ABOUT HOLLYOAKS

Hollyoaks was first shown in 1995 on Channel 4. It was described as a teen soap as it mainly centred around college students in a Chester village. But over the years it has covered storylines using older and younger cast members.

Hollyoaks has tackled many difficult storylines over the years including teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, male and female rape (including date rape), STIs, etc. It has always handled difficult subjects with sensitivity.

There have been many characters coming and going over the years but there is one who has been there since the very beginning - Tony Hutchinson, played by Nick Pickard. Other long standing characters include Jack Osbourne played by James McKenna, Max Cunningham played by Matt Littler and O.B O'Brien played by Darren Jeffries.

The show has also helped to launch the careers of many young actors and actresses including Jeremy Edwards (Kurt), Will Mellor (Jambo), Natalie Casey (Carol), Jodi Albert (Debbie), Gary Lucy (Luke) and Sarah Dunn (Mandy).

There have also been several late night episodes and spin-off shows. The first spin-off show was called Hollyoaks: Movin' On, which was shown on Channel 4 in 2001. More recently there has been Hollyoaks: Let Loose and Hollyoaks: In The City which were both shown on E4 and both followed the lives of Ben Davis and Lisa Hunter after they moved away from the village. There have also been books, videos/DVDs and CDs released to accompany the show.

The Hollyoaks titles and theme tune have recently undergone a major overhaul for the first time. You can see a (not very good quality!) video below...