Eastenders. Kat and Ronnie's babies.

[fillymum]

How do you feel about what is going on at present with the swapped baby plot.??

It disturbs me. It really upsets me. I just want her to give Kat her baby back.

I know it is just a T.V. programme but it is so sad. The whole family is hurting so much.

So many people must be hurt by what is going on. I realise that a soap is just a soap and is portraying real live events but for me this is one step to far.

I am also aware of the fact that I have a remote control and can change channels or turn off at anytime.

 

[MadameLaMinx]

I think it is a very silly storyline, but I think they have just tried to put a twist on a straightforward and sad cot death storyline because they have done it before, admittedly over 20 years ago now with Sue and Ali Osman, and it has backfired.

Death is never an easy subject to tackle, and so much more emotive when it involves a baby or young child. They have misjudged this in terms of their audience I think and are hastily rewriting a lot of it in order to conclude it sooner rather than later.

Babies die, sadly, thats a fact of life. They could have done a far better job of telling this story had they had one of the two new mums lose their baby and the other one deal with the emotion of it not happening to them, without all this swapping malarkey.

 

[lurverick]

i love how this morning in the news the bbc are saying they have listened to the public and are going to wind the storyline up earlier than expected.

oooo right......nothing to do with the news yesterday that samantha womack is leaving then!!! ho hum!!!

 

[BrittW]

I can't quite understand the log of complaints made to the BBC.

At the end of the day, it's a soap, it's not real.
They are actors. And as you rightly said, you have a remote, as do most of the people who could have used their energy turning the channel over rather than writing in to complain.

I'm not being insensitive, my brother died of cot death many years ago and while he wasn't my son, he was still my brother and I saw what it did to my mum.
I saw her carry his little white coffin into the service and i heard her cry every day.

But at the end of the day, it isn't real, and nobody HAS to watch it.

I lost my mum to cancer, the cancer research advert makes me cry but it's meant to be hard hitting, and those in it are actors. It's a part of life you have to deal with.

I don't mean to cause offence to anyone, these are just my opinions xo

 

[big bear]

I hate it, how ridiculous as you'd know your own baby, so surely Kat knows it's not hers??

I hope it finishes soon as I don't like it & have to keep checking my 10 week old baba to make sure she's breathing etc

 

[fillymum]

I can't quite understand the log of complaints made to the BBC.

At the end of the day, it's a soap, it's not real.
They are actors. And as you rightly said, you have a remote, as do most of the people who could have used their energy turning the channel over rather than writing in to complain.

I'm not being insensitive, my brother died of cot death many years ago and while he wasn't my son, he was still my brother and I saw what it did to my mum.
I saw her carry his little white coffin into the service and i heard her cry every day.

But at the end of the day, it isn't real, and nobody HAS to watch it.

I lost my mum to cancer, the cancer research advert makes me cry but it's meant to be hard hitting, and those in it are actors. It's a part of life you have to deal with.

I don't mean to cause offence to anyone, these are just my opinions xo

You are so right. You have caused me no offence at all.

I can and do change channels and it is just a soap as my DH keeps telling me.

The cancer ads. get to me too and make me cry because I worry about my own mortality as I am a cancer patient. The thought of leaving my family tears me apart.....but then I have no remote control to change that.

 

[BrittW]

I'm so sorry to hear that hun. :-(

There is nothing I can say that i'm sure hasn't already been said to you, but *big hugs* and if you ever need to chat, you can always get in touch with me xoxo

 

[Lexie_dog]

Hmmmm

I find the story line upsetting, but I still watch it because its just a soap.

I found the whitney/tony pedo story upsetting too, but its just a soap.

Its a dividing topic, should TV be more responsible, yes you can change channels but you can't unsee or unhear what you've been exposed to. It's one of the reasons that I don't watch Frankie Boyle anymore, as after the last thing I watched he was just so offensive. I don't watch him now, but that doesn't change the fact I was exposed to something so offensive beyond his norm.

So with that in mind with Easties say rated at a 5 on the shock meter and this story is planned, you think ach will be about a 5 also, and then they hit you with a 10 its very hard as I say, to unsee what you have seen.

There are upsides to any traumatic storyline in as much as they raise awareness, but it also causes problems with re-opening old wounds and can cause a lot of people to start examining experiences in thier lives afresh that they felt they had perhaps dealt with.

My mother is one of them, she lost my brother to cot death. This is not a good storyline for her.

What I don't understand is why people are so angry? Like actually raging on boards about Ronnie (fictional character) and how now EastEnders have protrayed all mums of babies who have died as "raging mentalists who want to steal children", despite the fact its blatantly one womans snapped reaction to severe grief.

Kat only saw her baby for a wee while before she went to hospital the same day, whereupon everyone convinced her it is her baby and her denial reaction is part of her grief, and I mean why would it not be? Baby swapping isn't a normal everyday occurance.

And as for Sam Womack quitting, doubt its because of the story line, more to do with money, contracts etc than anything I think. But then I'm a cynic

 

[Fatty_no_more]

I think they should have just left it where it was as loosing a baby is such a hard enough subject as it is.
They have really missed a good opportunity to make people aware of cot death over this and instead people are focussing on the swap which is so sad!

I saw a thing on daybreak and ann diamond said that new borns don't normally die of cot death and alot of younger mums think it's been phased out? Eastenders could have really used this to an advantage and educated people on it but no they want the viewers.

I admit I do still watch it like I have done since I was a tiny girl. But I just wish they could use these storylines and make something positive out of them in the real world!

 

[lazorinie]

I have no children myself and i find the storyline upsetting, however i still watch it as i just want ronnie to give the baby back!

I have just read an article from sky news about the storyline who says the plot was meant to go on until christmas!!! Its been cut short by a few months! IMO its still too long. Was expecting it to be resolved next week.

It also says that samantha has recieved abuse whilst out with her children. I dont understand why anybody would be so mean to her. Shes only an actress, she doesnt choose her storylines. Dont people understand that she is not ronnie and the show is not REAL?

Here it is if anyone wants a read
EastEnders Baby Swap Plot Cut Short - Sky TV

 

[RegField]

. . .
What I don't understand is why people are so angry? Like actually raging on boards about Ronnie (fictional character) and how now EastEnders have protrayed all mums of babies who have died as "raging mentalists who want to steal children", despite the fact its blatantly one womans snapped reaction to severe grief.
. . .

Why are people on these boards always so angry? (Not here, of course!)

And they are often so unkind and judgmental and even vicious. I had to monitor some online discussion boards for a project recently, and I always felt like I needed to go out and breathe some fresh air afterwards. It worries me to think that there are so many people out there who are so horrible, although I am sure they are just a minority really.

I never look at that sort of thing any more - the only discussion boards I read are this one and some local history stuff.

 

[RegField]

. . .
It also says that samantha has recieved abuse whilst out with her children. I dont understand why anybody would be so mean to her. Shes only an actress, she doesnt choose her storylines. Dont people understand that she is not ronnie and the show is not REAL?
. . .

People with long memories might remember the character of Mrs Mangel in Neighbours.

The actress who played her apparently left the series because of the abuse she received about the actions of the character she played and in fact she gave up acting altogether.

Quite often one hears about actors who play strong characters on television getting comments from people who don't seem to be able to tell the difference between fact and fiction.

There are some very odd people out there!

 

[Lexie_dog]

Some people seem totally unable to seperate fiction from reality. I'm not saying I've not read things on here that have made me angry, but I've not brooded on it for days. Say your piece, hash it out fine.

But to verbally abuse an actress in public for her role is completely stupid. Bordering on the insane.

I feel really sorry for the characters in the story, both Kat and Ronnie. I also feel sorry for the actors/actresses involved as its such an emotive thing to play for such a long time, it must be hard.

 

[Lexie_dog]

People with long memories might remember the character of Mrs Mangel in Neighbours.

The actress who played her apparently left the series because of the abuse she received about the actions of the character she played and in fact she gave up acting altogether.

Quite often one hears about actors who play strong characters on television getting comments from people who don't seem to be able to tell the difference between fact and fiction.

There are some very odd people out there!

How could you not love Mrs Mangel? She was mental. AND FICTIONAL.

 

[RegField]

How could you not love Mrs Mangel? She was mental. AND FICTIONAL.

I thought she was hilarious!

 

[*EB*]

I think Eastenders is a load of old bob and dont watch it.

This storyline strengthens my desire to continue to NOT watch it.

 

[Newby1]

It is sad 2 watch and pretty twisted but have 2 say it has me glued 2 my chair as a mum myself I couldn't imagin going through anything like that but reality is it happens and there isn't enough awearness out there so in a sence a story line like this does kinda hit home and make u realise

 

[Starlight]

You know this us the only rational thread I've seen about this storyline. I just don't understand what the fuss is about. There are plenty 'unlikely' scenarios in soaps all the time. I'm actually surprised the story is going on so long but then I suppose it makes for a more interesting conclusion. People (elsewhere) have commented that it's unrealistic but who knows what grief stricken people would do.

In actual fact there was a baby died only this week from cot death whos mother handed her body to a paramedic then turned and threw herself down a lift shaft. Hard up believe and sounds like something from a soap too doesn't it. So maybe EE isn't that far from reality

I have my doubts that Samantha Womack quit in protest it's not the worst story line someones had to cover and besides as an actor isn't that just part and parcel of the job