BBC EastEnders slammed as MP fumes Milton Keynes scenes are ‘out of order’
EastEnders stalwart Bianca Jackson, played by Patsy Palmer, returned to the BBC soap when Whitney Dean visited her step-mum's home in Milton Keynes but some viewers aren't happy
EastEnders has offended MP Ben Everitt over Milton Keynes’ portrayal in the BBC soap.
In recent scenes, EastEnders viewers watched as Whitney Dean, played by Shona McGarty, was reunited with Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) in Milton Keynes. While away from Albert Square, Whitney befriended Bianca’s neighbour’s daughter Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell) and became determined to help the young girl after her drug-addicted mother was arrested.
However, BBC soap viewers have been left less than impressed with the depiction of Milton Keynes, with one scene describing Britney as not being in school and instead “roaming the estate, carting drugs around, eating out of bins”. An argument subsequently broke out and a brick with thrown through a window by Bianca.
Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, blasted the soap for its portrayal of his constituency and said he would be contacting EastEnders’ producers to suggest writing another storyline which shows “some of the brilliant parts of Milton Keynes”.
He added: “I am quite positive about Milton Keynes and I want them to show the good side as well. Like every city we got parts that aren’t as good as the others, but the characterisation is completely out of order.”
Bianca was seen in EastEnders scenes with Whitney for the first time since 2019 (
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
The Conservative MP stated that although the depiction was not a huge political issue, he felt it was important for the city to be represented fairly. He said: “It’s fiction, it’s a soap opera, it’s just the telly… I’m just not happy it’s Milton Keynes.”
Meanwhile, a caller – who has lived in Milton Keynes since the 1970s – told listeners of the JVS show on BBC Three Counties Radio that he was forced to switch off the soap. He said: “They’ve chosen my city, my home, as a place to depict as being a slum.
“If [the city] was a business the producers would have lawyers sitting on their doorstep looking to sue them.” Destination Milton Keynes, the city’s official tourism service, said: “We’ll leave it up to a fictional soap opera to choose how they want to depict Milton Keynes.
“But we know it to be a thriving, multi-cultural community with more than 6,000 acres of free green spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy and with a booming visitor economy worth over £230m a year. [The city] regularly features as one of the fastest-growing and most prosperous cities in the UK.”
The scenes were filmed in Barnet, London with the BBC soap airing the return of Bianca, who hasn’t been seen on the programme since 2019. These scenes will help to frame Whitney’s exit from EastEnders with actress Shona confirming her departure last year after 15 years in Walford.
Speaking last year, Shona opened up on her exit to Inside Soap: “As a viewer, and after playing her for so long, Whitney deserves a happy ending. The majority of comments online and when I speak to people in the street are along the lines of, ‘When is Whitney going to have her happy ending?’ and I think it’s time.
“Don’t get me wrong, I want it to be dramatic! Everyone knows that I love playing the drama. So, I hope there are some twists and turns thrown in there and maybe even a little stunt!”
