EastEnders' Obsession with Trauma: Ben and Callum (Guest Article)

Many thanks to James C for the guest article:

It's no secret that dramatic and heartbreaking storylines are the ones that win awards, but over the last decade soaps have well and truly moved away from the kitchen sink drama's they once were.

Today I want to voice my concern over something that has been irritating me about my favourite soap for some time.  

A few years ago there was a mass axing of characters, many of which represented the LGBTQ+ community, but thankfully we had the return of Ben Mitchell to look forward to, this time played by Max Bowden.

It wasn't long before viewers were introduced to Callum Highway (Tony Clay) and a love story was born. But like many soaps, this love story was going to be full of obstacles.

So what am I complaining about I hear you say . . . Well, as a gay man I have longed for a gay couple in a soap that felt authentic, and while I adore Ben and Callum as characters, and of course Max and Tony as actors, I dislike how writers have thrown every possible tragic event at them.

Now this is just my personal opinion, but it's starting to feel like the writers are looking at a list of troubles the LGBTQ+ community go through and have decided to throw them all at this one couple, like some sort of check list.

Think back, Callum was a closeted homosexual (tick), Ben has experienced numerous gay hate attacks (tick), one of which left his boyfriend dead (tick).

Then there was the homophobic family members (tick), although Phil's reaction felt the most natural. While he took a while to come to terms with his son's sexuality, Stuart's character went from being disgusted and even threatening to Ben, to accepting them as a couple almost within a couple of episodes.

Then we have the moment Ben and Callum openly discussed a possible threesome. Would you have seen that with any of the other couples on the show? It felt like sloppy writing.

I want nothing more than to see a couple on a soap who just happen to be gay and not be the sole purpose of their existence on the show.

I heard a rumour some time ago about the male rape storyline, although the victim was unknown. I was initially glad the soap was tackling the subject, but when I discovered it was Ben I was left torn over the whole thing.

How much trauma can one person be subjected to, and what does their future look like once you have thrown everything at them?

Although I want EastEnders to keep highlighting important subjects, I think the writers need to be a lot less sloppy when it comes to storylines. I see hundreds of comments every week from viewers who are desperate to see just one happy couple.

 

Don't get me twisted, I am not bashing EastEnders as a soap, I am simply airing my frustrations with how they have approached this. Like many of you I am hoping Ben and Callum can survive what's coming their way. I hope the couple remain on our screens for years to come.

All these views are my own, let me know what you think.

If you would like your article published, drop us a message on our socials.