Hollyoaks' Ross Adams reveals why Anita Tinkle will not be returning
"The chances are remote" he tells us, but that doesn't mean we can't hope!
We've got bad news for fans of Scott Drinkwell's outrageous drag persona Anita Tinkle - the Hollyoaks barista's alter ego is unlikely to make a comeback any time soon, if for no other reason than actor Ross Adams now has to do his own make-up in the post-pandemic world!
"The chances of Anita returning are remote because there is no way I could do the make-up myself," he laughs, speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com.
"I take my hat off to the professionals, I don't know how they do it. The eyelashes alone! I wouldn't look anything like her if I was doing it without them. If she has to return soon she'll look like she's been dragged through a hedge backwards!"
One of the many changes in TV production made to make sets Covid-safe is to have actors responsible for applying their own make-up, so as to minimise contact with others. But it takes more than a bit of powder to achieve Anita's bold and brassy look…
"Maybe it would have to be a stripped-back Anita. I could probably put the blonde wig on, but everything else would look awful! I'd have to sit and watch YouTube tutorials. It takes the make-up artists an hour minimum before the wig and everything, so imagine how long it would take me?"
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Sharp-tongued Anita became something of a cult figure as Scott developed his drag act and increased his self-esteem in the process, entertaining the punters in the Dog with her regular agony aunt events in which she dished out humorous life advice - even if it was unwanted.
Her charms even attracted future fiancé Mitchell Deveraux in the process, who initially fell for Ms Tinkle's charms before coming out of the closet and committing to Scott.
Adams assures us we may still see Anita, currently retired, one day in the future, so all is not lost. "I love the idea of a comeback tour in five years' time," he grins. "I don't think it's the last we've seen of her. She'll never bee too far away, she helped Scott find his confidence again and that's been really important for the character."
Scott is happily planning his wedding, although Mitchell's disapproving granddad Walter Deveraux still doesn't know the couple are even engaged. He's struggled with Mitchell's sexuality, so could he potentially jeopardise their happy ending?
"Since they got together they've had lots of hurdles to overcome," explains Adams. "Wanting Walter to accept the situation has been a huge issue for Mitchell. Scott knew it wasn't going to be easy, but things have been tough.
"I'm a hopeless romantic and think they'll be together forever, but this is Hollyoaks so the likelihood of that could be very small!"
Hollyoaks resumed filming on 13th July, the latest UK soap to return to production after the enforced break due to the country-wide lockdown back in March.
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