What should happen now - Eastenders baby swap story

[PotPourri]

MNHQ have done us proud and taken a stand on our behalf. So what do we want Justine to tell the producer should happen now?

My own view: The only way I would accept is to reverse: make it a dream. It could be a from the point where Ronnie finds her dead baby. Maybe a sleeping sedated Ronnie is trying desperately to 'fix' the situation in her dream, but realising that there is no way to fix it. Then it could flash back to what really happened - the sensitively handled real life traumatic event - an unearthly roar, dialling 999, collapsing with grief, being sedated (hence the crazy dream)

And a public apology from the bbc to viewers and licence payers. And an apology to FSID for abuse of their name.

Reversing and admitting they messed up big style is the only outcome that will show integrity

Potpourri I know that you've been deeply affected by this - I've been reading the other thread, but I do think that you are mad if you think that BBC are going to take the blindest bit of notice of what Justine "tells them to do".

6000 complaints may seem like a lot, but it's less than 1/10 of the number of complaints that Ofcom received about Big Brother a couple of years ago.

Whilst the BBC may have said that they are going to cut the storyline short, rather than continue it for over a year, the chances of Ronnie waking up and realising it was all a dream are pretty much nil. This particular storyline is horrendous, and clearly has caused a great deal of offense and hurt, but soap operas are, by genre, "naturalistic" and "it was all a dream" will never fit into that genre.

I sincerely hope that you have started this thread as a bit of light relief.

The story needs a rewrite.
Bryan Kirkwood needs to go (not that that will happen).

hopefully ronnie will fess up and end Kats torture, then leave

Looks like there might be rewrites going on now...

They should all go on Jeremy Kyle and get the big DNA reveal on his programme

A fitting end

IMO - the story needs to end NOW.

Pull all future episodes and DO NOT air anything else with the swap/'deranged' Ronnie in.

So what if it costs the BBC or EE money?

We know that's the problem here though don't we, losing ratings and money.

Not losing face, saying sorry, we fecked up. We were wrong to run with it, we should have listened to the actors, crew etc.

In an ideal world, The Powers That Be would do the right thing and pull the story now.

Do whatever it takes.

I'm not stupid, I know that won't happen. I can hope though surely?

Eastenders has 11 million viewers. 6000 have complained. They are not going to pull future episodes, rewrite the entire plot or do a big formal apology. It sounds like they are going to cut the story short, but in doing so it will continue for weeks, rather than years.

I realise that simply shortening the story is what they will probably do. But I will not be watching it again, and I have watched the show since it's very first episode.

I know all 11 million viewers will not do the same, but I think some will. Possibly even enough to hit them where it hurts

I don't think it's about complainees vs viewers. Surely the comparison should be between how many complaints they usually get and what they're getting now. If a controversial story usually only gets 100 complaints then they know they're up shit creak. But if they can usually expect thousands then not.

Even so, they're not likely to decide that Ronnie has dreamt it all just because Justine of Mumsnet tells them to.

"MNHQ have done us proud and taken a stand on our behalf. So what do we want Justine to tell the producer should happen now?"

I am interested to learn that - I haven't really been following the discussion on mn. What did Justine say? - link please if anyone could be so obliging

You can get to it from the homepage.

Thanks - I generally go straight to 'talk' so had missed it on the home page

The storyline should be concluded absolutely so it is no longer featuring on our screens, preferably with the baby returned unharmed before the funeral (although I realise that's probably logistically impossible to film).

What I really want now is for the BBC to acknowledge that they did something wrong and apologise. No more crappy replies to complaints banging on about how upsetting this is for those it resonates with and suggesting it's OK because this one character has had a traumatic life. They crossed the a line by feeling the need to sensationalise cot death. They missed the chance to do a genuinely good thing in raising awareness both about the risk factors and about the experiences of bereaved parents, and they missed it because this swap has overshadowed everything. They missed the point completely by consulting with experts on the reactions of Kat and Alfie, when the only actually bereaved mother in this fictional drama behaves in a completely unrealistic way by abandoning her dead baby and simultaneously taking someone else's newborn. The most important question they should have asked experts was whether Ronnie's reaction as scripted was realistic and the answer would clearly have been a resounding NO. For all of this they should apologise, because none of this informs, educates or entertains the viewer.

sorry, I meant "The storyline should be concluded ASAP"

I am fully supportive of the the campaign to complain about this, and efforts to get people not to watch and affect the ratings. I totally understand why bereaved mothers are upset by the ridiculous on screen portrayals.

But at the end of the day, this IS not real. The BBC aren't going to take EE off air, or rewrite scripts because MNetters don't like it. Complain and switch off the TV. The best we can hope for is that they learnt their lesson and will think twice next time.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever does."
Margaret Mead

The only angle I could come up with was that another character turns out to have lost a baby at some point in their past (not necessarily through SIDS), which could open the door for discussion of how they coped, how they met other parents who'd had to bury their children and a range of more usual reactions to that event, how organisations such as FSID and SANDS helped them to come to terms with what had happened.

It would allow them to keep the whole storyline as it exists (not that I'd keep it in an ideal world, but if they're heavily invested in it in terms of shot film it might be easier to adapt rather than scrap the whole thing) whilst underscoring just how unusual and extreme a reaction Ronnie portrayed.

In a way I don't want them to close the storyline ASAP - when your baby dies it tends to stay with your for life - but I think it needs to be developed very carefully to undo some of the damage done.

(Oh - and apparently the 6,000 complaints received to date make this the 2nd most complained about EE story line ever. The only one to top it was when Danielle was run over, which received "over 7,000" complaints. All taken from here)

There are not enough complaints (dont mean to be a downer but dont want hopes being smashed)Danielles death had 7000 complaints most episodes get a 100 so I think you will have to top 7000. I

What should happen now is that Phil Mitchell is revealed to be Kron X leader of a group of Martians sent to colonise the East End of London (specifically Walford) 1,000 years past and the Queen Vic revealed to be a spaceship that emits mind-bending rays that alters the brain chemistry of all that enter it (thus explaining ridiculous behaviour of its regulars).

Kron X (Mitchell) has cleverly concealed his identity by hiding his true Martian likeness under what the Martians believed to be a human-like head (unfortunately, this head was modelled upon that of a baby and not a full-grown adult male. Something that keen viewers will have recognised for years-hence 'all babies look like Phil Mitchell' line).

But a vicious argument over who makes the best pie 'n' mash in London with his cousin (ex-brother-in-law-uncle-who-knows?) Billy ends with Billy pulling at Mitchell's head and revealing his true identity.

It all ends with the Queen Vic taking off into space with everyone inside it.

Cue music: (dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumb-dumbidy-dumb*)

Ridiculous? Not half a ridiculous as the one they're CURRENTLY running.

*Yes it is. VERY dumb.

Reports claim 'happy ending' by April. "Happy"?!

marantha, you owe me a cup of tea

I would guess the funeral episode will trigger another avalanche of complaints too.

I see you're point Tangle, there's no good way out is there ? I would still like to see the swap resolved ASAP and then perhaps they could follow Ronnie and Jack's grief. Maybe from the angle of the Dad and wider family, since it's hard to see how Ronnie's character could be redeemed.

your not you're

Utter nonsense. They knew Sam was leaving in May so there was no way the storyline could go on till Christmas. Now we're supposed to be delighted that we only have another 4 months of this.