It was one of EastEnders's most powerful ever storylines: Shabnam Masood giving birth to her stillborn son Zaair in emotional scenes broadcast back in September.
Radio Times readers were full of praise for what they saw, commenting that the episodes were 'beautifully acted by all involved' and that the emotional subject matter was 'sensitively handled'.
Now, one month on, we catch up with actress Rakhee Thakrar, who reflects on the impact of the plotline and also tells us what's in store as Shabnam fights for the welfare of daughter Jade.
The reaction to the episodes in which Shabnam gave birth was massive. Was it overwhelming for you?
Definitely. 'Overwhelming' is an understatement. At the time, we were still filming some emotional aftermath scenes, so it felt a bit surreal. We all did the story with the best of intentions and we put our hearts and souls into it. But you never know how the viewers are going to react. It was, though, everything we could have hoped for. It was amazing.
Your Twitter feed was filled with people posting images of their stillborn children. It was a very moving response - but was it something you were expecting?
I was hoping for it because I knew how much of a taboo there was about this subject. People can feel uncomfortable talking about babies that have died because it sounds so unthinkable.
And, in the case of stillbirth, the baby was only ever in the mother's tummy and not out in the world for everyone to see. So people - when they're talking to bereaved parents - can be quick to brush it under the carpet and say things like, 'you'll have another one' or 'you've got another child'.
So on the evenings that the key episodes aired, I had this outpouring from parents, siblings, grandparents, aunties, uncles - loads of people getting in touch to talk about their experiences. All these viewers wanting to show that their babies have had a profound effect on their lives. So it demonstrated that there’s a clear want and need for this to be talked about. And it felt like EastEnders had given a platform to those who'd been affected.
I guess it just goes to show the power that a programme like EastEnders can have…
What I think we did really well was the episode where we saw Shabnam imploring her family to say Zaair's name. And that was all about acknowledging this little person. She was saying: don't pretend that it wasn't real. It was very real.
It was then that I started the #SayTheirName hash-tag on Twitter, which took on a life of its own, really. Parents were all supporting each other and it turned into a kind of movement. There are communities, Facebook pages and charities all working towards the same thing, but it did feel that - on the Tuesday night - everyone came together and shone a light on their babies. They were posting pictures of their babies for the first time and feeling proud. That evening was very special.
Do you think it was sensitively handled on screen?
Definitely. It was handled so sensitively. It wasn’t sensationalised and the script was really simple and true. It was one of those rare times when you see a day play out as it would in real life. And I had a lot of feedback from parents saying that what they saw Shabnam and Kush experience was exactly how they themselves felt.
I also thought that it was right for the press department to signpost the content beforehand - you had to give viewers the option not to watch. If they'd been through something similar in the past few months, then they could have found the episodes incredibly difficult to handle. But I thought the storyline was really well-thought out from every angle.
And the story will now continue as Shabnam grows increasingly concerned about the welfare of Jade, the daughter she previously gave up…
Yes, Shabnam has been left with all these maternal feelings coursing through her blood. And she has nowhere to put them. And from speaking to bereaved parents with other living children, what they told me was that - all of a sudden - they're struck with this fear that something might happen to their other son or daughter. Once your baby dies, you suddenly know what can go wrong in the world because the most devastating thing has happened. It's like a veil has been lifted. And that's what happens to Shabnam.
She sees Jade going to Dean’s house and, in that one moment, everything falls into place. Up until then, she has been avoiding that situation. A lot of women say that when your baby dies, you just see what’s important. A lot of the rubbish falls away. And, in the moment, all she can see is Jade possibly going to live with Dean, Shirley and Buster.
She believes that they won't do a good job in looking after her, especially when it comes to providing the level of care needed for a child with cystic fibrosis. Shabnam has this urge to save Jade - that’s what she feels like she’s doing.
And, of course, she is right to be wary of Dean…
Well, he's already gatecrashed Shabnam's engagement party. So he has a habit of going up against her. And I think he will again. There’s no reason why he wouldn’t. But there’s nothing fiercer and more protective than a bereaved parent - and I think he will meet his match.
Throughout all of this, Stacey is Shabnam's confidante - but will it all come out about Stacey's dalliances with Kush?
It has to! Of course it does. But I don’t want it to! It’d be lovely for Shabnam and Kush to have some happy moments, which have so far been few and far between. At the moment, they're trying to adjust to a new 'normal', but it'll take a while for them to realise that life doesn't go back to normal. But it would be nice for them to have a few glimmers of hope before it all goes wrong again.
How would she react if Kush turned out to be the father of Stacey's baby?
If that turns out to be the case, then it would be very difficult. But it would be interesting to see how she reacts. I have a feeling it won't be in the way you'd expect. As I say, since Zaair died, Shabnam's world has changed in terms of what's important. I don’t think you can get much worse than your baby dying. If that hadn't happened, then Kush being the dad would feel like the worst thing in her life. Now, her hierarchy of pain is different.
And, finally, do you now think that Shabnam has now become an archetypal EastEnders heroine - someone who faces massive adversity, manages to somehow dust themselves down and then hides her pain from those around her?
Well, we all hide our pain, don't we? It's just natural. Shabnam can't be having a breakdown in the Minute Mart every day! So it's a natural survival technique.
We'll still see moments, though, where she brings up Zaair's name and other people will change the subject. That happens a lot to bereaved parents - when they’re asked how many children they have, they’ll often omit the one that died, just to spare the other party any awkwardness.
It's really unfair because it often falls on the bereaved parent to make the situation comfortable. We, as the non-bereaved parents, need to talk about it so that we take on this burden. I think there are moments in which we can all help in those situations.
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Originally Posted by Rear window
