The boss of Hollyoaks has hinted at major plot developments for a central character following the soap's time jump. The Channel 4 drama will fast-forward by a year as part of a strategy to decrease the number of episodes and cast members in a budget-saving move.
Soap icon Jennifer Metcalfe believes that the reduction in episodes will allow the remaining actors "more time to attack the storylines", thereby shaking things up on the show.
In an interview with Inside Soap magazine, Hannah Cheers revealed that the time jump will enable Hollyoaks to explore Vicky (Grant) more deeply, understanding her motivations and personality. She also suggested Anya Lawrence's character will be involved in a romantic storyline and will feature prominently in many dramatic plots.
She said: "I absolutely love Vicky, Anya (Lawrence, who plays her) is a huge talent."
"We have the wonderful Louis Emerick as her dad, so we're now delving a bit deeper into who Vicky is and what makes her tick."
"She's ended up at the root of a lot of stories. She'll have a love story, and we'll see her fighting off against some of our long-standing A-listers and holding her own."
"We'll also see her making a lot of the wrong choices. She's like Mercedes from 20 years ago, but there's a difference as Vicky has a background in care and the foster system, whereas Mercedes has always had such a supportive family behind her."
Hannah Cheers also disclosed that one of the soap's most significant characters, Mercedes, will be embroiled in a new, intense storyline "early on" following the timeline shift.
She commented: "To try to find a new, fresh story is a challenge, but we hit on something quite early on, and all of a sudden it felt like the pieces had fallen into place.
"It's the boldest story that Mercedes has ever told, and certainly will challenge her in ways that she hasn't been challenged before. We will see new depths to her."
Hollyoaks is now airing three days a week from Monday to Wednesday at 7pm on E4. New episodes will be available to stream online at 7am.
A week after they are shown on Channel 4, full episodes will also appear on YouTube.
