Hollyoaks Later:
Hollyoaks Later Interview with Bryan Kirkwood
We caught up with ex-Hollyoaks Producer Bryan Kirkwood who has returned as Producer for the action-packed upcoming Hollyoaks Later episodes...
Have you missed working on Hollyoaks?
It's been a really different experience working on the late night episodes. I had three years of working on the main show - three brilliant years which I enjoyed immensely - but it was time for me to leave. This has been completely different, working on five hour-long episodes as opposed to just five half hour-long ones a week. The expectations are different, and it's been really exhilarating for me to work more hands-on with the crew, being on location with them all day, every day. So for me as a producer it's given me new challenges. I've learnt a lot, and I've loved every minute of it.
How did it all come about?
I always planned to leave at Christmas and I knew I wanted at least two months off. But I knew that there was an opportunity here to work on the late nights, which was one of a couple of opportunities I had, and I've always enjoyed working at Lime Pictures.
What have you been up to since you left?
Well I literally just spent two months in the living room with the curtains drawn, watching daytime TV! It was nothing more than that, it was great to relax. And then I came back here to start working on Hollyoaks Later.
Which of the Hollyoaks Later storylines is your favourite and why?
It's a really interesting question because I genuinely love all of them for different reasons. I love the Hannah and Rhys story because it's really great to see them in the thick of exciting and dangerous action. Emma Rigby (Hannah) is amazing, as she always is, but Andy Moss (Rhys) who I think hasn't been given as many opportunities to shine as he deserves, has given us the best work he's ever done. He's got an excellent co-star called Holly Gilbert who plays the drug-addled Imogen and he's really risen to the occasion. It's a real rite of passage storyline about new experiences, learning and making mistakes. So I like that story for all of those reasons.
The McQueens story is just classic McQueen anarchy. The four actresses are again playing to their best talents. It's funny and heartbreaking as well. That's what I love about the McQueen family - they can have you laughing and crying in the same scene. Theresa going to visit her mum in prison is truly heartbreaking, Jorgie Porter's never been better. And Claire Cooper's character Jacqui is lured into a situation because of the vulnerability she's feeling over Tony getting married to Cindy. Again, Claire is very strong, and Hollie Jay Bowes (Michaela) and Gemma Merna (Carmel) have never been funnier.
The Tony, Cindy and Darren story I love because it's the Hollyoaks greats. Just watching them on screen you know they are the people who deserve their place on Hollyoaks Later. Darren and Cindy are hideously cynical and manipulative, but now they've been trumped by the wonderful new arrival Savannah, played by Nicola Stapleton. It's a great story to tell, especially with Nick Pickard (Tony) in the thick of the action. They are all really strong, funny and clever performers and this is the story most linked with the 6:30 show, because it all comes out of Darren and Cindy's scam. But it will throw up a few surprises and give us what I hope will be the biggest twist of the week.
The story that everyone seems to be talking about is the parachute jump with Lydia, Sarah and Zoe. Again this storyline links into the main 6:30 show and comes out of Lydia's growing jealousy and insanity over Sarah and her imagined affair with Zoe. We were given a gift of an opportunity with the news that both Zoe Lister (Zoe) and Loui Batley (Sarah) were ready to leave the main show, and that gave us a fantastic thriller scenario that I'm really excited about. The stunt itself is spectacular - we had two exciting days in a field filming actresses jumping out of planes! It's been quite a hard journey organising it, but the results speak for themselves on screen.
Who decided on what the Hollyoaks Later storylines were going to be?
Well it was a combination of me, Lucy Allan, our storyline and writing team. I came back to Lime Pictures with my head full of my favourite characters, the ones I'd really like to create stories for. Obviously we knew the transmission date would be the end of September, and the Hollyoaks 6:30 show already had storylines until that point. So we had to work on storylines that complemented both shows and didn't just steal the best characters from the main show and leave them floundering. The main show had to be as robust as it always is. We had a little bit of wrangling but nothing too spectacular. We settled on the four main story strands and I was delighted with the actors we got, they're all good and fun people to work with.
Why did you get Bonnie Tyler to make a Hollyoaks Later cameo?
Episode five was in danger of becoming a bit bleak. Someone has died at the end of the previous episode, and somebody is arrested. What I loved about last year's Hollyoaks Later, that Lucy Allan did such a good job on, was that it was full of really upbeat family parties and joy and happiness. I wanted this series to echo those themes.
Carmel finds herself in the situation where she's arrested for prostitution and it just screamed out to me as an opportunity for some good old fashioned Hollyoaks fantasy to put a smile on people's faces. Its nonsense, its fun and it's the campest thing I've seen in a long time! But it's just there to make people smile.
Bonnie was really nervous, she said herself that she's not at her happiest in front of the camera but she was amazing. She was so down to earth; she laughed throughout the whole day and made everyone feel at ease. It was just a really funny day.
Will you be returning to Hollyoaks for any future projects?
I don't think so for now. I've got two weeks left here at Lime Pictures and I'm sad to be leaving, but it's time to move on. I really love it here, I love working with everyone and I've learnt so much, particularly during this last six months. But I think I'll be going elsewhere for my next project.
What is the next project you have planned away from Hollyoaks?
I do have some projects in mind, but I'm afraid I can’t really say at this point. You'll have to wait and see!