Content deleted Content added
m em dash |
m em dash |
||
Line 129:
Richie revealed in an interview with ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]'' that Kat and Alfie would be involved in an ongoing storyline, which he said is "going to be the biggest soap story in probably the history of soaps."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a278381/shane-richie-teases-biggest-soap-story.html|title=Shane Richie teases 'biggest soap story'|last=Love|first=Ryan|date=23 September 2010|work=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi UK]]|access-date=23 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100924105937/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a278381/shane-richie-teases-biggest-soap-story.html|archive-date=24 September 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> At the end of 2010, Kat and Ronnie both give birth on the same day, but Ronnie's baby, James, dies and while Kat is in hospital and her baby, Tommy, is unattended, Ronnie swaps the infants. The storyline received over 6,000 complaints, making it the second most complained about ''EastEnders'' storyline. It was then decided to end the storyline earlier than originally planned.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/EastEnders-Controversial-Baby-Swap-Storyline-Is-To-End-Earlier-Than-Planned/Article/201101115886107?f=rss |title=EastEnders' Baby Swap Plot To End Early |date=7 January 2011 |publisher=[[Sky (UK & Ireland)|Sky TV]] |access-date=16 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014225002/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/EastEnders-Controversial-Baby-Swap-Storyline-Is-To-End-Earlier-Than-Planned/Article/201101115886107?f=rss |archive-date=14 October 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kilkelly|first=Daniel|title=Confirmed: 'Enders baby plot to end early|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a296599/confirmed-enders-baby-plot-to-end-early.html|work=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi UK]]|access-date=28 January 2012|date=7 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107112259/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a296599/confirmed-enders-baby-plot-to-end-early.html|archive-date=7 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> It was reported by the ''Daily Star Sunday'' that Ronnie experiences a change of heart after visiting relatives in hospital and seeing the midwife who delivered her son.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a305197/eastenders-cast-film-wedding-scenes.html|title='EastEnders' cast film wedding scenes|last=Kilkelly|first=Daniel|date=22 February 2011|work=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi UK]]|access-date=7 March 2011|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225025410/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a305197/eastenders-cast-film-wedding-scenes.html|archive-date=25 February 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> An ''EastEnders'' spokesperson said, "We do not comment on future storylines but we have always said Ronnie will do the right thing and Tommy will be reunited with Kat."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a307350/eastenders-baby-swap-ending-revealed.html|title='EastEnders' baby swap ending revealed?|last=Kilkelly|first=Daniel|date=6 March 2011|work=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi UK]]|access-date=7 March 2011|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110307113404/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a307350/eastenders-baby-swap-ending-revealed.html|archive-date=7 March 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Wallace revealed that she doesn't regret her involvement of the baby-swap storyline, saying that she was "just doing her job".<ref name="Wallace No Regret">{{cite web|last=Kelly|first=Kristy|title=Jessie Wallace stands by 'Enders plot|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a300908/jessie-wallace-stands-by-enders-plot.html|work=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi UK]]|access-date=28 January 2012|date=28 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108174139/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a300908/jessie-wallace-stands-by-enders-plot.html|archive-date=8 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Wallace told ''Bang Showbiz'': "I stand by it. We're actors at the end of the day, we do our job and then we go home. It's drama, that's it."<ref name="Wallace No Regret" /> She also praised Womack's acting and will move on to "bigger and better things" once she departs later this year.<ref name="Wallace No Regret" /> She added: "[Samantha is] a fantastic actress who played a brilliant role in a fantastic storyline so I wish her all the best."<ref name="Wallace No Regret" />
Derek Martin said he was surprised by the new baby swap storyline when it was published in the media.<ref name="Derek Surprised">{{cite web|last=Kilkelly|first=Daniel|title=Enders actor: 'Baby plot surprised me|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a296612/enders-actor-baby-plot-surprised-me.html|work=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi UK]]|access-date=28 January 2012|date=7 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023085939/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a296612/enders-actor-baby-plot-surprised-me.html|archive-date=23 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Speaking on ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]'', Martin commented: "I'm one of those actors—I don't know how many others do it—but when I get the scripts, I only read my bits. So I looked [and saw], 'Charlie leaves his grandson upstairs, goes downstairs, gets on the drink, gets drunk—the baby's dead'. So that's terrible guilt obviously – because I feel as though it's my fault that he's died. I was surprised when I saw the story come out—because I don't read the others' [lines]—that it was a baby swap."<ref name="Derek Surprised" /> Discussing the surrounding controversy of the plot, Martin added: "Don't forget, there's millions of people—there's 60 odd million here, and they've all got different opinions. Every subject, everything that comes up… everybody will have opinions about that. So therefore you have to accept that's the
Samantha Womack admitted that she thought the plot was "implausible".<ref name=Implausible>{{cite web|last=Sperling|first=Daniel|title='EastEnders' baby-swap plot was implausible, says Samantha Womack|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a361391/eastenders-baby-swap-plot-was-implausible-says-samantha-womack.html|work=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hearst Magazines]]|access-date=28 January 2012|date=21 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125072728/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a361391/eastenders-baby-swap-plot-was-implausible-says-samantha-womack.html|archive-date=25 January 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> She commented: "I thought it was implausible. Most women who lose a child would not go out and abduct one," she told ''The Mirror''. "But Ronnie is a soap character and she is not necessarily representing real life. Soap is based on controversy and [[sensationalism]] because bosses are trying to get high ratings and they can't write things like 'Ronnie had a cup of tea'. Otherwise people wouldn't watch it."<ref name=Implausible /> On 1 August 2011, Ofcom cleared the storyline.<ref name="Ofcom" /> The baby swap storyline prompted a huge 1,044 complaints reported to Ofcom.<ref name="Ofcom" /> Ofcom also added that many of the complaints were made because the storyline was presented "in an offensive manner" because it "appeared to suggest that a mother who has suddenly and tragically lost a baby through cot death would react by stealing another baby to replace that loss".<ref name="Ofcom" /> [[Kym Marsh]] supported Ofcom's decision to clear the storyline.<ref name="Kym Marsh">{{cite web|last=Eames|first=Tom|title='EastEnders' baby swap Ofcom decision correct, says Kym Marsh|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a333992/eastenders-baby-swap-ofcom-decision-correct-says-kym-marsh.html|work=[[Digital Spy]]|publisher=[[Hachette Filipacchi UK]]|access-date=28 January 2012|date=9 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702175636/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a333992/eastenders-baby-swap-ofcom-decision-correct-says-kym-marsh.html|archive-date=2 July 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Marsh wrote in her magazine section: "Last week, EastEnders was cleared of wrongdoing by Ofcom, the media regulator, over its baby swap storyline, and I think that's the right decision. It's just a storyline, like any other. I understand why people got upset about it, but no-one meant to upset anybody. Soaps are supposed to portray real life to a certain extent, but it's meant to be high drama for entertainment purposes. I mean, how many murders can you have in one square? There's a nod to real life but, for the most part, soaps help take people out of the real world."<ref name="Kym Marsh" />
| |||