EastEnders cot-death plot was 'sensitive' says woman BBC boss.(News)

Byline: Liz Thomas

TWO of the BBC's most senior executives have defended the EastEnders cot death storyline by claiming it is 'educational' and 'sensitive'.

Complaints to the Corporation have soared to 8,400 - a record for the soap, which has been running for nearly 26 years.

But Jana Bennett, the BBC's director of vision, said the plot 'allows viewers to learn'.

And director general Mark Thompson said the audience expected 'challenging and engrossing' storylines.

In episodes aired over the New Year, a mother whose newborn baby has just died secretly swaps the child for a healthy one born to a neighbour on the same day.

Yesterday Miss Bennett sent an open letter to Justine Roberts, founder of the Mumsnet website which has been vocal in its criticism of the storyline.

She wrote: 'I would like to assure you that on the issue of a baby swap the show is absolutely not suggesting that this behaviour is typical of a mother who has suffered such a terrible and tragic loss.

'Taking [the] baby is the action of a character in great distress due to a series of events that have befallen her in the last 18 months.

'It is also worth saying that in the telling of this story the issues of death caused by the loss of a child and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are sensitively handled. 'EastEnders has a long history of tackling difficult issues in a way that allows viewers to learn and debate the topic at hand.' Mumsnet had complained to Mr Thompson about the show and it is understood he asked Miss Bennett to reply on his behalf.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Mr Thompson said: 'I want to be clear - the show is absolutely not suggesting that this behaviour is typical of a mother who has suffered the loss of a child through Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It is one moment of madness that had been provoked by a series of events that have befallen the character over the last 18 months.' But the cot death charity consulted by the BBC over the storyline continued to distance itself from the show, saying it had 'sympathy' for those upset by it.

Media regulator Ofcom is understood to have received around 500 further complaints, while thousands have deluged online forums and radio phone-ins to voice their concerns.

Charities and parenting groups such as Mumsnet have suggested the storyline was simply a 'cynical ploy' to pull in ratings.

And many of the show's writers are said to be in revolt.

Miss Bennett also volunteered the show's executive producer Bryan Kirkwood to appear in a 'web-chat' to discuss the issue.

Before the public backlash, Mr Kirkwood had described the baby swap as 'one of the most powerful moments in EastEnders history'.

Senior insiders at the BBC said it was unlikely that anyone would be reprimanded or fired over the plot.

The huge volume of complaints means it is likely that the BBC's internal Editorial Complaints Unit will have to investigate.

A spokesman for Ofcom said it would not rule on whether to investigate the show until the Spring because it needed to wait until the storyline had been played out. It will have to assess whether the show is in breach of section two of the broadcasting code, which covers harm and offence to viewers. Last night a spokesman for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths, which advised the show, insisted that it did not 'endorse' the baby swap plot line.

Director Joyce Epstein said: 'We think cot death is dramatic enough. We have huge sympathy for people upset by this storyline.' Furious viewers are still discussing the show more than a week on. One wrote on an internet message board: 'The BBC has just gone too far this time. Why do they need to make an already traumatic situation even worse?' The BBC has already sought to justify the episodes by pointing out that calls the to the cot death charity had increased five-fold since they were broadcast.

The episodes on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day got 7.3million and 8.9million viewers respectively.

Andrew Pierce and Amanda Platell's interview with Mark Thompson - Pages 24 & 25

CAPTION(S):

Open letter: Jana Bennett