'Oaks writer reveals India plot inspiration

Hollyoaks writer Steve Hughes has revealed that the soap's new online danger storyline was inspired by a real-life internet incident.

Strait-laced student India Longford (Beth Kingston) will be murdered on the Channel 4 show later this week after her decision to experiment with online dating goes tragically wrong.

After arranging to meet an internet acquaintance, India is expecting to come face-to-face with a handsome young admirer in Thursday's double bill - but instead she finds herself in the clutches of a sinister older man, who attacks her and dumps her body in the woods.

Discussing how the storyline was devised, Hughes told the official Hollyoaks website: "The basis of it was that I was on Facebook - like most people are - and I got a friend request from a girl who I hadn't seen for about a year, who I used to work with. I accepted her and we were chatting a little bit, and about two weeks later I got an email off her and she said that it wasn't her on Facebook.

"It was one of those stolen identity things - I don't know why someone would want to do it to her. Then I just got into thinking about dating websites and the fact that somebody younger mightn't be as aware. I started thinking about somebody pretending to be someone else, one of our characters falling for it and what the bad repercussions of that could be."

Asked how he wants fans to respond to the plotline, Hughes replied: "I hope they enjoy the story and I hope they enjoy this sort of Halloween, Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger thing - there's a bogeyman lurking in the village. I do hope they enjoy that - I think that'll be a good soap horror story.

"But being serious, I do hope that the viewers think, 'I am going to be careful'. The advice to the viewers is don't give out photos, don't give out personal details and the biggest one is if you do get chatting to someone on the internet, don't go and meet them on your own or at their house. Do it in a public place and make sure your friends are there."

> 'Oaks boss teases murder plot aftermath