Episode 5569

"Episode 5569" is an episode of the British television soap opera Hollyoaks. The episode focuses on the unconscious bias that character Martine Deveraux (Kéllé Bryan) experiences as a Black woman in the United Kingdom. The episode was written by Karla Marie Sweet and directed by Edem Kelman, both Black creatives who felt that the episode dealt with important topical issues. This episode also acts as Kelman's professional directorial debut. The episode was first broadcast as a first-look on E4 on 14 April 2021, with its mainstream broadcast following a day later on Channel 4.

Sweet and Kelman both said that they wanted to incorporate the unconscious biases in a subtle way since they are experienced every day; they included a makeup sample in a magazine not matching Martine's skin tone, a delivery man assuming Martine is not the manager of her shop, an interviewer treating Martine and Grace Black (Tamara Wall) differently, and student nurse Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell) labelling Martine aggressive when she speaks up for herself. The episode closes with a monologue led by Martine, where she states that people need to do better by unlearning their biases, with "Freedom" by Beyoncé included as a score. Bryan felt connected to the writing of the episode and has stated that it angered her to read the script due to how accurate it was. She also stated that the Black actors featured would only appear in the episode if it was realistic, since they did not want to compromise the struggles they face.

Cast member Andrea Ali was apprehensive about the response they would receive for the episode. She expected that people would think "Black people [are] upset about nothing", accrediting this to the ongoing racial injustices in the United Kingdom.^[2] However, the episode was well-received by cast members, critics, and viewers. Cast member Tamara Wall began to notice unconscious biases that companies held by not stocking plasters that are inclusive to all skin tones. Both the Daily Mirror newspaper and Closer praised the episode, as well as Black female viewers stating that their experiences were well represented by the episode.