Hollyoaks
Monday–Wednesday 7.00pm E4
EVERYBODY SAYS, ‘I don’t watch soaps,’” observes Sir Phil Redmond, whose career in television spans more than 50 years. “That’s because it’s working-class telly. Yet within 15 minutes, they’re telling you the intricacies of all the plotlines.”
In a year in which EastEnders celebrated its 40th anniversary, and Coronation Street reaches the grand old age of 65, this week sees Hollyoaks, the enfant terrible of soaps devised by Redmond, mark 30 years on air. Soaps, it seems, are weathering the stormy TV landscape and managing to stay afloat.
To mark the coming-of-age of Redmond’s heightened saga of suburban adolescence, Hollyoaks is acknowledging its roots with a tribute to another of his creations, Brookside. Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston are returning as Bobby and Sheila Grant (see page…