Hollyoaks cast feud over Rachel Adedeji racism accusations

Last week, Hollyoaks actress Rachel Adedeji accused the Channel 4 show of backstage racism and now some of her co-stars have been feuding.

It all began after fans criticised Lysette Anthony - who plays Marnie Nightingale - for not supporting Rachel, one of her followers wrote, "[You saying] nothing in support of @RachelASongs this week is really disappointing.

"You know the need to feel supported, that colleagues will publicly back you when you’re brave enough to speak up and potentially suffer huge consequences."

Lysette then hit back and said, "Oh I will speak.. from a place of compassion and FACT... but I will NOT be bullied into safe, white, knee jerk rhetoric..."

Things heated up further when Luke Jerdy - who played Jesse Donovan - jumped in and defended Rachel's claims.

"If you want some FACTS... feel free to DM me. I was there when one of the incidents with Rachel happened, I heard it with my own ears.

"We are now patiently waiting for a response from Hollyoaks. Check with your colleagues and reach out before tweeting this stuff. It’s hurtful," he replied.

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After taking part in Blackout Tuesday, Hollyoaks announced they would be discussing racism in a special podcast but Rachel said she was not impressed with the show's effort on tackling the issue.

"I am disappointed with Hollyoaks’ approach to showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement yesterday," she said.

"Did Black Lives Matter when I was told 'You’re all the same' by a make up artist you employed, and remains in employment til this day?

"Did Black Lives Matter when a number of female black actors were forced to drastically change their hair, because if not, the viewers ‘would not be able to tell them apart.’?"

After revealing that she's only worked with one black director during her four years on the show, she added, "Honestly, the list goes on.

"Having a black cast member speak on behalf of Hollyoaks to show that the work is being done is not as progressive as they think. As a matter of fact, very little is being done behind the scenes."

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Hollyoaks have now released a statement following Rachel's post and said they will be investigating further.

"Hollyoaks has been deeply shocked and saddened by issues that have been brought to our attention over the weekend. Lime Pictures strives to have zero tolerance of racism or any form of discrimination across all of its shows but it is clear we have further work to do.

"We must stamp out implicit bias which means calling out racism wherever and whenever we see it. We will continue to add to our action plan as we continue and broaden our dialogue with cast and staff."

They went on to reveal they're taking an "immediate and in depth review" on the ways they're going to remove any racism or discrimination from their show.

"We are reaching out to all of our cast and staff that have raised matters to make sure that we address individual issues and concerns.

"We have asked all cast, staff and freelancers to share with us any further issues of concern or instances of unacceptable behaviour that they have not previously raised."

They added that they're working with unconscious bias trainers, mentoring to all BAME [black, Asian, and minority ethnic} staff and ensuring their as diverse and inclusive across "all aspects of recruitment and talent retention, on and off screen".

Hollyoaks are set to release a podcast in which their black cast will share their experiences on racism to their audience.

Hollyoaks is on Mondays and Tuesdays at 6:30pm and Hollyoaks Favourites airs on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 6:30pm on Channel 4.