East Enders Episodes in Ireland - Reception

Reception

The episodes were not well received by viewers or the media. The BBC and the programme makers were heavily criticised for the stereotypical way they portrayed Irish people. Viewers were angered by scenes that they felt portrayed Irish as resentful towards English, drunk, dirty, poor and rude — one scene showed a drunk man pouring beer over Pauline Fowler (later revealed to be her brother-in-law), and then demanding payment for the drink. Others were angered by the scriptwriters decision to include various farm animals in a street scene on the outskirts of Dublin, with one viewer commenting to the Daily Mirror: "It was nothing like life in the real Ireland of today. When did you last see a donkey walking along our streets? The EastEnders production team haven't got a clue about modern Irish society; they are living in the Dark Ages."

The BBC and RTÉ (the Public Service Broadcaster of Ireland) received complaints from angry Irish people all over Britain and Ireland, and it was reported that viewers "bombarded" local and national radio stations, claiming the episodes were an insult to Irish people everywhere. Callers to Radio Ulster's Talkback programme and Gerry Ryan's morning talk show on RTÉ radio, demanded that the scriptwriters be sacked. BBC contributor Mike Philpott described the show as "the worst case of stage 'Oirish' seen for a long time" and "one of the most shameful half-hour episodes in the history of British television".

The angry reaction stretched from official channels, such as the Irish Embassy, to holiday chiefs, who feared that the episodes would have a negative affect on tourist trade. The Irish Embassy in London said, " has caused a great deal of upset and annoyance in the country and with Irish people in Britain." Furthermore, they suggested that the episodes "presented a prejudiced and stereotyped view of Ireland that utterly unrecognisable." Ted Barrington, Ireland's ambassador to the UK, described the portrayal of Ireland as an "unrepresentative caricature", stating he was worried by the negative stereotypes and the images of drunkenness, backwardness and isolation. He added, "EastEnders is a powerful and very concentrated medium … People are upset at the caricature and misrepresentation of Ireland. Irish people can laugh at themselves but, the point is, this is one of the most popular programmes on British television, and it decided to present an image of Ireland that conforms to old-fashioned negative stereotypes. It selected an unrepresentative range of stereotypes. Cultural and racial stereotyping tends to create barriers between people."

Mark Mortell, the chairman of Ireland's national tourism development, Bord Fáilte, said: "I am enormously concerned that the single biggest television audience in Britain was shown a negative image of Irish hospitality … It has the potential to be enormously damaging." His colleague, John Lahiffe, added: "I am dismayed by the mischievous nature of it. We go to great efforts to promote this country, but it was in no way representative of Ireland."

Various Irish entertainers and sports personalities also went public with their opinions on the episodes. Broadcaster Gerry Kelly labelled the episodes racist, and an unmitigated disaster. The Irish actors, who were employed specifically for the storyline, were also criticised by Kelly for not speaking out against the scenes they were enacting. He accused them of selling out their heritage and denigrating their fellow-countrymen. Comic Brendan O'Carroll said, "Whoever wrote the script has obviously never been to Ireland. I'm very disappointed because EastEnders is a programme I have great respect for. It is outrageous and untrue to portray us like that. I'm disappointed the producers allowed it to be broadcast as it was." Former jockey and TV presenter Declan Murphy said, "It's wrong and disgraceful when writers portray everyone from Ireland as backward drunks. I am an Irishman and I'm proud of it, but I'm not a drunk and I'm certainly not backward and neither are my compatriots." Actor Garret Keogh, who played an "ignorant" Irish hotel owner in the EastEnders episodes, revealed: "The streets around Cabra, where I live, are hopping. I went down to get the paper and some bread and I was accosted. The script has stirred up a hell of a hornets' nest here. I'm only an actor, but I wouldn't want to do anything that would be demeaning to me, my people or my country." However, actor Dermot Morgan urged Irish people not to overreact: "I'm sure there's no great conspiracy against Irish people here. The BBC have a good track record and this would seem to be a dodgy storyline that has somehow crept through. As for being drunks, surely they must only mean on a Saturday night!"

Complaints were upheld by the British Broadcasting Standards Commission, who said "the intention was positive rather than negative but the result was clumsy and irritating". The BBC said, "EastEnders has a reputation for showing slices of life in many different ways and sometimes these are not flattering", but they admitted that the episodes were "ill-judged" and issued a public apology for causing offence and misrepresenting Irish people. Jana Bennett, the BBC's then director of production, stated on BBC1's news bulletin: "It is clear that a significant number of viewers have been upset by the recent episodes of EastEnders, and we are very sorry, because the production team and programme makers did not mean to cause any offence." A year later, in 1998, BBC chairman Christopher Bland admitted that as result of the Irish-set EastEnders episodes, the station failed in its pledge to represent all groups accurately and avoid reinforcing prejudice.