EastEnders episodes in Ireland

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.[3] 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."[4]

A number of Irish actors were cast as Pauline's long-lost relatives, many of whom were starring in their first prominent television role.[4] They included Maggie Flaherty, played by Olivia Shanley, son Conor (Sean Gleeson) and his headstrong daughter Mary (Melanie Clark Pullen).[5] 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."[4] 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."[6] 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).[4]

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.[7] 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.[7] 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."[2][7]

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.[7][8] 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".[8]

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.[8][9] 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."[7] 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."[10]

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."[7][8] 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."[7]

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.[11] 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.[11] 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."[7] However, actor Dermot Morgan urged Irish people not to over-react: "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!"[7][12]

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".[9] The BBC said, "EastEnders has a reputation for showing slices of life in many different ways and sometimes these are not flattering",[7] but they admitted that the episodes were "ill-judged" and issued a public apology for causing offence and misrepresenting Irish people.[9][12] 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.[13]

• Kat & Alfie: Redwater

• Free, Marcus (2001). "From the 'Other' Island to the One with 'No West Side': The Irish in British Soap and Sitcom". Irish Studies Review. 9 (2): 215–220. doi:10.1080/09670880120062786.