EastEnders was forced to alter a storyline involving a baby kidnapping after the real-life disappearance of Madeleine McCann in May 2007. The BBC soap originally planned for Dr. May Wright (Amanda Drew) to abduct newborn Summer Swann, but producers decided to change the plot to avoid causing distress to viewers.
Original Plot and Changes
May Wright first appeared in EastEnders in September 2006 as the local GP. She became obsessed with having a baby after a past miscarriage and discovering she was unlikely to conceive. May offered Dawn Swann (Kara Tointon) £10,000 for her unborn baby, which Dawn accepted. The storyline escalated with May kidnapping and drugging Dawn, threatening to perform a caesarean section. After Dawn gave birth to a girl named Summer, May planned to steal the baby from the hospital.
However, the abduction element was dropped. An EastEnders spokeswoman confirmed: "In the current circumstances it was felt any storyline that included child abduction would be inappropriate and could cause distress to our viewers." The change came as Madeleine McCann, aged three, disappeared from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on 3 May 2007.
Impact of Madeleine McCann Case
Madeleine's disappearance became one of the most heavily reported missing person cases in modern history. The case remains unsolved, with prime suspect Christian Brueckner, a convicted rapist released from prison in Germany in September 2023, never charged in connection with her disappearance. The high-profile nature of the case prompted EastEnders to avoid any depiction of child abduction.
Instead of kidnapping Summer, May was arrested on suspicion of kidnap after attempting to offer Dawn more money for the baby. She later returned to Walford under a fake name, hiring Dawn's fiancé Jase Dyer (Stephen Lord) to decorate her house. On Summer's birthday, May locked herself in a bedroom with Dawn and Summer, but Mickey Miller (Joe Swash) freed them. May died after lighting a cigarette over a gas cooker, causing an explosion.
Other Controversial Storylines
This was not the first time EastEnders altered a child-related storyline. In 2010, the soap faced 8,400 complaints after Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack) swapped her dead son's body with Kat Moon's (Jessie Wallace) live newborn on New Year's Eve. The storyline was cut short, with Ronnie sent to prison and Kat and Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) reunited with their son.
EastEnders continues to produce four episodes a week, often tackling sensitive topics. The show's producers have occasionally revised plots to align with public sentiment and real-world events, as seen with the May Wright storyline.
