After almost fifteen years of being known as the soap for young people, Hollyoaks is fearing for it’s life! Viewing figures have dropped dramatically over the past year or so, with only 850,000 people tuning in over the Easter holidays. The lowest viewing figures that the show received was on New Years eve, with only 840,000 fans bothering to watch.
It is said that the cast and crew are worrying about their jobs. It was bad enough that a new producer came in and axed 11 of the shows regulars, but now that a show as established as The Bill has been shut down, everyone is fearful about the future of the ‘Oaks.
Paul Marquees, the new producer, hopes to overhaul and revamp the show by culling character and casting for a new family. Although a shake up is needed, and fans will probably welcome it, a long standing cast member shared their woes with the Daily Star: ”It’s a really worrying time for everyone connected to the show. Not only have we had a new boss come in and cull a load of characters, we’ve had some of the worst viewing figures in years.
“It doesn’t inspire confidence both on screen and off it. Watching The Bill being axed just shows that anything is possible. No-one is sure what the future holds. We’re keeping everything crossed that we can pull through this.”
The seriousness of the situation has been down played by a Channel 4 spokesperson, stating: ”Hollyoaks remains a strong part of Channel 4’s schedule. And as the flagship soap it is still the only long-running nightly drama for young British audiences.
“Fans can look forward to explosive story lines in the coming months when new episodes from Paul Marquess hit the screens.”
Here’s hoping that the shake up at the show changes audience’s attitudes and Hollyoaks becomes popular once again. We’d hate to see the end of this show.
