Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Telly addicts

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

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:
Flickette · 03/02/2011 10:22

Hey this whole debate has been great publicity for mumsnet - the biggest winner in all this. they must be millionares by now!

Curious to know which came first ´netmums´ or ´mum´s net´ Have photographed my screen to see if mumsnet delete this post! x

confuddledDOTcom · 03/02/2011 12:21

Flikette, I've been to Elstree and I've spoken to John and Bryan and I can assure you that they've not changed anything.

You have totally missed the point of why we have a problem. This is something that has never happened before, no one has ever swapped their dead baby for their neighbours live baby. Don't believe me? Do a Google search. No one has yet been able to come back with a link.

What does happen is those of us who have lost babies get a lot of distrust from other parents. They either think we're contagious, going to steal/ harm their child or that we did it ourselves. People on both threads have said that they've had people refuse to let them hold their baby (nieces and nephews even!) because they think they're going to steal their baby!

Now, people might know that this storyline is fiction and Ronnie is really Sam Womack playing a role on TV but that's not the issue. The issue is John and Bryan going public saying "this is not a typical/ usual/ likely thing to happen" and "We spoke to FSIDS/ a MW trainer/ a psychologist/ bereaved parents and they've all backed us up in our storyline" what they're doing is reinforcing that this does happen. Also by saying "it was a moment of madness" rather than making Ronnie into a woman with psychosis (the very least that she would need to be suffering from to do something like that) they've made it a reaction that any woman could do.

You've even said it yourself "did n´t immediately think it meant that all bereaved mothers would want to steal other people´s children." It's now in your head it is a possible reaction.

Bereaved mothers need support that doesn't revolve around the fact they might have a moment of madness or fall apart at any minute.

And don't paint yourself as a fan because you agree and make our we're not because we don't agree. I made a 4 hour journey on crutches suffering from PGP and fibro to talk to them and I did it because EastEnders means something to me. They asked us to work with them in future (I have my confidentiality agreement sitting in my inbox waiting for a printer right now) and we agreed because we care about the soap. What lengths will you go to because you're a fan?

MumsNet aren't going to delete your post, we've had worse and they're not like that.

HereMeRoar · 04/04/2011 18:51

www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a312667/patsy-palmer-defends-eastenders-baby-plot.html Patsy Palmer on the baby swap storyline

"Unfortunately, things like that do happen in real life. Babies get swapped and snatched in hospitals. I'm sure that any parent who has lost a child will find even talking about their experience very difficult, let alone watching it being acted out on television."

But it's OK, isn't it Eastenders, no-one will think it's real, as everyone understands it's "just a soap". No-one would dream of thinking a real bereaved mother could behave this way, and that's why it doesn't matter that you've created this dreadful finctional storyline. No-one at all. Not even a star of the show who you are putting up for media interviews Hmm.

goodbyemrschips · 05/04/2011 07:45

Oh dear have not read it all.
BUT ITS ONLY A SOAP.

Do you think people would put up with the likes of Jeanie in real life?

Do you think Kat and Alfie could of come back to the square with nothing and now seem to be running a successful pub?

Would Max be living next door to his ex wife [who tried to bury him alive] happily.

It is only a soap.

OracleInaCoracle · 05/04/2011 07:49

thank you for your contribution. please read the thread. maybe you will understand why people are upset. I am not going to repeat myself again because someone is too lazy to read the thread and has said pretty much the same thing that other posters have.

goodbyemrschips · 05/04/2011 07:53

Sorry I have not got the time or inclination to read all the thread. Different people saying the same things over and over again.

I do not see anyone 'raving' about the Whitney storyline when this has happened to a lot of young girls, so why rave about something ''that has been claimed'' never even happens.

OracleInaCoracle · 05/04/2011 08:04

and you thought that you were the first person to have the "its only a soap" brainwave? the answer to your post is in the thread. I dont have the time or the inclination to repost it.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 05/04/2011 08:06

Well if you can't be bothered to read the thread then I can't be bothered to take any notice of your 'argument'. Pretty pointless contribution from you then...

OracleInaCoracle · 05/04/2011 08:07

actually, I saved this because we were saying it so often it seemed prudent:

there is a line and sometimes you have to stand up and say "this isnt good enough" would you complain is a restaurant gave you food poisoning? or would you just never go again? of course, the majority of people would complain. they would do so to protect others. and because the restaurant should be held accountable.

soaps make a habit of painting infertile women and bereaved mothers as psychotic, baby stealing harpies. this isnt just about ronnie in EE, its about may the doctor in EE, claires friend in corrie, kevins ex wife in corrie, the scouse woman from hollyoaks and so mant others.

people have difficulty separating soaps from reality. look at all the actors and actresses who are abused and threatened because of their characters storyline. the actor who plays aaron in Emmerdale was beaten up when his character came out, sam womack has been subjected to abuse as "ronnie" while out with her children. and most recently there were incidents where people rang up the tram hq in manchester to see if the corrie crash had affected service.

people DO say "it could happen, I saw that thing on tv where...." and they are referring to soaps.

soaps "pride" themselves on realism, thats why they research, and they quote that research when challenged. people think the current storyline has the backing of FSIDS. they backed the cot death story, not the swap. and fwiw, they havent educated one jot about SIDS, just told us that we shouldnt leave a baby alone, just incase....

saying that ronnie has "mental health issues" isnt an argument. so its ok to show someone as a deranged nutter who will swap her dead baby for a live one? doesnt that then open up whole new groups of people who could be offended by the story?

I am lucky enough to never have lost a child, but people are still awkward when I hold new babies. when I was at my lowest ebb, sil had a dd and wouldnt let me hold her or babysit alone. in case i "did something silly" backed up by mils "it happens, look at that woman on corrie". people DO think like this. dont believe us, fine. but there are so many stories like this on these boards.

There are NO documented cases of a bereaved mother stealing someone elses baby. there arent. baby swap is incredibly rare, the majority of cases occur as a result of hospital error, and most cases of baby "snatching" occur when a woman has been "building up" via pschotic illness, having faked a pg. if you have proof to contrary, where a bereaved mother steals someone elses child, please post it

If you dont think that the story is upsetting and/or do not want to complain/boycott, that is really up to you. we dont want to brainwash anyone. its not a cult. many people have used the "freedom of speech" argument about why the storyline should stand. the kicker with freedom of speech is that it goes both ways. you dont have to be outraged, just accept that we are.

posting to a group of bereaved mothers that they should "GET A GRIP!!!!" (always in capitals) and/or "GET OVER IT!!!!" (again with the capitalsHmm) is not helpful

OracleInaCoracle · 05/04/2011 08:09

exactly gwendoline.

you were fired up enough to resurrect an old thread with your "eureka" moment, yet too lazy to read it first to see if its been done? its like holding up two tin cans connected with string and claiming to invent the telephone!

deemented · 05/04/2011 08:12

I wondered when this would rear it's ugly head again.

Eastenders is nothing but a travesty and the person behing it, Brian Kirkwood has his head so far up his arse i'm surprised he can see daylight. He certainly doesn't live in the real world.

OP posts:
OracleInaCoracle · 05/04/2011 08:13

looks like we'll be here for a while again.

goodbyemrschips · 05/04/2011 09:07

soaps "pride" themselves on realism

If this is what you genuinely believe then you are delusional.

Soaps pride themselves on ratings nothing more nothing less.

OracleInaCoracle · 05/04/2011 13:07

wow, so EE in particular doesnt bill itself on its "gritty realism"? as i stated earlier, you dont get it, fine. I dont care. Im sure there are many things that upset you that I dont really get. it may just be a soap, but its a popular one. but then you cant really add to an argument that you havent read, can you?

gregssausageroll · 05/04/2011 13:41

Well only a few more episodes to go before the baby is back with Kat and Alfie but then we have to endure weeks of Kat not wanting him no doubt.

OracleInaCoracle · 05/04/2011 13:52

gregs, it looks like it doesnt t?

Hmm
gregssausageroll · 05/04/2011 20:59

The handback starts next Friday 15th

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is not accepting new messages.