Hollyoaks star Annie Wallace has admitted that the cast are concerned for the soap's future amid Channel 4's upcoming sale.
Culture secretary Nadine Dorries has confirmed that she plans to privatise the broadcaster within the next two years, with potential suitors including Sky, ITV and Disney.
Hollyoaks has been a staple of the Channel 4 schedules since 1996 but Wallace - aka headmistress Sally - fears that any new owner may not be sentimental towards the show's history.
"Obviously there is a worry," she told the Daily Star. "Channel 4 gets bought and they might decide they want to move away from drama. We just don't know.
"At the moment we are forging ahead and hopefully we will be going for years and years. But we'd be lying if we said we aren't worried.
"It's all up in the air. Who knows what is going to happen?"
Hitting out at Dorries, she continued: "Someone who doesn't understand the British television industry is the culture minister. It's madness.
"Why would anyone think selling Channel 4 is good for this country?
"Channel 4 is public-service broadcasting, but it is funded by advertising. It costs this country no money at all.
"And yet Channel 4's influence over this entire country cannot be undermined. They finance films, they put out dramas that would not be taken by other channels and they take risks. If Channel 4 is sold off, it would be a massive blow for British telly."
Hollyoaks continues weekdays on Channel 4, E4 and All4.
Follow us on Twitter @SMEntsFeed and like us on Facebook for the latest entertainment news alerts.
