HOLLYOAKS CLAIM VICTORY OVER WATERLOO ROAD IN MEDIACITY ONE-OFF 5-A-SIDE SHOWDOWN

Cast members from two of the UK’s best-loved continuing dramas, Hollyoaks and Waterloo Road, went head-to-head last night in a friendly one-off 5-a-side football match at MediaCity as part of its World Cup celebrations, with the Hollyoaks cast taking the win.

The event, hosted as part of World Cup programming at MediaCity, which is currently acting as the nerve centre of the BBC’s World Cup coverage, saw actors swap scripts for shin pads in front of fans on MediaCity’s new 5-a-side football pitch, with plenty of goals, laughs and friendly rivalry on display.

Alice Webb, CEO at MediaCity, said: “As the nerve centre of the BBC’s World Cup coverage, it was fantastic to bring together two of the UK’s best-loved TV shows to do battle on our iconic World Cup 5-a-side pitch. We welcomed fans and sports pundits alike for what proved to be one of the most hotly contested matches of the tournament, and while MediaCity Post looks after Waterloo Road’s post-production, there were certainly no favours on the pitch.”

The event was also a competitive showdown of post-production houses, with Waterloo Road post-produced by MediaCity Post, while Hollyoaks completes its post-production at L16 Studios in Liverpool.

Actor Nick Pickard, (Tony Hutchinson in Hollyoaks) said: 

“We’ll be reminding the Waterloo Road lot about this one for a while. It was all great fun, but the pressure was on once that whistle blew. Thankfully we’ve got the bragging rights until the rematch.”

Actor Liam Scholes, (Noel McManus in Waterloo Road) said: 

“We were absolutely buzzing to take part in this match! There’s a friendly rivalry between all soaps, and we brought the energy, teamwork and the Mancunian spirit but there is always a next time!”

The Hollyoaks Team Sheet included:

1. Nick Pickard (Tony Hutchinson)
2. Ashley Taylor-Dawson (Darren Osborne)
3. Sam Meyer (Maddox Keane)
4. Ijaz Rana (Imran Maalik)
5. Charlie Behan (Charlie Dean)

The Waterloo Road Team Sheet included:

1. Liam Scholes (Noel McManus)
2. Tashinga Bepete (Ed Connell)
3. Alfie Corbett (Forest Sumi)
4. Yousef Naseer (Ibrahim Azzi)
5. Lewis Pemberton (Cane Morris)
6. Scarlett Thomas (Izzy Charles)
7. Mollie Winnard (Gemma Tully)

To learn more about MediaCity’s ultimate World Cup playground, please visit here.