More Social Engineering..

[bazwillrun]

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/feb/23/new-eastenders-set-may-include-mosque

from the wonderfully Biased Broadcasting Clowns...

[youngmafbog]

Have you been to the East End recently?

The reality is there are few white or Black British. Blair and Co succeeded in trashing our capital (except the bits they live in of course)

[anotheoldgit]

Do they intend to bring in enough Muslim actors so as to justify the building of this Mosque, perhaps then they may close the Queen Vic so as to reflect the increased disappearance of the British Pub?

Perhaps a good ongoing story line would be to see the radicalisation of some of the Muslim characters, although the BBC have insisted there were “no current plans” but they would say that wouldn't they?

Can one imagine the BBC going as far as that, even if it was in the quest "to better reflect the East End of London"?

[jackthehat]

Remind me....This *is* a fictional TV programme, isn't it?

[Svejk]

Go on, jth, spoil it.

[naomi24]

//new set will ‘better reflect the East End of London’//

They're right. It will better reflect the East End of London.

[anotheoldgit]

jackthehat

/// Remind me....This *is* a fictional TV programme,
isn't ///

Who's saying that it isn't?

[Svejk]

Real life would make a rather boring show, wouldn't it? Especially, I suspect, unlubricated Muslim life.

[youngmafbog]

I'm sure they could spice it up

Pun intended :-)

[andy-hughes]

I think that an attempt to reflect accurately the setting of a soap opera, and the term 'social engineering' are several universes apart.

[andy-hughes]

fender - There will be no marches, or flag-burning, any more than there is discussion of the European referendum, or the migration crisis, of the doping drama in sport ... in fact, nothing of any real relevance is ever discussed.

Because it is a soap opera!

[anotheoldgit]

/// Because it is a soap opera! ///

Which never washes it's dirty washing in public.

[Baldric]

Should they include a Church, or is that not PC enough at the moment?

[jackthehat]

///Which never washes it's dirty washing in public.///

Oh yes they do. No-one in Albert Square possesses a washing machine hence the need for a Laundrette.

[steg]

They could have a warning at the start like they have for flash photography etc
"***Warning for people with ????*** this program may have a mosque in it"

[Mamyalynne]

St Joseph's is on Kingsley Rd Walford and Dot in particular has been quoting the Bible for 30 years.

So I see no problem with widening the scope of the set.

[New Judge]

“Eastenders” is set in the fictional district of Walford, London E20. (When this was introduced it did not exist as a real postal district. Until 2011 East London postal districts went up to E18 (Woodford) but E20 was added to encompass the Olympic Park area). A further clue to the area intended in the fictional portrayal is that, when the London tube map is displayed in association with the series, “Walford” occupies the space which is, in reality, Bromley-by-Bow. So it seems reasonable to assume that this is the area the writers intend their audience to believe Walford is.

So now to the reality. I know East London very well, having lived there for the first 24 years of my life and it is an area which I still visit from time to time. Bromley-by-Bow is roughly half way between Mile End and West Ham and lies in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Just 25% of the ward (Bromley North) described themselves as “white British” in the 2011 census. 42% were of Bangladshi origin. The current councillors for the ward are Khales Udin Ahmed Mohammed Mufti Miah.

I have never really watched Eastenders but have caught the occasional snippet. (Most of the scenes I have caught seem to take place in the pub. The participants’ lines always seem to begin “Woss your game? Woss goin’ on? Wot you up to? Woss ‘appenin’?” However, I don’t seem to recall seeing only one in four of the characters being white British. Of course those of Bangladeshi origin are unlikely to be found in the pub. However, looking at the names of the current list of characters (which number about 70) I can only find three or four with names likely to identify them as of Asian origin.

I would suggest if the BBC really wants the make the series a true reflection of life in Bromley-by-Bow they should:

- Shut the Queen Vic and turn it into a Bangladeshi Community centre.

- Construct a mosque in the open space in the Middle of Albert Square

- Get rid of 75% of the current cast and replace them with people who are not “white British”

- Run a story line about a corrupt elected Muslim mayor who was thrown out of office for electoral offences and barred from politics.

- Run the Friday edition to include street scenes from around 3pm showing vast numbers of males making their way home from “Friday prayers”.

- Run a story line showing a Sharia Court deliberating on a woman’s divorce settlement.

[mikey4444]

If it reflects real life in the East End, then I can't see what can be wrong with this.