An ‘EastEnders’ writer has taken to Twitter to defend one of his episodes, which included a scene that saw racist graffiti found on a sign outside the Queen Vic.
Leo Richardson penned Tuesday’s (21 February) episode, in one which storyline strand saw the mood turn sour at the pub, as Mick Carter’s Polish night advertisement was sprayed over by vandals with the words ‘Poles go home’.
Konrad, the recently introduced Polish character, wasn’t shocked, telling Mick: “It’s the Britain we live in now.”
However while some viewers praised the soap for tackling the topic of racism, a number weren’t too happy, with some even accusing the BBC of making “post-Brexit propaganda”.
In the wake of the criticism, Leo was quick to defend himself, and the episode’s content, replying to a number of Twitter users:
This is far from the first time that soaps have triggered debates, and ever since they began airing, shows including ‘EastEnders’, ‘Coronation Street’ and ‘Emmerdale’ have been both praised and criticised for their depictions of real-life issues.
In the last 12 months alone, we’ve been presented with many storylines that will resonate with viewers, and topics covered carefully include male depression, stillbirth and postpartum psychosis.
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