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Hollyoaks Celebrates 20 Years

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22 October 2015

By Lauren H

This week, Hollyoaks have been celebrating their 20 year anniversary, and so far it has been incredibly tense. Two more murders have been committed by the mysterious gloved hand, with only Cindy – coincidentally the one everyone thinks is insane – aware of what has actually been going on. Tony finds out about Ste and Harry’s secret love affair, and Freddie arrives at hospital seriously injured after spending hours trapped in dreadful conditions. In last night’s episode, Kim seems to have been revealed as the killer, but was it really her? What will happen next? Will we find out the truth about the murders? While you ponder that, let’s take a look back on Hollyoak’s best storylines of the past 20 years…

Hollyoaks has never been afraid to tackle the real issues of today, including storylines on cancer, rape, LGBT issues and even mental health. There is no doubt that it has a real positive impact on its audience, with Maxine and Patrick’s domestic abuse storyline used in support of the ‘This is Abuse’ campaign.

  1. 1) Ste and Brendan’s abusive relationship
  2. Those of you who watched Hollyoaks when Ste and Brendan were together will remember just how much of a complicated and intriguing love story this was. As Brendan tried to come to terms with his sexuality, he took his anger out on Ste, after being treated similarly as a child. While Maxine and Patrick’s storyline is vital in explaining domestic abuse, this earlier plot helped many viewers to understand that men could also be victims of abuse.
  3. 2) Self-Harm – Lisa Hunter
  4. Hollyoaks was the first soap to tackle such a sensitive issue, with the character turning to self-harm after being abused by another young girl. She began to hide her scars from her friends and family, often making the problem worse for her.
  5. 3) The Hollyoaks Massacre
  6. To celebrate its 18th anniversary in 2013, Hollyoaks killed off seven characters, many of whom had been adored throughout the series. Some of the characters who were killed off included Doug Carter (Ste’s new love interest), Leanne Holiday and Ash Kane. Two characters have already been killed off this year, so how many more are to come?

 

Storylines like these, along with fantastic acting and directing, led Hollyoaks to win the Best British Soap award in 2014. There are still a couple more episodes left to celebrate Hollyoaks’s 20th anniversary this week, so you better keep watching as it’s definitely going to be good!

 

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