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

They still need to handle it sensitively - they have characters grieving for a baby and they have a mental health issue.

The easiest way round it is that Ronnie admits to her MW and whatever would happen if this had happened in RL(kidnap charges? i dunno) should happen. They shouldn't hide it, they should move on using and therefore learning from what they did.

I dont think its utter nonsense that the sstoryline could have gone on till Christmas or even beyond at all, even knowing Samantha was leaving.

All that would have happened is that Ronnie would have left the square with "her" baby, leaving a devastated Kat and Alfie to get on with life. And then when the scriptwriters decided - it could have came out e.g Ronnie dying off screen, baby needing a blood transfusion - and then it would come out he wasnt Jacks.

Now I just want Kat and Alfie put out of their misery, Jessie Wallace has been superb.

It was also in the paper this morning that Samantha Janus was abused in the street in frint of her children, which is awful.

But do you really think that's the way they would have ended the storyline, Newgolddream? By letting it fizzle out off screen. For a Christmas storyline? No chance. They would have wanted it as big as it could possibly be.

trouble is the longer they leave it the less sympathy people will have with the "ronnie" character, sadly that means people will just see her a a villain rather than a bereaved mum.

ChickensAreFlyingUnderTheRadar, Right. So you've spilled a hot beverage on your laptop yet you want me to buy you a cup of tea. Surely it is your LAPTOP that is ruined and the tea is of secondary importance? Really, it makes no sense that you want tea and not a new laptop.
Absolutely no sense at all. Are you are writer for Eastenders or something?

Right I have a feeling I will probably get flamed for saying this but I feel it needs to be said.

I know this is a very hard subject and allot of people are against it, but you can honestly believe that the EE team are going to re-write it how MN wants it.

6000 complaints although may seem allot is nothing compared to the millions that watch every week.

I don't see what complaining has done really as the latest episode drew in over 10 million viewers which is a good 2 millions more than an average episode

I think that all these complaints and news items that everyone is giving this storyline is causing more people to watch not less as they want to see what all the fuss is about.

So surly all people have done is given EE exactly want they want RATINGS

Hai, I really wouldn't underestimate the shit that is hitting fan at EE now. In the light of such bad press, ratings won't mean much.

"Hai, I really wouldn't underestimate the shit that is hitting fan at EE now"

Is it really, though?

HMR - sorry, in my late night not with it state I was lumping all the stories together. Completely agree they need to find a way out of the swapped baby nonsense ASAP. Sadly, I don't think they want to redeem Ronnie's character. They've already announced that the actress is leaving so its more scripting an exit story - and given EE it will need to be dramatic and depressing. Being chucked in jail for stealing a baby seems all too likely, which is a shame as (what with her back story and all) some heavy duty counseling might be much more effective.

Hai - so what are people meant to do then, when they feel a programme goes too far? Ignore it? Pretend it didn't happen? Rely on viewers being intelligent enough to not take on the message (even on a subliminal level) that bereaved mothers are a risk to other people's babies?

How far do we take the logic that there's no point in complaining about anything on TV as it will have no effect or the wrong effect? If the viewing public won't let them know what is an acceptable boundary, why should they feel obliged to limit their programme content at all?

GwendolineMaryLacey - youre right I dont think they would have let it fizzle out, god knows what they would have come up with - but they would have had something dramatic in mind if the story line was planned to last a length of time, they might have had Jack raising his "son" and having to have a DNA test and then the ramifications of that - (in the story) would he stay with Jack or go to Kat his biological Mum?

I remember reading a heartbreaking story a while back of 2 babies swopped at birth abroad somewhere (accidentally in the hospital) and the families finding out after bonding and raising their babies - eventually they had to "swop" them back. Truly awful sitaution to be in, my heart went out to them.

And whatever happens to the character of Ronnie regarding her exit - its been reported today that she has been working her notice since telling them she was leaving - I feel for the actress having been abused in the street in real life in front of her own children.

I am also deeply concerned that although the chances are this was a passing idiot - she was called a "murderer" - not only mixing up reality with the non-reality - why should her character be labelled a murderer for suffering a cot death? As if bereaved Mums dont have enough to cope with without this nonsense to.

Ronnie should do the decent thing and hand baby Tommy back in an emotional and dramatic wo-hander hour-long episode. (The sooner the better). Kat should go through the range of emotions we would expect but eventually sympathise with Ronnie being a bereaved mother and help Ronnie to escape the law. Ronnie could leave in a taxi en route to the airport (yawn) or she could trip on one of Tommy's toy on the way out of the Queen Vic, fall down the stairs and be fatally injured.

Ronnie is essentially a decent person, she had already come to her senses and was on her way to take Tommy back not long after she had taken him, but panicked when she saw Kat arriving at the Vic. No matter what else goes on, the right thing to do IS hand baby Tommy back to his rightful parents in whatever way it takes. The best way (to show Ronnie is not a deranged baby snatcher after all) is for Ronnie to hand him back.

Agree that it needs to end NOW. Had a look at the BBC website and there's talk of shortening the story so that it ends in the SPRING .

I know it isn't real, but even the portrayal of people in that much emotional pain is too much for me. Certainly not entertaining.

Ending it in the spring (they seem to mean "possibly by April from most reports) is rather an empty gesture.

An immediate two-hander is a great idea Simmylou, so Ronnie can return the baby to Kat.

Anything that continues this on, is just EE continuing to milk this exploitative storyline for ratings. Ending it in April is just milking for it a bit less longer than planned as far as Im concerned.

But Justine/MNHQ, what I most want to see is a public apology to FSID.

The BBC have damaged FSID's reputation by repeatedly, and erronously, associating them with the babyswap plot. They continue to do so.

If the BBC's actions mean that one grieving parent is less likely to seek support and guidance from FSID then they have done a shedload of damage.

It is very very unfair of the BBC to use and abuse an organisation working for such a vital cause and they should:

1. Stop quoting that FSID advised them, in reposnse to complaints that are specifially about the babyswap.

1. Publicly clarify that FSID had nothing to do with the babyswap storyline.

1. Publicly apologise to FSID for implying repeatedly that it was involved in advising them on this.

They made a crass sensationalist storyline from scenes of a baby's cotdeath. When people complained about that they defended themselves by saying they had the experts' (FSID's)backing. They know they didnt.

Well, if nothing else, this whole debacle has provided a big insight into how far downhill things have gone at the BBC, that they allowed this to be screened, and the moral code they are currently operating by, as evident in how they have abused FSID.

I don't have an opinion on whether they should or shouldn't re-record scenes (I think it is completely subjective, dependant on one's experiences) but I KNOW they are re-recording scenes next week.

They are changing / shortening the story.

What has annoyed me the most, actually, has been the amount of venom displayed on the net (Twitter and the like) towards Mumsnet for having the audacity to complain and to 'demand' that stories be rewritten. How dare women, the target soap viewers, have an opinion on one of those soaps and be brash enough to express it by writing a letter? And all the stock 'it's not real', 'get a life' stuff has been really depressing, particularly that coming from female critics. Many don't seem to imagine that a female television viewer could be anything other than a passive dupe who should accept whatever is on the screen.

beachholiday -FSID can probably address this themselves by complaining to OFCOM. They would have good grounds. If they haven't I do not understand why not. BBC would still have to consult them in future as they are the experts in this area.

ifancyashandy -any more nuggets ?

I hope they are editing out some of the stuff they've already filmed and replacing it with some completely naff and pointless filler storyline (you know the kind of thing... kids searching for lost dog, hypothesising kidnap and conspiracy, all works out hilariously and amicably). Normally those sub-plots really annoy me, but if it meant cutting some of this crap then go for it.

Also, if they are telling the truth and have shortened all this because of the uproar (and not just because Womack resigned scuppering their original pre-Nov plans), then I actually would like to know the full extent of the sick dragging on storyline they originally had the go-ahead for. I would guess there was worse to come.

I was going to say do a Dallas or was it Dynasty and make it all have been a dream PotPouri but I like Mouseface's idea even more. Just drop it soaps do that often enough when they mess up scripts or conveninently forget who slept with who etc.

I hope FSID are complaining - I cant see any reason why not either.

It is actually quite difficult for any organisation approached by a Soap I think. They know that there is potential for things to go very wrong and their cause to be damaged, not promoted. Most would agree on the basis its better to try and steer things in the right direction, I imagine. But after what EE have done with FSID, presumably other organisations will be more inclined to stay away.

If the BBC dont do something about FSID though, then theyve let EE take FSID's expertise, and abuse it to create ratings, not awareness. Which is quite staggering.

I dont accept much from EE tbh but the way the BBC have allowed this to be dealt with is astonishing, given the standards they are meant to/used to abide by.

No more nuggets but am aware that shooting schedules for next week are being re-written as I type...

I would be prepared to take any further action needed to continue to lobby the BBC over this storyline. I find their justification to be very weak indeed. We need more publicity to bring to light the issues which make this story unacceptable to everyone, not just those of us who have been through this experience. I rarely feel so strongly about an issue and as an academic in the field of early childhood, I am in a strong professional as well as personal position to make the point. Let's get this debate into the public eye and help to dispel this myth about bereaved mothers once and for all.

what is wrong with you all!!! I've never heard such rubbish in my life (not even on Eastenders) No one at the BBC is suggesting that women who have lost their babies to cot death are mad or deranged, Ronnie has always been slightly mad (which you would know if you actually followed the programme)all they have done wrong is created a completely unbelieveable story line.Oh no, hang on its a soap opera not real life thats what they do. Lighten up for goodness sake.