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.

The BBC lunchtime news has just reported over 5000 complaints re the swap story.

I had that same generic response from the dumb idiots at the BBC
I did also read that EE bosses called a crisis meeting to rewrite the story...

Justine has just been on the ITV lunchtime news discussing this.

What did she day as u didn't see it!

She basically reflected the views of a lot of Mums here taht it wasnt the cot death storyline that was the issue, but the "swap", and that it was ill informed to portray bereaved Mothers like that. Also said it was unintelligent of the BBC or something like that.

I'm not sure if someone's linked this or not. The BBC must have known that they were going too far.

Justine on ITV 1 minute in (don't watch before as show the swap scenes)

Mamathulu are you in the control group? I'm not.

I cannot begin to understand what it must be like to lose a baby and do not want to offend anyone but has this not just become a little crazed through the villification of a fictional story? Who would believe the plot line of Eastenders anyway? Surely a fictitious drama can plunge into areas that are otherwise taboo and the simplist thing is to press the off button? Did we all get upset when a woman's rape drove her to murder in this way I wonder? Fiction, fiction, fiction... and surely we the Great British public have the ability to be discerning; we are not that thick!

And do any of us know for certain?

Do any of us know for certain what Panda? That if we lost a baby we wouldn't swap it given half the chance ? I think plenty of bereaved mothers here have answered that quite clearly.

If you believe it is possible, please provide a link to a real life incidence of a mother swapping her dead newborn's body for that of another baby? No-one has found one yet.

Panda - the point has been made over and over again. Watch what JustineMNHQ says on the ITV news. She sums our (bereaved mothers) feelings up brilliantly.

"Those of us who have lost children are silent too often. We don't count our children when asked how many we have (can you imagine how much it hurts to say "I don't have any children"?) we smile and nod when people make insensitive comments, we don't talk about our babies because it upsets people to hear it, we don't add to some threads because we feel like we'd be dismissed because our baby died anyway. We choose to stand up on this issue, to make a noise for a change. We don't need other women trying to put us back in the silence. We won't protect other people's sensibilities by remaining silent on this. Don't like? Tough. We put up with a lot of what you who only have living children have to say, this is our turn."

I think this needs saying again.

'AGAIN'

Tired now with a stonking headache

Confuddled

I am sorry - it must be so frustrating trying to make people understand what you are saying

I am very sorry for your loss

Statement from Samantha Womack's agent says she has not 'quit' the show, but her contract is coming to an end and she will be 'taking a break', according to Sharon Marshall tweet.

Yes, I think I read somewhere that the storyline was so the character could be written out but with the possibility of return.

I thought ITV and BBC both reported that Samantha has 'quit'?

In November when she got the storyline? Having to give six months' notice?

I think that if she has quit, and it was last November, then EE have only announced this today as a pacifier for the people who have complained.

I think you're right Mouseface, hence my confusion! Surely her agent of all people would prefer it was thought she quit over the storyline, than just end of contract? still

updated bbc report

I have to quote this poster from Digital Spy as it's bloody hysterical.

I would imagine that if Mumsnet consists of "many" (according to the Daily Mail) people who have suffered similar losses, they would be glad for those of us who haven't suffered such loss to be given the opportunity to understand what effect it can have.

Well thank goodness we have EE and the role model that is Ronnie Mitchell to educate all these people as to what it's like to lose a child.

It seems to depend on who reports, the bbc and her agent maintain that she has not quit over this story, but others news papers and articles say she has and quote her saying ' I am a mother first and a actress second' also saying she doesn't agree with the storyline. So I guess it depends on which paper you think is giving a more balanced view. The complaints are going to need to go higher I am sure I read somewhere that danielles death got 7,000 complaints.

Rockbird - there we have it again! It's not about the loss of a baby/child, it's about the swap and the portrayal of an unhinged bereaved mother!!

Bloody ignorant.