Hollyoaks is lining up a new storyline for Brooke Hathaway this year.
The character (played by Tylan Grant) was first introduced in 2018, and they made history as the first regular autistic character in the soap.
While things have been quieter for Brooke lately – apart from a relationship with Ripley, who left last year – executive producer Lucy Allan has teased more onscreen time for the character in 2023.
We’ll be looking at Brooke in terms of a young person with autism entering the workplace, and how they go about seeking employment,” Allan told Inside Soap. “That will also see a building friendship between Brooke and Lizzie.”There’s a real joy to Lizzie as a character, she’s a mother hen. But sometimes the assumptions people make about what they know about autism might not be quite right. It’ll be a learning process.”
Brooke shared that they are non-binary in 2021 in powerful scenes on the soap after spending months questioning their gender identity with the support of Ripley.
Speaking at the time, Tylan spoke about how the storyline chimed with him, saying: “This storyline in particular means a lot to me – being non-binary myself, seeing the progression of Brooke’s self-growth and self-discovery has been emotional and empowering for me.”I hope anyone out there who is coming to terms (or confused) with their identity can feel heard, encouraged or that I can be the representation that I so needed when I was younger.”
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