I dont watch the show ,but its seem the cot death plot was very upsetting,maybe a step to far.

Apparently the cot death was not realy the problem, it was the subsequent swapping the dead baby for someone else's baby that the real hulabaloo was all about.

I can understand that ,swapping a dead baby! what the hell were the writers thinking .You dont have to watch the show to find that,well,sick.

I admire her for her principles. She obviously read the script and instintively knew it was wrong ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,a step too far IMO. i hope the ratings and subsequent soap 'awards' reflect this.

There is only so far you can go with regard to 'entertaining'. Obviously soaps are often far fetched and we have to suspend our disbelief but this particular story line is in exceptional bad taste and insensitive beyond belief.

Soozy you've summed it up for me. I've watched EE for years out of habit tbh, it's always had depressing storylines but this latest one has been too much for me, can't seem to shake it off it was so dark.

Good for her.  The storyline was and is pathetic in its construction and utterly distasteful.

I'm writing this as someone who usually takes the "If you don't like it, turn over" view.  I have no time for the hysteria over Russell Brand/Jonathan Ross or Frankie Boyle who seems to have become a recent tabloid hate figure.  However, EastEnders has gone way too far on this.

I don't watch EE anymore, but have heard about this and can understand why people are getting hacked off about it... cot death is a terribly emotive subject and women have been devastated by it and this is a hideous storyline.  They just won't admit that they're goofed will they?  They will never admit to being in the wrong.  They are trying to make out that Sam was leaving anyway, but that's a crock of shit IMO. 

EE has had some unbelievable and stupid naff storylines over the years and some laughable inconsistancies, and this show that did used to be good has gone badly downhill over the last 3 or 4 years, but this takes the biscuit.  Hopefully, this horrid storyline is the beginning of the end for this dreadful badly written distastful dated show.  I hope it's cancelled, and soon.

I agree with Carnelian

At least with her leaving they'll have to finish this godawful story line sooner rather than later

quote:

Channel bosses have been bombarded with nearly 3,500 complaints this week over the scenes, in which Ronnie lost her baby James.

oh, the number of complaints has gone up - they were saying 3,400 yesterday. To put it into perspective, I was reading an article in the metro this morning about the most complained about TV shows of the last decade (BB was top btw ) and from 2004 to 2010 Eastenders had only 1,329 complaints

Perzackerly!

| don't watch EE anymore and after hearing about this storyline I'm glad I don't! Very poor taste IMO.

Of course the number of complaints will increase as news spreads and people come rushing in to be offended. (I believe Brand and Ross received more complaints than listeners)Other than the fact that certain parts of the fourth, fifth, and sixth estates have a vested interest in attacking the BBC there is no doubt that EE has made a huge mis calculation here and heads will roll. I told you that EE was shite years ago but no-one listens to me.

Good for her, the storyline has upset many people including midwives and The Cot Death Society. I dont watch but its been impossible not to know about it, As license payers i think we all have a right to complain about it, whether we watch or not. I havent complained, but i know people who have.

I agree, Garage Joe.  There is an element of BBC bashing in this as there usually is by the usual suspects, so for me it would be preferable if I could say "It's just the Daily Mail  and Murdoch undermining the BBC, as usual" but I can't on this occasion.  I like EastEnders and take for granted that its storylines are often contrived to crank up the melodrama for viewers' entertainment but this must be the most distasteful story they have aired in their dubious history.  As you say, a huge miscalculation.

The BBC has now confirmed that Samantha Womack is leaving Eastenders in a few months. They don't give any indication as to how the storyline will develop other than:
the storyline "allows an exit for Ronnie Branning".

The BBC also says that the number of complainants has reached 5,826.

watched it the other night and i have to say it left me feeling very down.... corrie all the way for me now... at least it makes me smile

Gutted Sam and Ronnie are leaving Albert Square, I blame TPTB for never allowing Ronnie to be happy but this is EastEnders after all, the producers always intended Ronnie to fill Sharon Watt's role to be the tragic heroine.


I really don't think Sam's decision to quit was just over this storyline, there have been rumours she was going to leave since the past year or two.

Yeah the number of complaints are still in their thousands but raising but EE gets about 9-10 million viewers and until they start to reach the millions barrier will I take them seriously. Eastenders warned people what was going to happen months ago and if some chose to watch plus theres a saying if you don't like something don't watch and I think some of those that complained might actually still be watching the show. Although it is an upsetting storyline to watch I can't fault the acting from Shane, Sam, Jessie and Scott!.

This whole don't watch if you don't like it thing.... I do actually still want to watch the rest of Eastenders, it's just the baby swap story line I have a problem with. So I have the option of watching it and squirming, not watching at all... or perhaps best, recording it and fast forwarding through the horrid bits

Darloboy, I know you love EE, but you really can't seriously be defending it this time: this storyline is dreadful.  And as for the 'everyone knew it was coming' remarks ... Even though I stopped watching EE a while ago, I didn't actually know this was going to happen.  Not everyone reads soap weekly or the daily newspapers to hear what is going to happen.  So you can't assume that everyone knew this was coming, so people shouldn't have watched it. 

And I'm not fond of the 'don't watch it if you don't like it' either Sazbomb.  People shouldnt have to stop watching something they normally enjoy or that USED to be good because of stupid naff and insensitive storylines.  And as for 'there are only a few thousand complaints:' that is a bit of an insensitive thing for you to say: if there was only a few DOZEN, then that is too many, because it means someone, somewhere has been hurt and upset.  I know you're entitled to your opinion Darloboy, and you like EE: but IMO, your loyalty is misguided here.  (JMO of course, no offence, as I think youre a nice guy, but I really don't think EE can be defended here.)

On a slightly different slant: I think its admirable that Sam has left EE, but I am thinking that its because of the severe backlash to this story, rather than the storyline itself.  I think that because she is only leaving now.  Why didnt she leave before, months back, when she heard about the storyline?

on radio 5 they were saying she's said she isn't leaving cos of the storyline........that she'd already told the producers a few months back she was leaving........apparently for 'a few months break'.........of course that could be just a smokescreen

Did anyone else hear about her leaving before?  Or is this week the first time anyone has heard anything about this?  Because if nobody has ever heard anything about Sam leaving til this week, then I think the BBC are lying.

There were rumours during the Archie storyline but were never confirmed, her contract was up in 2012 anyway and it was speculated she would quit then...


Still no-one is bigger than the show, they've coped without bigger actors/characters before and they will again.

i hadn't sparkles..........but then i don't watch it anymore.....its as entertainig as watching the bins being emptied as far as i'm concerned.........the storylines are crap....the actors are awful......and infact on the bin theme.....its garbage imo

Thanks spongebob.  I hadnt heard either.  And thanks Darlo, I agree about no one being bigger than the show.  Some have thought they were in the past, and they were wrong.

I agree with whoever up there ^^ said why didn't she leave when she got the script, if she was so upset about it?

I suspect she is upset about criticisms about her poor acting and people punching dirty great holes in the completely infeasible storyline.

^ Still the most talked about soap whether for the good or wrong reasons, yeah some don't like how they do depressing storylines but lots of people are still tuning in.

Most people I know don't watch it anymore Darlo, and find it somewhat cringeworthy with its terrible storylines....  and I don't think it's half as good as it was, and has had its day.  JMO of course. if you like it the thats your right of course. 

What does TPTB mean?

Bit of a sly act by the actress if you ask me.  She read the script, when a head with the filming but only left after the negative backlash when it was aired?  You wouldn't catch Barbara Windsor doing that!

Good point Temps!!

The Powers That Be

^ Still the most talked about soap whether for the good or wrong reasons, yeah some don't like how they do depressing storylines but lots of people are still tuning in.

Who says it's the most talked about soap?

Lots of people tune in, but it is just getting worse and worse.  I've watched EE since the very beginning and yes it always got grief for being so depressing, that's the type of show it's always been, but when a lot of people find disgust in a storyline, it's time to have a re-think in my opinion.

I think it's the worst soap at the moment... Alfie Moon saved the show once before and he's doing it again, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't even know about this latest storyline because I wouldn't be watching it.  How it's winning awards I don't know.

As for still tuning in, when you're a fan of a soap you have to...you never know what kind of storyline is going to resurrect itself in years to come and you don't want to be...'eh?  what she on about'

thanks Rexi

The article I read was that she handed in her resignation after she read the script.   I suspect her contract does not allow her to leave straight away and she has to serve out her notice.

I spect you're right SB ... just me being a bit cynical

Until recently I've had BBC1 on and have put EE on mute..  I couldn't tell you who's done what or to whom. I suspect MANY programmes have viewing figures that give the impression that people are watching when in fact, they're eating dinner or whatever and are paying no attention to what's on their screens.

As this is the BBC, which is funded by the licence payer, I feel the viewer's are entitled to expect a certain standard at a certain time of the (pre watershed) evening.
The above makes me sound like Outraged of Tunbridge Wells but nevermind.

Take Sam out of that list and I agree with you. Her portrayal of the character has got the emotion of a used teabag. Totally unbelievable and that faux speaking voice/accent is annoying beyond belief. No backbone in her performance, I feel like shaking her repeatedly to see if there's anything other then R2D2 going on in there.

At the end of the day it was well documented that this storyline was taking place therefore if you knew you would be affected by it you shouldn't watch it.  It's an emotive story but that is all it is a story - people are going on about all the complaints however when put into perspective there haven't been that many - roughly 5000 people out of 11million viewers.

Of course people have every right to complain, its the public that are paying for it.

Apparantly she was going anyway...her contract ends in May and she had told them last year she would not be returning then...maybe they came up with the story to get rid of her (bad choice of story all round)....her exit is not going to be in a coffin though, leaving the possiblity of her return should her acting career go boobs up!!!

At the end of the day it was well documented that this storyline was taking place therefore if you knew you would be affected by it you shouldn't watch it.  It's an emotive story but that is all it is a story - people are going on about all the complaints however when put into perspective there haven't been that many - roughly 5000 people out of 11million viewers

That's ridiculous, you can't judge how you'll react to something unless you see it.

.