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Peter Mitchell Interview

Peter Mitchell, who plays Pete Hamill, is the newest addition to the Hollyoaks cast. He came into the show last week when Mercedes and Cheryl took a trip to visit Malachy's grave in Northern Ireland. Pete has a lot of previous with the Brady family and Brendan was definitely less than impressed to see his old foe back within close quarters.  

Peter Mitchell has also had a very impressive career, from professional footballer to Channel 4 star. We spoke to him in depth. Check out the interview...

What’s the most interesting fact about yourself – perhaps something that people may not necessarily already know?

I signed a four year contract for Leeds United FC when I was 16.

How did you get the part as Pete Hamill?

I got a phone call from my agent; Hollyoaks had got in touch with him to set up a meeting with me. I flew over to Liverpool and met with Paul Marquess, who was the producer at that time. We had a talk and fortunately for me he offered me the job.

How did you celebrate when you found out you had the part?

I flew over that morning and back the same night, so there was no celebrating that day, although I'm sure I made up for it that weekend ;-)

What’s the biggest part you’ve had previous to getting this one?

CAST OFFS. Not only was it my big break, but it was also my first audition.

Have people started to recognise you in the street as a Hollyoaks actor?

A few people from the gym have recognised me. If people recognise me they're always 100% sure it’s me, my chair gives me away ;-)

Are you enjoying working alongside Emmett Scanlan and Jamie Lomas so far?

Loving it!!! They're two big characters on the show, and it’s great to be working with the bad boys.

Which actor/actress were you most looking forward to working alongside when you got the part?

Emmett - his character is amazing, but it’s all down to him. He makes Brendan what he is...
 
Is there any actress in particular that you would like for Pete to have a romantic story with?

Ha ha, I can’t answer that!  I work with these girls so I'm not gonna single anyone out. All the girls on the show are great and Pete can certainly be a charming guy so it will be interesting to see if he gets a romantic story…

How much are you like your character in the show?

We're both strong-minded and very independent and we haven't let our disability get the better of us or change us. Unlike Pete, I'm very easy going and I brush things off. I don’t think Pete is as easy going as me and he certainly wouldn't have my patience.

Oh, and by the way...

You may remember last year during the dramatic fire scenes at Il Gnosh, we used a track by Abi Phillips called 'Missing You'. That was before she joined the show as character Liberty. Since then she's been working hard in the studio. We have a video of her singing alongside Sam Gray on a track called 'Two Hearts'. Sam is currently working with Abi on her debut album. Enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROjvsyAoBMo

 

 

 

Welcome to this week’s blog from the Hollyoaks music department.

This week’s musical highlights on Hollyoaks include:

‘Sylvia Plath’ by Ryan Adams – sometimes a song is chosen for it’s tone & the sentiment it evokes rather than how fitting the lyrics are and this is a great example of this. It plays under a scene where we see Mercedes’ heartfelt monologue to Mal at his graveside and the wistful & slightly melancholic tones of this track are perfectly suited the emotion we see portrayed here.

‘Riot Rhythm’ by Sleigh Bells – there is a grimey raunchiness to this track, which seemed fitting for Gaz’s lust filled glances in Heidi’s direction. We featured the Sleigh Bells track ‘Tell ‘Em’ in our ‘on our stereo’ section quite a while back, so it was nice to find a place for another of their tracks on the show.

‘Telephone (Alphabeat Remix)’ – Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce – our highlight of the week was definitely Duncan’s hilarious cheer leading try-out. The addition of the gym skirt really was a work of genius & what better to soundtrack his outrageous dance moves (all choreographed by the actor himself incidentally) than the queen of controversial performances! Thank you Duncan, you really did cheer our week right up.

On Our Stereo:

‘You Can Dance’ by Chilly Gonzales – a lovely little slice of disco funk here, sure to entice you off your backside and on to the dance-floor. Well, it certainly seems to have done just that for the ladies featured in this cheeky little video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4wdcIgCYoc

More musical goodies await on next week’s episodes of Hollyoaks, so until then…

Kate & James

Tongues have been set wagging with speculation about a new cast member joining the show. Well, the wait is over Hollyoaks fans. We are delighted to confirm that the beautiful Daisy Turner will be joining the show!

Not sure who that is (shame on you)? Well, Daisy is the younger sister of Lacey Turner, who played Stacey Slater in Eastenders! Every bit as talented and every inch as foxy too, we are more than just a little excited about our shiny new addition to the team.

As of yet, however, we are sadly unable to confirm the character’s name or any details of the storylines that she will be involved in, but we can tell you that she has already begun filming with us.

For now though, you’ll just have to hang tight, but we will, of course, have loads more details closer to the time of Daisy’s arrival on screen.

There’s been an awful lot happening both on and off-screen this week. We’ve picked out all the most exciting bits and broken them down into bite-size chunks to spare you any gossip-news indigestion:

Hollyoaks Trial

Speculation has been rife this week over whether Anthony Quinlan’s character Gilly Roach really did rape Jacqui McQueen, as she claims that he did. While Gilly claims that they had consensual sex, Jacqui is adamant that she was raped. Stuck right in the middle of things, Rhys doesn’t know who to believe and we’re none the wiser either.

If you do have an opinion though, now is the time to voice it! The makers of Hollyoaks are inviting fans to come along and form part of a fictional jury that will sit in for Gilly Roach’s rape trial. We are looking for twelve people to be part of our jury and the decision that they make on the case will decide which way the story-line goes. To apply, all you have to do is fill out a short form. The form, plus more information, help and support are available on our dedicated Hollyoaks trial page.

(The deadline for applications is Monday 28 Feb at 5:00pm)

Plus, for more help and support information on the issue of rape, just go to: http://www.e4.com/hollyoaks/help-and-support/rape.html

Celebrity Juice

Local gag-smith Alex Carter (Lee Hunter) appeared on Keith Lemon’s ‘Celebrity Juice’ this week. Alex may actually have met his match here in the smutty banter stakes! The whole show is still available to view on ITV Player, over at: http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=215226

Warning: this video contains naughty bits. Those of a squeamish disposition may want to look away now…!

Bubble Awards

All About Soap Magazine have launched their annual ‘Bubble’ Awards and Hollyoaks is nominated in eight categories. The list of nominations follows:

Best actress: Claire Cooper (Jacqui McQueen)
Best actor: Emmett J Scanlan (Brendan Brady)
Best newcomer: Rachel Shenton (Mitzeee)
Best Celeb Style: Jennifer Metcalfe (Mercedes), Jorgie Porter (Theresa)
Best comeback: Warren Fox
Best stunt: Il Gnosh fire
Best love triangle: Ste/Brendan/Rae

There are a few other soaps nominated, but the less you know about them, the better. Exercise your democratic right and vote now at: http://www.demographix.com/surveys/M2HB-JR9E/E5MKXA7Z/

Voting closes on Monday 28 February.

The Wright Stuff

Finally, Alex Fletcher aka scouse-proud mother Diane O’Connor will be appearing on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff at 9:15 am on Tuesday 22 February. Put it in your calendars, tie a knot in your pyjamas, get a tattoo – whatever it takes to make sure you don’t forget to tune in!

That’s about it for this week sports-fans. Watch this             (space) for more…

Welcome to this week’s blog from the Hollyoaks music department. This week’s musical highlights on Hollyoaks include:

‘Footprints In the Sand’ by Leona Lewis – we like to use as much new music as we can here on Hollyoaks, but sometimes even if a track isn’t brand new it just feels like the perfect fit for a scene and so it was with this belting ballad from Leona Lewis. At the start of the episode we see Theresa battling for her life. She has good reason to fight to stay alive with baby Kathleen Angel to look after and the lyrics of this track seemed to beautifully sum up Theresa’s relationship with the baby and why she has so much to live for.

‘Lighthome’ by Matt Corby – the eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted Matt’s name in our blog a few weeks back when we featured his track ‘Made of Stone’ in our ‘On Our Stereo’ section. Soon after the feature we were contacted by one of Matt’s representatives with the lovely news that Matt had heard about the blog and was really pleased that we’d given his track a mention. Subsequently they sent us a few more of his tracks and this one stood out immediately as something we would love to use on the show. As luck would have it we didn’t have to wait too long until a suitable scene arose and when I was asked to find a track to go over the scenes of Jacqui’s tearful return home and Theresa’s heartfelt declaration of her love to Kathleen Angel, this beautiful track immediately sprang to mind.

‘Last Dance’ by Clare Maguire – we’ve been getting a lot of interest about this track through the website and Hollyoaks facebook page, so to put all those who’ve been asking about it out of their misery, this is the track that was used as Calvin’s ‘theme’ every time we saw Carmel talking to his ghost. We actually used an instrumental version of the track as it would have been difficult to make out what the characters were talking about with the lyrics blaring away, which is a bit of a shame in a way as the lyrics are actually incredibly apt for the tragic story of Calvin & Carmel’s ill-fated romance.

On Our Stereo:

‘Crazy’ by Yeasayer – Crazy I know but this really is a cover of the Seal song. Yeasayer recently performed this cover live on an Australian radio show and it was one of those great occasions that make you re-access a song you’ve long since confined to the dusty annals of time. Thumbs up for a top quality cover version, nicely done lads.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzNQ0yV0ItU

‘Helplessness Blues’ by Fleet Foxes - fans of their first album will not be disappointed with this latest offering. This track delivers a familiar warmth of sound and takes us on the kind of lilting lyrical journey that we have come to expect from Fleet Foxes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mR8Z-gmK1g

More musical goodies await on next week’s episodes of Hollyoaks, so until then… Kate & James

 

All About Soap magazine’s annual reader awards, the Bubbles, are back! In the first fully-fledged soap awards of 2011, the public will be able to pick their top moments and favourite characters from the last 12 months. It’s been an action-packed year full of explosive stunts, tragic deaths, sleazy affairs and plenty of drama. Now All About Soap invites you to name the best!

There are eight categories with four nominees shortlisted in each and our very own Hollyoaks has an outstanding eight nominations! A list of our nominations is below:

Best actress: Claire Cooper (Jacqui McQueen)
Best actor: Emmett J Scanlan (Brendan Brady)
Best newcomer: Rachel Shenton (Mitzeee)
Best Celeb Style: Jennifer Metcalfe (Mercedes), Jorgie Porter (Theresa)
Best comeback: Warren Fox
Best stunt: Il Gnosh fire
Best love triangle: Ste/Brendan/Rae

There are one or two other soaps nominated in those categories, but you don’t need to know about those, they’re nowhere near as glamorous…;)

Readers can vote in the magazine or on line for their favourites, and winners will be announced next month.

“These awards are always competitive for the soaps, as it’s the public who are voting – just like the battle for ratings, winning the most awards shows who has the most loyal fans. It can get very close to call as soap fans are so passionate and love to have their say.” – Johnathon Hughes, Editor, All About Soap

Voting opens on Tuesday 15 February – fans can vote in the issue on sale that day or on line at http://www.demographix.com/surveys/M2HB-JR9E/E5MKXA7Z/

Voting closes on Monday 28 February and winners will be announced in the magazine next month.

All About Soap is published fortnightly by Hachette Filipacchi (UK) Ltd. Bubble Awards 2011 sponsored by Dream Girl Hair.

 

Welcome to this week’s blog from the Hollyoaks music department.

This week’s musical highlights on Hollyoaks include:

‘Magic’ by B.O.B featuring Rivers Cuomo – This jaunty track from talented hit-maker B.O.B. features the cheeky vocals of Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo. The lyrics, describing a person with the magic touch worked well as we saw Ricky fantasising about having his wicked way with the glamorous girls of Hollyoaks through sheer charisma and animal magnetism alone.

‘Set You Free’ by N-Trance - It was a nineties revival night at the loft, and the hits of the decade were pumping loud and proud. We heard loads oldies, from ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ to ‘Country house’, but it’s this huge chart-busting rave anthem which was the pick of the bunch. A song so dipped in a potent potion of euphoria and good times it should probably be illegal, it’s the ideal song to start or end any great night out. A testament to its enduring quality is that it can still be heard on the weekend dance-floors of the UK to this day, bringing another memorable night’s partying to an end. Gigantic.  

On Our Stereo:

“Neat Little Rows” by Elbow  - Elbow return with their first full release from their new album ‘Build A Rocket Boys’. The track is cleverly crafted, with a subtle, ceaseless momentum and an off-kilter melody showing there’s a lot more to the Bury 5-piece than 2008’s hit single ‘One Day Like This’. The track builds to a pleasing peak, don’t be surprised to see it nestling onto playlists at Radio1 and 2 in the next few weeks.

‘Night Air’ by Jamie Woon (Rehersal Rooms Version) – A great song which we’ve featured before, but this particular version is interesting as we see the artist build the track from nothing, looping and effecting his own voice and instruments, adding a different flavour and shape to the song.
He returns on March 28th with the single ‘Lady Luck’ which is also a belter, but no official video exists yet.  

More musical goodies await on next week’s episodes of Hollyoaks, so until then…

James & Kate

Radio 1xtra presenter has been broadcasting live from the Mcqueens' all day and chatting to a whole bunch of lovely cast members! It's been high-jinx all day long, ending with Gem breaking Jacqui McQueen's bed in the midst of a pillow fight with gorgeous girls Alice Barlow (Rae), Anna Shaffer (Ruby) and Jessica Forrest (Leanne)!

You revealed earlier that you’ve got a bit of a thing for Tony Hutchinson. What is it about him that you like? Is it the perma-tan? Is it his piercing blue eyes? Or is it his wallet?

I’m definitely going to go with the piercing blue eyes! Nothing to do with the wallet! Nothing to do with the fact I saw his new apartment earlier and it was pretty fly! Although, I could imagine myself swanning around in there in some sort of luxurious silky dressing gown...

Consider this scenario: Tony takes you on a Valentines’ date. What is the best thing he could do to impress you?

-    a) cook you up a wicked meal?
-    b) give you a free session at his new Spa?
-    c) Take you to the top of the Hollyoaks arch?

Well, I was impressed before because I noticed he’s got a Caribbean cook-book in his new flat. He could definitely whip me up a bit of jerk chicken.

I imagine he knows his wines too – could dust off an old classic...

Are you still talking about the wine, or by 'old classic' do you mean Tony?

Well, that’s what we like! Keeping it retro!

What has been your favourite part of the day so far?

It’s been, quite frankly, flabber-ghastingly amazing! I think the set tour was the best for me. The attention to detail is extreme!

Were there any cast-members who left you a little star-struck?

I think Jamie Lomas (Warren Fox) has got the X-Factor! And I felt a bit giddy after stroking Emmett’s tash!

Out of all the characters in the show, whose wardrobe would you have and why?

After seeing a scene today, I’m going to go with Mercedes. Anything jangly I love. Jangly equals spangly, equals good!

Finally, how are you planning to make it up to Jacqui McQueen after breaking her bed earlier?

What can I do? Help! Help!

I reckon I’m just going to have to get a job here, become a character and then we’ll just have to have some words with the script writers where I become really good friends with Jacqui.

So that’s it, you’ve come down for the day and now you’re going to be on the show?

Yep! Ha, ha!

The lovely Gem is up for Glamour Magazine's Radio Personality of the Year! Show your love and vote at: http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/celebrity/glamour-awards-2011

Jorgie Porter appeared in Now Magazine this week for a Valentine's Day special blind date. We wouldn't just let our Jorgie go courting with any old Tom, Dick or Harry mind. The lucky suitor was Danny Young - ex Corrie star, former contestant on Strictly Come Dancing and fitness presenter for This Morning.

To see how the young love-birds got on, check out the video below:

...Plus, this video, plus loads more, can also be viewed over at the Now site...

 

Last Sunday the beautiful, talented Jennifer Metcalfe made a surprise exit from ITV1's Dancing on Ice. After picking up impressive results and feedback from judges week-in, week-out on her technical abilities, we were all shocked to see Jen leaving the show. Still, ITV's loss is our gain!

We caught up with the lovely femme fatale just after leaving the competition to get her reaction to the whole thing. We wanted to know how she enjoyed her time on the show, plus whether she will be continuing with her training, or if that's been put on ice for now...

Check out the interview below:

What was the best thing you’ve taken away from the experience?

I feel a lot healthier and fitter for a start!

Is there anyone from the show that you’d like to stay in touch with in particular?

Yeah, I’ve got a few numbers and if I’m ever in London I’ll get in touch. The fact that most of the other people live in London does make it a bit tough though. Myself and Sylvain are both based up here, so it makes it a bit tricky for us to stay in touch with the others.

Has the experience inspired you to go on and do any more reality programmes?

Well, the main reason I went on Dancing on Ice is that I wanted to learn to ice-skate. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, you see. It wasn’t about going on a reality show to build up my profile or anything like that, I just thought it would be a great opportunity to learn something new.

So are you going to keep up with your training then, or are you just looking forward to getting back to (relative) normality for now?

Well, normality for me is skating, so it actually feels weird at the moment! I’m definitely going to be doing at least two hours a week, just to keep my foot in it.

Welcome to this week’s blog from the Hollyoaks music department.

This week’s musical highlights on Hollyoaks include:


‘Forever and Ever Amen’ by The Drums – This poppy, melodic track from the harmonious Americans was used with scenes of Mercedes and Riley celebrating their recent engagement as Carl watches on. The lyrics describe a romantic and innocent everlasting belief in love, which proved particularly ironic when used over images of this sordid love triangle.

‘Do it Like A Dude(Hygrade Club Remix) ’ by Jessie J – This rather filthy remix of the popular track by Miss J, provided a cracking soundtrack to Mitzee’s glamorisation before she meets Warren and the sinister Silas preying on Texas. Jessie J is set to be No.1 in the charts this Sunday with her next single ‘Price Tag.’ It’s one of the first tracks to be included in a new system to release songs to radio/tv in the same week as they are released to the public, meaning you don’t have to wait weeks to get hold of new singles. An interesting new step by the big bods of the music industry.

‘The World Is Ours’ by Glasvegas - This is the first single from the epic Glaswegians forthcoming 2nd album ‘Euphoric///Heartbreak\\\, which will be released on 4th April. A typically atmospheric, dramatic and big-sounding track which was used to good effect to score the scenes of a conniving Silas leading a drunken Texas off into the dark. Worrying.


On Our Stereo:

‘Shake me down’ by Cage The Elephant -  Jagged, Off Kilter, and  sounds a bit like the Pixies when it kicks in. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v27TRan1SBI

''Live in Dreams” by Wild Nothing - Dreamy. Ragged. Calming. Sounds a bit like a warm duvet when it kicks in. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2mXIfA2xNs

More musical goodies await on next week’s episodes of Hollyoaks so until then…

James & Kate

Theresa’s troubles escalate!

Trouble has been rapidly brewing for Theresa since Kyle started threatening to blow her secret about shooting Calvin Valentine. With an impending trial on the cards and Carmel refusing to lie on oath, it’s squeaky bum time for our favourite peroxide McQueen. And just because she doesn’t think things were quite complicated enough, Theresa’s gone and got herself all doe-eyed over local bobby on the beat, Ethan. Next week on the show, things escalate (in a manner of speaking) as Ethan finds himself at the bottom of a lift shaft after a scrap with Kyle! Meanwhile, it’s touch and go for Theresa too – Carmel will panic when she sees her cousin flat-lining on a hospital bed…

If that hasn’t whet your appetite, then you obviously have a very insensitive pallet. For those who want to see more, check out next week’s spoiler video.

Thanks a million!

We’ve nearly hit a million fans on Facebook this week! We’re so grateful for all the support we’ve received from fans around the country (nay world) and to show our appreciation, we will be releasing a special video on Facebook as soon as we hit that crucial number. For the past few months, we have been hosting live-chats with cast members on the page as well as bringing you all the gossip and latest pics. If you haven’t got involved yet, go check out the Hollyoaks Facebook fan page!

Cute as a Button…

A young lady called Ruby Button burst onto our screens earlier this year in a flurry of teenage drama and frizzy hair. She’s since caught the eye of a few young gents in the village, Masters Bart McQueen and Ricky Campbell in particular. We’ve added a cast profile to the site, where you can find out a bit more about the character as well as the actress who plays her (Anna Shaffer). For all of the above, head straight to the cast profile page for Ruby Button. “Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, la, la, la, la, la, la” etc.

Dancing (Mc)Queen

Finally, we’re glad to report that Jeniffer Metcalfe is still skating strong on ITV’s Dancing on Ice. Jen and her trainer Sylvain Longchambon (if you’re wondering, by the way – a ‘Chambon’ is a horse training aid – so literally: ‘long horse training aid’) picked up another round of impressive marks from the judges this Sunday. We’re sure she can go all the way, but she needs your votes. Pick up the phone and vote for Jen after this Sunday’s show (ITV, 9pm)!