Yahoo News Hollyoaks' self-harm episode sparks 42 complaints
Hollyoaks has received 42 complaints overnight following its special self-harm episode, which centred around schoolgirls Lily Drinkwell's sad story.
The Channel 4 soap is exploring the issue of group self-harm, as confirmed in the closing moments of Tuesday night's E4 first-look episode.
Fans know that Lily has been hurting herself for a number of weeks, but a story twist has now seen fellow teens Peri and Yasmine join in after uncovering her harrowing secret.
Last night's scenes sparked controversy when the trio made a devastating pact after self-harming together in Lily's bedroom – vowing to keep their families in the dark over what they were doing.
The episode drew a wide range of reactions from fans on Twitter – with others going so far as to complain straight to broadcasting regulator Ofcom about the show's portrayal of self-harming.
An Ofcom spokesperson told Digital Spy that they had received 42 official complaints about the scenes. These will be assessed, before a decision is made over whether to launch an official investigation or not.
In response to criticism about last night's episode, a Hollyoaks spokesperson told us: "Hollyoaks has been working closely with The Samaritans and Mind to help raise awareness of self-harming – a difficult subject that is relevant to the young audience. The episode was accompanied with on air support pointing viewers to appropriate helplines."
As mentioned above, this storyline has been publicly supported by Samaritans and MIND . At a recent press screening of the episode, Lorna Fraser from Samaritans told reporters that she found this depiction of self-harm to be authentic.
Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look screenings at 7pm on E4.
Readers affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans free on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov or the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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