User:Raintheone/Gloved Hand

__NOINDEX__ "The gloved hand killer" is a storyline from the British television soap opera Hollyoaks that began on 2 January 2015 when Rick Spencer (Victor Gardener) is murdered within the show's fictional Dee Valley Hospital. The storyline was publicised in November 2014 and detailed how a character with access to the hospital patients believes they have a right to decide who should live or die. The perpetrator's identity is concealed and only a gloved hand is shown on-screen. The storyline was conceived following a storyline conference in which producer Bryan Kirkwood and writer Steve Hughes reminisced about 1980s soap operas. The storyline was stylised as a mystery whodunit that also leaves viewers guessing which character would be the next murder victim.

Plot
Nancy Hayton (Jessica Fox) tells Robbie Roscoe (Charlie Wernham) that his father Rick Spencer (Victor Gardener) has supplied her with prescription medication. Robbie confronts Rick and they fight, but Rick is punched by Joe Roscoe (Ayden Callaghan) and hits his head on the ground. He is admitted to hospital with head injuries where he regains consciousness. He then witnesses someone with a gloved hand administer an injection of potassium chloride. Rick squirms as he is unable to defend himself against the attacker. He dies despite medical staff trying to resuscitate him and Joe is arrested for his murder. Joe's solicitor manages to secure Joe's release but is rearrested following a false statement provided by Nancy after Robbie persuades her to lie.

Serial killer Will Savage (James Atherton) is admitted to hospital after falling from the hospital roof. He wakes from a coma and causes trouble for his family. Soon after a mystery person with a gloved hand injects Will and he goes into cardiac arrest. His father Dirk Savage (David Kennedy) discovers Will but lets him die. His cause of death is recorded as trauma from his fall.

Production
Producer Bryan Kirkwood became concerned that Hollyoaks did not have the correct balance of issue and "blockbuster" type stories. He met with his team during storyline conference in May 2014 to address the matter. Kirkwood and writer Steve Hughes began to share their memories of "camp" 1980s soap operas and the idea for the hospital's gloved hand killer was conceived. The show's set had recently been changed, removing the student union bar and halls of residence to make way for an expanded hospital set. The show's heightened focus on Dee Valley Hospital saw new characters Dr. Charles S'avage (Andrew David Greenough), Kim Butterfield (Daisy Wood-Davis) and Celine McQueen (Sarah George) employed at the hospital; joining established characters Lindsey Butterfield (Sophie Austin) and Tegan Lomax (Jessica Ellis). Kirkwood told Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy that "[Hollyoaks] have a hospital set populated with characters and primed for a big gothic plot."

The storyline was publicised on 4 November 2014 via Digital Spy and touted as a long-running mystery story in which a serial killer begins committing murders. Writer Kilkelly stated that one character would be murdered with a lethal injection at Dee Valley Hospital in an episode airing in January 2015. However, viewers would not be shown the killer's identity, only his gloved hand which creates the mystery. The perpetrator has complete access to the hospital patients and believes they have a right to decide who should live or die. Kirkwood stated that the storyline would not only contain an a whodunit mystery but would leave viewers questioning which character would die next. He added that the plot would feature much tension and many red herrings. A writer from Yahoo! reported that multiple characters would be killed but the production team had not decided the exact number. An article published in the Daily Star detailed of how a second character would later be targeted by the killer but survive the attack.

In September 2014, it was revealed that Hollyoaks would air a special hour-long New Years Eve episode. It was later announced that it would feature the character Rick Spencer fighting for his life after being violently punched by Joe Roscoe following a family disagreement. No details about Rick's fate were revealed prior to broadcast. The following episode featured the first opportunistic murder at the hands of 'the gloved hand killer' as Rick was administered a fatal injection of potassium chloride. He goes into cardiac arrest and dies despite the efforts of Charles, Kim, Celine and Tegan to save him. The culprit was soon dubbed "the Gloved Hand killer" by the UK Press Association.

      

Reception
The episode containing Rick's murder was watched by 335,000 during an advance E4 broadcast.

Lucy Wood from sugarscape.com said that she was not surprised by the storyline given Hollyoaks' tendancy to kill off numerous characters. She described the gloved hand killer as a "majorly creepy hospital serial killer", adding that she expected viewers to be screaming at their televisions.