Astonished by the incest plot involving Frankie and JJ, Hollyoaks viewers have lodged complaints with Ofcom on the ‘distressing’ scenes that aired without any prior notice.
‘Upsetting’ incest scenes in Hollyoaks have been criticized by viewers, who have complained to Ofcom and requested a warning beforehand.
It was announced earlier this month that the soap opera would deal with sexual abuse of siblings. Frankie accused Jimmy McKenna’s character, Jack Osbourne, of unwanted touching in a recent episode. This allegation was made after they danced together in remembrance of Jack’s late wife, which caused Frankie to relive long-suppressed abuse memories.
This past week, it came to light that the abuser was her younger twin brother JJ. But in a terrifying restroom scene, Frankie was horrified to see her brother approaching her once more. She stated to him as he walked up to her, “We stopped playing that years ago.”
JJ answered, “But we can start again,” as he stood over her and took hold of her wrists to draw her in. Then, as she stood there in her nightie, he ran his hands up her arms, around to her back, and down her spine.
Fortunately, there was a noise to break them up, but before they went, JJ said, “I look forward to us playing again.” Fans of Hollyoaks were shocked and incensed by the unnerving sights. One fan commented on the video after it was posted on the program’s official Instagram page: “This is just so wrong in so many ways. Is it necessary? horrifying.
“This is an unnecessary storyline that could’ve gone differently, you could’ve had the brother be very protective because of what they’ve both gone through with their mum,” another said. “You could have written a gloomy plot about the brother experiencing despair and the sister being able to support him.
There are countless possible plot lines you might have developed for these two twins, but you chose to pursue an entirely pointless one. Do not misunderstand; these are real-life occurrences, but you want to present stuff that people will want to see and won’t make them sick.”
Another viewer made the following observation: “Where is this trigger warning? This is terrible.” “The acting was spot on, and this happens much more often than people actually realize,” said the second person. Therefore, despite how difficult it is to watch, Hollyoaks deserves praise for once again bringing attention to real-life problems that others avoid.”
Another person said, “What a spooky plot. Although it’s repulsive and unsettling, this does occur in real life. Hollyoaks is getting it correctly, which pleases me.” “As horrible as this is to watch, it’s a real issue,” said another observer.
Regarding the contentious plot, Hollyoaks executive producer Hannah Cheers stated: “Sibling sexual abuse is a subject matter that desperately deserves attention and recognition.” Although it’s one of the least common types of sexual abuse to come to light, the figures are alarming.
“We need to start this conversation among our multigenerational audience, which is why Hollyoaks is bringing attention to this topic for the first time in a long-term soap opera narrative. The goal of our research, story, script, and writing teams is to present this story as honestly and passionately as possible.”
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