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Eastenders Baby Death Storyline

1392 replies

deemented · 28/12/2010 18:30

Once again, no one can live happily ever after Sad

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.

OP posts:
OracleInaCoracle · 13/01/2011 20:27

totally agree with confuddled and mrsdevere, i dont think anyone expected grovelling apologies.

travellingwilbury · 13/01/2011 20:34

I agree too , nobody really thought they would do a "bobby in the shower" thing .
The important thing (for me anyway I can't speak for all) is that they listened and hopefully the next time someone has a bright idea to portray bereaved mums in this way they will think again .

That is my hope for all of this .
It is and has always been about more than just this stupid storyline , it is amazing how many tv programmes you suddenly find yourself unable to watch when you have had the worst happen .

Thank you again to Mrsdevere and confuddled

confuddledDOTcom · 13/01/2011 21:21

Birmingham to Euston, Euston to Kentish Town, Kentish Town to Elstree, Elstree to (forgot where Katie told me to get off) to Euston, then Mum ran me and told me to get a train to where she was as she had got the same train as me from Birmingham but got off at Watford so did that and we got on together at Watford.

thefirstMrsDeVere did ask if they could have Ronnie step out of a shower but they said that only happens in Dallas (not sure if they meant the show or the area Hmm) Unfortunately other than a shower scene there isn't much they can do to fix this. I'm not convinced that any explosive ending is going to overshadow the start and leave people with the feeling that this doesn't happen IRL - especially when they seem unable to admit it themselves, using usual and likely to describe normal reactions.

HereMeRoar · 13/01/2011 22:09

"Explosive ending"?

How is that going to make this better? What ending can they come up with that refocusses attention on the tragic death of baby James and puts the 'swap' storyline out of everyone's minds? Oh yeah, they can't because it's all about the swap.

Line of the evening tonight "Cos she is postnatal and mental" Hmm. Is that a diagnosis of mental illness then?

nicnak01 · 13/01/2011 22:25

I think I must be the only person on mumsnet that still enjoys Eastenders.

2shoes · 13/01/2011 22:30

nicnak01 I enjoyed the awful Charlie leaving tonight, does that count?

nicnak01 · 13/01/2011 22:36

Well that makes two people then

confuddledDOTcom · 13/01/2011 22:50

I have three witnesses to tell you if I'm wrong. Two of whom you can report me to and ask me them to ban me (with my permission) if I'm lying

Are you ready for this?

I told John Yorke, Bryan Kirkwood and the two ladies who's names I have forgotten:

I'm not interested in hitting your ratings or causing you to lose money and every time someone tells me to turn off my answer is "NO! I love EastEnders!"

MrsD made a point of coming as a Slater (she told them she had) to prove that she's a fan and not wanting to turn off.

How is objecting to a damaging storyline preventing us from being fans? It's because we care about our show so much that we're objecting.

nicnak01 · 13/01/2011 22:55

I'm not objecting to you objecting that your freedom of speech. I'm just saying that I'm like the storyline its not realistic but thats why I like soaps1

confuddledDOTcom · 13/01/2011 23:02

Have you even read any of this or did you come to this thread to troll? Do you know what the objection is?

I never said you objected to us objecting, I said I love EastEnders as you made out that you're the only fan left on the thread. I wouldn't have made the journey from Birmingham to London on 7 different trains, a 12 hour day for a 1 hour meeting if I wasn't an EastEnders fan so yes, I find it pretty insulting to be told I don't enjoy the programme!

nicnak01 · 13/01/2011 23:05

What does troll mean?

nicnak01 · 13/01/2011 23:18

Wow your easily offended, please don't be. I would never imply that your not a true fan just because you don't like one storyline. I would never get on 7 different trains for any program I just sky plus mine. Wink

confuddledDOTcom · 13/01/2011 23:22

No I'm not easily offended, I said I find it insulting (I never said I was insulted either).

Well obviously you've had a nice life and never had something so tragic as a baby die in your arms to spur you into sorting out an issue that effects you so much. I actually am really happy for anyone who doesn't see the issue with thestory because it means they've been spared the horror of seeing their own child die and become an outcast because people don't like to face infant death.

nicnak01 · 13/01/2011 23:30

We all have sad things happen to us in our lives, we all relate to certain things on the telly. If its too much we just turn over.
I think if anything whether you love or hate the storyline its brought alot of mothers who have lost their children together not made them outcasts

CazandBelle · 13/01/2011 23:37

sad thing? you've no idea how belittling and condecsending that sounds.

confuddledDOTcom · 13/01/2011 23:50

I can't add anything Caz.

Do you have children, nicnak01? Would it be sad if they died? I seriously hope if you have children they never know how little you value their lives!

How about if everyone you knew thought you were mad and likely to snatch a child and then one of the most popular shows on TV told everyone that bereaved mothers snatch. They don't need to be mentally ill or anything, just have a silly moment when they snatch.

nicnak01 · 13/01/2011 23:51

Well its not meant to be so don't take it that way. I don't need to have a child die in my arms to realise have devastating it would be.

CazandBelle · 13/01/2011 23:57

if it wasn't meant that way nic i would read what confuddled said to you and how you responded. confuddled's baby died in her arms, and you referred to it and baby's dying as a "sad thing"

It comes across as dismissive.

nicnak01 · 14/01/2011 00:14

I wasn't referring to a baby dying that's tragic. I was saying that we all have events in our lives that when watching TV evokes different emotions. I don't feel like I can even comment on here without it being taken the wrong way. I really feel for women who have lost their children. However I can on here to talk about Eastender. I wanted to say If Ronnie was a real which she isn't after all the things on the soap she has been though(rape, incest, child found then ran over by a car, murdered dad, miscarriage) I think its quite possible that she would snatch a baby. But not for one minute do I believe that in the real world that how mum's that have lost their baby react its a soap

confuddledDOTcom · 14/01/2011 00:37

In case you hadn't noticed this is a thread about baby loss, so it's a given. Especially when someone has specifically aimed a question at you about baby loss.

No one who hasn't at least got psychosis (this has come from a psychiatric nurse here and from MIND) would snatch a baby because they'd lost a child. Some of the people on this thread would like to disagree with you on that point too because they've been through a lot more than that. Others not here have been through worse yet with 17 babies dying within 10 days of birth EVERY SINGLE DAY we still have never had a case of a baby being snatched by someone who has just lost their baby. Or do you believe that only infants of parents who haven't had a hard time lose their babies?

This isn't about a hard storyline, it isn't about being offended as I said to them yesterday you can't hurt, traumatise, upset or offend us anymore than we already are, we've lost a baby.

You can not compare ANY "sad" life event to losing a baby, it just doesn't work like that. There's no coming back from there, it's the worst thing you will ever have happen to you (and TBH all the cries of "look at her life" just belittle the loss, because none of it is anything compared to loosing her children). You can't compare any storyline to this one because there is no parallel.

I don't care if you believe bereaved mothers snatch, the truth is that people already do. People don't like women who have lost their children. Hard simple fact. They're scared that it's catching, they're scared they'll steal their baby, they're scared they'll lose it and do something stupid, they're scared of saying the wrong thing, they're scared we'll bring them down. You don't often see or speak to mothers who've lost babies because they learn quickly not to talk about it, to deny they had an extra child. You don't see it often on TV, for them to release a storyline like this is damaging. Newly bereaved mothers (not me or anyone else who has lost their baby years ago, we learnt) don't need people being "educated" (John Yorke's word) into believing this is possible (unlikely or unusual as he likes to say mean it's possible) and when they have this image burnt into their heads and the producers are spouting that they spoke to FSIDS, bereaved parents, a MW, a psychologist, etc, they're telling people they did their homework and it happens.

It's not about a soap story, it's about the fact they've told people on all the news mediums that it happens. It doesn't. It hasn't. We have to live with the consequences of that for years to come and we've only just started to come out of the era that thought all bereaved mothers were a danger to society - I've known old ladies in mental hospitals because their baby died, just SIDS, and they were locked up for it.

CazandBelle · 14/01/2011 07:04

Great post confuddled

shabbapinkfrog · 14/01/2011 07:35

I agree [smlle] x

shabbapinkfrog · 14/01/2011 07:36

....or even Smile

IBlameThePenguins · 14/01/2011 08:38

I would just like to add my support here. I am lucky enough not to have suffered this unimaginable pain first hand...But I CAN NOT understand how dismissive, ignorant and, frankly, offensive some people are being.

How many times must these women bang their heads against a brick wall before some of you star to LISTEN... and as for the "sad thing" comment - how disgraceful!

I very rarely post on MN, but I felt so moved by this...confuddled, caz, mrsd et al...i think you are doing an amazing job, and you have my utmost respect - I feel truly sorry that you have had to face such ignorance, but am amazed at the courage you have shown in doing so.

xx

Newgolddream · 14/01/2011 09:45

confuddled - spoken from the heart xx

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