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EastEnders writer defends 'Poles Go Home' story

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

From Digital Spy

The writer behind Tuesday night's (February 21) EastEnders has defended the soap as "brave" and "relevant" – after one story during the episode tackled the issues of racism and xenophobia in the UK head-on.

The message "Poles Go Home" was scrawled on the front of the Queen Vic in graffiti after the recent Polish-themed night took place at the pub.

Mick Carter (played by Danny Dyer) was shocked by the incident and new Polish character Konrad (Piotr Baumann) said it's "the Britain we live in now".

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

While some fans praised the show for being topical...

Others were annoyed EastEnders was promoting a Brexit-themed storyline...

And a few even accused the BBC of having an anti-Brexit agenda...

Leo Richardson – the writer of Tuesday's episode – came to the defence of the show on Twitter, responding to one viewer who wanted him "sacked" for politicising a "supposedly apolitical soap".

"So are you saying that racism doesn't exist? And that this isn't a very real problem in Britain today?" Richardson asked the viewer.

"What you saw on screen was a fictional character expressing his own belief. The side of a under represented group of people, I might add.

"This troll. Criticising the show I work on because it did a story about the very real racism Polish people have experienced post-Brexit."

When a second EastEnders fan said "acknowledging racism should never be seen as a political move", Richardson agreed and also echoed another viewer's point that it was "brave and relevant to highlight the issue, soaps are meant to represent what is currently happening in society".

EastEnders continues this Thursday (February 23) at 7.30pm on BBC One.


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