Hollyoaks scores a major victory for non-binary representation as actor Ki Griffin joins the main cast
Playing Ripley Lennox, non-binary actor Ki Griffin joined the cast full time on Hollyoaks this year (Twitter/Hollyoaks)
Hollyoaks has cast non-binary actor Ki Griffin in a full-time role on the show.
Griffin, 21, made their first appearance on Hollyoaks last month playing Ripley Lennox, a newcomer who is a friend of Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins), and will return for “plenty more” in the autumn, the show has confirmed.
Hollyoaks announced the news on Twitter, writing: “If you haven’t already, please give a very warm welcome to Ki Griffin (they/them, she/her, or he/him) who plays Ripley Lennox!”
The long-running soap will be Griffin’s first TV credit. They are based in Liverpool.
The Channel 4 stalwart said that Ripley will work at a second-hand clothes stall on Cunningham’s Grand Bazaar, and make friends with local teenagers Peri Lomax (Ruby O’Donnell), Yasmine Maalik (Haiesha Mistry), and Romeo Quinn (Owen Warner).
📣 CAST ANNOUNCEMENT 📣 If you haven’t already, please give a very warm welcome to Ki Griffin (they/them, she/her, or he/him) who plays Ripley Lennox! 😍 We’ve already had the pleasure of seeing Ripley on our screens, and there's plenty more to come… Autumn 2020!❤️ #Hollyoaks pic.twitter.com/abvLtiKAPz
— Hollyoaks (@Hollyoaks) August 10, 2020
Hollyoaks has, like many other British shows, been affected by the pandemic and is currently off-air. The show, which celebrates its 25th birthday this autumn, recently resumed production in Liverpool after filming was halted in March, when the TV and film industry shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
New work protocols are now in place to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of the soap’s cast and crew.
And Channel 4 will be increasing episodes from two to four nights a week from September, planning to return to five episodes in 2021.
Hollyoaks star hit back at homophobic complaints.
Last summer, Hollyoaks actor Kieron Richardson hit back at fans who complained about the show’s LGBT+ storylines in a Channel 4 advert.
The campaign featured actors and presenters from the channel, each delivering a complaint based on actual feedback from viewers.
In the advert, 33-year-old Richardson was shown kissing his real-life husband Carl Hyland before saying, “I’m not homophobic, but do we have to have gay kissing at dinnertime?” and then chomping a turkey leg.
Called “Complaints Welcome”, the campaign also featured a star-studded cast including Great British Bake Off’s Prue Leith and Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud.
