Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner)

[maidmarian]

I don't think the baby will be revealed to be Kush's. A Slater-Fowler baby carries a lot of legacy. If Kush were the father, then it doesn't add anything; the father is a relative nobody in terms of the history of the show, just like Lily's was. To make the same woman pregnant on screen twice, the second time has to add something.

Stacey would become public enemy number one if Kush was the father, considering what has happened to Shabnam. I don't think DTC would want that for her.

Well -it doesnt have to become public knowledge.
I was thinking more of Staceys feelings.
They like to give her lots of angst. There must
be a reason why she seems to be changing
towards Martin and hes become so ....hopeless?

A small point Fowler/Beales have been in square
for decades -before Programme started.
Slaters are relative new-comers?!

[storyseeker1]

I don't think the baby will be revealed to be Kush's. A Slater-Fowler baby carries a lot of legacy. If Kush were the father, then it doesn't add anything; the father is a relative nobody in terms of the history of the show, just like Lily's was. To make the same woman pregnant on screen twice, the second time has to add something.

Stacey would become public enemy number one if Kush was the father, considering what has happened to Shabnam. I don't think DTC would want that for her.

Apart from a lot of angst. Can you imagine what it will do to Shabs if she finds out if Stacey's having Kush's baby, now that her own has died?

[Kim]

Well -it doesnt have to become public knowledge.
I was thinking more of Staceys feelings.
They like to give her lots of angst. There must
be a reason why she seems to be changing
towards Martin and hes become so ....hopeless?

A small point Fowler/Beales have been in square
for decades -before Programme started.
Slaters are relative new-comers?!

Slaters are relative newcomers compared to the Beales/Fowlers but they have been there for 15 years, so some history in their own right. Certainly of some importance and a lot more than the likes of Kush and Ryan.

I have rarely watched the show of late as DTC lost his shine for me after a few months. I feel like he is doing more harm than good these days. I don't know where he's going with Martin, perhaps he doesn't even know. Stories don't seem as well planned out as they once were. I certainly hope that Stacey's baby isn't Kush's. Nothing stays secret in Albert Square and whether it's public knowledge or not, it's more character assassination by DTC if it does happen. If it did happen, I could see it being reduced (along with the associated stillbirth) as plot devices for Shabnam to suddenly want a relationship with Jade.

[maidmarian]

Slaters are relative newcomers compared to the Beales/Fowlers but they have been there for 15 years, so some history in their own right. Certainly of some importance and a lot more than the likes of Kush and Ryan.

I have rarely watched the show of late as DTC lost his shine for me after a few months. I feel like he is doing more harm than good these days. I don't know where he's going with Martin, perhaps he doesn't even know. Stories don't seem as well planned out as they once were. I certainly hope that Stacey's baby isn't Kush's. Nothing stays secret in Albert Square and whether it's public knowledge or not, it's more character assassination by DTC if it does happen. If it did happen, I could see it being reduced (along with the associated stillbirth) as plot devices for Shabnam to suddenly want a relationship with Jade.

Im not advocating that the baby should be
Kushs -just suggesting that based on recent
events and characters behaviour -it will
quite possibly be so.!

I agree with your points about lack of story
planning and changes in characters personalities.
Usually done for dramatic effect and/or
exit stories and affect all Soaps to.some
extent.I agree that it would "spoil" some
characters and have unpleasant/ tragic
reperrcussions

It would be great if we had a happy relationship
between Stacey & Martin but doesnt look
like it will end that. Apart from some of her
time with Bradley -dont think.Stacey has had
much happiness-but thats the role they write
for her?!

We cant be sure that she has had sexual
intercourse with Kush yet. But if she did
- then the usual result of a"one-night
stand" in Soapland is a ....baby!!
Probably suitable paternity and heritage
dont have much hope against that tradition!

[maidmarian]

dupl

[Dazzle]

Stacey's slip up in Friday's episode (where she nearly said "my baby" to Martin) was the kind of thing that's done for a reason in soaps (indeed in all dramas). So all indications at the moment are that there's a lot more to come in this storyline.

The only thing going against the theory we've been discussing is we've never been given any direct indication she and Kush slept together, and Stacey didn't appear to be at all worried about the baby's parentage when she discovered the pregnancy. Obviously, both of these omissions can be explained by there being no possibility Kush is the father - or the writers deliberately misleading us.

Kim's right that a Fowler/Slater baby would be preferable for the show's future, so I'm hoping that if this theory is correct it'll turn out to be Martin's baby anyway. However, the truth is that any child of Stacey Slater is an important future character.

According to the following article, Shabnam and Kush are about to implode so I think it's likely Stacey will start hankering after him again.

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-...t-and-run-away

Martin being the father and a long term
relationship with Stacey would be the
"happy Ending"

I'm still hoping that's the most likely eventual outcome of this storyline, even if I'm proved correct that Stacey currently considers Kush the biological father of her child.

[Kim]

I saw a "my baby" comment on Monday and while I haven't seen Friday's episode, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. "My baby" seems to be the kind of thing that some women come out with because they are the ones carrying said baby for nine months. Especially when they're not in a committed relationship. Stacey and Martin seem to me to be trying to make it work for the sake of the child rather than actually wanting to be together (especially from Stacey's side; Martin was after her from the off.) Unfortunately, the child can end up being used as a weapon when the two sides disagree.

My take was that Stacey wasn't impressed with how Martin had handled her bipolar previously, so rather than get annoyed at him, she thought she'd try to keep bipolar out of the equation. That meant having to decide about her meds alone.

[Dazzle]

The slip up I was referring to happened on Friday when Stacey hastily corrected herself. I'd already noticed her calling the baby "my baby" and thought little of it (because of her vacillating feelings towards Martin), but Friday's slip further raised my suspicions after her enigmatic "have you ever done the wrong thing for the right reason?" to Ronnie. (Anyone have any idea what else Stacey could have meant by this?)

When we first found out Stacey was pregnant, lots of us jumped to the conclusion it could be Kush's child (just take a look back on this very thread). However, Stacey never gave any indication it could be his so that train of thought quickly died a death.

No doubt we'll soon find out if I'm on the right track now Shabnam and Kush's relationship is in trouble. As I said, I hope I'm wrong because I'd like the baby to be Martin's and don't want the love triangle to rear its ugly head again...

[tammyy2j]

I don't think the baby will be revealed to be Kush's. A Slater-Fowler baby carries a lot of legacy. If Kush were the father, then it doesn't add anything; the father is a relative nobody in terms of the history of the show, just like Lily's was. To make the same woman pregnant on screen twice, the second time has to add something.

Stacey would become public enemy number one if Kush was the father, considering what has happened to Shabnam. I don't think DTC would want that for her.

I am losing faith in DTC after his turnaround on Dean, trying to get sympathy for a rapist

I hope Stacey didn't sleep with Kush and that he isn't her baby's father

[Perdita]

EastEnders boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins has started the rumour mill on Stacey Branning's (Lacey Turner) baby.

The executive producer hinted that the father of the unborn child might not be who viewers have assumed it is, her boyfriend Martin Fowler (James Bye).

Stacey tells Martin she is thinking of coming off her medication
© BBC
Stacey (Lacey Turner) and Martin (James Bye) in EastEnders

Treadwell-Collins teased the potential twist when asked by The Sun's TV Soap supplement about how the friendship between Stacey and Shabnam (Rakhee Thakrar) might change.

"The first story for us is how it puts a strain on your friendship if your best friend is pregnant and you've lost a baby, which I think is a very real story," he outlined.

"Underneath that, you have also got the audience starting to realise that the baby may not be Martin's."

Stacey and Kush kiss
© BBC
Stacey and Kush kiss

The EastEnders boss could well have been hinting towards Stacey perhaps sleeping with Shabnam's fiancee Kush (Davood Ghadami) off-screen, given they've previously shared a kiss.

Last week, viewers saw Shabnam have a change of heart over her daughter Jade.