Perdita
17-09-2008, 08:31
Scenes of a paedophile preying on a teenager in pre-watershed soap EastEnders has led to scores of complaints.
Viewers have hit out at what has been dubbed the most controversial story-line on the show ever, featuring a pervert's relationship with a 15-year-old girl.
On Friday viewers of the show were introduced to new character Tony, boyfriend of Bianca, who has just been released from prison.
Controversial storyline: The character of Tony King, left, will abuse his stepdaughter Whitney Dean in a new EastEnders plot
But his character, played by Chris Coghill, is shown have a romantic relationship with schoolgirl Whitney, who is the step-daughter of Bianca.
Tony has been shown kissing the girl passionately after sneaking into her bedroom while his girlfriend was in the bath on Friday night's episode.
The pair were then seen falling to the bed, implying that the couple were engaged in a sexual relationship.
The programme depicts the girl's character as a willing participant in the romance, something which has also upset some viewers.
On Monday's episode the character was back in the girl's bedroom, telling her "You look just like that same 12 year-old girl I fell in love with."
He encouraged her not to wear make up saying she looked 'incredibly beautiful without it'.
When the character of Whitney, played by 16-year-old Shona McGarty, said she felt naked without it - to which he replied: 'What's wrong with that?'
There have already been almost 70 complaints to the BBC and Ofcom and the storyline has only just been introduced on the long-running soap.
This controversy comes just a month after a knife murder on the controversial show caused 134 complaints after a dead body was shown.
That saw the death of character Jase Dyer, played by Stephen Lord, as he was set upon by a criminal gang who stabbed him.
Earlier this year BBC bosses revealed EastEnders was the most controversial show on the BBC last year, attracting 5,500 complaints from viewers.
That was more than double the number provoked by any other programme.
Viewers expressed their anger about the latest antics on the show on the BBC's message boards.
One said: 'I am totally disturbed by tonight's episode...I can barely talk. The storyline with Whitney & Tony is terrible. I am aware this type of abuse is going on in some homes but is this really the only way to get the message across.
'It is appalling that my daughters watch this just before bed. This is a family show and I think I should be able to choose how I approach/inform my children about abuse. Not via EastEnders.'
Another added: 'I too find this quite distasteful for a programme scheduled in the early evening...I watch soaps for enjoyment, not for public service messages.
'This is not enjoyable and I think has now gone too far.'
The BBC said the episodes had been incredibly carefully thought through and that the broadcaster had worked with the NSPCC on the storyline.
Copies of the script were said to have been sent to the charity, who returned them with detailed comments.
The controversy over this and last month's row is the latest in a long-line of recent complaints about episodes of the soap.
Media regulator Ofcom censured the BBC in June this year for EastEnders scenes in which a character was drugged and buried alive.
The regulator had received 116 complaints from viewers who said the scenes featuring character Max Branning were 'unsuitable' for the time when they were aired.
In February the BBC1 soap was once again found to have breached TV regulations after showing a gang attack on the Queen Vic pub.
The episode also showed a pregnant woman going into premature labour after being knocked over during a fight.
Today a BBC spokesman said: 'This is a difficult and challenging storyline, but one which keeps with the tradition of the show for tackling difficult social issues such as domestic abuse and mental health in the past.'
He added: 'All the content on screen adheres to the BBC's editorial guidelines.'
At the weekend the BBC's drama chief Jane Tranter defended the storyline as a 'fantastically good idea'.
She said: 'The big moments in EastEnders, those iconic pieces of television history, tend to be things that are incredibly near the knuckle, and are actually quite difficult subjects to raise in the context of a family sitting room.'
People must be blind and deaf if they are not aware of any controversial storylines so they should not let their kids watch the soap if they don't want them to know about paedophiles or gang crimes etc. I personally think that watching these developments in a soap could help youngsters to identify with situations in their own lives and seek help they might not otherwise.
Viewers have hit out at what has been dubbed the most controversial story-line on the show ever, featuring a pervert's relationship with a 15-year-old girl.
On Friday viewers of the show were introduced to new character Tony, boyfriend of Bianca, who has just been released from prison.
Controversial storyline: The character of Tony King, left, will abuse his stepdaughter Whitney Dean in a new EastEnders plot
But his character, played by Chris Coghill, is shown have a romantic relationship with schoolgirl Whitney, who is the step-daughter of Bianca.
Tony has been shown kissing the girl passionately after sneaking into her bedroom while his girlfriend was in the bath on Friday night's episode.
The pair were then seen falling to the bed, implying that the couple were engaged in a sexual relationship.
The programme depicts the girl's character as a willing participant in the romance, something which has also upset some viewers.
On Monday's episode the character was back in the girl's bedroom, telling her "You look just like that same 12 year-old girl I fell in love with."
He encouraged her not to wear make up saying she looked 'incredibly beautiful without it'.
When the character of Whitney, played by 16-year-old Shona McGarty, said she felt naked without it - to which he replied: 'What's wrong with that?'
There have already been almost 70 complaints to the BBC and Ofcom and the storyline has only just been introduced on the long-running soap.
This controversy comes just a month after a knife murder on the controversial show caused 134 complaints after a dead body was shown.
That saw the death of character Jase Dyer, played by Stephen Lord, as he was set upon by a criminal gang who stabbed him.
Earlier this year BBC bosses revealed EastEnders was the most controversial show on the BBC last year, attracting 5,500 complaints from viewers.
That was more than double the number provoked by any other programme.
Viewers expressed their anger about the latest antics on the show on the BBC's message boards.
One said: 'I am totally disturbed by tonight's episode...I can barely talk. The storyline with Whitney & Tony is terrible. I am aware this type of abuse is going on in some homes but is this really the only way to get the message across.
'It is appalling that my daughters watch this just before bed. This is a family show and I think I should be able to choose how I approach/inform my children about abuse. Not via EastEnders.'
Another added: 'I too find this quite distasteful for a programme scheduled in the early evening...I watch soaps for enjoyment, not for public service messages.
'This is not enjoyable and I think has now gone too far.'
The BBC said the episodes had been incredibly carefully thought through and that the broadcaster had worked with the NSPCC on the storyline.
Copies of the script were said to have been sent to the charity, who returned them with detailed comments.
The controversy over this and last month's row is the latest in a long-line of recent complaints about episodes of the soap.
Media regulator Ofcom censured the BBC in June this year for EastEnders scenes in which a character was drugged and buried alive.
The regulator had received 116 complaints from viewers who said the scenes featuring character Max Branning were 'unsuitable' for the time when they were aired.
In February the BBC1 soap was once again found to have breached TV regulations after showing a gang attack on the Queen Vic pub.
The episode also showed a pregnant woman going into premature labour after being knocked over during a fight.
Today a BBC spokesman said: 'This is a difficult and challenging storyline, but one which keeps with the tradition of the show for tackling difficult social issues such as domestic abuse and mental health in the past.'
He added: 'All the content on screen adheres to the BBC's editorial guidelines.'
At the weekend the BBC's drama chief Jane Tranter defended the storyline as a 'fantastically good idea'.
She said: 'The big moments in EastEnders, those iconic pieces of television history, tend to be things that are incredibly near the knuckle, and are actually quite difficult subjects to raise in the context of a family sitting room.'
People must be blind and deaf if they are not aware of any controversial storylines so they should not let their kids watch the soap if they don't want them to know about paedophiles or gang crimes etc. I personally think that watching these developments in a soap could help youngsters to identify with situations in their own lives and seek help they might not otherwise.