Hollyoaks: 30 surprising facts you never knew!

Hollyoaks has been on our screens for over two decades, and in October 2016 it celebrated it’s 21st birthday.

Over the years we’ve seen weddings, deaths, pregnancies, affairs and so much more. In nearly every episode there is always a surprise but stay tuned because we found out some truly shocking facts about the soap set within the fictional town of Chester.

30 surprising facts you NEVER knew about Hollyoaks

1. Hollyoaks is a famous for firsts!

Even though Hollyoaks is younger than the other TV soaps it was the first to explore many different issues tough-to-tackle issue. For example:

2. Tony Hutchinson has been in it from the start

Tony Hutchinson has been through it all. He's slept with three of the McQueens (Mercedes, Jacqui and Theresa), slept with his fiancés daughter (Sinead O'Connor) and had cancer. But he has beat it all and similar to Eastenders' Ian Beale, he is the longest-running character of the show, he's been in it since the very first episode back in 1995.

3. The longest-running female character is...

Frankie Osbourne. Mrs Osbourne joined the show in 2002 with her family. She has suffered a misscarriage, lost her daughter Steph to a fire and been through a whole lot more. We're happy she's still in the show though, doing it for the ladies!

4. Hollyoaks: Ahead of it's time

Hollyoaks was the first UK soap to play around with time. In 2009 they had a non-linear week which followed several storylines. They also had their flash-forward episode which showed Calvin being shot by Theresa at his and Carmel’s wedding 6 months in advance.

5. From soapland to boybands

Did you know the Roscoe brothers - who we just love to stare at - are named after these iconic singers:

And Leela Lomax, Peri Lomax, Tegan and her baby Rose Lomax are named after Doctor Who assistants.

6. Chester, Liverpool or London?

The set may look familiar as it has been used in the creator’s (Phil Redmond’s) other shows such as Brookside, Brookside Close and Grange Hill.

7. If you thought Albert Square was bad...

Hollyoaks is apparently the worst town in TV soapland to live in. According to a 2014 report, it has the highest murder rate out of all the soaps... Well, thank god we don't live there.

8. It's had its fair share of serial killers

And on the topic of murder we've seen plenty of killers on the show, but the biggest Hollyoaks serial killers are:

9. The first character to die on-screen was...

Natasha Andersen. Back in 1996 she died from her drink being spiked and the episode was watched by 2.1 million viewers.

10. Hollyoaks is a life saver!

Hollyoaks has been pure entertainment for over 20 years, it has made us laugh and it has made us cry. But did you know the show saved a real woman’s life?

When the character Jessica Harris had a house party in 2007, lots of characters fell ill because of carbon monoxide. But then a viewer noticed she had the same symptoms, so when she went to the doctors she was told she was lucky to be alive!

Good work, Channel 4.

11. Hey baby!

Holly Cunningham who has been portrayed by four different actress was the first EVER Hollyoaks baby, after her mum Cindy slept with Lee Stanley and became pregnant at 16.

12. Cameos in Chester include:

The show has had famous cameos from the likes of Boy George, Girls Aloud, Lethal Bizzle, The Vamps, James Corden, McFly, The Saturdays, Scott Mills, Nick Grimshaw, Wretch 32, Paul McKenna, Cat Deeley, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ben Foden and Eammon Holmes.

13. Hair and makeup time

Before the lights, camera, action! it roughly takes 45 minutes to do the women’s makeup. Out of the guys Ziggy Roscoe has the longest make-up time to wash and style his hair. We guess that’s why he is so perfect?

And it takes two hours to wash, dress and curl Grace Black’s wig and then an extra 40 minutes to style it on her actual head.

14. And the most painful to create injury was...

Out of all the injuries the characters have had (and there has been quite a lot) Carmel McQueen’s sun lamp burn was the most difficult to create. It took three weeks in advance to create and three hours to put it on the actress Gemma Merna who plays her. Three hours? We could have a nap in that time.

15. Tattoos: Real or fake?

This one really shocked us. So you know Trevor Royle's tattoos - the scorpio on his neck and the five others - they are all FAKE. It takes 20 minutes to apply them using an air brush and stencil.

16. Hollyaok even has on-set pets!

In Trevor's flat there are 12 real life fish who are fed and cared for by a member of the design team every day. There is also a cat named Elvis who lives on set and sometimes he features in the show. They are not the only pets on set though, in the canal there are frogs and ducks.

17. Their pre-holiday tanning game is extreme

Usually when you go on holiday you simply book it off work no hassle, right? Well before a Hollyoaks cast member goes on holiday they are gradually given a fake tan so that when they return from their holiday the change is not obvious.

Even though this seems like hassle we’re slightly jealous that they start their holiday already tanned.

18. Which Hollyoaks woman has the biggest wardobe, you ask?

Out of all the cast member Mercedes has the biggest clothes collection. She has approximately twenty body-con dresses. We don’t think we even have that in real life…

19. But the most expensive costume piece goes to...

Out of the men Freddie Roscoe has the most expensive item in his wardrobe. His famous leather jacket is from All Saints and costs between £400 and £500. We are MEGA jealous!

20. Trick or treat?

We all love food but did you know the cakes in the coffee shop are fake. Well, unless someone buys one then they are fresh and popular on set.

Who could blame them, we all love a bit of office cake.

21. And the opening scene looked lke THIS:

The first five minutes of the first ever episode back in 1995 was a montage which included Kurt getting chased by the police, Ollie and Julie fleeing a burning car and Dawn getting McDonalds. There was no speech between the characters.

22. Hollyoaks used to be a weekly treat

Way back when Hollyoaks first began the show only aired once a week. ONCE. Can you believe it? Nowadays we get it Monday-Friday and Hollyoaks First Look episodes. Lucky us.

23. 2007: The glory year

In 2007s British Soap Awards, Hollyoaks was the only soap to be nominated in EVERY category. They even won three awards - Villain of the Year, Best Comedy Performance and Sexiest Female.

24. And the most costly set is...

The most expensive set on the show is the hospital. Hollyoaks ensures that the set is up to date and as realistic as possible with their researchers and medical advisors.

25. A whole lotta lashes

It has been estimated that the show goes through 25-30 pairs of eyelashes in a week.

26. MORE on-set spray tanning

Ross Adams - played by Scott Drinkwell - has an extra deep spray tan every week for his character. This makes sense, we was wondering how he managed to maintain his tan...

27. Long-lasting lip-locking

In 2002 Hollyoaks was in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest kiss. It lasted 3 minutes and 15 seconds and was between Ben (Marcus Patric) and Ellie (Sarah Baxendale). We’re pretty sure that is longer than any Disney kiss…

28. Real life romance

Jason Roscoe and Holly Cunningham also known as Alfie Browne-Sykes and Amanda Clapham are dating in REAL LIFE. Cute.

29. Sizing up to the part...

Maxine Blake's bra size is actually three cup sizes bigger than the actress Nikki Sanderson who plays her, so she has to wear chicken fillets.

30. And the most dramatci Hollyoaks moments go to:

And of course we'll end this on the top five most dramatic disasters and deaths:

Want more Hollyoaks? Watch it's 56 most shocking moments here.

Fan of Eastenders? Here are 20 surprising facts about Albert Square.

What are your thoughts on these surprising facts? Let us know on our Twitter or our Facebook (@CloserOnline) page.