Changing soaps

[4getmenot]

Have read in Sun today that they have changed the child snatching plot line in Eastenders because of the madelaine case. They have already done this with Coronnation Street this week (yes Eastenders do copy them) is this really ridiculous or do you agree with the decision?

[B00]

Yes.

If nothing else I believe that showing scenes that mirror real life tragedies at the same time as the tragedy is happening (did that make sense?) is insensitive.


PS
Which child get's snatched in Easties? Please say it's Ben!

[4getmenot]

no may was gonna take dawns baby.

So are you saying theres nothing on Casualty or The Bill that would mirror anybody elses tragedies and probably effect even more people that a baby snatch. I dont think they would be watching corrie anyway.

[Reverandfunk]

Can't the majority of the cast get snatched, whisked away to an "acting school" and then mysteriously return several weeks later know how to act an all that?

[B00]

I agree 4get, no matter what tragedy is being played out in a soap it'll mirror a real life one somewhere. However not all of them are as high profile as this one.

Awww, so it's not Ben then? Hoping he'd leave for a while too, dunno why but he really creeps me out, way more than Stella!

[4getmenot]

coz he looks like chicken little

http://disney-clipart.com/Chicken-Little/Disne y-Chicken-Little.jpg

[Joe_the_Lion]

Who took little Freddy then and set fire to ashley's house?

[4getmenot]

that woman she befriended that had lost a baby

[jenstar]

How can an unrelated fictional plotline be any more "insensitive" than the constant vulture-like picking-over of a real-life incident?

[andy-hughes]

Valid points made about the fact that all drama reflects life somwhere at some time but, the case of the Madelaine case is a highly sensitive issue at the moment (and that's a whole other debate) and it would upset a lot of people, rightly or wrongly, and advertisers and licence fee payers have to be appeased.

[NJOK]

It's sentimenal censorship.

Mark Lawson writes a good article on it here:

http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/genera lfiction/story/0,,2061585,00.html

[Pippa68]

To be honest if my child had gone missing I very much doubt a storyline in a soap opera is going to make me feel any worse.

Did a soap opera cancel a rape storyline even though there was probably a very recent victim of such an attack? as has been said, soaps (or are they dramas?) such as Casualty probably show very true to life accidents and illnesses..ones which surely connect to a lot of people in their day to day lives.

I don't think it sould be cancelled just because it is a big profile case, either. Soaps may as well be cancelled full stop.

Oh wait..that is a good idea!

[Miss Inquiry]

4getmenot, I see why they have done it, but soaps work because people relate to stories,charathers and events. Eastenders are quick to add media story lines into thier plot (remember the odd underground episode with Billy - and tube bombings) that clould have been seens as insensitive too.
Your right I don't think Maddies parents would mind or even be watching. With Eastenders loosing ratings so drastically at the moment they can't risk loosing any more viewers, plus being in the media now stating they will change the dawn baby plot, may be a blessing in disguise and actually encourage people to watch it.

[Goodsoulette]

I remember when the lockerbie plane went down, Casualty waited fro a long long time to show the plane crash episode they had already filmed. I cant believe they arent going to show May snatching Dawns baby, its been a plot waiting to happen. They best make her do something equally nuts as she is getting on my wick at the moment.

[NJOK]

I'd have May over Dawn any day. Dawn sounds like she's just learnt to speak.