Honey Mitchell

Honey Mitchell (also Edwards) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Emma Barton. She made her first appearance in the show on 22 November 2005. Barton was axed from the show in April 2008, and the character left the show on 2 September 2008. Barton briefly reprised the role of Honey in 2014, appearing from 27 May to 6 June 2014; however, it was later confirmed in September 2015 that the character would be making a permanent return, and Honey returned full-time from 12 November 2015. She took a break in 2020, departing on 17 January. She returned in the episode broadcast on 24 September 2020.

Initial storylines included a relationship and marriage with Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick), coping with her daughter Janet Mitchell (Grace) having Down syndrome, being knocked down by a car before giving birth to Will Mitchell (Toby Walpole/Freddie Phillips) and her marriage breakdown and subsequent departure. Since her return, storylines have included a reconciliation with her ex-husband Billy, their daughter, Janet, being the victim of a hit and run, the breakdown of her relationship with Billy for a second time after he cheated on her with Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White), a toxic relationship with her dentist Adam Bateman (Stephen Rahman-Hughes) which ended after he had a secret affair with Habiba Ahmed (Rukku Nahar) and several other women behind her back, which leaves her with low self esteem and suffering with bulimia. Honey enters into a relationship with Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick), has a friendship with Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) in which Suki realises she is a lesbian after she develops an unrequited crush on Honey, reunites with Billy after breaking up with Jay, and supports Billy’s granddaughter Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) through her terminal brain tumour.

Actress Emma Barton was chosen to play Honey Edwards in September 2005, after a successful screen test with Perry Fenwick. Barton commented, "I can’t wait to join EastEnders and play Honey. She’s a really sweet girl, who always wants to do the best for everyone but she’s not exactly the brightest star in the sky." Barton was axed from the show in April 2008. The character is widely known as Honey, though the character's "real" name is Susan, which is sometimes used in the series.

A relationship between Honey and Billy quickly developed in late 2005 and, within two months, an upcoming baby had been written into the characters' narratives, with Honey announcing she was pregnant in January 2006. The pregnancy was the start of an ongoing storyline about Down syndrome (DS) as, in September 2006, Honey and Billy's baby Janet was diagnosed with the disorder shortly after her birth. EastEnders' producers began to work on the DS plot in February 2006. Real parents with Down's syndrome children were approached to act as consultants in the making of the storyline, meeting with writers and the actors who play Billy and Honey. On-screen, Honey was shown to be devastated, rejecting her baby and wanting to have her adopted, while Billy wanted to keep his daughter, placing strain on the couple, who married in the serial the day of Janet's birth.

The Down's Syndrome Association (DSA) worked with EastEnders on the storyline. Their medical advisers were consulted about possible health problems that Billy and Honey's baby might encounter. According to the DSA in 2006, DS people are under-represented on mainstream television and EastEnders helped to redress that imbalance. The DSA used their influence to change certain elements of the scripts that they were unhappy with, such as persuading them to change the way Billy and Honey were told of their baby's diagnosis; however, they had no influence over the characters' reactions or the plot in general. For the first two weeks after Janet's diagnosis, the DSA provided a helpline for worried parents or anyone wanting advice about DS. EastEnders also provided a link to the DSA website from theirs, to ensure that people looking for information could find the association.

The storyline was developed with characterisation in mind. Some characters, such as Peggy Mitchell, were shown to respond negatively towards the DS baby, views that were included so that the positive aspects could be voiced by the "more enlightened characters". The programme makers' main priority was to show the reality of having a child with the condition, "with all of its positives and negatives" and to "create awareness among thousands of people who know very little about Down's syndrome, who might have out-dated or prejudiced views." EastEnders took advice from DS organisations and families of DS people throughout. Care was taken to ensure that viewers empathised with Billy and Honey, to portray their journey in a "realistic way".

The DSA have expressed their desire to see a Down's syndrome character becoming a permanent member of the EastEnders cast, as in their opinion "it would be a fantastic opportunity to bring Down's syndrome into mainstream awareness, and to present a 21st century picture of family life for those who have children with the condition." In 2006, EastEnders pledged that they intended for Billy and Honey's baby to grow up as any other baby would in the soap; however, it has been noted that the plot is dependent on the actors involved, and other practical problems that could arise. EastEnders pledged to make every effort to portray "a positive image of a family who have a baby with the condition."

The episodes received criticism for inaccuracy. Sue Jacob, a teacher at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said EastEnders presented a "poor picture of midwifery practice". During Janet's birth, Honey was refused an epidural while in pain, and later she was told that her baby had Down's syndrome alone, without her partner or family there to support her. Jacob commented, "Women are vulnerable after giving birth and they need support systems in place [...] The person caring for her is repeatedly referred to as a nurse in the episode but there is no way that a nurse would be in charge after birth. The midwife would also have been open and honest and said 'We need to get the baby checked out and we will get your partner' [...] What the soaps do is set scenes which prompt people to talk about things which are affecting their lives. We are concerned people will wrongly think this Down's syndrome story shows what really happens, and that if you have a problem there is no one there to support you. Showing something like this is not helpful." Furthermore, Jacob noted that Honey was left alone for a long time to worry about the baby, which appeared rigid, and not floppy, as Down's syndrome babies do. In Jacob's opinion, a midwife would have been repeatedly in and out of the room to check on the mother. Additionally, one episode showed a health visitor reprimanding Honey for refusing Down's syndrome screening and Karen Reay, director of the Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association called the episode "insensitive and patronising". She added that the episode contained "glaring anomalies", giving new mothers a "fictitious and misleading" view of health visitors, which could "damage relationships with health professionals".