All About Soap Awards 2012: Nominations

The nominations for the 2012 All About Soap Awards have been announced and Hollyoaks have gained seven in all. Check out the list below and make sure you cast your votes when voting opens on Tuesday 14th February on the official website here and in the next issue .

Voting closes on Monday 27th February 2012.

Best Actress
Coronation Street: Alison King
EastEnders: Jo Joyner
Emmerdale: Chelsea Halfpenny
Hollyoaks: Claire Cooper


Best Actor
Coronation Street: Chris Gascoyne
EastEnders: Jake Wood
Emmerdale: Danny Miller
Hollyoaks: Emmett J. Scanlan


Best Episode
Coronation Street: Steve and Tracy's wedding
EastEnders: Pat's funeral
Emmerdale: Cain's attack 
Hollyoaks: Halloween murder (Fright Night)


Best Villain 
Coronation Street: Frank Foster
EastEnders: Derek Branning
Emmerdale: Cain Dingle
Hollyoaks: Silas Blissett 


Best Mystery
EastEnders: Who's stalking Phil? 
Emmerdale: Who attacked Cain?
Hollyoaks: Who's the father of Mercy's baby? 
Home and Away: Who attacked Bianca? 


Best Dressed Soap Star
Coronation Street: Michelle Keegan 
EastEnders: Jacqueline Jossa
Emmerdale: Natalie Anderson
Hollyoaks: Jorgie Porter


Best Comeback
Coronation Street: John Stape
EastEnders: David Wicks
Hollyoaks: Steph Roach
Neighbours: Mal Kennedy 


Best Couple
Coronation Street: Peter and Carla
EastEnders: Max and Tanya 
EastEnders: Zainab and Masood
Home and Away: Brax and Charlie

Emma Smithwick's Strive For Strong Females !!

In a recent interview with the Radio Times, Hollyoaks' Series Producer Emma Smithwick discussed her goal to make the female characters on the show strong role-models.

Smithwick who took over as Series Producer last summer said on the state of the female characters on the canvas;

“There weren't enough strong, smart and intelligent women for my liking. At a stretch, I might have considered having a drink with Texas.” 

The article goes on to argue that in recent years the general consensus of the show is that the female characters have been objectified, victimised and only judged on their physical appearance. The soaps annual 'Babes and Hunks' calendars are also critically discussed for the way they can be seen to reinforce this ideology that, can be seen to be damaging to the soaps large audience of a young demographic.

On this Smithwick states;

“I'm passionate about the portrayal of women in the media in general and specifically on television thats aimed at a younger audience. I'm determined to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.” 

Following on from this the article talks about the ways in which the the show under Emma Smithwick's regime can be seen to already be taking steps towards tackling this vague and single-minded representation of women. In the way that characters such as Jacqui McQueen (Claire Cooper) and Lynsey Nolan (Karen Hassan) have in recent months been developed further into stronger women in front-burner storylines, such as the rape trial and it's aftermath, as well as the Silas murder plot.

In relation to her  long-term goal for the series during her tenure at the helm Smithwick goes on to say;

“I want to redefine what sexy and glamorous is in Hollyoaks. I don't want girls just to watch and think, ‘I want that outfit’ or ‘I like her hair’. I'd like them to see it as an emotional encyclopedia that's relevant to the changes and issues in their lives."

“I want to look at the sophisticated social hierarchies of teenage girls, at their insecurities, at the challenges of growing up in contemporary Britain. The responsibility is enormous but the pay-off is huge.”

 Gareth McLean the author of the article praises Smithwick for her efforts when he states;

"Smithwick’s enthusiasm to transform Hollyoaks from hangover telly beloved by teenage boys for all the wrong reasons into a soap that's political with a small “p” is palpable, and the programme’s audience – of both sexes – should applaud her efforts. "

Finally based on the shows position as a leading source of entertainment and education for its youth audience and the endless possibilities it has to make a difference, Smithwick states;

“Of all the shows, we can and should be braver and have more conviction. If I haven't achieved that evolution in my time as producer, I won't have done my job right.” 

You can read an edited version of the this article by clicking here or you can read it in full in the latest issue of the Radio Times which is available at all leading newsagents.

Inside Soap Magazine: Valentines Shoot (Jonny Clarke & Stephanie Davis)

In a recent Valentine's related article in this weeks 'Inside Soap Magazine' Hollyoaks' Stephanie Davis (Sinead O'Connor) and Jonny Clarke (Bart McQueen), discuss their upcoming storylines on the show, as well as their close friendship outside of work.

All Pictures Are The Property of Inside Soap Magazine ©

On the upcoming plots for their characters they hint that there could be more drama on the way for the teenage couple;

Clarke states;

"There's something big coming up for Bart, which will really give me the chance to put my acting skills to the test. It's going to be quite dark and gritty."

Davis states;

 "There's going to be another big, emotional journey for those two - but that's good for us, because we like arguing!" 

On their relationship outside of work both Clarke and Davis agreed that having worked together so closely for over a year, they have become really close friends stating;

"Steph and I get on really well. We go out for dinner with some of the other guys in the cast all the time, and it's brilliant." 

"I know Jonny inside out - he's my best lad mate," Davis commented. "If I'm having boy troubles, I go to Jonny and he translates for me. We're always giving each other advice."

You can buy Inside Soap Magazine in all leading newsagents. 

Further Increase of 4oD Hollyoaks Viewership

Hollyoaks continued it's digital viewership increase by pulling in 500k more views in November than it did in October. Overall Hollyoaks was the second most watched programme bringing in a high 3 million on-demand views on the Channel 4 catch-up platform.

Hollyoaks: Updated Opening Titles

This weeks we have seen 2 different versions of the opening titles which you can watch below.


Aired: Monday 26th December 2011 (Includes Steph)




Aired: Tuesday 27th December 2011 (Warren Replaced by Dennis)

Digital Spy: Emmett J. Scanlan Interview

Digital Spy recently caught up with Hollyoaks' Emmett J. Scanlan (Brendan Brady) at a photoshoot for Gay Times Magazine where, he talked about the character and the on-off relationship with Ste (Kieron Richardson) and more. Check out the interview in the video below.



He also talked about what the photoshoot was like and some more personal related questions, check out the video of that interview below.

James Sutton On Life As An Actor !

Former Hollyoaks star James Sutton (John Paul McQueen) gave an interview with the Shropshire Star in which he talked about how he got into acting and how he got to where he is today.

On his time within the British soap world on Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, Sutton said;

“I've been incredibly fortunate. When you work on soaps, it's either sink or swim. It's not like working in theatre, when you have the opportunity to rehearse. In soap operas, you have to learn your lines and then act.

“There is no time. It's an amazing skill to learn. Once you can do soap you're ready to do pretty much anything, it's an incredible medium. I think there used to be a bit of snobbery around soap, with people looking down on it, but I don't think that's the case anymore. The quality of acting in soaps is extremely high.”

You can read the rest of James' interview in full here.

Miles Higson Gives Back !

Hollyoaks star Miles Higson (Seth Costello) along with other celebrities gave their support to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital charity by paying a visit to the children on Ward 84.

On meeting the children Higson told the Lancashire Telegraph;

“I had a brilliant time meeting the children and their families, the patients are remarkable and so inspiring."

“When I heard how an iPad could help a child, I knew I wanted to do something to help, so I decided to put my money where my mouth is and went straight to the shop to buy an iPad and I also signed up for the 2012 Great Manchester Run.”

It is always great to hear of stars giving back to good causes and as previously reported Higson is due to exit from Hollyoaks is the near future.

James Atherton's Close Call With House Fire !

Hollyoaks' James Atherton (Will Savage) told Inside Soap of his close call with a house fire last Christmas, on the event Atherton said;

"We had a house fire last year!

"We all fell asleep and one of the candles set the furniture alight. A lad knocked on our door to tell us, and we managed to put it out."

 Atherton who is dating co-star Jorgie Porter who also plays his on-screen girlfriend Theresa McQueen also talked about his plans for this Chistmas;

 "I'm in a predicament because it's my girlfriend's birthday on Christmas Day, so I'll have to split my time between her and my family."

 Source: Press Association 

Brendan Brady's Christmas Speech

Here is Emmett J. Scanlan giving a very special Christmas Speech to all in Hollyoaks in a very Brendan Brady kind of way.

Hollyoaks Says Merry Christmas !!

Once again the cast of Hollyoaks have done their bit to bring some Christmas spirit in the form of Karaoke this year to the classic song Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree.

You can check out last years rendition of Wizzard's classic I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday below.

Digital Spy: Emma Smithwick Interview

Although still fairly new in the role new Hollyoaks series-producer Emma Smithwick has already got off to a brilliant start. She recently did an interview with Digital Spy in which she outlined what her vision for the show is and what we can expect as we move into 2012.


Here's a preview of what was said:

You've been Hollyoaks' series producer for a few months now. How's it all going so far?"It's going brilliantly, I'm absolutely buzzing. I think the autumn was outstanding and I'm so happy with the material that we've got coming through now. I've been producer for a few months now, but I was here for a while before that as series editor so whilst it's somewhat of a new role, I have been heavily invested in all the storylines that are currently on screen."  

What can you tell us about your overall vision for the show?"I have a very strong idea about the show that I want to make, and a lot of it is coming through already so the viewers will have seen it. I joined Hollyoaks in May which saw the beginning of a lot of the changes that are coming through.  

"There have been a lot of new arrivals and through the stories that we're telling and the way we're telling them, we want the audience to really engage with the characters. It definitely takes time but when that happens, it means you can do things with the characters and the viewers will really care. I find the worst thing is when you watch certain shows and something horrendous happens, but you don't really care or know why you should care. Emotional integrity is one of the key things that I want to drive through.  

"I also want to use the audience more and get them involved, as we did recently with the Wretch 32 Invasion. I'd like to redefine the way that the viewers can watch a show."  

2011 has been a strong year for Hollyoaks but now it feels like a number of successful and long-running stories have ended at the same time, such as Silas's murders, Jacqui/Gilly/Rhys, Jason's transgender, and the Costello affair dramas. Do you have equally big and long-running stories to replace these with next year?"Definitely. I know there's been varying reactions to sixth formers and the freshers, and we tried to complement the Silas storyline by bringing in those characters alongside it. Those characters have had a bit of a 'soft launch', but certainly at the beginning of next year, we'll be doing a lot of getting to know those characters even more so that we can elevate them and their stories.
"As well as the sixth formers and the freshers, there are a lot of other characters who will have big storylines coming up in 2012. We're certainly not going to drop long-running stories just because a number of them have now culminated - 2012 is going to be a big year." 

When will your first episode credited as series producer air?"It's going to be on Boxing Day - so it's going to be the Doug special."

You can check out the rest of the interview with Emma Smithwick by following the links below:
Part 1   :   Part 2 

Hollyoaks Best of 2011 !!

Hollyoaks have announced they will be airing a special 'Best of' show late this month which will look back over 2011 to see what were the funniest, sexiest, biggest and bestest parts o the past 12 months. The show will also look at what the cast enjoyed about the year and most importantly what the fans thought. 


The official site has given fans the chance to vote in these three categories that of 'Hero of 2011' - 'Most Villainous Villain' - 'OMG Moment of the Year' and you can see the nominees for each below. 


Hero of 2011
Lynsey Nolan - Karen Hassan
Jason Costello - Victoria Atkin
Terry The Dog
Jacqui McQueen - Claire Cooper
Scott Sabeka - Calvin Denba
Bart McQueen - Johnny Clarke
Rhys Ashworth - Andrew Moss
Brendan Brady - Emmett J. Scanlan
Riley Costello - Rob Norbury
Doug Carter - PJ Brennan


Most Villainous Villain
Farmer With A Shot Gun (Held Bart & Jason at Gunpoint)
Brendan Brady - Emmett J. Scanlan
Kyle Ryder - Neil Toon
Gaz Bennett - Joel Goonan
Kathleen McQueen - Alison Burrows
Carl Costello - Paul Opaic
Warren Fox - Jamie Lomas
Gilly Roach - Anthony Quinlan
Ethan Scott - Craig Vye
Silas Blissett - Jeff Rawle


OMG Moment of the Year
Silas Kidnaps Mercedes
Theresa's Elevator Plunge
#Wretch32Invasion
Silas Kills Rae (Later)
Bart and Jason Kiss
Brendan Declares His Love For Ste
Gilly Confesses
Silas Kills Heidi
A Little Film About Love by Jason Costello
Mercedes Confesses
Lynsey Smashes The Urn


Voting is open until 7pm on Friday 9th December 2011, that's this coming Friday so click here to go and make your vote count. 


Hollyoaks: The Best of 2011 will air on Friday 23rd December at 9pm on E4.

Loss of the Ones We Loved

A video dedicated to the explosive fire episode of Hollyoaks whih aired on Friday 8th September 2006, in which we lost some close friends. 

The songs featured in this video are

I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth by Fall Out Boy
Club Foot by Kasabian
The Blues by Switchfoot
Go On My Child by Michelle Featherstone 
 

Fanvids

Before I make a start on my very first podcast all about Hollyoaks I thought I'd post and share my fanvids which were all made between September 2006 and September 2007.