'Emmerdale' boss teases Aaron's future, confirms trial

Emmerdale's series producer Stuart Blackburn has confirmed that there is a "long journey" ahead for show regular Aaron Livesy in the aftermath of his boyfriend Jackson Walsh's death.

Last week, viewers saw Jackson end his life by drinking a concoction of drugs which were given to him by Aaron (Danny Miller). Jackson had told his loved ones that he no longer wished to continue living with his spinal cord injury, which left him paralysed from the neck down.

Aaron begins to face the consequences of his actions in next week's episodes as he is charged with murder. Jackson's mother Hazel, who was also involved in the incident, is released without charge.

Discussing Aaron's future on This Morning today, Blackburn explained: "There will be a trial. It's going to be a long, long journey for Aaron. We're storylining now right up until October, November - and he's still trying to come to terms with what he's done.

"These are actions that he's taken that he's going to have a lot of remorse and regret about. And the real trial is among the village - people like Chas and Paddy who are having to step up to the mark and the after-effects of this. So there's a long way to go."

Emmerdale's assisted suicide storyline sparked a handful of complaints to the broadcasting regulator Ofcom, while spinal injuries charity Aspire branded the plot "negative, unrealistic and pretty inaccurate". Others, however, have praised the way the conclusion to Jackson's story was handled on screen.

Discussing the reaction, Blackburn commented: "All I can say from my point of view is that it's been brilliant. The one thing we knew we wanted was debate - and that's what we've got. There have been some complaints and some people aren't happy with the way we told it, and we understood that and appreciated it. But I think overall, it's gone down incredibly well and we're now sitting here having an adult debate about the issues it raised."

He continued: "I don't want to go out to offend, and we tried at every level to be as sensitive as we possibly could - and I think we achieved that."

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View below Stuart Blackburn discussing the story and viewers reaction on ITV's 'This Morning' show.

'EastEnders' Ronnie, Kat plot climax revealed?

EastEnders character Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) will reportedly forgive Ronnie Branning for swapping their babies.

The Queen Vic landlady will initially become even angrier with Ronnie (Samantha Womack) and plan to get revenge. However, she changes her mind, screaming, "I forgive you" at Ronnie during her trial.

"Kat felt Ronnie had destroyed her life and even with Tommy back things would never be the same again," a source told the News of the World. "But the one thing she can relate to is the feeling of losing a child, and she comes to realise just how desperate Ronnie was when she did what she did.

"As far as Kat's concerned they can lock Ronnie up and throw away the key. The conversation that changes all that isn't one to miss.

"In the end she doesn't think jail will achieve anything and makes her feelings clear in the court. But will it do any good?"

April's conclusion to the actual swap was "soft and emotional" following controversy over the storyline.

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View below the powerful, emotional and dramatic moments when Ronnie finds her baby dead, and when - months later - she gives Kat her 'dead' baby back.

'EastEnders' Dot is Christian role model, says BBC

BBC One controller Danny Cohen has claimed that EastEnders' Dot Branning (June Brown) is a Christian role model.

Cohen said that the chain-smoker, who is better known as Dot Cotton before she re-married, is an example of a Christian living out her faith in a "day to day way".

The BBC One boss made the remarks after being challenged to provide instances of ordinary believers on television who were not "freaks, geeks or antiques".

Cohen told delegates attending this year's Church and Media conference on Tuesday: "She is a single example of someone who lives out her faith on television in a charitable way."

However, the controller's case study did not go down well with some faith leaders and broadcasters.

Afterwards the Rev Hayley Matthews, chaplain for MediaCity UK, the new Salford base for BBC North, said: "I don't think Dot Cotton is very representative of Christians. I think a lot of people would be offended by that."

Matthew Adcock, from the London School of Theology, commented that although Cotton was portrayed as a Christian she did not represent the country's "growing younger demographic".

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View below a clip of Dot being very un-Christian, depending on your point of view!

'EastEnders' Confirms Nicola Stapleton Return

EastEnders bosses have confirmed that Nicola Stapleton is reprising her role as Mandy Salter after 17 years away from Albert Square.

The residents of Walford are in for a shock when the tearaway makes a surprise return to the area later this year, stirring up trouble as she did during her teenage years in the '90s.

Viewers last saw Mandy in 1994 when she fled from the Square suddenly, heartbroken after her boyfriend Aidan had returned to Ireland.

As Mandy settles back into Walford life, fans will see that she has grown up slightly during her time away, but she remains fun, chaotic and wild.

Billed as a "manipulative force of nature", Mandy also has a spiteful streak and she is already being tipped to cause trouble for at least one of Walford's well-known residents.

Speaking of her EastEnders return, Stapleton commented: "I'm looking forward to playing Mandy again - it will be interesting to see what she's been up to all this time. I'm excited to be coming back and working with some old friends."

Since departing EastEnders, Stapleton has made appearances in Emmerdale, Hollyoaks Later and Bad Girls among other shows.

EastEnders fans will see Mandy's comeback scenes in the autumn.

See her as she originally appeared in a scene from 1994.

'Emmerdale' Jackson Plot Complaints Assessed By Ofcom

Ofcom is to assess complaints about Emmerdale's assisted suicide storyline after receiving overnight complaints.

Last night's episode of the ITV1 soap saw tetraplegic Jackson Walsh (Marc Silcock) take his own life after drinking a concoction of drugs, given to him by boyfriend Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller). A tetraplegic is somebody who has suffered a spinal cord injury and has then lost control of arms and legs.

The media regulator has received a handful of complaints about the controversial scenes, broadcast between 7pm and 7.30pm, reports PA. However, a decision on whether or not they breached rules will not be made until the plot and subsequent outcome have played out on screen.

Aspire - a group which works to help people in the UK who are living with a spinal cord injury - has voiced its criticism of the scenes.

"It is no secret that Aspire has been outspoken on this topic since we first had an inkling of where the storyline was heading. Peter Stanford, chairman of Aspire, voiced our concerns in The Daily Telegraph a couple of months back, which caught the attention of the producers of Emmerdale," a statement on the group's website read. "Subsequently we were invited to address our concerns with them at their offices in London.

"As is plain to see, our suggestions that they move away from the suicide storyline and to show his journey back to independence in a positive light fell on deaf ears. Perhaps ratings count for more than reality."

Expanding on its negative view of the plot, Aspire's director of services Alex Rankin continued: "This storyline had the potential to be ground-breaking in its approach to disability, and to challenge misguided opinions on spinal cord injury. Instead, too often, the script has opted for poor stereotypes or sensational misrepresentation.

"I sincerely hope that the 1,200 people who will be paralysed by spinal cord injuries this year, and their families, do not find themselves believing that Jackson's story represents their future."

Silcock had previously insisted that the scenes would be purposely "horrific" so that they did not "glorify" assisted suicide.

Meanwhile, an Emmerdale spokesperson said today: "We have always made clear that our motivation with this story is to drive constructive debate over this sensitive subject. We welcome feedback and 99% of the response we have had from viewers following last night's episode has been overwhelmingly positive."

'Emmerdale' assisted suicide plot blasted by charity

A charity has criticised Emmerdale's current assisted suicide storyline.

The plot sees Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller) help to end Jackson Walsh's life, but spinal injuries charity Aspire has warned that it could cause a "great deal of hurt".

Director of Services Alex Rankin told the Daily Star Sunday: "The storyline has been negative, unrealistic and pretty inaccurate. I've watched it very closely and have been incredibly disappointed with how Emmerdale have portrayed Jackson's situation.

"People with spinal injuries are not ill, they do not need to spend all their time in bed being spoon-fed soup. Emmerdale had a great opportunity to be inspirational with this storyline, to show that people who suffer similar injuries to Jackson's can, after much adjustment, go on to live a fulfilling life.

"What worries me is that it's basically saying that life with a spinal injury is not worth living. I don't think they've considered how those people in Jackson's situation will feel when they watch it. I think it's going to cause a lot of people a great deal of hurt."

An Emmerdale spokesman insisted that the story will be told "with integrity", adding: "We approached Aspire, keen to inform them about this storyline, and we welcomed their feedback which was fully taken on board."

Actor Marc Silcock recently described his character Jackson's departure as "an exit people will remember".

From http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a323200/emmerdale-assisted-suicide-plot-blasted-by-charity.html

Michelle Collins struggling with Corrie accent

Michelle Collins has admitted that she has been "working hard" to perfect a Northern accent for her new Coronation Street role.

The 50-year-old filmed her first scenes as the Rovers Return's new landlady Stella Price last month. However, Collins has confessed to finding it tough to develop the right accent for the character.

"I've been working hard with a dialect coach to get the right accent but it's tough," she told Closer magazine. "At least I'm very good at pulling pints - I did that when I was an out-of-work actress."

On landing her new role, the former EastEnders star remarked: "I have to keep pinching myself that I'm actually in Corrie."

Collins previously confessed that she signed up for another soap role in order to have the financial security to ensure that her daughter Maia Rose can go to university.

"It is quite nice to have a bit of security in my life because my daughter is 14 and will be off to uni - so she will be able to go now," she said at the time.

Collins will be joined by Taggart star John Michie, who will play her on-screen husband Carl, and Catherine Tyldesley, who will portray their daughter Eva.

From: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3/coronation-street/news/a323405/michelle-collins-struggling-with-corrie-accent.html