View Full Version : 'Enders baby axed over travel costs
One of EastEnders' youngest actors has been axed in order to cut back on travelling costs.
Gabriel Miller Williams, who plays Max (Jake Wood) and Tanya Branning's (Jo Joyner) son Oscar, has been dropped from the part after his £300-a-day taxi fare from his family home in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex to the BBC soap's studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, was seen as an excessive expense.
The 10-month-old's mother Claire Miller, 39, claims that she only discovered that her son had lost the part when his usual taxi failed to collect him, despite having signed what she believed to be a six-month contract.
She told The Mirror: "It's a disgusting way to treat people. We still haven't had a call explaining why he was sacked. I've sent his contract to solicitors to investigate legal action."
However, a spokeswoman for the Walford-based soap said: "It is not unusual for babies to be recast several times in continuing drama series such as EastEnders. In this instance the decision to recast at this time was in part due to Gabriel's travelling costs."
She added: "As the BBC strives to deliver value for money across all its productions, travel costs are a factor that must be considered."
The BBC this afternoon confirmed to DS that long-term contracts are not issued to babies or children. Instead, performance licences are granted by the local authority to allow those subject to such a licence to be booked on an 'as-and-when-needed' basis.
It is understood that the production team at EastEnders are now looking for a more local baby to take on the role.
£300 per day taxi fare to ferry a little baby around the countryside :eek: Should have looked for a more local baby boy to start with.
:eek: That is expensive!!!!
Nice to know that the BBC are spending taxpayers' money on a taxi for a ten month old baby.
What was wrong with casting a baby in the local area?
I'm sure the mother wouldn't be so upset if she was footing the bill.
Pinkbanana
09-09-2008, 21:12
Should have popped down to ToysRUs and bought a Tiny Tears doll!! lol
The person who okayed the payment of £300 a day for a taxi in the first place should be shot....:p
Kirsty :]
09-09-2008, 21:17
Woahh £300 quid! Jeeez! If it cost that much it's probably a long way away! and so it's probably not very healthy for a baby to be travelling that far anyways so maybe it's for the best!
How will EE sort this one out? The baby can't jsut dissapear! Mind you I ioften see Tanya without the baby in EE anyways
Chris_2k11
09-09-2008, 21:18
I always forget about Oscar lmao
;597490']
How will EE sort this one out? The baby can't jsut dissapear! Mind you I ioften see Tanya without the baby in EE anyways
He will be recast. Oscar is hardly seen these days.
Xx-Vicky-xX
09-09-2008, 21:28
I always forget about Oscar lmao
Amen to that Chris when ever there is an article claiming Max & Tanya have 3 children i have to think :lol:
I always forget about Oscar lmao
I think most of the time the writer do too
Nice to know that the BBC are spending taxpayers' money on a taxi for a ten month old baby.
What was wrong with casting a baby in the local area?
I'm sure the mother wouldn't be so upset if she was footing the bill.
Tax Payers, no.
Licence Payers, yes. :p
CrazyLea
09-09-2008, 22:09
Yes it is a lot of money.
But it is a bit disgusting how they never even told the mother. They could of gone about it in a better way!
Chloe O'brien
09-09-2008, 23:14
Why did they pick a child from far out of the area in the first place. £300 a day. I would make whoever cast the baby in the first place pay for the waste of travel costs.
I also think that in the few scenes Oscar was shown, they could have used a doll. They do in "dramatic scenes" such as when Dawn was leaving the other day, she was holding her year old daughter so close, wrapped in a blanket, you could tell it was a doll.
Yeah I think in some scenes they could use a doll too, but mabe they dont incase they are worried people can tell
Good to see our money going to good use eh! :p
Not as if he's seen that often, but could have gone about it in a different manner - respectfullness doesn't seem to be anywhere these days :rolleyes:
sindydoll
16-09-2008, 19:19
i didnt realise this was posted!! but does oscar die
di marco
16-09-2008, 20:07
i didnt realise this was posted!! but does oscar die
dont think so, theyre probably just going to change the baby like they do for most soap babies, seeing as theyre looking for a more local baby
i didnt realise this was posted!! but does oscar die
dont think so, theyre probably just going to change the baby like they do for most soap babies, seeing as theyre looking for a more local baby
Yeah they will just recast, I heard that they were using a baby without down's playing Janet before they got one with down's, so they do do it with babies as well as children such as Peter and Lucy.
I feel sorry for the mother in a way as she wasn't even phoned to say that they wouldn't be providing the taxi any more, which wouldn't have been as complicated as it would have been to call her down for a meeting with the bosses or anything. But I can't believe she agreed to put a 10 month old baby on there, and he's been in it for months so he must have been a lot younger when they started this. Poor boy must have been terrified, £300 worth would be a lot of miles for anyone to go to work, never mind a baby who couldn't consent to it in the first place. Separation anxiety in the extreme! You can tell I've been doing attachment in Psychology lol
sindydoll
18-09-2008, 08:11
it was on this page i had seen about oscar going to die http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=76337&highlight=oscar+dies
di marco
18-09-2008, 08:35
it was on this page i had seen about oscar going to die http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=76337&highlight=oscar+dies
i think that was just a rumour, not heard anything about oscar or any of the other brannings dying, and that thread was started in february so i think it would have happened by now if it was true. also if they were planning on killing oscar off i doubt they would go through all the effort of finding a more local baby to play him
The post also does not actually say that Oscar will die, there is only speculation about them losing one of their children. It does not say that the loss will be permanent, so Lauren for example might decide to move out and live with the Beale's. I am not saying that this will happen, just something on those lines might. I agree that this would probably have already happened if it was true.
sindydoll
18-09-2008, 10:16
i wish they would all die :rotfl: :rotfl:
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