Gays of our Lives (March 23, 2009)

Producer Lucy Allan, who took over for Bryan Kirkwood, creator of the John Paul/Craig romance, says she is making these changes to make the show more gripping. Of course, the show’s steady decline in ratings may be what’s really “gripping” Allan. The show has been bleeding viewers ever since the end of the Jean Paul/Craig/Kieron arc when the show averaged over 2 million viewers a episode, ratings rarely seen since.

“There are going to be a lot of changes,” a source close to the show told Digital Spy. “No one is safe. And the last thing you want to be is out of work in this climate.”

Gerald McCarthy

But will one of the exits be Gerard McCarthy, who plays bisexual Kris? The actor hints that he may not be with the show much longer.

“I think there’s a point when a character’s story is wrapped up and it’s an obvious time to leave,” McCarthy told Inside Soap. “And it seems to me a nice point for Kris to leave the village is when he graduates, which is this summer.”

McCarthy also reveals that Ravi (Stephen Uppal) was not the show’s first choice as the third leg in the triangle with Kris and Nancy. He explains the show at first considered Warren (Jamie Lomas) and then Russ (Stuart Manning). But producers felt that neither plot twist would be believable, so they created Ravi for the storyline.

Hollyoaks isn’t the only UK soap to be undergoing major changes. Emmerdale, which has had two different executive producers in the past year and has seen its ratings drop, is also being overhauled. In the past several months, a number of characters, including gay couple Jonny Foster (Richard Grieve) and Paul Lambert (Matthew Bose) have left the series, with numerous new characters being introduced. And the show is not finished. There will be many more new faces brought on board as well as reintroducing old favorites to the program in the near future.

DeGrassi alums marco (Adamo Ruggiero) and Paige (Lauren Collins)

For those of you who have missed the popular Degrassi gang of the last few seasons, you’re in luck. Degrassi Goes Hollywood, featuring out actor Adamo Ruggiero as Marco as well as Paige, Manny, Craig and other favorites, is set to premiere on The N this summer. The story has the Degrassi stalwarts embarking on a summer adventure in Hollywood where they meet celebrities such as Kelly Clarkson, Perez Hilton, Vivica A. Fox and Kevin Smith. The N hasn’t set a date for the debut of the movie yet, but GOOL will have the info when it becomes available.

The new season of Waterloo Road will bring major changes to the series. We told you last week that the show will return for a fifth season of 20 episodes set to air next year (the series is currently in the middle of its fourth year). Now we’ve learned with that renewal comes a number of cast changes. On screen, Waterloo Road will have merged with another school, which will bring on a number of new students and teachers. Casting for these roles is currently under way, with announcements to be made in the coming weeks.