Hollyoaks spoilers follow.

Hollyoaks favourite Mercedes McQueen is never far from the drama in the village. Whether it’s hiding her fugitive son, reconnecting with gangster Warren Fox, or having an ill-advised affair with Tony Hutchinson, a messy showdown is always on the cards.

This week’s episodes confirmed that Mercedes was the one who shot Tony during the soap’s 30th anniversary celebrations. The revelation took place on Wednesday night (19 November), leaving Mercedes’ fate up in the air until next week.

However, fortunately for fans, the feisty character will remain on our screens for at least another year as actor Jennifer Metcalfe has signed a new contract with Hollyoaks.

“It’s a wonderful job with the most wonderful people,” she told the Daily Star. “I wouldn’t want to be on any other soap.”

hollyoaks mercedes mcqueen

Channel 4

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While the future of her character appears relatively secure for now, Metcalfe explained that she doesn’t have “much control” in her job, and remains at the mercy of the scriptwriters. With the show known for its dramatic stunts and sudden deaths, the star doesn’t take her role for granted.

“Being a soap actress is a job where you don’t have much control,” she explained. “If somebody wants to kill you off because that works for the storyline, then that’s what will happen.”

mercedes mcqueen and tony hutchinson in hollyoaks

Lime Pictures

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“But I don’t dwell on that. Whatever will be will be,” she continued. “If it happens, I will figure something out. The nature of the job is that it can all be there one minute and not there the next.”

Metcalfe, who has played Mercedes since 2006, shared how much she enjoys her job, claiming it doesn’t actually feel like work.

“I feel like I go in every day, see people I love and p*** around,” she said. “Then I get money in the bank for doing it. I always think, ‘Well, that’s alright, isn’t it?’ This is all I’ve ever always wanted to do.”

She added: “I get so much joy out of acting. I get to be creative every day.”

Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.

Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.

Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage

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