Reception
Andy Bell, of the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, criticised TV and films for portraying schizophrenia patients as a stereotype of a person who is in a hopeless situation, but said EastEnders "broke the mould", saying "It was an excellent storyline, and, importantly for us, was very well-handled."
The storyline prompted thousands of calls from sufferers and their families to the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, who said that the story broke society's taboo on talking about the illness and praised the sensitive way in which the illness was portrayed. The fellowship said the story did more to break the stigma attached to schizophrenia than any number of worthy media appeals. The fellowship's chief executive Bharat Mehta, said that EastEnders helped to destroy the myths that schizophrenia meant that a person had a split personality and that the illness was likely to make them violent.
Matthew Bayliss of The Guardian said that Joe's schizophrenia earnt EastEnders much acclaim because he was David's son and Pat's grandson: "His illness affected people we knew and cared about, so its key scenes were charged with emotion." Nicholls' role as Joe saw him nominated 'Most Popular Newcomer' in the 1996 National Television Awards, and 'Most Popular Actor' the following year.
The character's exit from the soap was viewed by 22 million people.
Read more about this topic: Joe Wicks
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