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.

but the problem is that the majority of people that watch it don't care.

As I have already said I certainly don't think that this storyline was a good idea, but it has been shown and is being continued to be shown and the number of complaints aren't going to change that.

Unlike a storyline about cladders and valuers this isn't a storyline that can be undone - the baby swap has happened, and even if the truth is discovered soon and the rightful baby is given back to his parents the swap still happened and the people that watched it have already formed their opinions. Not only that, but they have done the story with the backing of FSID who have come out countless times and said that they support the way this story was portrayed.

Eastenders gets between 12 and 15 million viewers (depending on the time of year/sensationalist nature of the episodes), they may lose a couple of thousand viewers over this, but certainly not enough to make a difference to whether they show the storylines. And while the likes of this morning and the papers are talking up the story and saying how wonderful it is and how it would be great if it could run and run for years (what a bloody stupid idea) the producers will continue to listen to the majority view.

I understand why people want to complain, I really do. I just think that complaining in this instance just serves to upset those who genuinely have reason to be upset more, and continue to bring back unhappy memories, while failing to have any impact on the target of their complaints, iyswim.

Which is why I think it just better to switch it off and not watch it.

diddl I give up!

Yes, I know, she is a fictional character and yes, I know its a fictional storyline. BUT that is not the normal reaction from a bereaved parent....and I always thought the Soaps tried to portray real life.

"and I always thought the Soaps tried to portray real life." -oh dear!

they are never RL though.
remember the "janet" story line, I thought that was crap, the whole mum can't accept her disabled child part of it.
strangely never seen that in rl.

it is a crap story line.

Not only that, but they have done the story with the backing of FSID who have come out countless times and said that they support the way this story was portrayed.

Not so. If you look at the FSID website they state they consulted on the family reaction to SIDS only. They did not advise on the swap storyline.

Please dont try to patronise me.....I tried to explain in an earlier post what it is like to be a bereaved Mum, but maybe that made for uncomfortable reading.

Soaps try to portray real life but normally in a 'larger than life way' this current story is ridiculous.

If you look at FSID's website you'll see they're doing some pretty blatant damage limitation over this.

They should remember that they are there to serve bereaved parents NOT tv producers.

Shabba xxxx

Don't get upset Shabba. The other person is being obtuse.

"Soaps try to portray real life but normally in a 'larger than life way' this current story is ridiculous."

Well you´ve got it in a nutshell there.

That portray a real event & take reactions/events surrounding it to extreme-ie, not really real life.(imo)

Exactly joni - and this is only going to get more farcical (the storyline) before it gets better.

Purely a ratings thing with no consideration to those who have lost a child at all, well, other than the ActionAid number at the end of the show.

P#raps we should all ring action aid and ask where we complain about the storyline?

I can't ignore your comments any more diddl.

Soaps have an enormous responsibility. You would never, for example, find a modern-day storyline where a person who has been sexually abused goes on to commit suicide. This because they understand how influential they are in people's lives (despite all the ffs it's fiction, there's a remote button arguments).

That is why is it perfectly legitimate that people are complaining in the manner they are.

Do you understand?

"That is why is it perfectly legitimate that people are complaining in the manner they are."

Have I said it isn´t?

"Soaps have an enormous responsibility" yes, but it is just a programme & it is not saying this is how you must react/this is how everone reacts.

It´s not real!

We all know it's not real ffs.

It is offensive though.

"We all know it's not real ffs."

TBH, I sometimes wonder.

Don't be so ridiculous diddl.

I will start my post again by reiterating that I think the realistic portrayal of SIDS on TV in drama and documentary is important and a good thing, despite the fact that it will be distressing. What I, and most others here, object to is the baby swapping storyline.

I think part of what gets me about this is portraying the characters of Kat and Alfie going through all the grief and funeral (have you seen the pictures ?) etc seems sadistic when their baby is fine. It's unecessary grief. I don't want to watch that. A straightforward baby snatching storyline would have different reactions and implications. What is sick here is a bereaved mother deliberately allowing another couple to believe their child has died and abandoning her own dead baby.

This depicts grieving mothers as sadistic nutters. In reality, as is clear from this thread, they're not in the least interested in other people's babies and wouldn't wish their nightmare on their worst enemy. I doubt very much they'd want to miss the opportunity to say goodbye to their own baby too, or hold their tiny body one last time . Even after they've died, the thought of abandoning them is just too much.

The BBC can claim as much as they like that they've done their research to ensure Kat and Alfie's portrayals are realistic, but they're not because that couple's baby didn't actually die. Who would they talk to in order to find out how to portray that situation acurately? Can anyone actually find any single real life event ever where a mother switched the body of her dead baby with a living one and the parents mistakenly believed their own child had died? Go on BBC, do tell us where we have all missed these real life incidences.

The person we are looking for a realistic portrayal from is the mother of the dead baby, and what did she do? Ronnie swapped his lifeless body with someone else's baby. Way off the mark BBC. Totally unrealistic, as confirmed by FSID.

One person from the BBC predicted the public response to this storyline. Do you know who it was? Samantha Womack herself, the hints are there in the interviews she gave. A mother. A pregnant woman, who saw just how dreadful it all was, so much so that it upset her to the core and she couldn't leave it all at work each day.

i certainly do not understand why someone would chose to watch these episodes knowing what its all about and how it wil traumatise them, or if they had lost a child and they know it will bring it all flooding back and offend them at the same time.

i mean, why on earth would you want to do that to yourself?
its massochistic.

im expecting a baby, their is no chance i would ever want to see stuff like that, why on earth would i?

it is what it is....trash TV.

Maybe we should Dee! I wonder what they'd say if we all called and told them our stories and why we are upset.

Great post HMR xx

"So people think it's appropriate and acceptable to demonise a group of people unfairly in the name of light entertainment?"

No, I don´t.

However, I also don´t think that anyone is being demonised here.

clutha - some of us are watching it so we can complain about it iyswim?

In his revent BBC interview the producer said he hoped the happier tales of friendships, fun and festivities will counter the darkness of the storyline.

How fucking crass can you get

This is publically funded 'flagship' drama ffs.