'Hollyoaks' is to air a special documentary celebrating onscreen diversity next week.
Hollyoaks is to air a special documentary
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'."
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