I cried during pretty much every episode of Eastenders last week. I felt very affected by Ben’s storyline and I felt that it was very well written, very well directed and all three actors – Max Bowden (Ben), Aiden O’Callaghan (Lewis) and Tony Clay (Callum) really gave stellar performances.
Max Bowden as Ben Mitchell (Digital Spy)
I have been avidly reading Twitter, as I often do, regarding this story and there has been a real mix of feedback. There has been a lot of criticism, a lot of which has been that ‘this kind of story’ shouldn’t be aired at 7:30pm. Well, every soap has now covered the horrific subject of rape and they all air before the watershed. So, reading between the lines, I can only conclude that the people raging about ‘my kids (that should probably not be watching Eastenders anyway) shouldn’t have to see that’ weren’t actually talking about the crime.
Heartbroken Ben and predatory Lewis flirted heavily before the attack… (Digital Spy)
Excluding Doctors for a moment, only two other soaps have covered the issue of rape between two men – Hollyoaks twice and more recently, Coronation Street.
The first time, was one of the most ground breaking storylines, back in 2000. It was so violent and such a taboo story that it was covered in Hollyoaks Later, airing at 10pm. I was sixteen years old and to this day, I still remember sobbing my way through the episodes. I have been genuinely sad, through Gary Lucy’s return to Hollyoaks that Luke Morgan’s story arc, post rape, turned him into an alcoholic, who never recovered from what happened to him as a teenager. Since then, he has developed Frontotemporal Dementia and in the next few weeks, we will see him pass away. But I think essentially, this is the point. Although I wish he had returned to the Village as a superstar, it would have been unrealistic for him not to be haunted by his past so I suppose my sadness is the mark of good storytelling.
The Hollyoaks rape storyline was a ground breaking piece of television… (Radio Times)
Hollyoaks tackled the rape of a male character again in 2014 but this time, it was less graphic and shown in their 6:30pm (Channel 4)/7pm (E4) slot. The story was similar to Luke’s in that it followed months of harassment and bullying. Luke was bullied by fellow footballer, Mark Gibbs and teacher, John Paul McQueen was bullied and harassed by students, Finn O’Connor and Robbie Roscoe. The thing that that made John’s Paul’s situation particularly interesting was that he was an out gay man and the boys’ bullying was based on homophobia. After school one day, Finn pushed things further and raped him.
Finn bullied his own teacher, John Paul (Irish Mirror)
Four years later, over in Weatherfield, David Platt made a new friend in Josh Tucker but on a night out, Josh drugged and raped him. David woke up with very little recollection of events but began to piece together what had happened and eventually, with the support of his family, namely, wife Shona, he went to the police. These were two heterosexual males and it aired between 7:30pm and 8:30pm.
Josh drugged and raped David (Liverpool Echo)
Luke was pinned down and attacked, as was John Paul. David was drugged. With Ben and Lewis, it started differently. It started as a matter consent, before Ben categorically said no and so was pinned down and attacked. And that it why I think that underlying homophobia was the root of so many of the unpleasant comments I read on Twitter after the episode was aired. I don’t believe it was just the rape itself that was the issue, even though that was enough to make me cry my eyes out. I believe it was that they were in an intense, romantic situation first, which Ben very definitely called a halt on, that got the keyboard warriors going.
Ben retracted his consent (Mirror)
But the point is that Ben said no. He put a stop to things and Lewis ignored him. He wanted what he wanted and he took Ben’s choices away. It has been so devastating to see Ben having to live with the consequences of what has happened and that because of his past behaviour, everyone thinks the worst of him. Usually such a bolshy, mouthy character, he has no words to tell anyone the truth of what has happened. I hope that now he is staying with his Mum, who has suffered the same kind of violence in the past, he will be able to speak up and get the help he needs.
I have also heard criticism about an LGBTQ+ character committing a sexual offence and I totally understand that. We are so desperate for positive LGBTQ+ role models and presence on our TV screens and in our literature. And Eastenders have written Lewis as such a likeable guy, I for one was so shocked at how things have turned out. However, domestic violence and sexual assault does exist in same sex situation (and not just between men either). We do need positive representation but just like the Gray and Chantelle storyline must have helped women who needed help or when Linda was raped, that would have helped people too, those of us in the LGBTQ+ community also need to see ourselves in the darker, harder hitting storylines. And it’s not just about us suffering abuse from the straight community. Men do assault men, women do assault women, even when they are meant to love them. There are Queer people out there who need to see it, recognise it and feel they are being spoken to, as much as the heterosexual community are being spoken to.
And the more the keyboard warriors, harbouring underlying homophobia see us on screen in all kinds of scenarios, perhaps they will have no choice but to accept us.
Gosh, Hollyoaks has never been one to shy away from a bold story but taking out three massive characters has blown even my mind! Three! Celeste, Sylver and Marnie are all gone! And they’re not even ‘soap’ gone either, vanished into the ether, to one day pop back up when the actor is out of work.
Martine confirmed that Celeste’s body was in the chapel of rest so she will miss the fallout from Toby’s confession that he murdered Lisa. John Paul checked that it was indeed Sylver’s body being pulled out of the wreckage of the café, having been abandoned in the fire by Bobby. Of course, as it turns out, he recorded a message for Mercedes to say goodbye and inform her that Bobby knew where he was. Who knew that Bobby would turn out to be such a cretin and essentially kill his step-father who he had once loved so much?!
And the absolute worst death for me was Marnie. I should have expected it. There’s always a death like this. You think they’re okay and then suddenly…. But no. Marnie was chatting away to Donna-Marie and the next minute, she had collapsed and died, no matter how hard Misbah tried to save her. Awful!
It was a big week this week and some huge storytelling. The repercussions of this one will be felt for a long time, widespread through all the characters. Hollyoaks have done so well with the stunt, the writing, the performance and the shock factor. Good job! Keep it coming!
So, with Doctors, Home and Away and Neighbours done for the year, it’s left to Eastenders, Corrie, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks to entertain us over the festive period.
Eastenders
I am so excited for Eastenders this Christmas! This week, Whitney is desperately tying to get to the truth about Gray and to protect Chelsea from him and things look set to get far more intense at Christmas. I will be on the edge of my seat. I love Eastenders for putting Whitney in the hero/rescuer role instead of the victim role. I cannot applaud them enough.
Then we are due the big reveal about Rocky actually being Tom Cotton (although I like him so much that I want everything to be forgiven anyway! If we can forgive Stuart for everything he did…)
I am also very interested to see the first Mitchell/Slater Christmas… I love Kat and Phil together; I just hope that Sharon pining for the granddaughter she completely mishandled the custody of doesn’t mess up the relationship. I am also hoping for lots of Eve!
The only downside to Christmas on the Square is the rumour that Janine and Mick are going to get together/closer. For starters, this is a tired story. The last time Linda disappeared, he went off with Whitney. Plus we’ve already had an affair between Linda and Max. Obviously, they’ve had to create a reason for Linda to leave, as Kellie Bright is on maternity leave but can’t Mick just behave himself while she’s gone instead of this cliché every time? It’s so boring. These two arrived on the Square as the most solid, in love couple who had never been with anyone else and never loved another; I wish Eastenders would just keep them intact. I am really hoping that they have something up their sleeve with this one.
And from reading my beloved Inside Soap, I gather that Eastenders are not letting up after Christmas and the Square will also be bringing in an explosive New Year as well. I cannot wait!
Emmerdale
I am equally gripped by Emmerdale’s plots this Christmas, particularly Meena’s psychotic rampaging through the Village! This week, she has discovered that Billy, her newest obsession just isn’t that into her either! He is still in love with Dawn. And she is not happy about it. She has also fallen out with Manpreet, who is well on her way to discovering some truths about her past that Meena would rather she didn’t.
So I am pretty sure that not everyone is going to come through Christmas alive… Well, I hope not anyway! Honestly, I have never enjoyed a soap serial killer storyline so much – I think there might be something wrong with me…
Whoever created the character of Meena and the people who write for her deserve awards. She is incredible. And I can’t seem to stop saying how wonderful and talented Paige Sandhu is.
The Woolpack will also be left very vulnerable on Christmas Day, with Al’s scheming coming to a head. I called it ages ago that when Chas was being all compliant with him that she was playing him at his own game. She is far too clever to let him come and take her precious pub away from her. And I loved Nicola standing up publicly for the pub and the Village this week as well.
Coronation Street
I confess I am not quite as enthralled by the Corrie Christmas stories as I am for what Eastenders and Emmerdale have to offer this year but I am looking forward to them proving me wrong. You just never know with the soaps; they are full of surprises.
I adore Emma and I have been following her and Curtis’s story very closely. I felt so sorry for her this week when Curtis was arrested on their wedding day. I felt less sorry for him. Then there’s little Sam, who will apparently speak for the first time in weeks over Christmas. I also believe with are due some emotional scenes from Abi, not to mention some shocks! Sally Carmen has been stealing so many scenes recently. She’s just wonderful, as is Mollie Gallagher, who plays Nina.
Hollyoaks
Now, I don’t know about you but I have already blitzed Hollyoaks on All4, taking me right up to the episodes due to air on 30th December. I’m not even sorry. I couldn’t wait!
However, I can report that it is definitely worth watching and there are some really amazing moments. The bit that really got me was Cindy’s desperation to have a positive Christmas with/for Luke and the almost impossibility of it and of the situation. It was utterly heartbreaking.
The Maalik Family confront Ali
The Osbourne Family get a big surprise
Cindy struggles through Christmas with Luke
Ollie’s new relationship with conspiracy theorist, Becky causes problems
Hollyoaks Village is definitely Crime Capital of the UK, there can be no doubt. Every year in Inside Soap, they add up all the murders and the Chester based soap always tots up the most kills, even if, currently, Meena in Emmerdale is working pretty hard to challenge that, as is Gray down in Albert Square.
Ste was indoctrinated into a far right, racist group (Metro)
However, in recent years, Hollyoaks appears to be tackling these ‘big’ stories that span almost an entire year. And the first time they did it, with Ste being indoctrinated into the white supremacist hate group and all the discussions of racism and all those powerful scenes entailed… well, it was amazing. They took a most beloved character and turned them against everything in our moral fibre. They did something that no soap has ever attempted before (although Eastenders are clearly touching on something similar with this new boy, Aaron) and it challenged people’s ways of thinking. I cried my way through that entire story. Every time Ste and his gang abused the Maalik family, it broke my heart. I was shouting at the television, wondering how people could let this happen. But of course, that was the whole point.
The kids were caught up in county lines drugs running (Radio Times)
The following year, they got bigger. They took on this whole ‘flashforward’ story (which was rudely interrupted by the pandemic and then thrown somewhat by actor, Aedan Duckworth (Ollie Morgan) exiting his role with no warning. Can you even imagine the panic of reshooting and reimaging the story when they had not only filmed the end of the story but also aired it a year before?! The county lines drugs story spanned the entire year and although I know it’s a massive issue, for me, it was just too long. The young actors involved were wonderful and it was a great way of showcasing their talent. But by the end of it, I’d pretty much stopped caring what happened – not to mention lost track of it all. It just got too dark and too complicated (not to mention too unlikely that anything like this would happen in a tiny, little village!)
Fergus’s crimes were adding up… (Metro)
So, imagine how thrilled I have been by the latest, massive project surrounding Fergus and his exploitation of every woman in Chester. Again, it’s a hugely important issue. And it is something that’s important to me. But there has to be some level of realism, surely? Would this bloke really come to a small village and set up a series of pay per view spy cams in women’s homes? Locally? Where he lives? And nobody even noticed? Then would he shoot his tech guy for spilling the beans, having become obsessed with one of the girls? Oh and then sell his daughter in law to the highest bidder? It doesn’t make logistical sense. And once again, for me, it just got too dark and too complicated. It’s Hollyoaks, not Line of Duty.
In conclusion, sometimes, a less complex story can actually go a lot further.
Although I saw it coming a mile off, nothing could prepare me for the scene where Misbah finally admitted that Ali had raped her, resulting in her becoming pregnant with Shaq. The whole episode was amazing and I was on the edge of my seat, my heart pounding as the world began closing in on her at the ball.
Misbah breaks down… (Digital Spy)
Once home, Yazz was so amazing, as she spoke so wonderfully to her mother, kindly but firmly helping her to say the words and admit the truth. It was clear that the boys were not ready to hear it but Yazz was the perfect daughter. I was so moved by the exchange between mother and daughter and actresses Harvey Virdi and Haiesha Mistry should be so proud of their work.
Dr Maalik (Digital Spy)
This for me is Hollyoaks at its finest. It’s such a challenging and topical story – historical rape – and will affect many, many people. Putting such a strong woman at its helm is a really wonderful thing to do as well. Mizbah has always been a leader, both in her family and as Doctor at the hospital. She is also one of the kindest characters on the show; other characters look to her for support and guidance. To take her to this place and to think back along her timeline in this way is so interesting. To see her in such a vulnerable position is so heartbreaking. And to see her learn to heal, when she has been suffering in silence for all these long years will be so important for a great many people.
I am so interested to see where this story takes us and how Mizbah’s loved ones will respond. We have already seen a misguided attempt to forge evidence against Ali to give the CPS a reason to charge him and go to trial and now it looks like someone (Imran, perhaps?) has assaulted him. In everyone’s desperation to protect their Mum, are they just making things worse for her?
I remember watching the soaps when I was a closeted teenager, in awe of the likes of Zoe Tate, who was such a rare gem on 90’s TV. Not only had she been out and proud since the early nineties, but her sexuality was also only part of her story. She was a powerful, even formidable character. She had money and knew how to use it. She had her own career as a vet, that she loved. She had a wicked streak. In later years, actress Leah Bracknell portrayed the most heartbreaking scenes as Zoe battled Schizophrenia. When people think back to the nineties in terms of the presence of LGBTQ characters, their minds immediately flashback to Beth Jordache and ‘that kiss’, which is of course important but Zoe came out a year before this and was the first lesbian character in a British Soap. She was also the first gay character to have a wedding/blessing, many years before Civil Partnerships or equal marriage were even dots on the horizon for any of us. I was genuinely saddened in 2019 when Leah passed away from cancer.
‘That Kiss’ in Brookside
Flash forward to present day and this past June when many of us have been marking Pride month with such gratitude that we are here, that so many things have changed and that we have the capacity and strength to try and change the things that still need changing. I have seen so many things online that remind us of why we still need Pride so much. One of things that struck me hardest was a post about while we live in a world where kids are still sat at home believing they would be better off no longer in this world than being gay, then we still need Pride. Pride isn’t a party. Pride is a march of survival. It’s a moment in time where we embrace every single ounce of ‘different’ inside and let it sing. Even if we sing out of tune.
I’ve been that kid, sat at home, scared for my future because I didn’t fit in, because while all my friends were watching the boys on TV, I was watching the girls. And it has been a long road in terms of being and out and proud soap addict to watch these shows change their characters, their storylines and their attitudes towards their characters and their storylines over the past twenty five years or so, when I first started tuning in and I started consciously battling my sexuality.
Lindsey fell for best friend, Shelley in Brookside
I remember, back in the day, that occasionally, a soap would have two dimensional gay man in it to back up another character and have no plot of their own. They certainly wouldn’t have a love life. Then there came the phase of the scandal storylines to boost ratings, where quite frankly, the characters and the LGBTQ viewers were badly mistreated. There was the random storyline of Lindsey Corkhill falling in love with her best friend, Shelley who actually had a thing for her mother in Brookie. Then there was that time that Todd kissed Nick in Corrie purely to pull viewers in to witness a ‘shock, gay kiss’ between two attractive men. And more recently, Tracy Barlow slept with Paula for literally no reason.
Charlie and Joey had a short lived romance in Home and Away #CJ
But Willow and Alex got a happy ending! #Willex
Over in Australia, back in 2009, Home and Away’s Charlie Buckton had a dalliance with Joey Collins, which I confess I got completely sucked into. It ended when Charlie cheated on her with some bloke and Joey left, never to be seen or heard of again. Charlie (the police officer) slept with one criminal bloke after another before she got shot and died. Delightful. They did redeem themselves recently though with Willow and Alex’s relationship, which I also fell in love with – they actually got a happy ending. Off screen, of course. Well, you can’t have everything.
The landscape of how soaps have presented the LGBTQ characters and relationships have definitely changed in a positive way over the years, I think. So many of the partnerships people have grown to love and adore, have not been heterosexual ones. Once upon a time, a soap would have to handle every aspect of gay relationships with ‘sensitivity’, in case they offended the homophobes when really, people like me and fellow members of the LGBTQ community were just desperate to see ourselves and our lives (or the lives we wanted to live), validated on TV.
Tony and Simon in Eastenders
Lana and Sky finally got their happy ending in Neighbours
I remember back in the day when in Eastenders, Tony left Tiffany for her brother, Simon. It was a scandal, not because of the affair but because of the sexuality aspect. I remember Shannon and Mandy falling in love so subtly that you could have missed it. Neighbours attempted to have Lana and Sky get together but the homophobia was so strong, they abandoned the story. They were so proud that for their 35th anniversary to be able to rectify this and have the girls get married. It had always felt for the show and for the actors like an unfinished storyline.
Christian and Syed lived happily ever after in Eastenders (in Birmingham, actually)
Ben and Callum are one of Eastenders’ most popular couples today #Ballum
I also remember the huge story that Eastenders took on when they got Christian and Syed together. It was amazing! Not only were they addressing Syed coming to terms with his sexuality, he also had to work out how this fitted with his religion. And despite the complaints, they became such a loved and popular couple. Since then, one of the show’s most popular couples are ‘#Ballum’ – Ben and Callum – who got together in a very similar way to Christian and Syed (an affair in the lead up to a wedding). And one of the most special moments in the show’s history was the moment that Johnny came out to his Dad, Mick and received nothing but pure love and acceptance in return – no hesitation.
Robert and Aaron were made for each other in Emmerdale #Robron
Throughout the soaps, there have been some amazingly popular couples and characters, which show the strength of writing, performance and on-screen chemistry. Who can forget Robert and Aaron – #Robron – in Emmerdale? Not my favourite, granted, but massively popular and there were a lot of devastated fans out there when Robert was sent to jail. Their counterpart, if you like, are Vanessa and Charity (who I much prefer). I am very hopeful that when Michelle Hardwick (Vanessa) returns from maternity leave, a reconciliation will be on the cards! Charity herself was initially one of those ‘ratings bisexuals’ when she had a random affair with Zoe Tate in the early noughties. So it was brilliant when they revisited this and created what has become a fantastic relationship with Vanessa. Until it all went badly wrong. Oh and let’s not forget that once upon a time, Charity’s daughter, Debbie, had a fling with best friend, Jasmine, played by Jenna Coleman. Jasmine went to prison. I don’t think she’ll be coming back…
I still believe in Charity and Vanessa! (Emmerdale) #Vanity
John Paul and Ste belong together (Hollyoaks)
One of my favourite Hollyoaks pairings is John Paul and Ste. Between them, they’ve had more relationships than hot dinners and many would say that John Paul’s true love is Craig and Ste’s true love is Brendan. But personally, I never subscribed to either of those relationships. Neither of those men ever treated John Paul or Ste very nicely. Brendan was violent and Craig dangled John Paul on a shoestring for most of their relationship. But although I have adored people like Doug and Keiron (RIP) and James and Harry (RIP) have been great players thrown into the mix, I firmly believe that Ste and John Paul belong together.
Aaron and David are the perfect couple in Neighbours
Chloe in Neighbours
Over in Australia, Neighbours has excelled itself in waving the rainbow flag. For me, they have outshone every soap. Years ago, it dipped its toe in the water with the character of Chris and from there, more and more gay characters arrived. Now, it can celebrate one of the best partnerships the show and in fact, soap, has ever seen in David and Aaron who are not only legally married (and walked down the aisle to Kylie and Jason!) but have also been foster parents and are expecting their first child. Aaron’s sister, Chloe is also bisexual and not just telly bisexual where she’s actually straight and goes off with a girl now and again to boost ratings. Chloe is such a vibrant character and has brought so much diversity to show in terms so showing someone who can love and have relationships with people for who they are, not for what gender they are.
Emma and Jasmine in Doctors
In more recent years, Doctors have created some great character development with Emma who now identifies as pansexual after being very surprised to find herself falling for a female friend. Since then, she has had relationships with either gender and a couple of years ago, the show had an extremely harrowing storyline where Emma and her then girlfriend, Jasmine experienced a homophobic attack. It was not dissimilar to that awful story of the girls on the bus in London a few years ago.
The amazing Mackenzie from Neighbours
Neighbours has taken Pride further in recent years with the amazing trans activist, Georgie Stone, who plays Mackenzie. Following Mackenzie’s story has been so emotional and so enlightening. She has been the Hayley Cropper of the millennial generation. But joking aside, it has been incredible to watch this young person, both the actress and the character, essentially explain her journey. She has not only portrayed the character but also been involved in the writing and story lining and I have genuinely wept during parts of her tale, as she had undergone surgery and struggled with acceptance from her family.
Hayley Cropper, Coronation Street. The Original.
I remember years and years ago, attending a transgender workshop and the first thing the trainer said was that they would love to say their charity was responsible for the education regarding trans people but it was actually Coronation Street. Everyone laughed because it was funny and also because it was a little bit true. This is the far reach of soaps and also the heavy responsibility they have to make sure that as well as entertaining people, they are socially responsible. I remember when Hayley first turned up in Corrie and it was such a scandal. I was about thirteen years old and still trying to get my head around my sexuality. I had no idea about gender diversity or anything and I had never heard of being transgender before. But the idea of someone not quite fitting, not feeling like they were who or how they were meant to be, completely connected with me. And Hayley turned out to be this angel, the kindest woman to ever walk the cobbles and they put her together with Roy, the kindest man to ever walk the cobbles… Well, the magic was made.
Sally from Hollyoaks
Since then, of course, Sally has turned up in Hollyoaks and the actress who plays her helped Coronation Street create Hayley so even though Hayley is gone, it’s kind of like she lives on. So even though Corrie was extremely late in bringing in the L, the G and the B, they did lead the charge with the T, something other soaps haven’t always been that eager (or that good) at doing. Currently, it’s only Emmerdale, (alongside Neighbours)who have Matty with any trans visibility. His story is particularly special as we actually knew his character as Holly, years ago. This hasn’t been done before. What’s also been a turning point in recent years with LGBTQ characters is that most of the actors who are playing the roles are members of the LGBTQ community.
So, at the end of this June – Pride Month – I am happy to reflect on how hard our soaps have worked to become inclusive and reflect the society we do or should live in. I am happy that I have all manner of characters and pairings to discuss, enjoy and dislike amongst all the different soaps. I love that I don’t have to cling to the single character that exists in each soap just because they’re gay. Firstly, there are plenty to choose from (except in Home and Away) and secondly, they are written so well that actually, sometimes they’re just not very nice. Because not all gay people are nice! Not all gay men are camp and fluffy. And gay women come in all variations too! Imagine!
Swooning (over) Shannon in Home and Away
When I was growing up, that just wasn’t how it was. You only knew Shannon liked Mandy because she talked about her incessantly. A bit like I talked about Shannon, actually! You were lucky if Zoe could hold hands with her wife. And two guys together were a rare scandal. Now, homophobia on screen is rare and definitely dealt with. I am reminded of a scene in Eastenders where Callum’s Dad was vile to him and Ben and Phil Mitchell to stood up for them. It was such a fantastic and affirming scene.
All the while people are not safe in the world because of their gender or sexuality, there is a lot of work to do. All the while there are people who don’t feel they belong in this world because of their gender or sexuality, there is a lot of work to do. But just for a brief moment in time, it is nice to reflect on how far this small corner of our society has come, even in my lifetime. When I was a teenager, I absorbed every message that these shows delivered to me and I am overwhelmed at how the messages have changed. You couldn’t pay me any money in the world to be a kid today with social media and mobile phones constantly beeping at me and recording my ever move and mistake. But I do think the positive approach to diversity and acceptance is a special thing that I definitely didn’t have twenty (ish) years ago. Soaps are intended to reflect life. They beam their way into our homes on a daily basis and right now, I praise them for doing a good job of positively affirming us, the LGBTQ community.
So, Warren, Brody and Felix were in quite the pickle, trying to work out what to do over Cormac, who was now half dead on the garage floor. Warren wanted to finish the job but the other two stopped him. While Felix disagreed with Brody about handing themselves into the police, he did agree with dumping Cormac at the hospital, where he was in a coma and not likely to recover.
While Brody fell to pieces, Warren made it clear that he would have no qualms in putting him out of his misery if he were to hand them over to the police. Brody finally cracked and told Sienna everything and while she was prepared to hand his previous murder confession to the police, she and Brody eventually decided that the smartest thing to do would be to take all three kids and run away. Yes. Running away from Warren has always worked out so well in the past!
Brody was always going to regret getting involved with Warren… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
They also don’t just have themselves to consider of course. They seem to have forgotten that Sienna’s sister is deeply involved in their baby Faith’s life, as she was their surrogate. What they don’t know is that she much more involved than they realise. Suffering from post-partum psychosis, Liberty was seeing visions of Nurse Nico, encouraging her to bond with and even breast feed Faith in secret. On the sly, poor Liberty was getting more and more attached to Faith and snappier and snappier with her sister.
That doll is VERY creepy! (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Meanwhile, the McQueen family were having big problems when they started receiving threatening messaging, each with the theme of the seven deadly sins. Seven Deadly Sins. Seven Deadly Sinners. Seven McQueen’s. So, John Paul, Mercedes, Sylver, Goldie, Nana, Cher and newly returned Theresa (hooray!) gathered to work out what to do: pay up or face up to the sins of their past. Led by Mercedes, they decided to track down their blackmailer and call their bluff, only for the cash per sin to increase and a warning to be issued: the first sin is wrath and one of them will go to jail.
Theresa McQueen returns to trouble… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Prior to this, John Paul’s only concern was his discovery that boyfriend George had mishandled Jordan’s arrest, earning him a suspension and Jordan getting released. James had been delighted to announce the news and it had led John Paul to question George’s honesty. This was only furthered when shaken James reported that George had burst into his house and threatened him. This was completely true but manipulative George, who has everyone on side, persuaded John Paul that James was lying. I so wanted George to be a good person but he is clearly evil. I am so disappointed!
Speaking of evil, Edward attempted to cement his control over Diane by creating symptoms of a condition that mean her hair began to fall out. He told her that the condition is due to stress and advised that she start divorce proceedings with Tony, who was devastated at the finality of the end of his relationship with the woman he loves. When Sami realised that Verity had put off anyone taking Tony on, he felt too sorry for him and took him on himself.
Yazz was devastated when Tom broke up with her, believing that his world would eventually be too small for her big ambitions. Wanting to prove her love for him and the love of everyone around him, Yazz began a video project of messages for Tom to let him know how loved he was, starting with Tony. Well, it’s only fitting on their 25th birthday that the show honours Tom Cunningham, the boy that stayed.
Eager to fulfil her new role as drugs pusher, Juliet has pressured Charlie into dealing for her but when she and Victor saw him just about managing to dodge George, Victor instructed her to drag little Ella into the gang as well.
Hollyoaks airs Monday – Thursday, 6:30pm on Channel 4 (sneak peek on E4, 7pm)
These reviews are based on the E4 episodes
Hollyoaks airs ‘Hollyoaks Favourites’ on Fridays, Wednesdays-Fridays, 7pm on E4
(Monday 28th September – Thursday 8th October 2020)
After some soul searching, Liberty decided she couldn’t take the baby away from Sienna, as much as she longed to be her mother. Also, Liberty appears to be being haunted by a nurse that may or may not be real and sounds weirdly like Nico… The nurse was furious with her for handing the baby over to Sienna. I’m curious to see where this whole storyline will go…
Liberty is suffering with mental health problems after giving birth… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
When Brody and Sienna couldn’t agree on the baby’s name, Damon suggested they include Liberty in the decision. She chose the name Faith.
When Faith’s return home was halted due to an infection, Liberty was left in turmoil yet again. The hospital suggested skin to skin contact to help the baby grow stronger but it meant that Liberty’s heart broke even more. And of course the weird and possibly imaginary nurse was still lurking.
Toby was horrified to find some pages of The Red Door, the book written about the experiment done on him as a child, poking out of Mitchell’s bag. He tricked him into visiting him where he fully intended to harm him but the boys bonded instead and Mitchell helped Toby realise that he was more than an experiment and was perfectly capable of making a fresh new start.
The more he thought about it, the more Toby began to realise that once they escape the Doctor, Celeste continued to control him and for the first time, we saw hand movements and the way she speaks to him as evidence that he is correct. All this time, it has looked like she has been looking after him with all his anger issues and recklessness (I mean, let’s not forget, he did murder Lisa) but is she actually the more sinister of the two? Or are they as bad as each other but in different ways?
Celeste has learned to control her brother… (Photo credit: Digital Spy)
Determined to be his own person now though, Toby threatened Celeste and decided to move in with Martine, who accepted him even when she found out that it was him who assault Felix months ago. He was worryingly proud of having manipulated his mother and not bothered about moving into dead Lisa’s room. Celeste was lost without him as they have been together their whole lives, albeit through a door for a lot of it.
As for Mitchell, Scott discovered that he was up to his eyes in credit card debt. That just doesn’t sound like sensible Mitchell and feels a bit like it’s come from nowhere. A rushed exit story, perhaps?
Felix continued to mess Grace around. You’d think she’d know better after her last boyfriend. Really, Felix wanted Martine but she told him she wasn’t interested and even if she had, Walter was quick to warn Felix to stay away from her! Felix had other problems, however when he and Warren decided to start working together at the garage but during a power struggle, Warren locked him in the garage, triggering past trauma of his abuser, Cormac. So of course, Felix has decided he would get some violent revenge.
When he couldn’t talk him out of it, Warren obediently lured Cormac to the Village where Felix confronted him about the abuse he suffered as a child. Eventually, Cormac admitted he had behaved that way because Felix was black and he apologised, although it’s unlikely that it’s sincere. Brody listened through the door, suffering flashbacks of his own ordeal with Buster, namely the apology he cruelly snatched away recently. When Cormac was finally released, a remark he made triggered trauma for Brody who punched him. When Cormac was undeterred and vile to Brody about the abuse he suffered as a child, Brody and Felix were left to look on as Warren brutally assaulted the man he had looked up to growing up. Will Warren have another death on his hands?
Cormac triggered Brody’s own memories of abuse… (Photo credit: Digital Spy)
Jordan ended up on Victor’s bad side while Juliet’s popularity was just growing and growing. In the process, Victor and Jordan robbed Marnie’s café only to find no cash on the premises. It really shook poor Marnie up. Thankfully, Misbah was there to look after her. But when Jordan began threatening to take Juliet out, Sid felt he had no option but to rat him out to the police for dealing, landing him a potential fourteen years in jail unless he gave up some names to the bigger players. Victor attempted to terrify Juliet and Sid with an initiation ceremony but while Sid lost complete control, Juliet was utterly fearless. Victor handed over Jordan’s patch to Juliet who rejected her family and gave herself a new look.
Juliet easily passed Victor’s initiation ceremony… (Photo credit: Digital Spy)
Leela and Peri were both horrified over Jordan’s arrest, although they both reacted in different ways. Peri was utterly furious, having trusted Jordan’s assurances that he had changed. Leela, who knew absolutely nothing of Jordan’s behaviour felt angry but also sad for him. She worried about him coping in prison but she also felt like she had let Sid down when she was meant to be looking after him. Neither Peri nor Leela have, as of yet, confessed to their relationship with Jordan. Now that will be an interesting episode. Sid, meanwhile, was delighted to have been allowed back into school but torn up with guilt for betraying his cousin, he tried and failed to get him off the hook.
Jordan is in big trouble… (Photo credit: Digital Spy)
Tom and Yazz, who everyone thinks are love’s young dream decided to set Romeo and Cher up. Or at least, Yazz decided to set them up and I have a horrible feeling that Yazz is more into Tom than Tom is into Yazz. She even declared at the end of yesterday’s episode that she is in love with him and seems eager to plan their future whereas he clearly stated they haven’t said the L Word yet and are taking things slowly. Meanwhile, Romeo appeared to have backed away from Cher, who he was once so very keen on and managed to offend her and her entire family. Well done, mate.
Is Tom having second thoughts…? (Photo credit: Digital Spy)
Maxine happened upon the idea of a photoshoot for expanding the business for the law firm. They also appear to be struggling for office space but weren’t they renting the salon? Isn’t that how Maxine ended up working for them in the first place?
Hollyoaks airs Monday – Thursday, 6:30pm on Channel 4 (sneak peek on E4, 7pm)
These reviews are based on the E4 episodes
Hollyoaks airs ‘Hollyoaks Favourites’ on Fridays, Wednesdays-Fridays, 7pm on E4
Juliet bravely came out to Peri who was really kind and understanding but sadly, she didn’t feel the same. For now. We all saw the flashforward! Although, several spanners may have been put in the works with filming all that due to the lockdown, I imagine. Will they even have time to pull it all together by the end of the year?! Time will tell, I guess.
But for now, Peri has told Juliet that she only sees her as a little sister, leaving heartbroken Juliet no choice but to follow Victor’s instructions and move back in with the Nightingale’s. She does so by coming out to them and while Victor lurks in the back of her mind, it’s clear that she is being earnest with them, especially Marnie who offers nothing but love and support. Juliet never wanted to hurt her in the first place. She loves her and thinks of her as a grandmother. She bought her a plaque to commemorate Nathan by way of apology for destroying his jacket. I genuinely love their relationship and I do hope they can heal together, despite the awful mess Juliet has got herself involved in.
Sienna got the truth out of Brody regarding his visit to Buster. He took Damon with him and managed to get an apology in exchange for Damon promising to visit again. When he heard about the apology, Ollie also wanted to visit but having worked out that Damon wasn’t going to return, Buster took everything back and was absolutely vile to both boys. Ollie ran off to his Mum’s, making a sudden off-screen departure from the show. A new actor is going to take his place, apparently, another thing throwing off this flash forward plot, as of course, we saw the original actor as Ollie, suffering from drug addiction in that episode. I think the moral of the story is showing soap characters a year ahead in time is problematic. Granted, they couldn’t have guessed that a global pandemic was coming our way…
Damon supports Brody as he confronts Buster… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Brody had even more on his mind when Liberty suddenly went into labour and of course, being Sienna’s baby, nothing went smoothly. While Sienna was cornered over the growing tension between her and Warren, Liberty was rushed into surgery with a bleed and the baby was suffering with perinatal asphyxia. While the new parents got the news that the baby was okay, Liberty appeared to have a personality transplant; she went from being emotional and delighted to have provided her sister with such a gift, to being determined that she was the baby’s mother. Oh dear.
Liberty wants to keep the baby… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Mandy grew concerned over Darren’s mental health as he became obsessed with some baby ducklings, one of which sadly died and his mood became increasingly erratic. She broke his trust by reading his journal, desperately worried that he was suicidal like Kyle. He admitted that he was feeling patronised and that he didn’t want to share his troubles with her because he didn’t want to worry her.
Mandy is worried about Darren… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Martine found Damon with The Red Door, the book about Toby when he was being experimented on, although Damon had no idea what it was. Snatching it off him, Martine determined to get rid of it but not before Toby and Celeste found her with it. Toby lost it with his mother but Celeste was far more reasonable. It’s funny really, as when these two first arrived, Celeste seemed far more vicious but it’s actually Toby that’s the psycho. Celeste actually wants to reach out to her family. At home, Celeste tried to calm her brother time but he insisted that reading the book would bring out ‘the monster’. I think that kind of already happened when you murdered Lisa, mate. Something about the way these two talk suggests to me that Lisa was not his first kill though…
Hollyoaks airs Monday – Thursday, 6:30pm on Channel 4 (sneak peek on E4, 7pm)
These reviews are based on the E4 episodes
Hollyoaks airs ‘Hollyoaks Favourites’ on Fridays, Wednesdays-Fridays, 7pm on E4
Jordan kept the pressure on the kids to improve their sales, which have apparently been lacking in lockdown. Well, I guess every market has been suffering…
Sid turned down the chance to join a band, which Jordan had set up in order to expand market opportunities. He also continued to two time both Leela and Peri. I’m pretty sure it’s Leela he’s interested in and Peri he’s using but he’s not that easy to read. Juliet was absolutely livid when she found out, being that she has been harbouring feelings for Peri for a while.
During a meeting with Victor, Juliet spoke out of turn and Sid gave himself away regarding the band opportunity, dropping Jordan in it, as he had lied for him. While Jordan got a beating, Sid and Juliet got dumped with a huge batch of drugs to sell in a very short space of time.
Juliet and Sid then hijacked Imran’s party, inviting as many ‘randoms’ as possible in order to sell as much ‘gear’ as possible. Yes, I know putting ‘gear’ in inverted commas makes me sound a hundred. I am wasn’t down with the kids even when I was one. Juliet ended up selling to Ollie who got off his face on ketamine after an argument with Brooke. He was uncharacteristically awful to her when she didn’t feel able to go to the party with him, telling her he hated her autism and having a go at her about giving up their baby and spending so much time looking after Oscar in the wake of Kyle’s death. It was pretty hideous. The next day, he desperately tried to apologise.
Peri and Juliet kiss… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Juliet got somewhat distracted when she and Peri finally kissed. The next day, completely smitten, she left a rather embarrassing voicemail for her crush and spent some of the drugs profit on an outfit for her lunch date. Sadly, she was left crushed when she realised Peri was embarrassed to have kissed her and was trying to pretend she didn’t really remember it. She also cancelled their ‘date’. Juliet risked a lot of trouble for Jordan for taking £50 from the money bag. She saved his hide at the last minute by opting into the ‘gang’ deeper and offering her particular skill set. She was raised by a drug addict. She knows how to spot vulnerable people and how to target potential addicts. Victor welcomed her aboard.
Juliet steps up her involvement in drug running… (photo credit: Metro)
Misbah was furious to come home from her extended trip away to find a load of teenagers in her messy house, post-party and Tom in her dressing gown. She let him keep it. She was very concerned about a mass gathering and no social distancing. Speaking of, I am a little confused. Are Hollyoaks showing old footage or new footage or a mix of footage? Are they not social distancing? Are they doing very clever filming beyond what the other soaps are capable of? Because there doesn’t seem to be much social distancing going on in scenes.
Meanwhile, Diane refused to give up on Tony, who continued to display severe aggression, even thinking he could take on Warren Fox. Thankfully, deep down, Warren can be a nice guy and wasn’t about to fight with him. Edward continued to manipulate the situation, making Tony think his kids were scared of him and that he should set Diane free to be in a relationship with him instead. When neither he nor Tony can persuade Diane to choose him and give up on her husband, Edward manipulates Verity into persuading her. Edward then lets up on Tony’s ‘blood thinners’ so I don’t know if that was the trade-off. At least Verity has a conscience.
I don’t know but I am just dissatisfied with this plot. After everything Tony went through with Breda, I just wanted him to be happy before the next story. He deserves that. And I know Edward is supposed to be really sinister and I very much dislike him but this controlling plot, all the dark, backstabbing, manipulation, it just doesn’t have the punch it’s supposed to have. Perhaps it’s because Coronation Street and Eastenders are running two incredible coercive control/domestic abuse plots at the moment with Geoff and Yasmeen and Gray and Chantelle that this story is rather pale in comparison. And that doesn’t mean it won’t improve. But I’m not happy with it. And I think Tony deserves more. Firstly, he deserved relief when he finally got home. And secondly, if they were going to torture him more, they should have tortured him better! And yes, I accept that I am completely contradicting myself.
In other news:
John Paul’s son, Matthew finally got a speaking part and confirmed his approval of John Paul’s relationship with George.
Romeo got a job a The Dog in order to remind us that he fancies Cher.
Brody admits to struggling with his past with Buster and his future as a Dad.
Has Misbah met someone?
Hollyoaks airs Monday – Thursday, 6:30pm on Channel 4 (sneak peek on E4, 7pm)
These reviews are based on the E4 episodes
Hollyoaks airs ‘Hollyoaks Favourites’ on Fridays, Wednesdays-Fridays, 7pm on E4
The Soap Dish 