EastEnders is one of the BBC's longest serving dramas.  It has enticed viewers for over 35 years with its tackling of real life issues and the ability to connect with audience members in ways other shows are unable to. 

However, over the past year, it has become prominent to many that much of the writing, or more so lines delivered by certain characters, are questionable.  

The show has tackled body discrimination as a subject before - notably how somebody subjected to such vile comments can be led down a dark path.  When it's being covered as a storyline, the show does it's job well at portraying the distress and extreme measures that a person may go to when subjected to such remarks.  How such abuse can take its toll on their mental and physical wellbeing.   

But what the show is guilty of doing in recent times is irrelevantly writing lines whereby a character's physical weight is mocked and passed off as humour.  An example where this has occurred several times in recent month's is the character of Ben Mitchell,  played by Max Bowden.   

In the episode broadcast on 31st May 2021, Vi makes the following comment to Ben, while looking down at his stomach. "Must be hard to show re-strength when its an all you can eat buffet"  insinuating that Ben had gained weight

In an episode to be broadcast on Friday 6th August,  Ben's daughter Lexi adds that he ought to go on a diet.    Now here's a question,  If Ben was played by the same actor who plays Peter Beale,  would the same line had been inserted?  

In both of these instances, the lines were unnecessary and added no value to the scenes in question. Which makes many fans ponder,  why were they added in the first place?      While the actors of the show are able to morph into their character by use of voice, expression and how they are styled,   their physical appearance is the only aspect where the character IS the actor.    

With this in mind,  this is where some of the show's viewers see a problem.  The show has a capable writing team behind it,  it shouldn't need to resort to remarks on an actors body in order to churn out a supposedly humorous line.    Are we, the audience, supposed to laugh at these cheap takes?    Many of us have struggled ourselves with our body, whether it be lack of confidence, unhappy with the way we look or have been subjected to similar comments mentioned in the above examples.   

The EastEnders writing team and script editors need to take a closer look before signing off their scripts.   More care needs to be given on how such lines may affect cast members and the audience watching at home.