EastEnders: Knife crime episode of cleaning soap praised via audience

EastEnders: Knife crime episode of soap praised by viewers

Image caption Bonnie Langford, right, plays Shakil's mother Carmel, with Davood Ghadami as his brother Kush

EastEnders has been praised after parents of young knife crime victims told their stories on a special episode of the BBC One soap.

They addressed the camera during Friday night's episode, which centred on the funeral of fictional character Shakil Kazemi.

Shakil was stabbed to death by a gang in an episode shown in May.

Viewers said they were in tears watching the episode, which has also been praised by critics.

It concluded with the families of the real-life victims standing outside the church, holding up pictures of their loved ones, as the coffin was carried past to the sound of Abide With Me.

The victims' names were shown as part of the episode's credits.

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• Mark Easton: No easy answers to gun and knife crime
• What's it like to be stabbed?

'Relevant and powerful'

The relatives taking part in the episode included George Kinsella, father of stabbing victim Ben Kinsella, whose sister Brooke is a former EastEnders actress.

Ben, 16, was stabbed 11 times after a night out with friends in 2008.

Brooke, who played Kelly Taylor in the soap, has become an anti-knife crime campaigner and has advised on the long-running storyline.

Image caption Shakil had been a character on the soap since 2016

It saw Shakil, played by Shaheen Jafargholi, stabbed in a knife attack after his friend Keegan Baker stole a bike.

Following the episode, Brooke thanked people for their support and "for the love of our lost loved ones".

Skip Twitter post by @brookekinsella

Thank you so much for all your beautiful words of support after tonight’s episode. I have read every one. Thank you for the love for our lost loved ones. From the bottom of my heart thank you @bbceastenders and your entire cast for your bravery and dedication to this storyline 💔

— Brooke Kinsella MBE (@brookekinsella) July 6, 2018

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End of Twitter post by @brookekinsella

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Michael Hogan said it was "popular television at its most relevant and powerful".

"The drama was stripped back and restrained, rightfully allowing reality to take the focus," he said.

Image caption Carmel was shown being comforted as she left the church

He praised both Strictly's Davood Ghadami, who played Shakil's brother Kush, and Bonnie Langford, who played his mother Carmel - saying the former was "unshowily excellent" and the latter "downright devastating".

It was, he wrote, "a triumphant tribute to lives lost senselessly and a plea for sanity to be restored".

'Undeniably difficult'

In Digital Spy, Sophie Dainty said the scenes may have been an EastEnders first - but that they were also "some of the most emotional in the soap's history".

She wrote that it was "an undeniably difficult watch", especially where the actors and victims' families shared the screen.

Image caption Zack Morris, who plays Keegan Baker, with Shakil's friends

"This was a tear-jerking, traumatic reminder that knife crime is happening everywhere, in different ways, to different people - and that this is far, far more than a soap story," she said.

Davood said on Twitter that he was "so grateful" for the "bravery and strength" of the contributors.

Skip Twitter post by @DavoodGhadami

Cant tell you how grateful we are to the special contributors involved in tonights episode of #EastEnders ... their openness, bravery and strength astounded me. Thank you.

— Davood Ghadami (@DavoodGhadami) July 6, 2018

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End of Twitter post by @DavoodGhadami

Hollyoaks actor Gregory Finnegan was among those praising EastEnders for "tackling an extremely difficult and emotive issue" in such an innovative way.

Skip Twitter post by @GregorTheFinn

Just watched the incredibly moving special episode of @bbceastenders - hats off for tackling an extremely difficult & emotive issue in innovative way. Hope it helps get such an important message across Gx

— Gregory Finnegan (@GregorTheFinn) July 6, 2018

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End of Twitter post by @GregorTheFinn

People who had lost loved ones to knife crime also commented, with one saying it had been handled "absolutely perfectly".

Skip Twitter post by @themodernboho73

Thank you so much for this amazing episode. As someone who lost her brother to knife crime this was handled absolutely perfectly and my heart goes out to the real families that took part. Lots of love to you all ❤️

— themodernboho73 (@themodernboho73) July 6, 2018

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End of Twitter post by @themodernboho73

Viewer Brian Welsh said it was "truly one of the most moving, poignant episodes of a drama ever on British TV".

Skip Twitter post by @bdwelsh68

Truly one of the most moving poignant episodes of a drama ever on British TV. @bbceastenders must be applauded for this historical episode. #EastEnders #BBCEastenders #BBC #KnifeCrime

— Brian Welsh (@bdwelsh68) July 6, 2018

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End of Twitter post by @bdwelsh68

Many others said it had left them in tears, applauding EastEnders for highlighting the issue.

Skip Twitter post by @Jesseleanor

Oh my goodness, tears rolling down my face during that incredible episode, bravo #eastenders for addressing such a tragic issue.

— Jess (@Jesseleanor) July 6, 2018

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End of Twitter post by @Jesseleanor

The special episode came at a time of growing concern over knife crime.

There were 70 murders in the capital between January and June, according to Metropolitan Police data.

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Original Article

Entertainment

February 01, 2019