A Hollyoaks plot which shows three teenagers entering into a self-harm pact has sparked complaints to Ofcom.
The regulatory body confirmed to the Daily Star that they had received 55 complaints about the E4 airing of the episode and a further 29 for the Channel 4 showing the following day.
A special episode, which aired last week, focused on struggling teen Lily Drinkwell, who has been self-harming for some time now, and her classmates Peri Lomax and Yasmin Maalik, as well as their mums.
Read more: Hollyoaks actress claims Harvey Weinstein raped her
As part of the soap’s #DontFilterFeelings campaign the episode saw Lily get caught by Yasmin and Peri self-harming in the school toilets before the girls decided to start doing it together.
The show says it has worked with charities Mind and the Samaritans on the storyline and they have signed off the scripts for the episodes.
Lorna Fraser of Samaritans told Metro.co.uk: “Clearly there are risks in covering topics like this, but there is a real need to raise awareness of issues like self-harming. We were really, really pleased that Hollyoaks were going to embrace such a challenging storyline.”
She also added: “I’m really pleased that they engaged with us right from the outset when they were starting to develop this storyline.”
A Mind spokeperson agreed, saying: “Mind supports the way that Hollyoaks is using this storyline to raise awareness about self-harm in young adults.”
They added: “It’s a serious issue that is difficult to portray sensitively on screen, and we’re glad Hollyoaks is going about it in a responsible manner.
“We hope that the storyline will encourage any viewers who may be struggling with similar issues to reach out for help and support.”
However, with Ofcom confirmed they’ve had complaints, and viewers flocking to Twitter to express their disgust at how they feel Hollyoaks is “glamorising” the sensitive subject, the soap has come under fire.
There are some viewers who think the show is doing a good job.
Read more: Hollyoaks planning dramatic Christmas plot
Speaking about the complaints, Ofcom told Daily Star Online: “We will assess these complaints before deciding whether or not to investigate.”
A Hollyoaks spokesperson commented: “Hollyoaks embarked on telling this story after we were informed by charities including The Samaritans, Mind and The NSPCC that this is a huge issue for young people that is not being talked about and we have worked closely alongside them in order to help raise awareness of self-harming and the dangers faced by sufferers.”
They added: “We have a long established history of tackling difficult and important issues that affect out audience in a sensitive, engaging and informative way and the episode was accompanied with both on and-off-air support pointing viewers to appropriate helplines.”