There was a time when the British Press called for EastEnders to be cancelled

EastEnders has been tackling tough subjects since its very first episode over 36 years ago, but just as one controversial storyline comes to an end, another is always bubbling away waiting to make an impact.

We wanted to look at a storyline that shook the country, for all the right reasons!

Lets head back to 1980's, and it's difficult to think of the legendary Dot Cotton being homophobic, but this was at a time when as recently as the 1990s men were convicted of a criminal offence for no more than kissing another man in public.

EastEnders was the first UK soap to ever show a kiss between two men, and it received outrage by much of the British public.

BBC

The scene was a simple kiss on the lips between two men who loved each other, the storyline was picked up by the right-wing press who reacted with fury and began a smear campaign.

You can see from the paper clipping below, a piece by Piers Morgan in The Sun calling for the show to be axed, something he has since apologised for, but please be warned the language used in the article can be distressing:

The Sun

Thankfully the storyline helped to educated viewers and we eventually see Barry and Colin become life-long friends of Mrs Branning. Gay activists at the time praised EastEnders for being brave in tackling the subject of same-sex couples.

Actor Michael Cashman who played Colin said: "This was a flagship BBC show, the most popular series in the country, and Colin and Barry were there day in, day out. The relationship wasn't sensationalised, and the public devoured it."

The soap has continued to bring hard-hitting subjects to the forefront, and as a result it's helping make an impact in the world we live in today.

Is there a storyline you can think of that helped change your perception about a particular subject?

EastEnders airs weeknights on BBC One.