Surely 8pm is too early

[Mummy0b]

Saw an article about last nights eastenders, havent watched it in years but was genuinely shocked!
Surely 8pm is too early for a rape scene to be on tv?!
Am i being precious? I used to watch Eastenders from about 10 or 11 and the idea of a child that age seeing that horrifies me!
Am i the only one?

Yes it's not nice to see, when you understand what is happening. Yes it might raise some questions to a 10/11 year old but thats what these programmes do, they get people talking.

I think it's disgusting. Eastenders must be the most miserable programme on tv - I haven't watched it for many years, but friends tell me about it. When I watch tv, I want to be entertained or informed. If I wanted to hear about every conceivable problem or misery in life, I'd watch the news (I don't watch that either)

I haven't watched it for years, it was horrible then and hasn't appeared to change much

I haven't watched it for years, I find it way too depressing. However, I don't think Eastenders has ever really been suitable for a younger audience, has it? I'm not sure that a rape scene is any more or less suitable than a lot of the other content in the show?

I would not personally have wanted my dd to watch it at 10/11 regardless.

Stopped eastenders years then Corrie as well it became all murders crime depressing stuff thought no I can do better than.

Tbh I wouldn't think Eastenders was suitable for a 10 or 11yo. Besides, surely the airing time is pretty irrelevant these days? So much of what people watch is streamed or just stuff available on the Internet in general. I can't remember the last time I watched scheduled tv.

It was obvious what was happening. But it was not explicit.

It also raises really important issues about consent and how although Ben started off saying "yes", he changed his mind, said no, and that no was not respected.

Children of ANY age can understand that basic concept of consent and bodily autonomy.

I haven't seen EastEnders for about 25 years, but one of the storylines I remember from my childhood in the 80s was Kathy Beale being raped by her boss, so this isn't a recent change in tone for the programme.

I would have been about 11 when that storyline happened, I think? I don't remember being unduly disturbed by it and I remember it being talked about at school much like we'd have talked about any other terrible misfortune suffered by a soap character.

Also love that everyone's piling on to give their opinion, when they haven't watched Eastenders "for years" and most definitely did not see the episode under discussion.

But that's the point that some of us are making, isn't it? We didn't need to see the episode in question to know that it wouldn't be suitable for 10/11yo kids because the programme has never really been suitable for that age group.

The scene was not explicit. Children would not have twigged what was going on, other than two men were kissing, one receives a text from his child, changes his mind about kissing the other guy, who then does not let him leave and hurts him.

But agree with the general point that Eastenders is not, and never has been, a show for children. Teenagers yes.

Most depressing thing I’ve ever watched. Stop watching it!

I just think there’s no reason for it to be on before 9pm anyway, most kids after primary school are up until 9pm, what happened to family viewing. Eastenders is truly dire, depressing and miserable these days.

Don’t they show murders by shooting and stabbing too?

I don’t think many people have complained about it else they wouldn’t still show them.

Its difficult - you want to protect your children from these things but then are we wrapping them in cotton wool too much?

I don’t know many children who watch soaps though.

I remember asking my dad what rape was after it was mentioned in Eastenders. This must have been in the late 80s.

Rape has always been in soaps though. I remember the guy from footballers wives was raped in Hollyoaks, Rhonda in Emmerdale. Little Mo in Eastenders. David in Corrie.

The time is massively relevant because it's available on tv to children at that time.

Surely 10/11 year olds don't watch EastEnders though?!

Hopefully kids of 10 or 11 aren’t watching it and thinking that it’s normal to be miserable, argumentative tossers at all times.

Is this the episode with Charles and Camilla in? Probably not……

I stopped watching Eastenders 4 years ago when I realised every single character was either depressed or depressing. I did find myself watching a few minutes of an episode a few months ago and it looked like every single character was having some sort of mental breakdown (and I don't mean the ones like Jean and Stacey who suffer from mental illness). Mick, his (ex?) wife, Shirley, literally all of them were depressing as fuck to watch and half the characters were new and I had no idea who they were.

In terms of scenes of violence, including rape - if they showed anything explicit then they'd have to adhere to the 9pm watershed, however if something is IMPLIED it can be broadcast before 9pm.

I haven't seen the episode so don't know how much graphic content was shown but it all sounds very distressing. As per the norm in Eastenders!

@squiff70 tbf there was nothing graphic but yes, certainly distressing scenes.
Absolutely agree that Eastenders is absolute depressing shite, but had i been watching it i would not have expected that to happen before 9pm and id hope some warning was shown before about how potentially triggering it could be

There was a rape scene in Eastenders in the 1980s though and it was on earlier then
So it's not exactly a new thing and I don't remember anyone complaining about it.
I don't watch the show anymore and yes rape is a horrible experience but it does happen and it's supposed to reflect real life experiences.

I watched the very first episode. It opened with the finding of a dead body. A murder victim no less.
Not changed much by the sound of it.

I was 13 I think