Over on DS there was a thread about what you would do if you were in charge of Hollyoaks, and this was my idea. Hope ya don't mind the long posts :P

I would start off my reign by having a fire. I know it's a bit cliché but it's an effective way of having a clearout. It would happen during a Fashion Show in the SU Bar which the teens organised to raise money for charity, after we revisited Ricky's dads illness storyline.
The fire would kill of Tom Cunningham and Jack Osborne, who bittersweetly died trying to save Tom from the blaze. As a result Frankie, Ruby and Esther leave the show to stay with Debbie. Diane O'Connor, who took charge of the Fashion Show organising, would also be a victim of the fire, leading to both Finn and Sinead going to live with their father in wherever.
Ricky would be a tragic victim of the fire too, and the events of his death would impact badly on the teens, who feel guilty for organising the Fashion Show.

I would also use this time to try and get the audience to warm to Maddie, as during the organisation of the fashion show, she had gotten close to Ricky's father, helping out around the house, and with the show, and they had struck up a touching friendship, showing another side to Maddie. This continues in the aftermath of Ricky's death, as she insists on helping him with the arrangements of Ricky's funeral. The storyline would end with a touching memorial episode saying goodbye to the characters lost in the fire.

Following the memorial episode, Ricky's dad would then leave the show, leaving Maddy a changed person, who would then leave college and get a job as a caring assistant [off screen mainly]. This would hopefully help shake off the '40 year old teenager' that has been given to her and would allow her to be more grown up.

After his fathers death, Darren decides to change his life for the better, and begins a custody battle of the twins. This would cause friction between he and Rhys too as Rhys is obviously on his mothers side. In the end up Suzanne would hand the twins over, and along with Nancy and Charlie, they become owners of the Dog.

I would move the Savages into the O'Connor household, and put Dirk with Myra together. Living under the roof would be Dirk and Myra, Liberty, Dennis and Dodger, and I would spend the year integrating them as a proper family unit. I would also give Liberty a job in College Coffee, to integrate with the rest of the cast.

I would also revisit Amy and Dodger, and perhaps put them into a serious relationship, as they both have incredible chemistry. I wouldn't move them in together though, but build on their relationship as the year progresses.

A main event of the reign would be finding out that Dodger has testicular cancer, This would result in an emotional, long running and hard hitting storyline involving Dodger, Amy, Liberty (minimal crying scenes however), Dirk, Myra, Dennis and Will too, which has a positive ending.

Another storyline would centre around the arrival of Myra's brother Richard, and his 20 year old son Chris, who arrives to inform Myra of the death of their other sibling. As soon as he appears there are frosty relations between him and Mercedes, and it isn't long before viewers find out that something sinister happened when Mercedes was a child. This storyline would delve into Mercedes background, and in a series of late night episodes, would allow the viewer to perhaps, understand why Mercedes is the way that she is.
In a special two hander episode between Mecerdes and Myra, the sordid details of the abuse will become clear, leading Myra to confronting her brother and reporting him to the police. He is sent to prison and his son is sent back to his mother.

After this, we would begin to see a different, nicer side to Mercedes, who will be seen to make regular visits to a psychologist. While there, she would meet a handsome stranger called Connor, with whom she falls in love with. The story would be very UN-Mercy, and would see the pair becoming close friends, before eventually becoming a couple. They will move into Nancy and Darrens flat and be happy happy happy..

The downfall of Theresa McQueen would finally be seen, after a drunken conversation with cousin Michaela would see her reveal everything about the murder. Shocked at the revelation, and unaware that the rest of the family know, Michaela goes to the police, thinking she is doing right by her family, and Theresa is arrested, and sent down for murder. When Jacqui tries to defend her, saying that she knew, Theresa, in a sense of knowing, assures the police that she acted alone, and is ready to face her punishment. She is sentenced to 25 years in prison.
This leads to the outcasting of Michaela from the McQueen family, and instead moves in with Amy and Ste, leading to some fun and touching moments between the three.

Another member of the McQueens bidding farewell would be Carmel, who decides that the only way for her to be free from the Calvin trama is to move on. She takes Kathleen Angel to Devon.

For the rest of the McQueen family, life would be pretty quiet. Jacqui would remain with Rhys, after the hassle of the rape trial and such, would focus on happier times for the couple.

I would get Tony and Cindy back together, they both run College Coffee and appear pretty happy together, whilst Cindy still maintains her bitchy way, she becomes friends with Lynsey, Cheryl and co.

There would also be a storyline involving Ash and Callum's mum, who passes away suddenly. This would see Ash become parental guardian of Callum, and the struggles of running a household and being at uni. George would eventually come to live with them too.

Jono, Tilly , Neil and Bart would all move away to a uni far far away.

Declan would be introduced to the show as a permenant character, and would be the basis of a new chapter of Brendan Brady. I would see Brendan become a bit more normal and stable, without losing his charm, and basically put him on the backburner. I would have him apologise to Ste for the hurt he has caused him, and have the pair call a truce, and end it at that.

Cheryl would become more prominent in the club, and overhauling staffing, with a team of Leanne, Texas and Rob behind the bar, with a bit of lighthearted fun, eventually turning into a relationship for Texas and Rob, after Annalise becomes official with Scott.

I would also see the whole Silas thing haunt Lynsey. I know the show has to move on but I'd like some continuity with the storyline, and have her relying heavily on Doug throughout. It would end in time though with her visitng Silas in prison for a bit of a confrontation.

And lastly Mitzeee would be involved in the shows biggest storyline of the reign, as she becomes involved in a serious plot. Whilst on a casting for a major brand advertisement, Mitzeee meets Maegan, who seems very shy and reserved and a bit 'off'. Thinking it's just nerves, Mitzeee leaves the girl after the audition. She runs into her again when she sees her trying to steal booze from Chez Chez. She threatens Maegen with the police, unless she tells her what is going on. Maegen tries to brush her off, telling her gingerly that it was her boyfriend who wanted the booze and that she's sorry. Mitzeee agrees to let it go and she lets the girl go.
Maegen then is next seen in the village with Michaela, who meets her on a drunken night out and brings her back to Amy and Ste's house to spend the night. A drunken Michaela leaves Maegan in the living room when she overhears her phone go. Listening into the conversation, she hears Maegan arguing with a man on the phone saying that 'she wont do it' and that he 'cant make her'. Confronting her, Maegen admits that her boyfriend is trying to get her to sleep with men for money, against her will.
When she sees them in the street, Mitzeee again confronts Maegen, untill the truth comes out from Michaela. Taking her under her wing, and lets her live in the spare room of her flat until she sorts herself out.

We soon see however, that Maegen is more than willing to sleep with men for money, as she tries to sleep with Brendan for cash, obviously not knowing he is gay. He refuses and tells Mitzeee, who confronts Maegen. Maegen insists that Brendan is lying, but goes on the run and back to her boyfriend, who is revealed to be Chris, the son of Myra's brother Richard.

It is revealed that Chris' dad has since killed himself and has left all his money to Chris. Intent on making Myra's life hell, as he is sure of his fathers innocence, Chris and Maegen move into the village, and quickly establish themselves as they open a new rival nightclub in Chester, called Dirty Martini. The set becomes a main feature of Hollyoaks, despite not being in the village.


SO THAT'S THAT. I know not everyone will love it, but I tried to deveop the characters a bit, and bring it back to the families, as well as ensure that the McQueens remained central, as well as setting up a new villain and new dynamics which meant Brendan wasn't necessarily top dog. Hope you like!

Hollyoaks' Cindy Longford is back at the centre of drama in the village over the coming days as her love triangle with Darren Osborne and Nancy Hayton intensifies.

Cindy has recently agreed to help Darren (Ashley Taylor Dawson) as he plans his secret Valentine's Day wedding to Nancy (Jessica Fox). However, as Cindy is still harbouring feelings for her ex, matters become complicated when she can keep them to herself for no longer!

Digital Spy recently caught up with Stephanie Waring, who plays Cindy, to hear all about the storyline.

How did you feel about being part of Hollyoaks' big Valentine's Day story?
"I was really excited. I'd had a bit of time off, and it's always a bit worrying when that happens and they're establishing new characters, because you don't want to get lost along the way. So then when our producer Emma Smithwick told me about this storyline, I was really pleased and couldn't wait to get stuck in. Working with Ashley Taylor Dawson again was really good."

We've seen that Cindy really wants Darren back. Did her feelings for him never go away, or have they been reawakened?
"I think they've been reawakened. I don't think they ever fully went away, but obviously Cindy has just lost all of her money and she's on her own, so she's feeling a little bit lost. So when Darren asked her to help with the wedding planning and said that she was the only person he trusted to do it, she felt needed and wanted.

"I don't think Cindy sees this as a way to split up Nancy and Darren or sabotage the wedding, but there's just a little part of her that thinks, 'Surely he's going to choose me?'"


How do things develop over the next few days?
"I think Cindy is very serious about Darren. There's an episode coming up where Darren takes her out shopping for the wedding, and she's trying on different wedding dresses for Nancy. She looks into the mirror, sees herself in this dress and she just thinks that it should be her. Then Darren comes into the dressing room and she's stuck in the wedding dress, so he's trying to help her out of it.

"Cindy reads the signals wrong, as he's been so lovely to her and they're having a bit of a laugh, so she kisses him. It's the worst possible thing she could have done, because she thinks it means something but Darren thinks otherwise."

What happens next?
"Later, Cindy and Darren talk about the kiss and it's so emotional. Filming the scenes, we were genuinely both heartbroken. Because of the history that Cindy and Darren have had together, for me it was stirring up all of these memories and scenes that we've done.

"But now it's going to be no more, because he's in love with somebody else! Darren says that Cindy is going to have to let him go, and she's absolutely devastated by it."

What do you make of the rivalry between Cindy and Nancy?
"I think they've got a bit of a love-hate relationship! On the one hand, Cindy doesn't really like Nancy. But when she realises how much Darren likes Nancy, she starts to warm to her. Cindy says that if Nancy is who Darren wants, then she'll just have to accept it.

"So Cindy tells Nancy that she should marry him. I think if Cindy didn't like Nancy, she would be saying, 'No, don't marry him - I've kissed him', and causing trouble. She could do something really disgusting to try and split them up, but she doesn't. But you'll have to wait and see what Nancy does and whether the wedding does go ahead…"

Whatever happens, will it be the end of Cindy and Nancy's bickering?
"Well, we even filmed a scene today where we had a bit of bitchy banter! Nancy doesn't take Cindy seriously, and vice versa. If they did, it'd be handbags at dawn and they'd be constantly scrapping. But as it is, they just have a few bitchy comments. It's like we saw recently - Nancy welcomed Cindy into the book club, but in the next episode, they were arguing again!"


How did you feel about Cindy losing all of her fortune?
"I was really pleased. For so many years, Cindy has been trying to get the guy with money, so all of the plotting and scheming that came with that was kind of Cindy's 'thing'. But then they decided that Cindy was going to bag a millionaire, which was my way out of the show for a while because I was pregnant.

"When Cindy came back, I think the character was seen as a bit of a joke. I think now everything has been taken from her again, we're seeing a more real side of Cindy. I think we're hopefully going to see more of why people fell in love with her in the first place, rather than having her as a comical rich bitch who's lording it over everybody.

"There's not really many stories you can tell once a character has what they want - where do you go from there? You have to take it all away again!"

How is Cindy coping with losing the money?
"Cindy is devastated, but in public, I think she puts on a really big front. I think Cindy probably does believe that she's going to get back on top again, and I think that's a really great character trait to have - instead of having her sitting there wallowing!"

Did you enjoy the recent scenes which saw all of the female characters get together?
"Yeah, I really liked that female camaraderie - just getting them together was quite a strong story to do, and I think we're going to be exploring that more soon."


Where would you like Cindy to go next?
"I'd like to see Cindy handle something a little bit more serious. The most serious storyline she's had in the past was when Holly went missing. I'd love it if there could be an issue for Cindy to be faced with, but it's down to the writers!"

What do you make of the recent changes at Hollyoaks and the new arrivals?
"As I've had some time off, everyone has bonded in that time, so I'm still getting to know everybody. But I've got some scenes with the new students, so I am getting to know everyone now. Everyone welcomes everybody into the show, and we all become a family. That happens really quickly, because we're all vying for the same thing - to make a good programme."

What's ahead for Cindy in the immediate future?
"Once all of the Cindy and Darren stuff has come to a head, Cindy will be setting her sights on someone else - and it may be someone from her past!"

I saw that Billy, just read DS but did not know that was you;). Some of us would make good producers as we would have lots of interesting ideas like yours are.

I did disagree with a few:p.

Glad that we are seeing Cindy back at the centre of the drama, she is a popular character who is underused at times and Stephanie Waring is a good actress too:).

Emma Smithwick should see that the older cast is who the audience want to see more of...

I heard.....

I hope so, he definitely needs a good story with a great character to bounce off.

Putting him back together with her would certainly be entertaining :)

Yeah Cindy and Tony were great together and I hope they reunite now Mandy has gone for good again:p.

Joel is back next week ION too:).

Oh yes:D


I loved it when they were together before. I also think most stories that include her are usually fun to watch.

Absolutely, she's a great actress. Think she's still in lurve with Darren, but that ship has sailed :(

Yes, there lies a struggle... Because I love Cindy & Darren together, probably just a tad more than I like him with Nancy.

I'm just happy that she's getting another partner on the show because she works so well with a bloke by her side.

I don't like Margaret but am liking these scenes with Nancy and the girls:D.

Darren/Jack and Rhys scenes are good too:).

Dodger: "Mitzeee's booked me. I'm the stripper." Jacqui: "Seen it all before love" *shuts door #hollyoaks x

:laugh2:.

@bigbob345 @_Mitzeee is a talentless WAG hag that should get a real job

its a genuine tweet from november :o lol!

http://www.waveguide.co.uk/hollyoaks.htm

New spoilers:).

The ending to tonight's E4 was a little disappointing.



The stuff with Darren was great though :D

Hollyoaks star Jessica Fox has revealed that her character Nancy Hayton would love to start a family with fiancé Darren Osborne.

The actress, who is currently taking centre stage in the soap's Valentine's storyline, told PA that Nancy believes she has chosen a partner for life.

Fox commented: "Getting married is important to Nancy. For all her wanting to be alternative and different, she really just wants to be loved.

"And it's all going terribly well at the moment. She's moved into the Osbornes' where that's going really well, and she's got this big family that care about her, having had no-one for so long. And she loves Darren to pieces and she really wants to get married, have babies and be happy. I think that's what she really wants."

She added: "I don't know if she wants to be a mother just yet, but she may not have a choice!"

Nancy's current storyline comes to a head in the coming days as she prepares to leave the village for a new life in Canada - devastated as she thinks that Darren has cheated on her.

However, when Nancy finds out that Darren has actually been planning a secret wedding, she must decide whether to go through with the ceremony or not.

Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4 with a first look screening at 7pm on E4.

Cindy looked beautiful trying on the dress that Darren wants for Nancy:blush:, although Nancy getting suspicious and finding that bra at the end LOL.

Glad to see Nancy defend Darren against her horrible mother too.

Enjoying Mercedes and Lynsey scenes, glad they are starting to become friends.

Mitzeee and Cheryl hilarious:D.

Teen scenes were OK, although I am starting to like Neil and glad he had a go at the rest in the car before it crashed:eek::joker:.

This was the scene that reminded me of how great these two characters are together.
Vile woman!!



I did like the part where Neil stood up to the rest of them.

Riley Costello is definitely back in two weeks, look at this:).

http://www.tvtv.co.uk/tvtv/web/progr...0&tref=Program

I read that .

Nice to read more 'adult' characters are getting some airtime.

Riley has always been my favourite Costello. I hope they give him a meaty story this year.

The costellos are **** (except for Heidi and the mangirl)

.