull. I couldn't tell you what her vision was for the show. Just to keep it moving I guess. But when the ratings dropped to around 700,000 or 800,000 in December I knew she'd be gone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Ravi is a very bad actor and I don't think he's all that believable with men or with women. If they're going to have a gay relationship, which I hope they do, I think they need to bring someone new in. I can also see someone like Ste in this type of story.

Lauren is OK but I wouldn't mind seeing the back of Sasha. The girl who plays her is not capable of carrying stories. The only time I was interested in her was when she was with Fletch, and that was ruined when they wrote Fletch off in such a shoddy way (the character deserved better). Everything with Sasha, Warren, I thought it was a mistake.

I think you could write out Frankie and Jack and Newt (although Newt must be popular with teens and tweens) without a real loss. I loved Jack but Bryan Kirkwood ruined him. He also ruined Frankie. She was a bitter harridan for his entire tenure and it's been hard to see her as anything different.

Kirkwood was lucky in that he left the show with his reputation intact, but his 2008 HO was highly flawed. The story pacing was not good. Niall's story went on and on. Popular characters like Hannah, Justin, and Russ barely had anything to do the entire year. Tony, who had once been a funny and quirky character, became walking misery. Jacqui, a great character, was really damaged by his storytelling, which made her all about Tina's baby. Louise/Warren was repetitive and plot-driven and depressing. The Kieron/John Paul relationship was one of the most oddly written romances ever -- they would be friends, then the characters would vanish for weeks, then they'd sleep together, they'd vanish again, they were in love, and so on. Most of the important scenes were never shown. Then when Craig returned, he and John Paul were rushed together without any of their baggage being explored, and Kieron was killed off as an inconvenience. The character could have been so much more, he had ties to many others, like Ste, and the actor, Jake Hendriks, was charming and handsome.

Worst of all was the small little moments were lost, like the conversations people used to have. This especially affected the McQueens, who barely even tolerated each other and only had the occasional scene which wasn't shouting and crying. Everything which had made them stand out in 2006 and 2007 was gone. Jacqui and John Paul had maybe two or three scenes the entire year.

I think the show had become very depressing and sparse, and needed a change, but unfortunately, Allan seemed to just think bringing in endless teens and "comedy" stories was the answer.

Anyway, here's another Marquess article, from 2002.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2002/feb/18/mondaymediasection6

Edited by CarlD2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I think the show lost a lot of heart when OB left, and then when Max was killed off months later. I understood why it happened, since Jeffries and Littler wanted to move on, but I thought Max and OB brought a lot of heart to the show and their friendship was the strongest relationship on the show for years.

I didn't realize how much I've missed them until they were gone.

2006 and ESPECIALLY 2007 were dynamite years for Hollyoaks, mostly everything clicked and the main storyline were all must see. I think Hollyoaks in 2007 was one of the best years I've ever seen on any soap.

Things started to falter a bit in 2008, but I still thought the show was entertaining. Lucy Allan just made the show lots more aimless and her stories adn new characters were so poorly developed.

I'm interested in seeing Kirkwood's work on EastEnders, which is a totally different animal from Hollyoaks. I think he's a very strong storyteller, but it should be fun to compare and contrast it with his time on Hollyoaks.

Edited by Y&RWorldTurner
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

You're right, losing Max and OB, especially the way it happened, hurt a lot. But this also reinforced just how devoid the canvas had become of friendships and bonds. Stuff like Nancy/Sarah/Hannah, which was often Nancy and Sarah running around, "What about ME?", were not an adequate replacement.

2007 was a very good year for the show, I think the one downside is Kirkwood seemed to think it was the big events which made that year stand out, when I think it was the day to day relationships moreso than plot twists.

He's got his work cut out for him, because Eastenders is seen as being in a good state right now. I think there's plenty of room for improvement, I hope he won't continue the stunt-driven, depressing storytelling which often has no followthrough (like Lauren running over her father).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • They didn't need to have some slutty gay dude as their representation. Just a 'normal' guy getting involved with another guy or two (or three). Just like the straight characters. Thinking about it, they missed the boat by not having a few other single charcters at the beginning. Maybe Naomi or Ashley could be shown meeting Derek/Jacob and  we could follow their romance. Too many characters were coupled up at the start. As a tattoo hater I was surprised to see Tomas so inked. Don't find it attractive or sexy. I'm surprised an actor would do that as it's definitely a statement and may not be appropriate for some roles. Suppose they can cover if necessary. I didn't buy Kat being all girly and then paying off Darius to get into Eva's room. Way too cliche. She should have just come along when the housekeeping was leaving and breezed in saying it was her room. And her smug looks in the hotel room and 'Now I've got you!!' talks to herself at Orphey Gene's...no.  
    • Omg I was so annoyed. Like girl calm down. Coming on way too strong. Omg I forgot about this

      Please register in order to view this content

    • I thought it got stale before Jocks death lol. His death picked things back up for me.
    • 1976 Pt 5 Tony is summoned to the reading of the will in the Llanfair library,as he’s a principal in the will. He tells Joe there’s not a chance of coming to terms with Dorian, as he is sure she brought about Victor’s death by torturing him emotionally when he was her helpless prisoner after his stroke. Ironically, Chapin hand delivers to Viki a letter her father wrote before his stroke, praising Dorian and asking Viki to befriend and support his widow when he was no longer there. Viki feels a responsibility to her father’s wishes and vows to try with Dorian. Victor’s will leaves the expected amounts to members of his family and staff, with the lion’s share of his stock and property going to Dorian. Victor’s will explains that his son Tony expressed the desire that he not be “bought from the grave,” and, in keeping with his son’s wishes, the only bequest to him is the knowledge of his father’s love and respect. Tony is deeply moved. Dorian’s first attempt to use her new power is the recommendation of Peter as head of the Merideth Lord Wolek hospital wing, claiming that naming Larry would be virtual nepotism. Peter, who has devoted considerable time and effort to helping Jenny get over Tim’s death with gentle, affectionate support, is happy at this suggestion, but Jenny points out Dorian is merely using him to hurt Larry. Viki disregards Dorian’s ingenuous assurances that she’s not trying to wield her new power but is merely putting Peter up for consideration for a future opportunity, if not this one, and tells her she won’t be able to fulfill her father’s desire that they be friends unless Dorian stops interfering. Larry, fully understanding Dorian’s personal motives, warns her he’s going to fight for the appointment no matter what. Realizing that she has made a tactical error, Dorian announces that she won’t even attend the board meeting but will give her proxy to Jim. She admits to Matt McAllister, still her confidant, that this was humiliating, but it was a necessary protective tactic. Dorian manages to win her next round at Joe’s office when, after he praises her decision to yield on appointing Peter, she expresses concern for Viki “at a time like this.” Joe, of course, jumps on her words, and Dorian, pretending great distress at having mentioned something she shouldn’t have, is “forced” to explain that she knew about the congenital heart condition Megan had and that any child of Joe’s is likely to inherit it. She overheard the doctors discussing it at the time of the accident, she continues, and naturally assumed that Joe already knew.  Joe arranges a meeting at home with Viki and asks her how she could live a lie like this; how she could go through their lives as if everything were fine while every moment was a lie. He is further upset when, in trying to explain that it was out of her love for him that she kept the truth from him, she mentions that Jim and Larry also know but Cathy still hasn’t been told. Viki tells Joe that Dorian deliberately told him this way to hurt their marriage, and she is very upset when he starts toward the door, pleading that they have always talked things out in the past. Joe coolly points out that she didn’t do that when she learned about Megan and continues out the door.  A tearful Viki is shaken and when Joe later returns, having spent several hours in a bar drinking only soft drinks,she breaks down, crying that she was convinced he’d left her. Joe assures her they can get through this despite everything, because their relation is based on love and mutual respect. 
    • If you think about it, DALLAS and DYNASTY grew stale right about the same time, even if the ratings were slow to reflect that.  FC and KL, on the other hand, tried to stay fresh, but KL was way more successful at it, I think, than FC.  (That [!@#$%^&*] with The Thirteen does not hold up well, lol).
    • GH 1976 Pt 8 Heather takes advantage of the situation by asking Jeff to come and look at Tommy. She uses sympathy, compassion, and her own feminine wiles, together with his misery and his pills, to lure him into bed. Later, sober, he apologizes. Learning from Pearson that Monica has seen a divorce lawyer, Jeff confronts her, and she insists it’s a lie. Avoiding his attempts to kiss her, she musses her hair and tears her blouse, then rushes to Rick’s, claiming that she can’t stay with that maniac any longer. They wind up in Rick’s bed, and after making love he confesses he always loved her. Rick replies to her question of whether he wants to marry her by saying he has to talk to Jeff. Monica insists that Jeff not bear any pressure from their problems. As she leaves, Rick gives her a key to his apartment. Jeff, having spent the night drinking, misses his surgical assignment, and Steve, informing him that his personal life can’t interfere with his profession, puts him on suspension. Rick can’t persuade Steve to reverse his decision, but Mark, sensing what’s at the heart of Jeff’s problem, convinces Steve to lift Jeff’s suspension and transfer him to Mark’s service. Rick asks for his key back, telling Monica they can’t do anything as long as she’s under Jeff’s roof. So she has a duplicate made and moves into intern’s quarters, explaining that Jeff’s violence drove her out. She tells Jeff she needs privacy to work things out, and tells Rick Jeff wanted her out. Thinking that this is the preliminary to a divorce, Rick tells her she can come to his place. In New York, Leslie’s abortion is delayed by a mix-up in scheduling, and she calls Terri to commiserate. Rick overhears Terri’s conversation and forces the whole story from her. He flies to New York to stop Leslie, feeling responsible for pointing out how evil Cam was, and arrives to find that she has decided she can’t deny her child the right to live. Monica, meanwhile, expecting that Rick will be home, uses her key to let herself into his apartment and is shocked to find Mark there; knowing that Mark was uncomfortable at the hotel, Rick offered Mark use of the apartment in his absence. Monica is upset to learn that Rick is in New York with Leslie, and Mark doesn’t know why. Mark does advise Monica to play fair with Jeff, but she resents his interference. The next day, while covering for Leslie at the clinic, Monica discovers Leslie’s lab test report and jumps to the conclusion that the baby is Rick’s. When Rick and Leslie return, Monica wastes no time in accusing him. He is dismayed to see that she is still as suspicious and possessive as she was before he went to Africa, and points out that her making a duplicate  key proves she hasn’t changed. Terri encourages Leslie to see Rick in a romantic light and then suggests to Rick that Leslie is interested in him. Rick likes this idea and tells Mark he’s growing ‘unwilling to cope with Monica’s unreasonable demands. But Monica immediately recognizes the threat Leslie represents and decides to attack. She goes to Leslie and tells her flatly that she and Rick are having an affair and he’s her exclusive property. Leslie, who realizes she has been falling in love with Rick, is hurt, and Rick is mystified when he feels Leslie pulling away from him. Monica’s big moment comes when she brings Rick a housewarming gift and seduces him into letting her stay overnight. She is in the bedroom when Leslie stops by to apologize for refusing his dates, and makes a dramatic entrance into the living room draped in Rick’s bathrobe. Leslie turns and runs out. Rick later informs her he’s disappointed in her, because she prejudged Monica and him rather than giving him the benefit of the doubt. Heather tries to arrange another tryst with Jeff, but he replies that he still loves his wife. Heather decides there’s only one way to get Jeff to be pregnant with his child. She manages to overhear Monica putting Jeff down by telling him he no longer turns her on and should look for someone he does. Heather goes to Jeff and tells him that she heard Monica and that she is the one he’s looking for. She manages to get him into bed again, and sweetly assures him this is right. She then sets the stage for future meetings. Steve, meanwhile, offers to help Monica and Jeff work out their problems. Jeff is willing, but Monica turns the idea down. Instead, she presses Terri to convince Jeff to end the marriage. Terri now knows that Monica isn’t a good wife for Jeff and promises to try. But Jeff makes it clear to Monica that he still loves her and won’t let her go. She is bitter and upset, as she has already implied to Rick that she will soon be free. Audrey is upset to find that Florence Andrews has been inquiring about Tommy and herself. She goes to Florence’s home and finds she’s away now. Florence has gone down to Mexico to sign a sworn statement that she purchased a false death certificate for Tom, to protect his son after his wrongful conviction. Tom, learning from her that Steve and Audrey are to be married and Steve is planning to adopt Tommy, tells  Florence not to do anything, as there’s still no assurance that he’ll ever get out. But the judge does accept the statement, and, ironically, on the day that Steve  and Audrey are married, Tom is released from prison.
    • 1976 Pt 12 Final part Laurie agrees with Stuart that Peggy is rushing into marriage to prove that the rape didn’t ruin her life.  She points out that the only way Peg can be sure is to make love with Jack before the wedding. Stuart admits she’s right but points out that he can’t suggest that to Peggy. As the wedding approaches, Peg seems happy that Jack’s become close to the family. However, her happiness is shattered by a nightmare in which her loving bridegroom turns into a leering Ron Becker, forcing her to cancel the wedding. Jack reassures her he’ll wait as long as it takes, and Chris confides that she and Snapper didn’t consummate their marriage on their wedding night because of her own rape experience, but Peggy tells Chris she might never be ready.  Despite her desire to keep Karen as her own daughter, Chris helps a police artist create a sketch of Nancy so it can be printed in the newspaper as part of a search for her. When the attempt proves fruitless, however, Chris asks Greg to file application for permanent custody of the child. Greg points out that adoption is the only way to prevent Ron from returning and claiming the child, and that it will take quite a while. Meanwhile, a nurse in the psychiatric ward sees a resemblance  between the newspaper drawing and her autistic patient, Mrs. Jackson, but since “Fran” doesn’t respond to the name Nancy and no one else sees the similarity, she fears she’s mistaken. Jill is horrified to overhear Kay, when brihging baby Phillip a Christmas gift, telling the child she remembers the night he was conceived. Kay has to then admit to Jill she saw her with Phillip in the bunkhouse that night. Jill is aghast to realize that Kay new the truth all along and put her through such agony in spite of it, denying her baby his father’s name. Lance tells Laurie they’ll marry on Valentine’s Day. He laughs that it’s corny but agrees, secretly wishing it were sooner, as Vanessa has vowed to prevent it. Indeed, Vanessa makes an unprecedented venture out of the house to visit Brad, telling him to rebuff any advance Leslie might make to him, as she’s reaching out to him only from a sense of duty. But Laurie then makes a concerted effort to reach Vanessa. Without being sure why she’s trying so hard, she tries to assure the woman she’s not losing Lance and she, Laurie, will help her find a plastic surgeon somewhere who can help her. Grudgingly, Vanessa seems to be reconsidering her view of Laurie, and Laurie is delighted when Lance offers her a choice between two diamond necklaces, explaining that her preference will be Vanessa’s Christmas gift. Learning from Les about Brad’s blindness, Stuart tells Brad he could have turned Leslie away only out of great love. Knowing that Les is going to see Brad again, Laurie warns him not to bring the baby into their discussion, as Leslie will come back only she’s convinced he loves her, not for the babies sake. Leslie finds Brad disheveled and sloppy, and proceeds to straighten the apartment, stating that she can't respect him if he lets himself go. Realizing that neither Brad nor Les will make the first move, Laurie hurries things along by refusing to help Brad with his grooming, saying he should ask his wife. Then, having learned  that Brad offered Les the use of their piano, Laurie untunes the Brooks' piano forcing Leslie to accept his offer. By refusing to cater to his  blindness, Les manages to get Brad to stop wallowing in pity, and by the time Leslie’s Christmas braille message of her love and her need for him arrives, they are husband and wife again Lance takes Laurie on a business trip on New Year's Eve, and tells her, on board his plane, she won't be  won't be able to call him “Mr. All Talk and No action” after tonight. When Laurie protests that waited this long and will continue to wait until married, Lance delights her by instructing his pilot to land in Las Vegas, where they are married immediately.
    • Yeah, not sure why Jack and Jen didn’t rush to Marlena - or even Carrie - to offer their condolences. A few flashbacks would've been a nice touch too. Instead, we got a whole episode of them talking about Chad and Abby? Come on. On the bright side, I loved Anna’s scenes with Marlena and Carrie - sweet and heartfelt, felt like a real 80s throwback.
    • Martin and Smitty were designed to avoid the stereotype of gay men sleeping around (which to an extent is true). If you recall Martin had a line about them not being open when Chelsea came to talk to him. The producers are walking a very fine line right now and it might not be popular to say but I can understand it. Establishing enough footing to ward off complaints will let them showcase gay characters more openly later.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy