Hollyoaks slapped with 358 complaints over moving transgender child story | Soaps

Hollyoaks has received a number of Ofcom complaints following Rose Lomax’s (Ava Webster) groundbreaking trans storyline.

358 complaints were made to the TV watchdog from viewers of the Channel 4 soap between March 4 and 7, which is when the storyline in question was the central focus of episodes.

Metro.co.uk has reached out to Hollyoaks for comment.

The incredibly powerful narrative in question saw 12-year-old Rose, who was struggling with his gender identity, confide in newcomer Kitty Draper (Iz Hesketh), revealing that he’s a boy.

Kitty, knowing exactly what Rose is going through, proved supportive, encouraging him to open up to his parents about how he’s been feeling and, after some thought, Rose did just that, telling Tony and Diane Hutchinson (Nick Pickard and Alex Fletcher) that he’s a boy.

The news knocked Tony and Diane for six, with Tony initially failing to take the situation seriously, while Diane felt out of her depth, unsure of how to help her son.

Tony responded by blaming Kitty, kicking her out of their home. Diane, however, was quick to intervene, pleading with Kitty to stay put, knowing she’s the only one who truly understands what Rose is going through.

Hollyoaks has undergone something of a resurgence in the past few months following the appointment of new producers, who have aided in restoring the long-running soap to its former glory.

The Channel 4 serial is once again tackling subjects rarely seen on the other soaps and will next highlight a common but under-recognised form of child sexual abuse, with twins JJ and Frankie Osborne (Ryan Mulvey and Isabelle Smith).

Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe), meanwhile, is pregnant with twins and she recently discovered that her babies have two different fathers.

This phenomenon, known as Heteropaternal superfecundation, is super rare in humans, though a number of cases have been documented, and it has never been dramatised in a UK soap before.

And of course there was that incredible farewell to Romeo Nightingale (Owen Warner), who fled from the police on horse back to the sound of Taylor Swift’s Love Story.

Hollyoaks streams weeknights at 7:30pm on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4. 

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