Recent from talks
EastEnders episodes in Ireland
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
EastEnders episodes in Ireland
In 1997, the BBC soap opera EastEnders broadcast three singular transmissions that were filmed on location in Dublin, Ireland. The episodes involved the Fowler and Beale family travelling from London to Ireland to meet their long-lost relatives. The episodes were badly received by viewers and heavily criticised in the media. The BBC was inundated with complaints from angry viewers from Ireland for negative stereotyping, portraying Irish people as "dirty, rude, and drunk". Complaints were made by the Irish Embassy and there were fears that the episodes would have a negative effect on the Irish tourist trade. The BBC was forced to issue an apology for causing offence.
In 1997, EastEnders aired a storyline in which the character Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) discovers that she has a long-lost sister, Maggie Flaherty (Olivia Shanley). In the storyline, Pauline's now-deceased mother Lou Beale had given Maggie up for adoption shortly after her birth, as she was born out of wedlock. Maggie is first said to be the result of an illicit affair Lou had with an Irishman 60 years earlier, but although Maggie is initially thought to be Pauline's half-sister, it later transpires that they share the same father too; Maggie was only the result of pre-marital sex between Lou and her husband-to-be, Albert Beale.
Pauline and various members of the Fowler and Beale family travel to Ireland to reunite with their long-lost relatives in a special week of episodes. The episodes were filmed on location in the countryside around County Dublin, away from the soap's typical filming location in Borehamwood, England. They were filmed over a period of two weeks in July and August 1997, and were broadcast on 22, 23 and 25 September 1997. In the three episodes, Pauline is accompanied by her sons Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) and Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou), Mark's wife Ruth Fowler (Caroline Paterson), nephew Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and his daughter Lucy Beale (Casey Anne Rothery). Speaking about their trip to Dublin, actress Wendy Richard who played Pauline said "It's nice to be in Dublin for a change. It's not like London at all, where they take you a little bit for granted", and Todd Carty, who played her screen son Mark, said "It's also really nice to get out of Albert Square for a while to do something different."
A number of Irish actors were cast as Pauline's long-lost relatives, many of whom were starring in their first prominent television role. They included Maggie Flaherty, played by Olivia Shanley, son Conor (Sean Gleeson) and his headstrong daughter Mary (Melanie Clark Pullen). For the latter two characters, Conor and Mary, the Ireland episodes were only the beginning of their stint in EastEnders. Both characters remained in the serial as regulars, moving back to the soap's setting in Albert Square to be with the new-found family. They remained on-screen for two years. At the time of filming the Ireland episodes, Gleeson, from Thurles, County Tipperary, said, "The EastEnders cast are all really nice people", and Shanley said, "I've always been a big fan of EastEnders and to tell the truth I was a bit star struck [...] But they made us all feel very much at ease." Clark Pullen added, "I was expecting the cast to be luvvies but they were all brilliant – real grafters and totally down to earth. They were all very supportive as well and made me feel right at home. I was pretty starstruck [...] Wendy Richard who plays Pauline Fowler was great – she is the most wonderful woman and she quietly gave me advice on how to cope with the sudden fame and attention." They were also joined by a host of other characters, including Maggie's husband Sean (Pat Laffan), second son Eamonn (Maurice O'Donoghue), Eamonn's wife Brenda (Janet Behan) and daughter Colette (Shiona Redmond).
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 effect on tourist trade. The Irish Embassy in London said, "[EastEnders] has caused a great deal of upset and annoyance in the country [Ireland] and with Irish people in Britain." Furthermore, they suggested that the episodes "presented a prejudiced and stereotyped view of Ireland that [was] 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."
Hub AI
EastEnders episodes in Ireland AI simulator
(@EastEnders episodes in Ireland_simulator)
EastEnders episodes in Ireland
In 1997, the BBC soap opera EastEnders broadcast three singular transmissions that were filmed on location in Dublin, Ireland. The episodes involved the Fowler and Beale family travelling from London to Ireland to meet their long-lost relatives. The episodes were badly received by viewers and heavily criticised in the media. The BBC was inundated with complaints from angry viewers from Ireland for negative stereotyping, portraying Irish people as "dirty, rude, and drunk". Complaints were made by the Irish Embassy and there were fears that the episodes would have a negative effect on the Irish tourist trade. The BBC was forced to issue an apology for causing offence.
In 1997, EastEnders aired a storyline in which the character Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) discovers that she has a long-lost sister, Maggie Flaherty (Olivia Shanley). In the storyline, Pauline's now-deceased mother Lou Beale had given Maggie up for adoption shortly after her birth, as she was born out of wedlock. Maggie is first said to be the result of an illicit affair Lou had with an Irishman 60 years earlier, but although Maggie is initially thought to be Pauline's half-sister, it later transpires that they share the same father too; Maggie was only the result of pre-marital sex between Lou and her husband-to-be, Albert Beale.
Pauline and various members of the Fowler and Beale family travel to Ireland to reunite with their long-lost relatives in a special week of episodes. The episodes were filmed on location in the countryside around County Dublin, away from the soap's typical filming location in Borehamwood, England. They were filmed over a period of two weeks in July and August 1997, and were broadcast on 22, 23 and 25 September 1997. In the three episodes, Pauline is accompanied by her sons Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) and Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou), Mark's wife Ruth Fowler (Caroline Paterson), nephew Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and his daughter Lucy Beale (Casey Anne Rothery). Speaking about their trip to Dublin, actress Wendy Richard who played Pauline said "It's nice to be in Dublin for a change. It's not like London at all, where they take you a little bit for granted", and Todd Carty, who played her screen son Mark, said "It's also really nice to get out of Albert Square for a while to do something different."
A number of Irish actors were cast as Pauline's long-lost relatives, many of whom were starring in their first prominent television role. They included Maggie Flaherty, played by Olivia Shanley, son Conor (Sean Gleeson) and his headstrong daughter Mary (Melanie Clark Pullen). For the latter two characters, Conor and Mary, the Ireland episodes were only the beginning of their stint in EastEnders. Both characters remained in the serial as regulars, moving back to the soap's setting in Albert Square to be with the new-found family. They remained on-screen for two years. At the time of filming the Ireland episodes, Gleeson, from Thurles, County Tipperary, said, "The EastEnders cast are all really nice people", and Shanley said, "I've always been a big fan of EastEnders and to tell the truth I was a bit star struck [...] But they made us all feel very much at ease." Clark Pullen added, "I was expecting the cast to be luvvies but they were all brilliant – real grafters and totally down to earth. They were all very supportive as well and made me feel right at home. I was pretty starstruck [...] Wendy Richard who plays Pauline Fowler was great – she is the most wonderful woman and she quietly gave me advice on how to cope with the sudden fame and attention." They were also joined by a host of other characters, including Maggie's husband Sean (Pat Laffan), second son Eamonn (Maurice O'Donoghue), Eamonn's wife Brenda (Janet Behan) and daughter Colette (Shiona Redmond).
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 effect on tourist trade. The Irish Embassy in London said, "[EastEnders] has caused a great deal of upset and annoyance in the country [Ireland] and with Irish people in Britain." Furthermore, they suggested that the episodes "presented a prejudiced and stereotyped view of Ireland that [was] 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."