[Arneldo]

Another late-night version of Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks is to air on E4.

The new series, currently entitled Late Night Hollyoaks, will see the return of Guy Burnet as Craig Dean to save his sister in a dramatic cliff-top rescue.

The bank of five 60-minute episodes will also see various characters travel to Belfast with unexpected results; an extremely unlikely marriage; the Dirty Diegos fighting first night nerves as they prepare to play their debut gig; and the students of Hollyoaks Community College spicing things up and getting more than they bargain for.

Tony Wood, creative director at Lime Pictures said: "Hollyoaks is performing well on all fronts. It's viewed by 16 million people across the week and is up 24% on E4. Therefore, it is fitting that the programme should expand across that channel where its audience is growing fastest. This new hour-long format will give far greater scope to explore our characters and I'm delighted to be giving our fans an opportunity to enjoy Hollyoaks even more."

Meanwhile, Camilla Campbell, commissioning editor for drama at Channel 4 said: "Winning more British Soap Awards than any other soap this year goes to show that Hollyoaks has not only grown up in the eyes of the viewers, but it’s also being taken seriously by the industry and critics alike."

She added: "A late night slot on E4 is the perfect opportunity for the writers and producers to take the drama to another level and be more daring with adult storylines, whilst also keeping the fun playfulness that Hollyoaks fans love."

The special episodes will begin filming in September and transmit in November.

Previous late-night specials have included Movin' On, Let Loose, In The City and eight one-offs.

DS