The British government have thanked ‘Hollyoaks’ bosses for raising awareness about the threat of radicalisation.
The Channel 4 soap have been working with Home Office body Prevent on their hard-hitting far-right extremist storyline, and security minister Brandon Lewis says the plot has been "hugely important" to show just "how easily" someone can be groomed by a far-right group.
He said: "The Home Office has worked closely with Hollyoaks to help them show how Prevent stops vulnerable individuals being drawn into all forms of terrorism.
"This storyline is hugely important in raising awareness of the threat of radicalisation and shows how easily it can happen to anyone, on or off screen.
"Prevent is vital in helping turn people’s lives around and keeping our communities safe, and I thank the producers of ‘Hollyoaks’ for working with us to provide an accurate picture of how it works."
The plot took a huge twist this week when a terrorist bomb went off in the village, leaving Yasmine Maalik (Haiesha Mistry) fighting for her life.
Haiesha previously admitted she felt "nervous" when she was first told about the far-right extremist storyline – which has seen Stuart Sumner (Chris Simmons) and Jonny Baxter (Ray Quinn) groom Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) into joining their organisation – but she is now "proud" of the plot.
She explained: "When ‘Hollyoaks’ told us that they wanted to do this storyline, I was a bit nervous about it.
"But actually, when we released the details of the storyline and it started airing on screen, we had such a big reaction.
"People said, ‘This story is something that needs to happen. It shows what happens in reality.
"I’m so proud that Hollyoaks are the first soap to do a storyline like this. To be part of it is so important, because we’re raising awareness with this storyline."
Government praises Hollyoaks for radicalisation plot
