Hollyoaks symposium at the BFI

[timydamonkey]

Those of you going, are you going to tell us about it? I'd go myself if I lived near London - it'd be amusing, I'm sure!

[als]

I'd really like to go but I'm not sure if i'm going to cambridge that evening. Shall find out for sure then look into buying tickets. Where is everyone sitting so if I book, I'm not a total loner?
Do you think we can try and hiss and boo people off stage or maybe make them cry if we don't like them?
(Now I sound like i'm a cruel malicious bitch! I'm not, honest, just far to invested in Hollyoaks for my own good.)

[KentDan]

Boo! I don't think I can go now, how frustrating. You must all tell me who turns up. I hope "the other one" is there in particular!

[Robbing the Dead]

I want Laura the crazy Irish lesbobint to be there.

[Steven]

If we never return to post on these boards again, assume that Tragic Mandy was on the panel and we all died from joy.

[Cherubic]

Or that Rubbish Tranny was and we're all now in Broadmoor.

[Steven]

I hope the price of admission doesn't include a complimentary crash!rape.

[Deleted]

Maybe they'll gift you a cake!rape? That would be nice.

[Cherubic]

pandarama said:

I hope the price of admission doesn't include a complimentary crash!rape.

Depends who's delivering it. And also whether they feel bad about it afterwards BECAUSE WHEN YOU'VE RAPED SOMEONE, FEELING A BIT OF GUILT ABSOLVES YOU OF YOUR CRIME.

I'm going to try and not shout the above.

I will however be all over them about Carmel's stolen boobs.

[Cherubic]

Oh and bad news everyone.

I am still coming, but MY HAIR WILL LOOK SHIT.

ter. If possible. I don't think I'll be getting crash raped afterall.

[Deleted]

cherubic said:

Oh and bad news everyone.

I am still coming, but MY HAIR WILL LOOK SHIT.

ter. If possible. I don't think I'll be getting crash raped afterall.

Hats. Hats are a godsend.

[Cherubic]

I look terrible in hats.

And it's rude to wear them in presence of the Blessed Mother Tragic Mandy.

[coxy1979]

Bugger - I completely missed the boat didn't I?

Bugger again...

[Robbing the Dead]

cherubic said:

Oh and bad news everyone.

I am still coming, but MY HAIR WILL LOOK SHIT.

ter. If possible. I don't think I'll be getting crash raped afterall.

What's happened? You didn't go on Celebrity Scissor Hands did you?

[Cherubic]

No. Nothing exciting. I just realised I needed to shear my head and then couldn't be arsed.

It's not a big deal, but I would rather not look like a Sociology postgrad student in the presence of my 'Hollyoaks Heroes'.

[Deleted]

So how was it?

[Steven]

I'll wait for everyone else to get back and add their two penn'orth, but the panel, just so you can all be hugely jealous, was:

Gareth McLean (TV writer and soap pundit)
Tony Wood (creative direction of Lime Pictures; not to be confused with Brian Friedman)
Bryan Kirkwood (producer)
Emma Rigby
Summer Strallen

And there was a bit where we got mistaken for people from Digital Spy. I can't speak for the others, but I was hugely offended.

Oh, and we got to re-watch yesterday's E4/today's C4 episode on a huge cinema screen, which was quite surreal.

[Sparkle]

To be fair to Tony Wood, at least Hollyoaks is creative - not a charge that can ever be levelled at the output of NotLouis.

It was odd, but interesting, I thought. We got to watch this evening's episode of Hollyoaks on a Big Screen; Gareth McLean led a panel discussion about various stuff; and then opened it out to the floor, a la Question Time.

I wish Summer Strallen had had more chance to talk. She seems to be quite reflective about the show and her work, and wasn't afraid to voice her opinions on things like celebrity culture, and was wearing the highest heeled shoes I have ever seen. Emma Rigby was like a little doll; I wanted to cuddle her.

Bryan Kirkwood kept wittering on about Hollyoaks being on at 6.30, which limits the way they deal with Issues. He says that he doesn't want to deal with Issues just as Issues but to make them organic parts of the storyline. He wants the show to be more credible, and is proud that it is now being recognised, but when asked about the stupid new titles he said that they were designed to drag in those who just want to look at attractive young people in a state of undress, and then make them watch the rest of it. However, he likes them anyway.

[Cherubic]

Deeply deeply offended. Harumph!

I'm give you my thoughts, and then we can open it up to the panel.

However before we begin I would like to say that notPhilRedmond/BrianFriedman gave me some filthy looks. I do laugh a bit too loud though. And Manga Hannah looked me in the eye, maybe.

[Sparkle]

cherubic said:

Deeply deeply offended. Harumph!

I'm give you my thoughts, and then we can open it up to the panel.

However before we begin I would like to say that notPhilRedmond/BrianFriedman gave me some filthy looks. I do laugh a bit too loud though. And Manga Hannah looked me in the eye, maybe.

Or! Not.

[Steven]

sparkle said:

I wish Summer Strallen had had more chance to talk. She seems to be quite reflective about the show and her work, and wasn't afraid to voice her opinions on things like celebrity culture, and was wearing the highest heeled shoes I have ever seen. Emma Rigby was like a little doll; I wanted to cuddle her.

Yeah; I wish both of the actresses had talked a bit more, actually. Summer was ace, especially when she kept nodding whenever Bryan Kirkwood alluded to parts of the show being shit, but since she hasn't been in the show that long, there wasn't an awful lot to question her about.

Emma Rigby was lovely, but seemed incredibly shy. She pretty much only spoke when she was spoken to.

[slabtastic]

Jealous to the max! Give any good spoilers?

[Sparkle]

pandarama said:

Yeah; I wish both of the actresses had talked a bit more, actually. Summer was ace, especially when she kept nodding whenever Bryan Kirkwood alluded to parts of the show being shit, but since she hasn't been in the show that long, there wasn't an awful lot to question her about.

I'd have liked to get her opinions about the show before and after - as you say, she was nodding when she agreed with what was being said; I'd just have been interested to know what particular part she agreed with and how she sees that issue being rectified. And it's her first job in television, having done really well in musical theatre, but she's auditioned for Hollyoaks more than once, which I find v interesting, and pleasing, because then she can be in Hollyoaks! The Musical.

[Cherubic]

No she did. Really. Maybe. Definitely.

Anyway, it was odd. Tony Wood basically accepted that pre-bonfire of the rapists Hollyoaks was pretty much shite. Which was nice of him.

Bryan (WHO IS GAY) admitted that even he had made some mistakes, but then wouldn't reveal what they were (which killed the first question I'd rehearsed to take out the swimbint et al references). Then he said that of course Hollyoaks does not condone drugs and has morality but would not go into any specific details (which killed my second question about Hollyoaks's flexible morality). Then he said something about Crash!ing and we laughed, and got given dirty looks. Then Gareth McLean made some jokes. Brian ignored these because Hollyoaks is serious. Then he said something about wanting Hollyoaks to be taken seriously, and then contradicted it by saying that 'he' liked the sexy titles.

Anyway, the whole evening was a big celebration of the fact that Hollyoaks isn't shit anymore, which I found a bit disengenuous because it clearly is, just not as much. I didn't say this of course, because it would be rude to Manga Hannah and Summer who seemed lovely.

I wimped out asking about Carmel's boobs though. Which I now deeply regret.

[Cherubic]

You can't write Hollyoaks the musical until you've finished 'My two Nans'. The people demand it!