In 2018, Channel 4’s Hollyoaks collaborated with Encephalitis International on a storyline about encephalitis.
We have been sharing our expertise with researchers and writers on the popular soap for several months about the illness of four-year-old Dee Dee Hutchinson.
Dr Ava Easton, our Chief Executive, and Professor Benedict Michael, a member of our Scientific Advisory Panel and Trustee, visited the set and met with the research team early on in the process and continued to collaborate with them throughout the process.
About Dee Dee
Hollyoaks is a British Soap Opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 in 1995, which is set in a fictional suburb of Chester called Hollyoaks.
Dee Dee Hutchinson is the four-year old daughter of the soaps longest serving cast member Tony Hutchinson.
Dee Dee’s parents, Tony and Diane, love their angelic girl and are devastated to learn that Dee Dee has autoimmune encephalitis, which is a serious neurological condition.
Encephalitis International worked with the Hollyoaks team to make sure the storyline was accurate and to offer support to viewers who may be affected by encephalitis in any way.