[Archive 2011-01-09] BBC receives 8,400 complaints over 'EastEnders' cot death story

Historical archive — originally published 2011-01-09. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Some 8,400 complaints have been made to the BBC and 374 complaints have been received by Ofcom, a British media regulator, after soap opera EastEnders broadcasted what BBC News Online described as the "cot death storyline".

The storyline involves character Ronnie Branning – portrayed by Samantha Womack – taking her baby, who experienced sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and exchanging for another living baby, Alfie and Kat Moon's recently born son. The plot has caused the largest number of complaints to be made about the show since it was first broadcast in 1985.

Campaigners attempting to raise awareness of SIDS criticised the plot. Anne Diamond, a television presenter and one of those campaigners, remarked that the exchange of the babies was a "crass twist to an otherwise credible storyline" and said that not "one iota of good in educating a young audience about cot death" had been achieved by it.

Due to the complaints received, the BBC have made the decision to end this storyline earlier than originally scheduled, during the spring of 2011. Bryan Kirkwood, the current executive producer of EastEnders, has disclosed that, at the end of this storyline, the baby, named Tommy, will remeet Kat Moon, his mother.

Kirkwood said that this storyline, like many others in the BBC One programme, approaches "social issues in a powerful and dramatic way". He also explained: "Although we have had complaints we have also had positive responses from people who have been through the experiences we are currently dramatising who feel we've done this and have contacted us to offer their backing.

In response to the Mumsnet letter, Jana Bennett, director of vision at the BBC, stated that this plot was managed in a manner that was "sensitively handled". She stressed that "[t]he show is absolutely not suggesting that this behaviour is typical of a mother who has suffered such a terrible and tragic loss.

On Thursday, Samantha Womack denied that this storyline was the reason for her leaving the programme. She has mentioned that her departure had already been arranged with producers of the programme for a few months.

Before this incident occurred, the record for the highest number of complaints for EastEnders was a storyline in April 2009 that involved Danielle Jones being killed as the result of a car collision. That storyline received in excess of 7,000 complaints.

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