Shortland Street viewers are set for a dark and dramatic Christmas cliffhanger which is set to leave the future of some of the show's most-loved characters up in the air.
Producer Maxine Fleming said Monday's hour-long episode would feature three major story lines, with "at least two of them [being] very dark".
"Several of our characters are in real jeopardy at the hands of criminals," Fleming said.
"We have characters making choices that have very big consequences for them and some of those choices are potentially fatal."
Leaving the audience in the lurch during the holiday period is somewhat of a tradition on the programme, leaving viewers hungry for more when the show's back on air. Some of the most iconic cliffhangers in recent years have been the 'Joey serial killer' storyline and last year's seige.
Fleming remained tightlipped about which characters were in danger, but promotional images provided to the Weekend Herald showed Kylie Brown (played by Kerry-Lee Dewing) looking scared as show villain Hayden Crowhurst (played by Aaron Jackson) gripped the tops of her arms.
Shortland Street receptionist Leanne Miller (Jennifer Ludlam) also somehow ends up unconscious on the floor at a Christmas celebration, as on-screen surgeon Finn Connelly (Lukas Whiting) looks on folornly.
"One of the stories in particular, we have one of our core-cast characters doing something fairly shocking. I don't think we've done anything quite like that before in terms of the extreme that that character goes to," Fleming said.
However, there was some comic relief too.
"Yes it's dark, but there's also a lot of humour in the one hour as well."
Fleming promised audiences even more surprises to come in the New Year, including the revelation of "who has been behind a lot of the criminal activity in the stories from this year".
"It won't be someone that anyone's guessed or expects, and that character will have a huge impact on the hospital in the next few months. We've got a whole new story rising out of all this drama and a new character, a new villan if you like, is on the way to wreck havoc in Shortland Street.
"There will be tragedy, and also certain characters will get their comeuppance - I can promise that. All the follow-on stories from the Christmas cliff[hanger] have a real momentum about them.
"Of course there's who will live and who will die - there's always that - who will be left standing."
A burning car in the Shortland Street cliffhanger 2016 episode. Photo / Supplied
It took months to put the cliffhanger together, Fleming said.
The crew began storylining the cliffhanger in August and shot the episode in early October.
Fleming was "thrilled with the results" and how the actors "embraced" the dramatic storylines.
"They really committed to the stories and they gave wonderful performances."
The crew were now focussing on planning Shortland Street's 90-minute 25th Anniversary special, which will hit screens in May.
"That'll be a huge event, possibly even bigger than Christmas, and we'll be bringing back some old characters. There's a big disaster planned to mark the occasion," Fleming said.
