“Nothing ever stays harmonious in Hollyoaks for long.”
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks’ longest-serving character Tony Hutchinson has never been far from the village drama. When the show jumped forward a year in time, one of the biggest reveals was that Tony and wife Diane were getting a divorce, and he was in a new relationship with Marie.
Diane has struggled to come to terms with Tony moving on, and when their son Ro was recently caught drinking at school, she led him to believe that the wine bottle was hers and she had relapsed.
Later this month, Ro’s drinking continues to go unnoticed, and Diane’s lies have disastrous consequences when he is found unconscious on New Year’s Eve and is rushed to hospital.
Digital Spy caught up with Nick Pickard, who has played Tony for almost three decades, for an exclusive chat about this dramatic New Year story, Tony’s new relationship with Marie, and why this has been his “toughest year yet” in the soap.
As New Year approaches, where do we find Tony and Diane?
“Diane has allowed Tony to think that she’s gone back on the bottle, so he thinks all along that Diane’s fallen off the wagon. She’s not been telling him because she’s using it as a reason to get back with Tony, because he’s been sympathetic to her and making her dinner and hanging round again.”
What is Tony’s relationship with Ro like at this point?
“Because Diane’s been telling him that she has relapsed, he hasn’t seen any issues with Ro. It’s only when he notices Ro drunk once and he realises… but because of Diane’s lies, he’s not had any reason to believe it’s Ro who is developing a problem.”
When he finds Ro unconscious, what is his first reaction?
“That’s Tony’s first realisation of what’s been going on with Ro. He’s been drinking, and Tony finds him unconscious on the floor. He phones the ambulance and it’s panic stations, like any parent would be, and he and Diane get him to the hospital. With the strain of it all, there are mixed emotions flying everywhere on New Year’s Eve for Tony and Diane. But the truth will come out and there will be fireworks…”
What has it been like to play out some big changes for Tony on screen, such as his divorce and his new relationship?
“I have to admit, it’s been very difficult. Obviously I’ve been working with Alex [Fletcher, who plays Diane] for near on ten years, and over the years we’ve had a lot of storylines. There’s been ups and downs, she’s been with my dad, I’ve been with her daughter! But [the characters] have always managed to work through it. And then there was the jump forward in September, and we didn’t really know what had happened in the interim.
“When you jump forward and you don’t really know the backstory of it, it’s always a bit harder. And then to suddenly not be working with someone, and working with someone totally different. It’s just very hard for all of us. Like, what’s happened? Why have we broken up?
“There’s not really an explanation; it’s all going to come out later what happened in the missing year, but we don’t really know ourselves yet. We’re dealing with so many other storylines at the minute, so ours has taken a little back seat. But I’m sure it will come out in the future.
“It’s probably been the toughest year I’ve ever had, and I’ll have been there 30 years next year. Obviously we’ve lost a lot of our friends, and colleagues have moved on, and that’s just the way of the business at the minute. But it feels like the show is really getting back to where it was a few years ago, so that’s good for everyone.”
What has it been like working with Rita Simons and creating a new dynamic with Tony and Marie?
“It’s been great working with her. She’s an old pro as well, being in EastEnders for so long. I’ve been ever so lucky during my time in Hollyoaks – to work with Alex as well, who was in Brookside since she was a baby! They’re so easy to work with, Rita’s the same as Alex and we all get on great. The main thing for me after all these years is to get your work done, have a laugh and go home, and those two share the same way of working.
“It’s been exciting, and it’s been new. It’s hard when you’re just put in the story rather than building up to it. We’ve had no romancing scenes, you’re just now in a relationship straight away, which is a bit odd because you didn’t see the build-up. It’s always harder when you do it like that, but we’ve got there now, I think we’re okay!”
Who do you think is a better match for Tony, Diane or Marie?
“It doesn’t matter what I think – I just go with who I’m told to go with! [laughs] The way I’ve played it in my head is that with Diane’s drinking and everything that happened before the flashforward, Tony and Diane just fell out of love with each other. More so for Tony, because it was quite a strain on him and he had so many problems to deal with.
“It was just too much for him, and I think found comfort in the arms of another woman, which happens in life sometimes. He’s in the honeymoon period with Marie at the moment, but no doubt there’s trouble ahead for those two. Nothing ever stays harmonious in Hollyoaks for long, does it?”
Will Ro’s hospital scare change Tony’s priorities going forward?
“Well, I think Tony’s going to be spending a bit more time with his son after the events of New Year’s Eve and what happens in the aftermath. [The bullying] from Arlo also carries on, they’ve got a lot of exciting stuff coming up with all of that too.”
Will we continue to see Tony’s plans to reopen his restaurant next year?
“I don’t want to tell you too much but we’re doing all that stuff now, basically. That’s been quite exciting, getting The Hutch back. It’s been great, I’m having a lot of fun with all the new stuff. So next year we’ve got the new Hutch restaurant opening, and then there’s a lot of trouble with Marie’s children, shall we say…”
Hollyoaks releases its annual festive box set, featuring the six Christmas and New Year episodes, on Channel 4 Streaming on Monday, December 23 ahead of the regular transmissions on E4.
