- Hollyoaks: IRL will explore individual's experiences of depression and suicide, county lines child exploitation, disability, eating disorders and conversion therapy, all of which have featured in recent high-profile Hollyoaks storylines.
- Hollyoaks: IRL: a series of short films exploring real-life stories behind Channel 4's flagship continuing drama's biggest issues. The series will feature both Hollyoaks viewers whose lives have been forever changed by watching the show, as well as individuals whose lived experiences have helped shape some of the show's most important and talked about storylines.
Across five multi-platform shorts, Hollyoaks: IRL will explore individual's experiences of depression and suicide, county lines child exploitation, disability, eating disorders and conversion therapy, all of which have featured in recent high-profile Hollyoaks storylines - but the real-life stories are being told together on-screen for the first time.
John Junior's inspired the Hollyoaks IRL series to be created.
In Hollyoaks: IRL, Hollyoaks saved my life; we meet John Junior (they/them) who had planned to take their own life but stopped after watching Hollyoaks and seeing the devastating impact of much-loved character Kyle Kelly's suicide on his loved ones - best friend, Darren Osborne and his fiancée, Nancy.
Hollyoaks became aware of John Junior's experiences after they called BBC Radio Five Live to document what had happened and their subsequent recovery. John Junior meets actor Ashley Taylor Dawson in person for the first time, in truly emotional scenes.
Other episodes include, Josh Connolly talking to actor Billy Price (who plays Sid Sumner) about his escape from county lines drug dealers and how it turned his life around and cemented his future as a mental health campaigner.
Monique Jarett talks through the shared experience of being an artiste with a disability and the importance of positive representation of disability in TV and film, with Hollyoaks actress Rhiannon Clements (Summer Ranger).
Ben Robinson shares with Nadine Mulkerrins (Cleo McQueen) his experiences of having an eating disorder, a storyline also portrayed by Nadine's character in the soap.
And Justin Beck opens up to Ross Adams (Scott Drinkwell) about his own experience of gay conversion therapy and the steps he took to recover from the trauma.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content