Hollyoaks boss: We get told off for being ‘too gay’
The executive producer of Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks has revealed he gets complaints for making things “too gay”.
The soap has a number of gay characters, and recently features a ‘Hollypride’ gay Pride festival as part of a storyline.
Speaking to the Star, Hollyoaks exec producer Bryan Kirkwood said he often gets complaints from people about ‘gaying up’ the TV show.
He said: “We get told off all the time for being too gay and having too many gay characters.
“I don’t think you can be too gay, quite frankly.
“The idea that people object to two boys kissing is really bizarre to me.”
However, he conceded that the soap’s storylines can sometimes go too far and become preachy.
He said: “Sometimes it has been like we are hitting the audience over the head with a pamphlet.
“We have to keep that lightness of touch, otherwise it becomes a little too worthy for its own good.”
Kirkwood has previously admitted he made “mistakes” in a storyline about a gay asylum seeker from Nigeria.
The 2014 storyline featured John Omole as Vincent Elegba, who fled persecution in Nigeria and was later the subject of homophobic violence at the hands of immigration officers.
Kirkwood said: “We did a story about 18 months ago, with our serious hat on, about a Nigerian asylum seeker – a gay lad – who’d left Nigeria seeking asylum in Britain and we disappeared so far up our own arse.”
The show recently debuted a transgender character, played by a transgender actress.
Unique among broadcasters, Channel 4 has specific commitments to diversity as part of its broadcasting remit.
