Power of Public Perception

Last night I happened across the deneaumont of the hugely controversial Eastenders storyline which saw Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack) snatch Kat Moon’s (Jesse Metcalf’s) baby following the tragic death of her own son. The Christmas storyline created unprecedented uproar amongst the British chattering classes, as the BBC were accused of sensationalising a truly terrible situation for the benefit of viewing ratings, and Samantha Womack’s career was left in jeopardy as she was victimised by the public for apparently willingly playing out the storyline.

What soon became apparent however was that the power of public perception was enough to shift carefully considered scripting, and even the legal implications of a presumably water-tight work contract. What is sure is that the hour-long special last night was not that originally drafted by BBC script-writers at conception of the plot.

In the same way then has public perception shifted against NOTW – apparently following the revelation that the answerphone of a young, murdered girl had been targeted in a phone – hacking incident. Never mind the fact that the same brand had been under serious police investigation for the same crime for more than several years (to the apparent oblivion of much of the UK).

It seems clear that once the swell of public perception has been stirred and turned, it is a most dangerous phenomenon. I for one certainly wouldn’t want to be the object of animosity crushed in its wake.