The Missing Year

On 29th February 2024 it was announced that Hollyoaks would reduce its output from five episodes week to three from September 2024 as part of a multi-year contract deal with Channel 4. The reduction in the number of episodes per year was the result of changing viewing habits, with Channel 4 research showing that many fans would only watch three of the available five episodes per week due to the amount of other content available to consume on various platforms. The news marked a major change in the broadcasting history of Hollyoaks, which had been transmitting five episodes a week regularly since 2003 (with the exception of 2020 and early 2021, when the broadcast pattern was temporarily reduced as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic).
In March 2024 it was revealed that the show would jump forward permanently by one year in the autumn to mark the start of what was branded "a brand new era" by the press. Executive producer Hannah Cheers explained that when the news of the reduced output was announced, the team revisited a pitch from scriptwriter James Coleman from a couple of years ago, which was to do a flashforward in time. As they realised that they'd need a mechanism through which to transition their stories and characters, the flashforward provided an opportunity to do this. 
A consequence of the reduced number of episodes was losing a chunk of the regular characters featured in the show. Cheers acknowledged that it would not be kind to the characters or the audience to have a drawn-out stream of goodbyes on-screen, and that a heightened stunt did not feel like the right approach to take. Therefore, skipping forward a year would allow for a certain number of characters to exit off-screen during the missing year and their absences to be explained on-screen by the remaining characters.
The first three episodes of the new broadcast pattern aired between 9th and 11th September, numbered 6458, 6459 and 6460 respectively. Episode 6460 ended with Donny Clark's car exploding with both James Nightingale and Ste Hay inside it. When James started up the car, a bomb underneath it (which was planted there by Dave Williams) detonated. After the credits had rolled, four seasons passed outside The Dog in the Pond (see above) and a number of teasers flashed on the screen (see images) to hint to viewers what was to come. The teasers, in order of appearance from top left to centre bottom, related to: Frankie, Darren and Nancy Osborne stood in front of Suzanne Ashworth's grave, Ste Hay laying in a coma in the hospital bed, Tony Hutchinson and Misbah Maalik looking on at Ste from the window looking into his room, Leela Dexter (on the left) and Leah Barnes's (facing front) pregnancy bumps, Zoe Anderson and Prince McQueen's engagement party, Sienna Blake's hands with an engagement ring on, Abe Fielding and Peri Lomax holding hands, Cleo McQueen writing a postcard to her family to suggest she's in Bali, flowers left at Suzanne's graveside by Jack Osborne and Abe unlocking the door to the eaves, where he was holding Cleo hostage.
By Episode 6461, exactly one year had passed off-screen and the surviving characters were adapting to their new normal in 2025. The events which occurred off-screen between Episodes 6460 and 6461 are listed below.
==Events which occurred in the missing year==
*Leah Barnes is pregnant with Dillon Ray's baby.
*Grace Black discovers that Rex Gallagher is her half-brother.
*Jeremy Blake and John Paul McQueen are a couple.
*Sienna Blake is engaged to Ethan Williams.
*Andre Clark is back living with his mother.
*Charlie Dean has gone to trade school.
*Leela Dexter is pregnant, but she is unaware who the father of her child is as she was raped by Abe Fielding whilst in the woods celebrating Theresa McQueen's birthday party.
*Vicky Grant and Ethan sleep together at Christmas time and Vicky falls pregnant with Ethan's baby, which she then terminates.
*Lucas Hay serves time at Dee Valley Young Offenders Institution for assaulting JJ Osborne.
*Ste Hay is in a coma and has been since the cars exploded.
*Diane and Tony Hutchinson have started divorce proceedings following a breakdown in their marriage.
*Peri Lomax and Abe become a couple.
*Cleo McQueen is being held hostage by Abe in the eaves of their flat.
*Mercedes McQueen battles bowel cancer.
*James Nightingale dies and his funeral takes place.
*Frankie Osborne has been to London but has since returned and now works at Price Slice.
*Lexi Roscoe is diagnosed with epilepsy when she receives a head injury from Rex Gallagher whilst in his care. Thinking Curtis Royle caused Lexi's head injury, Grace decides to keep schtum and let Freddie Roscoe blame himself for the accident.
*Sally St. Claire moves to Alicante.
==See also==
*11th September 2024 - The final episode before the show jumped forward permanently in-universe by one year.
*16th September 2024 - The first episode after the show jumped forward permanently in-universe by one year.
*2024
Category:Events
Category:2024