Emma Rigby is returning to Hollyoaks full-time – 13 years after her departure from the soap.
Rigby reprised her role of Hannah Ashworth earlier this month, but rather than a one-off, Lime Pictures has now confirmed this was a teaser for a more permanent role this Spring.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be back. Nothing has changed at all. It feels like I’ve been in a time vortex like it was yesterday that I was here in a school uniform,” said Rigby.
“I kind of miss the school uniform, we might have to reinstate that. It’s lovely to see all the cast and crew, a lot of the same people and then of course a lot of new people who are also lovely. It’s also funny for me to be the adult!”
Since leaving the show, she’s starred in the likes of Prisoners Wives, The Physician, Make Me Famous and The Power, but is looking forward to the evolution of her character, Hannah:
“[…] I like the progression and the idea that there’s so many facets of people’s character and people can be anything. You don’t know what you would do being put in that situation and you can be pushed to do anything. It’s that nice exploration. I love acting, so it’s nice to be back on set and be working every day which is a great thing. Acting back in the show it’s kind of like coming home, it’s that great nostalgia.”
One of the other major changes Rigby will face is that Hollyoaks is no longer a linear mainstay, with new episodes debuting on Channel 4’s streaming services and YouTube.
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for everybody and a real way for fans to actually engage with the series and to come back to something that’s been modernised,” she said.
“It’s also the first of the soaps to do that, it’s kind of leading the way of how people are going to be watching things in the future.
“Also for me personally, it’s making me get into the 21st century which was quite funny because I live as if I’m in the 1950s. So I’m quite excited for that it’s encouraging me to step into the present and to actually connect with the world. Even I’m back on Instagram and Twitter and I’m going to be getting TikTok so everything’s perfectly aligned.”
And finally of the return to Liverpool?
“I’ve literally never been happier to be in the North. I love the Northwest I’ve always loved it, it’s my home it’s where my roots are. Everybody is just so lovely here and has so much personality and are really great hard-working people, it’s brilliant to be back amongst it.
“I love a line that was in the Red Riding trilogy where it says, ‘the North, where we do what we want.’’
