To think the coronation street storyline about Oliver is in poor taste?

[pigeonsfeather]

Oliver has an incurable condition, and his parents are refusing to accept this, becoming hostile to the doctors treating him and trying to raise funds to bring in an ‘expert’ from abroad. There is now a legal dispute.

I thought it sounded similar to the Charlie Gard case, but it wasn’t until I googled I realised the character supposedly has the same condition as Charlie Gard did.

AIBU in thinking that’s in really, really poor taste? It’s virtually to the letter what happened and I can’t think of any other case where what happened in RL is mirrored in the soaps. On some occasions storylines have even been changed on this basis.

It's not quite to the letter though. Chris Gard appears to have more than two brain cells and is actually Charlie's father. Nor does he have a secret son with an ex-hairdresser. Connie Yates isn't an ex-sex worker and AFAIK, never burnt down her own restaurant in a botched insurance job.

The main player in the Gard story, Mr Monkey, is noticeably absent from the CS storyline and we are yet to see the appearance of keyrings, water bottles and mouse mats featuring Oliver's visage.

On the whole, I think we have a long way to go before this story becomes a mirror image of Charlie's story. We haven't had an 'Oliver's Army' yet, although I would welcome this if it could involve a guest appearance from Elvis Costello and Leanne is yet to start wearing a range of cold shoulder tops and floral hair accessories.

No, Charlie’s parents aren’t from Manchester either. But the gist - a child with an identical incurable condition and parents refusing to accept it - is exactly the same.

Real events are very often emulated on TV shows, and films. Meh.

I think it is good to highlight such cases in drama, showing all sides. Setting aside the tortuous personal lives of the three parents (not unusual for soaps), it seems quite realistic and heartrending. It clearly demonstrates what a difficult time the medical teams have.

“Meh”, a baby died and you say “Meh”?

This is a really sad story line I have a child with a rare disorder (which is thankfully not life threatening) I hope Corrie does this storey justice and not come up with a miracle cure as that would be awful for parents going through this

I agree. Really hoping they don’t go any further down the road with this storyline. It’s playing out similarly to the Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans cases.

@jessstan1

I think it is good to highlight such cases in drama, showing all sides. Setting aside the tortuous personal lives of the three parents (not unusual for soaps), it seems quite realistic and heartrending. It clearly demonstrates what a difficult time the medical teams have.

I’m quite old, and I remember when James bulger was murdered a few storylines were hastily rewritten and a Mr Bean episode wasn’t broadcast because it featured him taking a baby. So I am quite shocked that they’ve not only gone with the storyline generally but an identical condition. I can’t imagine being Charlie’s parents and watching it.

I’m sorry to hear that x2

It happens all the time. Practically every episode of Law and Order is based on a real case.
This page has a list of TV Series, including Casualty and Holby City, that also have plots that are copies of real life stories.

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RippedFromTheHeadlines

@x2boys

This is a really sad story line I have a child with a rare disorder (which is thankfully not life threatening) I hope Corrie does this storey justice and not come up with a miracle cure as that would be awful for parents going through this

I don't think they will, x2boys; so far it has been quite realistic and, harrowing as it is, I hope it stays that way.

I take the point made about the James Bulger case which I too remember well and also remember TV programmes not being shown which resembled the kidnapping of Madeline McCann and 9/11. However the shows were broadcast at a later date. One particularly stays in mind as it mirrors James Bulger's kidnapping and murder; it was an episode of Law and Order UK with Loraine Stanley playing the mother of the murdered child. Law and Order also did one the same.

There is no comparison between kidnapping and brutal murder and the sad case of a terminally ill child.

Drama must reflect real life and stories (eg bereavement, abortion, sex trafficking, dementia) will often strike a chord with people.

Sadly this is a real issue and a natural response by the parents. I agree it’s not a nice subject but one worth telling.

Oh course I didn't say meh about the child dying, that was awful obviously Meh that a story line in a soap is about a child dying. The family don't have to watch it. Bad things happen is soaps all the time and can be likened to real events where terrible things happen but when they're not all over the media, then no one knows about them.

I can’t think of any other case where what happened in RL is mirrored in the soaps.

Really

Are they portraying the parents unfavourably? Surely most people would do the same in their position.

The coronation street's world general public seem less stupid than the real public.

I don’t watch it,, but so as have always taken topical issues and made storylines out of them. No it is not poor taste.

@Florencex

I don’t watch it,, but so as have always taken topical issues and made storylines out of them. No it is not poor taste.

A child's death like those mentioned upthread are not topical issues, they are personal tragedies (as are all) and the soaps should leave well alone.

@bettsbattenburg

Soaps have had characters that have had cancer, lost babies, been murdered. These are also personal tragedies in real life. Soaps attempt (sometimes badly) to reflect real life.

I really don’t get your point.

Didn't Emmerdale do a Lockerbie storyline?
That struck me as pretty insensitive to the families of 270 people just five years after the real incident.

@ViciousJackdaw I have been up for two hours with a baby. Your post made me laugh and has helped me through breastfeeding this morning, so thank you!

Did you really just use Mr Bean as an example to prove your point about children with life threatening illnesses, OP?

I don't think it's a soap that's lost its moral compass.

I also remember James Bulger. Lived in Liverpool at the time.

I don't watch Coronation Street so I'll have to take your word for it.

I remember the Charlie Gard case so well. It was absolutely heartbreaking. I cried my eyes out, poor little baby and poor parents. No matter what anyone thinks about what should or shouldn't have been decided, it was a case that was never going to have a happy outcome.

The thing is though, that was 3 years ago now - enough time has passed for something similar to be included as a storyline. It's an issue which is absolutely worthy of scrutiny because it raises enormous moral questions about who's responsible for the wellbeing of a child and who gets to make key decisions. Also OP, and apologies if I'm wrong, but you don't seem to be aware of the fact that Charlie Gard wasn't a one-off. There have been a number of other babies in similar positions, but they just weren't as highly publicised. Thankfully it's a fairly infrequent occurrence but parents and hospitals in dispute over the care of a child can and does happen. I 100% think this is worthy of being examined and from descriptions above, it doesn't sound like it's identical to the Charlie Gard case in every aspect. There are lots of other emotive issues included in soaps and actually, that's a good thing. Only be examining and reflecting on our society will things ever change.

What you're forgetting OP is that Charlie Gard and Alfie Evans weren't the only ones this has happened to. Children being diagnosed with a life limiting condition and the parents battling to keep them alive against medical advice happens every day up and down the country. I'd recommend watching My Baby's Life: Who Decides. It was a documentary on a couple of years ago about the decisions families and medics have to make when treating children with life limiting conditions.

Corrie has worked very closely with charities and parents to make the storyline realistic. In fact the UKs biggest mitochondrial disease has a link to the storyline on the front page of their website. And you say you're shocked about it being an identical condition - mitochondrial disease has many forms and isn't as rare as you'd think.

The Emmerdale plane crash, shown a few days after Christmas, mirrored the Lockerbie disaster. Their helicopter crash was also rather similar to the Clutha crash.

Soaps often mirror real life with storylines.

But in Charlie Gard's case, the hospital abroad actually wanted him to come. It was the British hospital doctors that were trying to play God.

The german doctors have said no in the Coronation Street storyline. I hope it ends soon. I know it's important to shed light on serious issues but with everything else going on in the world at the minute the last thing I want to do is sit and watch a storyline about a dying child in the evening. Plus Leanne/Steve/Nick are not strong enough actors to be carrying out this type of storyline.