Yahoo News Hollyoaks makes EastEnders joke in Freddie and Darren scene
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks has aired an EastEnders in-joke during a scene involving Freddie Roscoe and Darren Osborne.
During tonight's (April 3) episode, the newly returned Freddie explained to Darren and Mercedes McQueen what he'd been up to since the character was last seen on our screens – revealing that he'd served time in prison after initially going on the run.
After explaining that he'd handed himself in after he couldn't bear the thought of not seeing his daughter Lexi again, telling the pair his daughter was now seven years old and living in South Africa with his mum Sandy (played by Gillian Taylforth).
Mercedes then asked Freddie for an update on Sandy, to which he replied: "She's good. Working as a carer, giving sponge baths to these two old luvvies, Kev and Bry."
Related: Hollyoaks' Jamelia shares details of Sharon Bailey's exit
As soap fans will no doubt be aware, the 'Sandy now lives in South Africa' in-joke refers to a previous storyline involving Taylforth's EastEnders counterpart Kathy Cotton being "killed" off screen back in 2006 after fleeing to South Africa with her son Ben Mitchell.
Viewers would later learn that Kathy hadn't died in a road collision as previously thought when Taylforth returned to the BBC One soap in 2014 after producers decided to retcon her original demise.
The decision to have Freddie mention that his mum is giving sponge baths to "two old luvvies" named "Kev and Bry" is also another in-joke between the two shows, with the names referring to Kevin Rundle and Bryan Kirkwood.
Related: Hollyoaks' Ro clashes with Carter in tense scenes
Rundle had previously been a long-running Hollyoaks scriptwriter and story consultant before departing the soap in 2020, while Kirkwood has served as a Hollyoaks executive producer until 2020.
Both of the men now work as writers on EastEnders, where Taylforth's Kathy can be seen very much at the centre of an ongoing storyline involving the Christmas murder of Keanu Taylor – meaning there's no chance of her returning as Sandy anytime soon.
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4 each weekday at 7.30pm. Episodes then air on E4 the following day, before getting their YouTube premiere a week after that.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
You Might Also Like
