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.

Emj - just because I understand why a soap would use this as a storyline does not mean that I am some unfeeling uncaring individual who has not felt the death of a child.

It was a pleasure to explain my post to you lal123.

I think the fact that TW was fascinated by women and the fact he is gay are inextricably linked. I think he's said as much as in interviews he has done.

I am also a long time EE fan, but have decided to switch off. It is the most depressing programme at the best of times, and the characters are all so aggressive but this plot has disgusted me. To use the death of a baby as a sensationalist storyline to drag in more viewers makes feel so uneasy. Like others have said on the thread, it could have used to show what parents go through after losing their child and how we could support them more. But no that point will be lost and it will turn into a huge shout/fight fest when the truth does come out.

I'm so sorry that so many people on this thread have lost their children, thinking of you all x

Anyone who has complained about the babyswap storyline is getting a reply about cotdeath.

This would be becuase EE producers and the BBC have no justification to offer about why they allowed the babyswap storyline to be filmed, and go ahead, despite being alerted in advance to the distress it would cause.

They cant hide behind FSID's supposed approval anymore as FSID clarified they had nothing to do with the babyswap storyline.

So they are just avoiding the question entirely. Cowardly cowardly people.

lal123 - I can also understand why they have used the story line.....FOR RATINGS!!! for the publicity good and bad. Its disgraceful and should be stopped.

I am sorry to hear that you have felt the death of a child, I haven't and this story line has made me so upset and angry.

All I can say to that is that everyone is individual and deals with all things differently and you are obviously not as emotional and sensitive as me. Now I'm not saying you aren't emotional and sensitive, I'm just saying I am a VERY emotional and possibly overly sensitive person.

I can't just sit and not watch in silent protest over the way that this story line has made me feel and from reading many many reactions of people who have been affected by this in RL I feel that I am doing the right thing. I have wept buckets of tears over the last 2 days reading posts from parents whos children have died and who have been deeply affected by this story line. It is truely heart breaking

Sadly the EE team will think that a strong reaction like women crying is their job done

Yes it is very sad that making women/parents cry means they can all give themselves a pat on the back for a job well done :(

Shock horror!!! Soap uses storyline for ratings!!!! Down with this sort of thing!!!

You are being ridiculous and very insensitive lal123.

Neon, just on your point about depiction of Ronnie being out and about the day after giving birth, DH took DD out in her pram the day after she was born for coffee. I was incredibly lucky to have a very easy labour and was up greeting visitors 6 hours after she was born.

I think it's a bit unfair to say that Ronnie's birth was unrealistic, some of us (and believe me I know how lucky I am, all my friends have had terrible deliveries/recoveries) do have them like that, should that not be represented ?

sorry, meant to say DH and I took her out for coffee - not DH on his own.

I was not going to comment on this topic as would just be reitterating what the other bereaved mothers have stated. While I have no experience of cot death I do know what it is like to lose a baby through stillbirth, my daughter was stillborn at almost 42 weeks in 2005. I did not want any baby other than the onwe I lost and subsequently her little sister, now 4. If I could not have had my baby alive I would take the 9 months I had with her and the attached memories over any living child belonging to someone else.

This is the reason we stopped watching 'soaps' years ago. THe fake storylines are always heartbreaking and not needed half the time. They sensationalise tragedies for ratings.
If I wanted to learn more about cot-death I would talk to my friend who's son died when he was 4 months or I would prefer to watch a documentary where parents who had gone through it were discussing their experiences. Not because I am morbid but I would rather learn about a subject without it being used topush the ratings up on a crap BBC programme

i reached the same conclusion

i hadnt seen it a few weeks then watched an episode, and was suddenly filled with cringing despair.

every character just seemed soooo unpleasant.
nasty dialogue, nsty faces, it made me shudder.

even in the event of a tram tragedy, their were still some funny and light character moments on coronation street.

that's the difference.

To all those who are saying just to switch off/ not watch it, you are missing the point.
It's the millions of people who will still watch it that are being misinformed and fed this tripe.
A good friend suffered a stillbirth ten years ago, and she has complained many times about this type of storyline (it has happened in several programmes).
She had somebody whisper 'she'd better not nick him' when holding a friends baby shortly after her own tragedy.

link if anyone wants to make a complaint. Sorry if this has been done but I've made one and then found this thread. :(

im not that worried abiut the peeps still watching, myself.

they are grown adults

its only telly, albeit crap telly

Thanks supernoodles - have complained there too.

Thanks supernoddle I've made my complaint.

Yes, i understand it's only tele, but it has affected so many people, and surely EE has a responsibility to be accurate and sensitive when portraying storylines such as this?

It's only telly but importantly it's shite telly that we are forced to subsidise through the licence fee. If the BBC wants to get rid of the licence fee and rely on advertising revenues they can make whatever shite they like.

i agree its shite and irrepoponsible, but i dont give EE anymore significance other than not watching it.
its a ratings soap, it doesnt exist to be responsible.

i dont think the show or the issue is that important, in the grand scheme of other wordly pressing issues, to apply my own time or mental sanity to sending emails or worrying about its viewers.

i would just recommend to them, dont watch it

other than that, the vast majority of them will be fine, despite an overaching sense of having wasted their lives.

agree re the licence fee.....im binning the telly myself, sticking to iplayer etc when the need arises.

'I don't think that issue is that important'

OK. That is your right[hhm]

But it is important to those people who have lost a child or who have an ounce of decency in their being.

Unfortunately I think you're supposed to have a licence even to watch iplayer online.