‘Hollyoaks’ is to air a special documentary celebrating onscreen diversity next week.
The Channel 4 soap will release a 15-minute programme entitled ‘Hollyoaks – See The Person’ – which will be first aired on E4 at 7pm on Monday (04.02.19) – to celebrate the importance of diversity on television.
Sarah Jayne Dunn admitted the special ep, in which her character Mandy Morgan makes a critical decision regarding the future of her unborn child, will be "eye-opening".
She said: "This week on ‘Hollyoaks’, we have a special disability awareness episode, which follows Mandy, as she takes a journey around the village.
"She has to make some serious decisions about her unborn baby and she bumps into a few of the characters from the show who have disabilities or additional needs.
"It helps her come to a decision about her own baby. There is a big charity concert with loads of children involved – it’s lovely and a very emotional episode.
"It’s a really eye-opening episode, and it was a real privilege to be a part of. The celebration of diversity is super important, and our show is great at raising awareness. You don’t realise how many diverse characters the show has, and I think that’s a credit to itself. There is a real sense of community in ‘Hollyoaks’."
The documentary will feature interviews with cast members, their parents, and crew members, who have disabilities and additional needs.
Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood added: "At ‘Hollyoaks’ we really like to celebrate diversity.
"I grew up in a house that wasn’t very well represented on TV at the time and I really like the idea that there are generations of people, from all walks of life, who can grow up watching themselves be represented on ‘Hollyoaks’."
Hollyoaks set to air special documentary
