Hollyoaks to partner with the Home Office for coercive control storyline

The Home Office has once again teamed up with Hollyoaks for the Enough campaign, collaborating with Nadine Mulkerrin and Tyler Conti on their coercive control storyline.

The storyline will be a major focus throughout 2024, reaching its peak this summer.

The Enough campaign, aimed at addressing abusive behaviour that disproportionately affects women and girls, emphasises the role of bystanders in safely confronting abuse. The partnership with the soap will shed light on the harmful dynamics of coercive and controlling relationships, showcasing the impact of violence on victims and stressing the importance of bystanders intervening safely.

Home Secretary, James Cleverly said:

“Tackling violence against women and girls is a real priority for me.

“We know that controlling and coercive relationships can have a lasting and severe impact on victims. That’s why we made it a specific criminal offence and are making sure those convicted are monitored by the police in the same way as physically violent offenders.

“By partnering with Hollyoaks, we’re raising awareness of how to recognise these behaviours as well as empowering the public to call out abuse when they see it and safely intervene when appropriate.”

The tie-in will be first shown on-screen at the end of May (23rd-29th May 2024) and will be further highlighted at the beginning of July (4th-10th July 2024).

With the return of Cleo McQueen earlier this year, we also saw the unexpected arrival of Abe, a male character that she had recently begun dating. Cleo is unaware of the twisted mind games that Abe plays with her, while all her extended family, genuinely fall fast and hard for him.

As the story progresses, viewers will witness Abe’s efforts to distance Cleo from her family as they settle into their own place. He cunningly exploits her previous struggles with eating disorders to manipulate and dominate her.

Hollyoaks has a long history of tackling real-life issues and has been working closely with the Government to seamlessly integrate messaging around violence against women into its episodes, as well as creating bespoke digital activity that will sit on the show’s social platforms and cast member’s socials.

Rupinder Downie, Sponsorship & Commercial Partnerships Leader:

“We’re delighted to have supported Lime on their innovative fusion of an important storyline in partnership with government. Hollyoaks’ integration of the Enough campaign further highlights how Channel 4 and our partners can work authentically with brands to deliver change through entertainment.”

For Help & Support please visit the #ENOUGH Campaign website by clicking here.