This week has seen the climax of the Tony-Whitney storyline that sparked controversy from the outset, and we’d like to know if you feel the show’s writers and producers have handled this subject matter well or not?

The story tackled the issue of familial sexual abuse and has shown how Tony – Whitney’s step-father – groomed her for years of abuse and was attempting to groom another child, Lauren Branning before the truth about his abuse of Whitney was revealed.

The plotline caused outrage among some viewers when it first aired, sparking hundreds of complaints from viewers who felt that the issue of paedophilia and child abuse should not be presented in a soap opera. Other viewers felt that as this scenario happens in real life, the show was right to give it a forum during its primetime slots.

Playing their roles in the plot have presented the key actors with unprecedented challenges too and Chris Coghill, who plays evil pervert Tony, has reportedly endured name calling in the street and threatening letters as his abuse of Whitney played out on our screens.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror about his role before the storyline began, Chris said, “Fans of Eastenders will hate Tony and that’s what they’re supposed to do. From time to time members of the public may confuse reality with the soap, but I’m an actor, not Tony.

“I’m a bit worried about that, but I’m a big boy – I’ll get a big hat and a pair of sunglasses.”

For a while there was media speculation and rumour that Chris had to have round-the-clock security once the story began, but he denied those claims.

Patsy Palmer, who plays Bianca, told Digital Spy in an interview that she found some of the scenes hard to play.

“The confusion Bianca feels during the reveal episodes had to be the most difficult.” She said, adding, “For me, I almost didn’t want to play the confusion. I just wanted Bianca to get a knife, go into protective parent mode and go straight for Tony’s throat!”

Back in September in response to complaints, the BBC issued this statement:

“EastEnders has a long history of exploring difficult social issues, and the storyline regarding Tony and Whitney follows in this tradition.

As with all such sensitive subject matter, we approached this storyline with great care and attention, and throughout the process – from the planning and development stages, through to scripting and filming – we’ve sought guidance and advice from a number of experts in this field, in particular the NSPCC and the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre.

We appreciate that for some viewers this storyline will have particular resonance and significance. In running it, it’s certainly not our intention to cause distress or upset, either to those who’ve suffered from sexual abuse or their families. Our aim is instead to raise awareness of this very sensitive issue. We’ve ensured that key episodes are supported by BBC Action Lines, so that viewers who may be directly affected by the storyline can obtain information regarding sources of further help and advice.

Tony isn’t meant to be representative of all step-fathers; indeed over the years the show has featured a number of examples of very kind and loving step-fathers: Kevin Wicks, Nigel Bates, Mark Fowler and Ricky Butcher to name just a few.

The content and placing of the show has been carefully considered, and storylines are structured so that they can be appreciated on different levels according to the age and experience of the viewer.

We believe that after more than twenty years on air the general tone of EastEnders is now widely recognised, and parents can make an informed decision as to whether they want their children to watch.”

I personally agree wholeheartedly with Eastenders decision to tackle this subject matter because the unpleasant fact is, this DOES happen in real-life and if just one abused child could recognise his/her plight in that of Whitney’s and seek help, then the storyline has been more than worthwhile.

It’s not been comfortable watching but as the show’s bosses said in their statement, Eastenders has a long history of taking ‘difficult’ and often unpalatable subject matter and airing it on the show, so people who felt it was wrong to portray it have the option of turning over or off.

Ditto for those complainants who felt that their children shouldn’t see such storylines – don’t let them watch then!

But what do you think? Did the show deal with the storyline well or perhaps you think it shouldn’t ever have been shown in the first place? Let us know by adding your comments.