Hollyoaks plan time travel episode that will jump forward a year to explain why so many characters have left

It seems as though there is plenty of drama on and off screen for the cast of Hollyoaks amid a huge shake up. Several cast members - including Charlie Clapham - have returned to the soap despite many actors being axed. The soap will see major changes to cast, crew and storylines that will come into play from September. 

Recently the production company Lime Pictures announced that the Channel 4 soap will be cut back from five episodes a week to just three with more than 135 job losses. Since then several cast members have left or been axed from the show including Owen Warner, Jamie Lomas and Stephanie Warner. 

However, instead of a bunch of goodbye episodes and endless storyline lines of writing people out. Hollyoaks bosses have come up with the idea for the soap to time travel and leap forward a year to explain why so many characters have left. 

Australian soap Neighbours had the same idea when it was axed from Channel 5 and moved over to Amazon Freevee. The soap jumped forward by two years to explain why some characters have left Ramsay Street. 

Speaking to Digital Spy Hollyoaks' executive producer Hannah Cheers recently said: “Fast-forwarding the show permanently by a year presents us with unlimited story possibilities. We are now a streaming-first soap and can lean into less-restricting and conventional structures.

“Very sadly, we are going to have to say goodbye to some much-loved Hollyoaks villagers – and some earlier than we would have expected to. Every single one of our cast members is immensely talented and hard-working; reducing the team in size is a tough consequence of this transition.”

Hollyoaks first aired on Channel 4 in October 1995 and the soap will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2025 - if it is still on TV by then. Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday from 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day from 7:00pm.

Natalie Dixon is NationalWorld’s Lifestyle reporter. If you liked this article and want to read more about soaps, celebrities and lifestyle you can follow Natalie Dixon on X here. 

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