Eastenders Baby Death Storyline

[deemented]

Once again, no one can live happily ever after

Ronnie's baby James, dies and she puts his body in Kat and Alfies son's crib, and steals their baby boy, Tommy.

Why oh why oh why do scriptwriters insist on portraying bereaved parents - mothers especially - as mad and deranged??? Maybe it's because they can't begin to imagine how awful the death of a child is, but really, whilst we are mad with grief, it is our own child that we want back, not someone else's stolen child. When are scriptwriters ever going to understand that?

Still, it'll be a riveting watch, no doubt.

I have not watched this programme and neither have I read the whole thread. However, doing a quick word search, the word "Solomon" does not appear to have been used yet. In the judgement of Solomon story, 2 women have babies at the same time and one dies and is switched.

There is a literary precedent for this behaviour, and it is not inconceivable that exceptionally someone could behave like this in the throes of grief. This would be very far from suggesting that all or most bereaved women would behave or think like this, or that it is a likely or expected outcome of losing a baby.

I have tried to complain but can't get the website to work it won't let me submit the form
I hate EE, have done for years.I hope they get strung up for this.

Of course it is not inconceivable that someone might snatch a baby in the throes of grief. It is however extremely uncommon: in this country I don't believe it has happened in my lifetime.

Sadly the reality is much more mundane: we cry, often silently, put on a "brave face"; try to "get on with things"; bite our tongues to protect everyone else and do our best to, at least in public, appear to be coping lest we are judged for not doing so.

In reality, and I speak only for myself, behind closed doors I sobbed with the hurt and the physical pain of longing for something that had been taken from me. A million hopes and dreams snatched in an instant.

But more than anything, for a long time I was angry. Angry as those people that crossed over the road to avoid speaking to me, angry at the people that changed the subject if I mentioned my sons name, angry that so very few people ever tried to understand the enormity of what I was going through. People are scared of the death of a child more than anything else. They are scared that their own nightmare might come trur, they are scared that a bereaved mother might hurt herself, or and this I am sure is so often thought but never spoken that they might take or hurt another child.

EE have managed to perpetuate this myth of the madness of grief to the point of insanity, to make bereaved mothers the object of fear and to a degree disgust.

Apologies if someone has already suggested this, it's a long thread, but perhaps MN Towers could invite an EE producer on for a live webchat so they can explain why they think this storyline is appropriate and has been adequately and properly researched? They won't come of course, but the invite would be a good idea.

I mean as licence payers we do have a right to know. I can ignore shite on commercial TV, they are liable to market forces due to their advertisers and sponsors, but the BBC can basically do what the fuck it likes with our licence fee and we have to take it.

Another excellent post nancy couldn't have said it better myself. That is exactly how it is.

I originally thought that this was a ridiculous storyline - but the more I read this thread the more I am starting to think differently.

Ronnie has never been portrayed as a "typical" mother, (if there is such a thing). Think of everything she has supposedly been through - childhood sexual abuse, giving up a baby, daughter killed just as she found her again, father murdered, tricking men into getting her pregnant, pretending to be pregnant, sister having a baby with her now husband etc etc etc. I don't think that her reactions to her baby dying are meant to reflect the usual/normal/typical reactions (whatever those are). Of course the usual reaction to SIDS isn't to go out and steal another baby, but this is not supposed to reflect ordinary life - if it was it would make for pretty boring telly. The way the scenes were filmed showed that she never set out to steal a baby - she just did it in the heat of the moment, and now is caught up in the whole thing. Surely the fact that the storyline has promoted such debate is a healthy thing?

Well that little precis demonstrates exactly what is wrong with soap operas and their portrayal of women: they're all by turns victims/whores/psychos. Can't anyone just be normal for God's sake?

Also, so glad telly is not "boring" for you, thanks to the grossly insensitive storylines EE come up with.

I have only skimmed the first page of this thread, so sorry if its been said before.
BUT how would you not know?
Even at 1 or 2 days old a Mother can recognise her own baby.
I could because mine were so beautiful

When you consider that the EE team think their storylines are 'Greek' you can then begin to understand why they insist on running these sorts of stories.

That's why imo, EE is too depressing and utterly far-fetched. There are no really human reactions. And that's exactly why the observations Georgimama makes about women being either victims, whores, psychos is spot on.

Unlike Corries (where the woman are portayed through a gay man's eyes ie. wonderful, strong, flawed, fantastic individuals) EE fails on many levels.

I have not read the whole thread but i am very angry at the story line, i have watched eastenders sinse i was a child but i am refussing to watch this auful story line. I think eastenders have gone too far this time with its un-realistic story line that will hurt a lot of people.

I have complained to the BBC and hope a lot of others do too.

Georgie - no people in soaps can't be normal - no-one would watch.

Joni - so it's OK to stereotype women according to "Gay men's eyes" but not in any other way?

I posted on here some pages back saying that I had complained to the BCC. I'm not by any means a regular poster, more a regular sat on the side lines.

This horrid story line by EE has made me so angry and upset and I have never been affected by the story line in RL. I have read every post on this thread now and I have cried my eyes out. My heart goes out to all you lovely beautiful wonderful women who have been affected by this in RL and I applaud how brave you all are and how well you have all put your feelings and emotions across.

and SHAME ON YOU all of those who have said that it is just a story line, that these things happen, to turn the TV off, to get over it. YOU awful horrible individuals. I hope none of you ever have to suffer the death of a child.

I have now complained every where I think I can including on the EE own blog on the official EE website. I didn't watch EE last night and no intentions of doing so until this story line is concluded satisfactorily and apologises have been made by the BBC for all the hurt and upset and distress caused by this story line.

I think EE needs to get their actors in and redo this story line NOW even if this means they are all working day and night to correct this very big misjudgement on their part (insensitive arseholes)

I am going to be complaining everyday if I have to this story line MUSTY BE STOPPED NOW

Georgie - no people in soaps can't be normal - no-one would watch.

Good.

Has anyone had a reply to their complaint?

I complained and received a standard reply about SIDS. I complained again making it clear I was complaining about the baby swapping element of the story and have received not a dicky bird.

Also - do the BBC have to acknowledge the number of complaints? I was just wondering if they are going to try and ignore us all - or if they will have to acknowledge the hurt they have caused?

CazandBelle, on the contrary, I have had my fair share of bereavements.

For instance, after 6 years of TTC and using fertility pills, I finally fell pregnant.

At 8 weeks I had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and spent 3 weeks in hospital enduring numerous blood transfusions,infections and the loss of my fallopian tube.

A friend had a home party a feww weeks before this and I had ordered some baby lotions etc. She gave them to me while I was in the hospital recovering and asked me if they knew firstly, if it was twins (common with fertility treatment) and secondly if they said if the baby was a boy or girl.

Funnily enough this episode did not make me avoid babies or small children. I was always the first one to want to nurse a neworn or look after nieces and nephews.

Reality to me is not a tacky disfunctional TV programme and I find it difficult to understand how so many people can become so outraged by this trash.

Don't they understand that this is what the writers' of the show want? Sensationalism to boost the ratings.

Inki - but we don't live in a moral vacuum - or shouldn't anyway. Sensationalism to boost the ratings.

We, the fee paying, viewing public are trying to say that this is not actually OK.

lal123. I'm afraid you don't seem to understand the point. Portraying somebody as a victim, whore etc is sterotyping somebody.
Portraying somebody as a person who is strong, flawed, fantastic etc is not stereotyping. It's writing real characters. Corrie has historically written well for women because a gay man conceived it. He (Tony Warren)happened to be fascinated by women. The difference is there for all to see.

It is a rubbish storyline.... could be approached in such a different way - not to mention the assumption that Kat and Alfie wont be able to recognise their own baby.

True!we don't live in a moral vacuum. My personal way of protesting is not to watch TV shows that to my mind are trash. Remembering, however that what is one persons trash is someone elses treasure.

I also shop as much as possible at independent stores as opposed to multinationals.

I go quietly about my life making my own little protests in my own way.

Just found this thread and am

I stopped watchign EE a while ago, no time for luxuries such as this and it was all getting a bit hysterical and too far fetched. However am stunned by the storyline you describe, can't believe that the scriptwriters would be so shortsighted as to use this story. Its so very offensive to parents in implying that they wouldnt notice a swap of their own child but moreso at bereaved parents.

I have contacted ofcom to complain

But just wanted to offer my sympathies to those on the thread who have lost babies.

Thanks for explaining your previous post Joni - but rather than saying "Corrie has historically written well for women because a gay man conceived it" - maybe it's because Tony Warren liked women and not because he was gay?

Princerogersnelson I have not received an acknowledgement from any of my complaints yet. I am going to be complaining everyday until I get somewhere.

I am hoping that the BBC will not be able to ignore that this story line has affected sooooo many people and I am hoping that many many complaints have been made.