Hollyoaks joins forces with Line of Duty star for dementia storyline
Martha Blake's story takes a heartwarming turn.
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks has confirmed that it is teaming up with Line of Duty star Vicky McClure’s Our Dementia Choir for upcoming scenes.
In the episode airing on Monday, March 24, Liberty Savage will encourage Martha Blake, who has received a diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease, to join the singing group so that she can find a supportive community to spend time with.
Our Dementia Choir was founded in 2019 by actor and Alzheimer’s Society Ambassador McClure, who wanted to highlight the importance of music therapy for people diagnosed with different forms of dementia.
Although McClure does not appear in the episode herself, she has spoken about how “proud” she is to see the choir play a major part in the soap.
“It was an honour for Our Dementia Choir to be part of this storyline,” she said. “Music has the power to uplift, connect, and create lasting moments of joy. Seeing that brought to life on screen is so important, and I couldn’t be prouder of the choir.”
Sherrie Hewson, who joined Hollyoaks as Sienna Blake’s mysterious grandmother Martha last year, also praised the “wonderful” choir.
“When the choir started to sing, I looked around and including me, we were all in tears, we all felt so joyous and everybody in that room cried that day because we could feel the love,” she said.
“Not only were they wonderful voices, but we didn’t expect to be so taken in by the atmosphere they created and the love they brought to set. We were all very moved and it was a very emotional day.”
The choir’s musical director Daniela Smith called filming on Hollyoaks “a wonderful experience”, saying: “Performing on the set and the emotional response from everyone made it very special.
“It was a great opportunity to showcase the true power of music and how we are living well with Dementia. We can’t wait to watch the episode and Hollyoaks is now firmly part of the Our Dementia Choir family.”
In a less welcome development for the Blakes next week, Sienna will suffer an unexpected health scare when she collapses in the village.
Her family are worried when they see her being taken away on a stretcher and, although she appears to make a quick recovery, Sienna admits that she’s scared about what the future might hold following the mysterious incident.
