The show was on hiatus from 2014 to 2020, where it returned on 6 January 2020 for a one-off episode focusing on the conclusion of Breda McQueen's (Moya Brady) serial killer storyline.
[1] Camilla Campbell, the commissioning editor for drama at Channel 4, said that Hollyoaks had grown up in "eyes of the viewers" and had begun being taken seriously by the television industry and critics.
[4] Lime Pictures described the show and its purpose saying that "the series delves deeper into the lives, loves and misdemeanours of the Hollyoaks regulars, shedding their teen image as they look to find their feet away from the Village".
[1] It was revealed that four storylines would occur throughout the series: Craig Dean (Guy Burnet) returns to save Steph Dean (Carley Stenson) during a cliff-top confrontation, an unlikely marriage between Malachy Fisher (Glen Wallace) and Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe), the debut gig of Hollyoaks' band the Dirty Diegos and the students of Hollyoaks Community College go on a road trip.
The series again follows four storylines: siblings Hannah (Emma Rigby), Josh (Sonny Flood) and Rhys (Andrew Moss) go to a music festival, Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard) and Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) marry, Sarah Barnes (Loui Batley), Zoe Carpenter (Zoë Lister) and Lydia Hart (Lydia Kelly) go to boot camp which ends with "nightmare consequences" and Theresa McQueen (Jorgie Porter) and Michaela McQueen (Hollie-Jay Bowes) go to London.
Characters to be involved were revealed to include Brendan Brady (Emmett J. Scanlan), Mitzeee (Rachel Shenton) and Hollyoaks Sixth Form College students.
[4] Marianne Buckland, commissioning editor for Channel 4, said that the series "represents the next turn of the wheel for the brand and promises a glossier, more grown up feel.
[10] Other storylines include Esther Bloom (Jazmine Franks), Tilly Evans (Lucy Dixon), Callum Kane (Laurie Duncan) and Holly Cunningham (Wallis Day) celebrating an 18th birthday "...in a rip-roaring plot as they all find danger in a cabin in the woods.
On 20 September 2019, it was announced that Hollyoaks Later would be making a one-off return in January 2020, which will focus on the conclusion of Breda McQueen's (Moya Brady) serial killer storyline.
[26] For the fifth series British rapper Lethal Bizzle was cast in a cameo role playing himself in scenes which featured him performing for a special VIP gig which Hollyoaks fans were offered the chance to attend.
said that she "absolutely love[s] the late night Hollyoaks episodes and although they can often be filled with plotlines that verge precariously on the unbelievable side, they are also always packed full of drama, emotion and more explosive content than can be broadcast during the show's usual earlier weekday slot".