Hollyoaks cast autistic actress Talia Grant as new character Brooke Hathaway

Talia Grant has become the first autistic actress to land a mainstream soap opera role on British television after being cast in Hollyoaks.

Grant will play autistic teen Brooke Hathaway in the Channel 4 drama.

She will make her debut in June as the new foster daughter of the Osbornes, studying at Hollyoaks High with the other teens in the village.

The young actress is hoping her role will “represent something that people may be unaware of”.

Grant – who identifies as having high-functioning autism – said: “I am so excited to be joining Hollyoaks. I have met some of the cast and being on set was fun and everyone was super-nice and made me feel welcome.

“For a long while there has been no representation on screen of autistic women especially autistic women of colour so I am really looking forward to developing the character of Brooke and representing something that perhaps people are unaware of.”

Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood teased Grant’s character Brooke, adding that they worked with Grant to write her personality.

He said: “She will bring a new different voice into the show and we are very excited about her arrival into the Osbornes where she will bring a secret from the past.

“Brooke is a strong, independent character who has a solid handle on what it means to be a teenage girl with autism and we have worked with Talia on developing her character.”

Show bosses worked with The National Autistic Society and Access All Areas for the role which saw over 150 people apply.

Grant, daughter of Fame Academy star Carrie Grant and husband David, recently appeared on Lorraine alongside her mum to discuss her condition during Autism Awareness Week.

Hollyoaks airs weekdays on at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look episodes at 7pm on E4.