Exclusive: Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard hopes show bosses can save 25th anniversary plans
Hollyoaks' longest-serving cast member Nick Pickard has shared his hopes that the soap will still be able to celebrate its 25th anniversary in typical Hollyoaks style come October, in spite of the ongoing pandemic.
The soap has been teasing huge scenes in October to celebrate its milestone year, with Tony Hutchinson tipped to be a major player.
As the soap has shut down production as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues, it's possible that some storylines feeding into the 25th anniversary plans have been affected by the unexpected filming halt – but Tony Hutchinson star Nick Pickard is still hopeful that the soap's bosses will be able to get things back on track.
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"Doing this interview is the first work I've done in five weeks!" Nick joked to Digital Spy in our exclusive chat with the actor.
"Usually we're told in interviews: 'Don't say this, don't say that.' But it's the first time ever that I don't even know what's happening myself when we go back. I don't know if we'll have the same scripts, if we're picking up where we left off or whether we're getting new material.
"It must be so busy and really hard for the team. The producers have planning meetings, but then this comes along and all of the work they've done has been wiped out.
"Also, with our 25th anniversary coming up, it must have put a little cat among the pigeons there as well. Their heads must be fried up there – I take my hat off to all of them."
Related: Hollyoaks star Richard Blackwood teases huge plans for the show's 25th anniversary
Speaking of the 25th anniversary plans, Nick added that he thinks if anyone can put the soap back on track, it's Hollyoaks' current executive producer Bryan Kirkwood.
"With Bryan, anything can happen," he continued. "The ideas he comes up with are brilliant. We've had loads of spanners thrown in the works over the years, but you just dust yourself off and carry on. I'm sure he's got loads of ideas.
"I don't know where we were going – the build-up to the anniversary has probably now been hampered. But if we get back to filming in early June, which is what they're planning hopefully, then we've hopefully got time.
"Our 25th anniversary is in October so we've got plenty of time to make that one. It's just the preparations for it all that will probably get a little bit lost, but hopefully we can make it work," he said.
While there's no official confirmation about when the soap will resume production just yet, Hollyoaks has reduced its weekly broadcast schedule to just two new episodes a week in a bid to keep the soap on air for longer.
Hollyoaks airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look episodes airing on E4 at 7pm. Wednesdays through Fridays on E4 will feature classic episodes called Hollyoaks Favourites to compensate for the soap suspending filming.
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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