Deadly danger and grim gangland twist confirmed as Hollyoaks Later returns after 5 years
Hollyoaks is bringing back its late-night counterpart next week as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations and viewers can expect dark scenes as two worlds collide.
The long-running Channel 4 soap marks three decades on air later this month and, in typical Hollyoaks fashion, the popular serial will do so with a bang.
With a wedding, a stunt and the highly-anticipated comeback of fellow soap Brookside on the cards, the 30th will well and truly be a celebration of all-things Hollyoaks.
The momentous occasion of course wouldn’t be complete without a fresh helping of Hollyoaks Later, which famously captivated fans for six series between 2008 an 2013, with a one-off special in 2020 to mark the end of the Breda McQueen arc.
The late-night spin-off is known for its edgier tone and allows bosses to go further with scenes and stories, taking the characters of the evening show into a post-watershed world.
A special one-off episode, set to hit screens next week, will see Laters back on air for the first time in six years, concluding Hollyoaks’ 30th anniversary proceedings in a big way.
Following on from next Wednesday’s (October 22) Brookside crossover, Later sees Donny Clarke (Louis Emerick), newcomer Gemma (Tisha Merry) and Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas) flee the eponymous Close for the well-off suburbs, as lives are left in mortal danger.
Meanwhile, at John Lennon airport, Theresa McQueen (Jorgie Porter) risks her own freedom – and Dodger Savage’s (Danny Mac) police career! – by illegal smuggling, while fleeing a seemingly glamorous influencer’s life, which hasn’t panned out as she’d hoped.
Discussing her return as Theresa, actress Jorgie said: ‘It’s really exciting to be a part of Laters, I’ve been in so many over the years and they’re always my favourite – hopefully I get a swear word this time.
‘Theresa is scheming with an unlikely business partner and its fun to see her living life on the edge again. It’s incredible to time my return with the Hollyoaks 30th birthday week too, I couldn’t miss it.’
Elsewhere, Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis), Dillon Ray (Nathaniel Dass), Vicky Grant (Anya Lawrence), Frankie Osborne (Isabelle Smith) and Charlie Dean (Charlie Behan) escape to the city of Liverpool for a break.
A number of the aforementioned teens, as viewers will know, were groomed into a devastating child exploitation operation earlier this year and the impact of such a thing – particularly the fact that the criminals who groomed them were unpunished – has left them struggling.
The idea to get away from the village for a bit was a brainwave of Dillon, who recently agreed to stay with boyfriend Lucas, despite having developed feelings for his beau’s dad Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson).
The five teens are excited at the prospect of their holiday and thus they waste little time in trying to blot out the events of the past year – with mixed results.
They’re not alone either as they’re joined by newcomer and Brookside resident Esme Dixon (Yasmin Davies), who brings escapism for Frankie.
The events of the episode will prove intense for all those involved, with buried secrets threatening the stability of crucial family ties, while gangland forces Sully and Griff are a serious danger to Hollyoaks’ undercover police officers an the wider community.
But just what will the landscape look like when the credits roll on Hollyoaks Later?
Expect high drama and emotion as the events of the 30th birthday episodes will send shockwaves through the village – and beyond.
