Hollyoaks set for time jump – why soap is skipping a year and axing cast members

Beloved Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks is gearing up for a huge shift in the show as it prepares to jump one whole year into the future – though fans have been left confused on why

Hollyoaks is undergoing a major shift as it prepares to jump a year into the future.

The Channel 4 show has been at the forefront of a number of changes to the broadcaster for quite some time. Earlier this year, Hollyoaks made the full transition from airing on Channel 4 to being an online soap opera, though episodes do still air on sister channel E4.

Now, the show is set for more upheaval as producers confirmed that the show is set to jump forward in time by a whole year. Producers have also explained why the decision was made, and what fans of the show can now expect going into the new era.

In the revamped series, a number of beloved characters are set to be culled from the show, with the number of episodes also being massively reduced. According to bosses at the show, the decision to bring the show forward was done as a cost-cutting measure to keep the show going – as well as a push to adapt to the streaming era of television.

**Hollyoaks stars are gearing up for the unusual time jump that will take place next week** (Image: Lime Pictures)

Speaking to the BBC, executive producer Hannah Cheers admitted that the situation for the show was more grim than ever. After taking on the role earlier this year, Hannah confirmed that the show would be hugely thinned out, with budgets for episodes also taking a massive hit.

But having the idea of jumping ahead in time a year was an unheard concept in British soaps, and it offered a lot of new opportunities, according to the producer. “It actually gave us so much more scope for the ‘what if’ questions, and a soap audience love the what, where, how the hell have you got there?” she explained.

**Fan favourites such as Jennifer Metcalfe could be among those culled in the upcoming shift** (Image: Lime Pictures)

“And actually, all of a sudden, this was way more valuable than a plane crashing on the village, because that only ends one way – death, in a coffin, sadness,” she added. “Whereas we’ve got a mechanism that has led to new friendships, new romances, old relationships being rekindled, pregnancies, secrets, mysteries – all from moving a year in time.”

Despite this, the show will continue to hold several deadly stunts during this week’s episodes, as characters such as Cleo and her abusive boyfriend Abe continue to draw viewers in with their harrowing storyline. This is also the first time in 25 years that show has gone down to just three instalments a week, down from its usual five.

On Monday (September 16), the time jump will take place, and viewers will be left puzzled at what happened to some of their favourite characters. Over time, it will become clear who survived the time jump and who was left behind.

It comes as several other soaps continue to be hit hard by the cost of production, with shows including Holby City and Doctors officially being given the chop by the BBC. As well as this, ITV ‘s Coronation Street has been reduced to three episodes a week, though these are now extended to be hour-long instalments.