The makers of Hollyoaks are planning to launch an online show that will also appear in the Channel 4 soap. Producer Lime Pictures and its digital arm, Conker Media, are developing Runners, which it plans to air daily on the official Hollyoaks website, according to reports in Broadcast. Hollyoaks characters will be seen talking about comedy-drama Runners, which centres on students who work as runners in the showbiz and fashion industries. Loyal Hollyoaks fans will be able to catch brief clips of Runners in the soap and can also watch a full three-minute online episode each weekday for the show's initial run of 10 weeks. As well as appearing on the Hollyoaks website, episodes of Runners will also appear on Bebo, MSN Messenger TV, Facebook and iTunes. Lime is also thought to be in talks with Channel 4 about moving Runners to TV with a 15-minute compilation of each week's web shows to follow Hollyoaks' omnibus edition on T4 on Sundays. Lee Hardman, managing director of Conker Media, said: "We hope references to Runners will be used very much in the same way that people talk about Hollyoaks in the real world." Runners is likely to air in early 2009.
