TONY’S ALIVE!

Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard talks to us about that shock twist…

It was the bombshell that had all soap fans up in arms, as Chester serial killer Breda Mcqueen seemingly claimed her next victim – village stalwart Tony!

Viewers were outraged when the gruesome granny stabbed Tony, appearing to end his life. But there was another huge surprise, as it turned out that Tony wasn’t actually dead – he was in fact being held hostage by Breda on her pig farm!

We caught up with actor Nick Pickard, who’s played Tony since 1995, to see what he made of his character’s near-death experience…

What was your reaction when you first heard about this plot twist, Nick?

I was pretty shocked! Luckily, I bumped into [Hollyoaks boss] Bryan Kirkwood in the corridor and he said to me, “You don’t really die, don’t worry!”

What was it like filming the confrontation scenes between Tony and Breda?

You know when it’s a big one, as they have all the toys out – the train cameras, the rain machines. It was good fun to shoot, and those scenes looked amazing. We filmed them all day to get them right.

And you’ve been filming on Breda’s pig farm, too…

They’ve purpose-built a new set, which is obviously a bit smelly! We were filming there during the hottest months. Tony’s been stabbed, he’s just lost his son – so I’ve been spending my days crying. But it will look great.

How did viewers react when they thought Tony was dead?

It was great – you never know how these things are going to go. There was outrage that Parry [Glasspool, aka Harry] went, but I didn’t know how people would react when they thought Tony was dead. Some might have thought, ‘Thank God!’

The next few months will be really dramatic for Tony – can you tease a bit about what’s coming up?

There’s still lots more to come with this Breda story. We know Tony’s alive, but he’s certainly not safe from her! We’ve got Joe Mcgann coming in as Tony’s dad, too – I’ve not worked with him yet, and I don’t think there’s any plans to do that soon.

Breda has got away with this for too long! Should Tony be the one to bring her down?

He sort of has, because he’s found out what she’s been up to, but sadly she got to him first. I hope Tony brings her to justice, for the sake of his son, Harry. I definitely want Tony to be the one who gets her in the end! But you’ll have to wait and see…