'Hollyoaks' boss rules out "daft" comedy

Hollyoaks' series producer Paul Marquess has promised that the soap's forthcoming comedy plots will not be "daft".

The teen drama's new boss provoked a mixed response from fans last month when he pledged "a big injection of fun" because the programme had become "too dark".

Addressing viewers' concerns in an interview with DS, Marquess explained: "What I'm after is balance. I think sometimes it's a bit too daft and sometimes it's a bit too dark. We have some very big serious storylines coming up.

"When I say it got too dark, that was to do with the pace of the storytelling. By dark I mean grim. I walked into the building and we were playing a multiple sclerosis story and that played out in a week of episodes where there was nothing light, so it didn't feel like Hollyoaks."

He continued: "The key thing to say to viewers is, when I say comedy in Hollyoaks, I mean character comedy, not practical jokes or props. Some of the comedy has been a bit daft - not all of it - but it doesn't float my boat.

"I love Hollyoaks when it's character comedy. When you're laughing because of what Carmel's doing and you know Carmel really well or you can see what's happening because you know the characters really well. That's why we're bringing Lee Hunter back. The stuff we've storylined for Lee is not daft - it's funny because it's him."

> Click here to read our interview with Paul Marquess
> Click here to read more from Paul Marquess in Soap Scoop