# UK Soap and Drama Discussion > Hollyoaks > Spoilers >  Hollyoaks lines up hospital killer mystery for 2015

## Perdita

Hollyoaks bosses are lining up a huge new mystery storyline which will see a killer strike at the local hospital.

Scenes airing in the New Year will see a sinister incident occur at Dee Valley Hospital as a lethal injection is administered to one of the patients.

Viewers will only see the gloved hand of the unknown culprit committing the deadly deed, leaving fans to wonder who could be responsible.

Digital Spy understands that the mystery of the unknown killer will be one of Hollyoaks' major long-running storylines for 2015.

As the plot develops, it becomes clear that someone with access to the patients believes they have a right to decide who should live or die.

With show chiefs lining up several twists and turns for the storyline, it's only a matter of time before the killer strikes again and a number of characters could find themselves in danger.

The shock plot will form part of Hollyoaks' increased focus on the hospital set, which was extended last year as a replacement for the SU Bar and student halls.

A number of new characters like Dr S'avage, Kim Butterfield and Celine McQueen will all have prominent storylines at the hospital, alongside established regulars like Tegan Lomax and Lindsey Butterfield.

----------

lizann (04-11-2014), tammyy2j (05-11-2014)

----------


## xx_Dan_xx

Reckon Tegan may be the victim as she'll be a patient. Just a wild guess though.

----------


## lizann

is silas returning?

----------


## tammyy2j

> Reckon Tegan may be the victim as she'll be a patient. Just a wild guess though.


I hope not I want her with Ziggy now

----------


## Perdita

Hollyoaks aired some of its biggest ever episodes this week as Carmel McQueen had a tragic departure in the show's train crash stunt, bringing in the show's highest E4 ratings in three years.

Looking ahead, the drama in the village is far from over as show bosses have lined up an equally-dramatic exit for Mercedes and some must-see festive specials this Christmas.

Digital Spy recently caught up with Hollyoaks' executive producer Bryan Kirkwood for an insight into recent storylines, new characters and future plans for Channel 4's award-winning soap.

It's been a successful week for Hollyoaks with the train crash episodes significantly boosting the show's ratings. How do you feel about how well the episodes have been received?
"Despite winning Best Soap at the British Soap Awards we are still seen as the fourth soap, so our stunt episodes are a fanfare to get the attention that we feel we deserve and we have been overwhelmed with the reaction to the crash episodes. It was a mammoth team effort by our cast and crew. Our amazing backstage team pulled out all the stops to give viewers a truly memorable stunt that was full of plot and heart, driven by relationships and family. 

"At the centre of these episodes were our biggest characters - the McQueens and the Blakes/Savages in hugely emotional character driven plots, and the fact the ratings have gone up since the crash proves the audience are coming to us for far more than to watch an expensive stunt."

How did you feel about Gemma Merna and Jennifer Metcalfe wanting to move on from their roles as Carmel and Mercedes?
"Having been there at the creation of the McQueens it was a difficult day for me when Gemma and Jen decided to leave, but it gave us a brilliant opportunity for some whopping great exit stories. We already had a wedding train crash in the pipeline and to kill off a character as loved as Carmel seemed like a fittingly epic exit.

"The consequences of Carmel's death will see a reeling Mercedes make some terrible decisions which lead to her equally dramatic exit. This coincides with Hollyoaks' 4000th episode next week." 

Can you tell us a bit about your plans for the McQueens moving forward? Will they continue to have a big presence in the show? What can fans expect from the new members of the family?
"The McQueens will always have a central role in Hollyoaks as long as I am around. They are a fabulous soap family and we can tell any story with them. They can give us the bonkers brilliance of Theresa's birth to Myra Pocahontas and the chilling truthfulness of John Paul's rape. 

"We still have the originals of Myra and John Paul with Theresa, Nana and Phoebe, and I really hope the audience will grow to love Porsche, Celine and Cleo because they are talented actresses with McQueen running right through them."


Which storylines and characters are going to be most prominent over the next few months?
"Dodger will be one of the stars of the show as we focus on the battle for his heart and body from the good, the bad and the very, very wrong; Maxine, Theresa and Sienna. John Paul and Ste will be huge over the next few months and a lot of our secrets are set to explode over the festive period."

Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect from the other new characters who have recently joined?
"Kim was created so we could explore Lindsey's past, which will help shine a new light on the Roscoes, and also to create a love interest for Esther. Although Dennis is leaving we wanted to help understand him a bit more before his departure through his father, and Dr S'avage will give Dirk a brother and the hospital an authority figure and a comic flavour. 

"Lockie didn't exist until I found Nick Rhys in the auditions for Cameron Campbell. Although Nick wasn't right for the angst ridden anti-hero, I got very excited at the thought of a mischievous thrill-seeking brother landing in the village and causing havoc. I have got high hopes for the two Scottish brothers - I think they are going to be great."

What's in store for the Roscoes?
"We have told a classic soap love triangle with Freddie, Joe and Lindsey that has been full of twists and turns, and over the next few weeks we will see Freddie and Lindsey finally give in to their passion. 

"Ziggy's one of my favourite characters and Fabrizio plays him with such heart, so I am very pleased to see the audience reaction to the chemistry between him and Tegan. Jason's body dysmorphia will develop into an eating disorder and Robbie's love for Nancy will continue to shine through. 

"All of these stories will burn brightly with Sandy's return over the festive period." 

Are you making any plans for more new characters and new families?
"We are always work-shopping new actors to see what magic happens in the room and we are always examining the shape of the cast. Have we got the right mix of families? Have we got the right number of authority figures? It's a balancing act of finding stability while also preventing stagnation - and we need to work hard to get that right. 

"We are at the early stages of a new family but they won't be on the screen until 2015. They are called the Lovedays and they will bring domestic family warmth, which is an ingredient we have been short on lately. They will run a business slap bang in the middle of the village. We have found some wonderful charming actors and I am very excited."

The fans always get very excited about possible returnees. Are there any plans afoot to bring back more faces from the past?
"There is at least one significant returnee in the next few months and as we start to plan our 20th birthday in October 2015, I would hope to see some familiar faces."

The 'student' element of the show was always what set Hollyoaks apart from the other soaps, but it's been absent for a while and it's recently been revealed that a focus on the hospital will be taking its place. Can you tell us why that decision was made and what kind of impact it will have on the show moving forward?
"Hollyoaks High with its teachers and pupils is still a significant part of the show with Tom, Peri, Nico and newcomer Dylan. Cleo McQueen and Harry Hutchison - played by the fantastic Parry Glasspool - will be joining Holly in the sixth form alongside Zack Loveday. 

"While I am pleased that the show has grown up and tells stories for all of the cast, I'd like to find a better balance next year and explore more rites of passage teen stories as well. We are no longer an exclusively teen show. With the school thriving I felt a move into a workplace rather than university allowed us to tell a richer variety of stories."

Are you planning any more set changes or to introduce new sets?
"I'm delighted we have got the restaurant back in the village. I'd like to brighten some of them up, particularly The Loft which will become a much livelier environment rather than a closed shadowy den for wheelers and dealers." 

The show has a large number of villainous and criminal characters including Grace, Trevor, Sienna, Patrick - and Cameron and Freddie joining them on that list recently. Would you say these characters have a natural shelf life and need a comeuppance, or are you happy for all of them to stay in the show for the foreseeable future?
"We may have a higher percentage of baddies than other shows but we have a much higher percentage of stories and the number of villains gives our heroes something to fight against. That said, I do not see Sienna in the same category as Trevor. He is a career criminal - a borstal boy who has been on the wrong side of the law since birth, while Sienna is an emotionally damaged girl with a hugely sympathetic backstory. 

"We are seeing Grace and Trevor struggle to stay on the straight and narrow and I personally enjoy seeing bad characters make good decisions and vice versa. I am delighted with the journey of Robbie Roscoe - a charmless hooligan became a character with depth and heart through the John Paul ordeal and that for me is an interesting story."

The show has enjoyed a strong year in terms of ratings and awards, but a lot of the reader questions we've had have questioned the levels of sensationalism in the show this year. Is this something you have any thoughts on?
"Sensationalism is such a subjective word. I am very proud of the show. Those big blockbuster stories are what our wider audience tell us they enjoy. From the Twitter reaction on a nightly basis to anecdotes in the pub - not to mention the best ratings in years - all tells me that the heightened reality and escapism of Hollyoaks is what people love. We tell a unique blend of stories on this show from our truthful issues to stories that could only in happen in Hollyoaks and I am not going to apologise for that."

This year we've seen a great reader response to episodes focusing on human and family drama such as baby Katy's death and John Paul's rape being revealed, while the storylines focusing on gangsters, crime and kidnappings seem to have proved less popular. Is this something you'd take on board for the future?
"Hollyoaks has always had the dark gangster corner of the show going right back to Scott Anderson, and Trevor and Grace are the current inhabitants of that area. I acknowledge that we didn't get Grace's character right at first and I feel I let Tamara Wall down. Tamara is a gifted actress and a big funny warm personality and I'm sad the audience didn't see that side of Grace earlier. 

"We have done a lot of work on the character with Tamara and have now given her friends, family and a great big beating heart. Grace and Trevor will continue to do bad things because that is what they are here to do, but hopefully the audience will care about them a lot more."

Are there any characters who've been quiet for a while who you think deserve bigger storylines?
"Esther was a character that was too quiet for too long, so I am delighted to see her back in the swing of things with the Grace surrogacy story and a fabulous new girlfriend in Kim Butterfield. 

"Darren had a monumental 2013 and although he has been very much in the mix this year, Ashley is one of our biggest stars and 2015 will allow us to see a reinvigorated Darren. Without Nancy we will see him launch himself into a new business, new romances and a brilliant new comic double act." 

We've heard the show will be going all-out for Christmas this year with two feature-length episodes being planned. Can you tell us anything more about them?
"We are delighted that Channel 4 have rewarded the show for its successes over the last couple of years with specially commissioned hour-long episodes at Christmas and New Year. 

"We are used to feeling like the bridesmaid at Hollyoaks, but never more so than at Christmas when we often get lost in the schedules while the other shows go large. So it's fantastic to be able to design big Christmas and New Year episodes which focus on our biggest characters and our biggest stories. It being Hollyoaks, what better way to celebrate Christmas than a big gay church wedding?"

Can you tell us more about the 'gloved hand' killer story at the hospital, which is set to be big in 2015?
"We are immensely proud of our issue stories, but I also love our big blockbuster soap storylines as well and the gloved hand came about six months ago in story conference when I was worried about whether we were balancing our stories evenly enough. We have a brilliant writer called Steve Hughes and he and I are always swapping memories of camp '80s soaps. The gloved hand story developed from those conversations. 

"We have a hospital set populated with characters and primed for a big gothic plot. We love a mystery, but this story won't just be a whodunit, it will be a 'who's next?' packed with tension and plenty of red herrings. The plot kicks off in January with the death of a regular characterâ¦"

----------

lizann (15-11-2014), tammyy2j (17-11-2014)

----------


## lizann

robbie after nancy again is an epic fail

----------

tammyy2j (17-11-2014)

----------


## Perdita

Yesterday (November 15) we brought you Part One of our chat with Hollyoaks' executive producer Bryan Kirkwood, which included confirmation of a new family, a return for Sandy Roscoe at Christmas and an explosive departure ahead for Mercedes McQueen.

If you haven't yet read the first part, catch up here to see what Bryan had to say.

Here, though, we present Part Two of Bryan's exclusive interview, which includes direct responses to questions sent in by Digital Spy readers.

I absolutely love the show and, in particular, Ste. I'm also loving the Ste being a drug addict storyline and I'm curious to know just how far you would take the storyline in terms of Ste taking drugs? (Natasha)
"Ste is such a superstar for us and the addiction story came as a tragic but believable consequence after all that he had been though - losing Brendan, Doug, his mum and then the father he had only recently discovered. 

"Ste has been packed off to rehab by John Paul and his sisters and we are heading towards a big Christmas wedding, but January will see another life-changing event in Ste and John Paul's lives."

What will be happening with Cindy in the future, as we haven't seen her much these past few months? (Olivia)
"Cindy has had her biggest year to date with the Browning story leading to the premature birth of Hilton, which in turn led to her mental health problems. Stephanie has blown everyone away with her performance and it's fantastic to have her back in the heart of the show where she belongs. Her mental health story is a long runner, as it should be and there will be another development in 2014. 

"Cindy and Dirk were a surprise discovery that were never designed to last, but they give each other such warmth and strength and it's brilliant to see David Kennedy's Dirk as a character in his own right. I love their little unit and seeing Dirk care for stepdaughter Holly." 

With Finn locked up, I'm a bit concerned that Diane could become stagnant. As a fan of Alex Fletcher, would you consider introducing more of Diane's family to the village? Perhaps an overbearing, gossipy mother to challenge Nana McQueen? (Sam)
"We adore Alex Fletcher, and her performance in the Finn story was breathtaking. After years on the periphery of the show, I am thrilled that Diane O'Connor is now a major player. She has got one of the biggest stories of 2015 about to burst onto screens and we are going to see so much more of her in the year ahead. 

"Diane is a fascinating character - a woman who is defined by her maternal instinct but capable of making such terrible decisions. We should, by rights, hate Diane but it is thanks to Alex's warmth and capability as an actress that we can forgive her misjudgment. We have actually just storylined the arrival of a new O'Connor, so watch this spaceâ¦"

What does the future hold for Blessing when Dennis leaves? (Kevin)
"We were really sad when Joe decided to leave Hollyoaks and at precisely the same time Modupe decided to leave as well, but actually it gave us the perfect opportunity to give both characters a fitting and happy ending."

Why was the decision made to kill off Sam and Danny? What can we expect from the future of the Lomaxes? (Mark)
"My job would be so much easier if all that mattered was what was on screen. Lizzie and Stephen were fantastic on screen but sometimes you have to make horrible decisions for any number of backstage reasons. 

"With Sam and Danny going, we fell in love with the idea of rebooting the Lomaxes as a Party of Five-type family as young adults, with Ste at the heart of them, struggling to find their own way in the world without parents to rely on. 

"Tegan, Leela and Peri as Ste's sisters have been a real success and although the shock decision to kill Sam and Danny may have upset some of the audience, I stand by the aftermath episodes as some of our best work. The single strand episode where Ste and his sisters found out about their parents' death was heartbreaking and showed off some of our best actors and created stars out of new cast. 

"We are yet to really get to know Cameron and will discover that the death of Sam and Danny was a terrible accident. Although he covered it up in manipulative ways, he's not a murderer. Having already spent half of his life in prison, this confused and damaged man was determined not to throw the rest of his life away."

Will Grace keep a clean slate in the future or will she go back to her old ways? (Paul) 
"Grace is a bad girl with a good heart who will always stumble when trying to turn her life around. With Trevor, Esther and newcomer Dylan - who is Trevor's long-lost son - we have created a family around Grace and now she will be fighting for love and loyalty rather than bags of money."

Will Hollyoaks Later be back next year? I miss it this year. (Lucas)
"We know how loved Hollyoaks Later is amongst our audience and we love making it. We felt that it was time to rest the series in order to come up with big brilliant new ideas, and while I can't say for certain that Hollyoaks Later will be back next year, we are always talking to Channel 4 about ways to extend the brand".

What did you really like about the show that occurred while you were away, in terms of characters, storylines and direction? (Richard)
"It's always difficult to leave your show in somebody else's hands and you watch with the best of intentions but with a slight twitch. There were some brilliant decisions made in the years I wasn't here and some best all-time icons created in the shape of Brendan and Mitzeee. It would be mean-spirited of me to discuss other less successful decisions."

With Nancy and Darren going through so much, will they ever get their 'happy ever after'? (Grant)
"Nancy and Darren as a couple were brilliant for Hollyoaks, but we felt that what Sienna did to their relationship was insurmountable and not something that they would be able to get over quickly. They are still parents to Oscar and Charlie's guardians so they are inextricably linked, and while we will see them in different character groups for the foreseeable future, I would never rule out a future reconciliation."

Was it always the plan to make Dodger Nico's father? (Peter)
"We knew from the outset when we created the Blakes that Sienna had a daughter out there and we discussed right from the start that Dodger might be the father, but we held off on cementing that decision until later. 

"We were aware of the audience speculation that Patrick maybe Nico's dad and it was a desire to surprise the audience that pushed us further towards Dodger. Sienna's infatuation with her brother was a story we toyed with much earlier on in Sienna's story and we were overwhelmed when we saw the fan reaction to their kiss. Only then did we dare to develop the story. We knew it would be controversial and divisive but we love it!"

Have you started thinking about big plans for the 20th anniversary next year? I have big expectations! (Izzy)
"The 18th only feels like minutes ago but 20 is a real landmark for our show so we have some really exciting plans."

----------

tammyy2j (17-11-2014)

----------


## tammyy2j

So Lindsey finally knows Freddie killed Fraser and framed Joe and starts an affair with him

----------


## xx_Dan_xx

I really hope the mystery killer is Silas. Love him and would love him to return. The only murderer that keeps you entertained and exciting to watch. The newspaper article of him done by Nico and Peri, pleaseeeeeee let it be foreshadowing and not just a coincidence.

----------


## lizann

how are the cops going to figure rick and will were killed by a serial killer when nothing in their system for death reports

----------

