since her death?? she was their half sister
was donna ludlow ever acknowledged by ian or ben
No don't think they have, Ben never knew her and tbh Kathy even refuse to aknowledge her, she died of a overdose, she not that disimilar to Rainie.
By the time she died she had turned the whole Square, except Dot, against her so I don't think anybody missed her.
As Harlowe said Kathy barely acknowledged her anyway and she died years before Ben was even born. She was hardly a pleasant character so not someone that Kathy was going to warmly inform Ben about when he got older.
Originally Posted by susan_1:
“Actually, I think Rainie looks very similar to Donna”
“Actually, I think Rainie looks very similar to Donna”
That's true! Ew!!!
The lack of reference to Donna Ludlow is totally understandable. She was the product of Kathy's rape, was never considered to be her daughter by Kathy herself, she was a horribly messed up person who made life hell for the square's residents in the late 80's before dying from a drugs overdose and very few people are left who remember her. Ian has no fond memories of her a sister so he wouldn't reminisce about her. I'm not sure if Ben knows about her but I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't. It's probably something he'll discover by himself one day and it won't mean a whole lot to him. I doubt anyone would be in a hurry to tell him Kathy was raped not once, but twice.
That said, Dot did mention Donna a couple of years ago and compared her to Rainie. Ian fancied Donna before Kathy told him the truth so it doesn't surprise me he went with Rainie, the dirty slimeball.
That said, Dot did mention Donna a couple of years ago and compared her to Rainie. Ian fancied Donna before Kathy told him the truth so it doesn't surprise me he went with Rainie, the dirty slimeball.
This thread made me watch some Donna clips and they're actually quite sad, she seemed like quite a good character
Originally Posted by iMatt_101:
“This thread made me watch some Donna clips and they're actually quite sad, she seemed like quite a good character”
“This thread made me watch some Donna clips and they're actually quite sad, she seemed like quite a good character”
Donna was a fantastic character played by a terrific actress. Yes, she was messed up but she was never able to get used to the idea that her birth mother just didn't want her (as Kathy explained, when she looked at Donna, she just saw her rapist) and that she was the product of rape. It tipped her over the edge and she was obviously fragile before ever even coming to Albert Square.
But to the OP, as others have said, Ian, Sharon and Dot are the only people that knew her - she was dead before even Phil arrived. She caused so much trouble for everyone, including Ian and Sharon (she'd dated Wicksy around the same time as Sharon got with him) that nobody is going to mention her really and I doubt Ben does know about her. There is no real reason for him to - who would have told him?
Originally Posted by Fizzbin:
“It was dating Mr Bean what really ended it for Donna.”
“It was dating Mr Bean what really ended it for Donna.”
Post of the day
The scene where Dot found her dead body on the floor, surrounded by needles, and covered in sick was shocking. Especially for the time.
Originally Posted by kitkat1971:
“Donna was a fantastic character played by a terrific actress. Yes, she was messed up but she was never able to get used to the idea that her birth mother just didn't want her (as Kathy explained, when she looked at Donna, she just saw her rapist) and that she was the product of rape. It tipped her over the edge and she was obviously fragile before ever even coming to Albert Square.
But to the OP, as others have said, Ian, Sharon and Dot are the only people that knew her - she was dead before even Phil arrived. She caused so much trouble for everyone, including Ian and Sharon (she'd dated Wicksy around the same time as Sharon got with him) that nobody is going to mention her really and I doubt Ben does know about her. There is no real reason for him to - who would have told him?”
“Donna was a fantastic character played by a terrific actress. Yes, she was messed up but she was never able to get used to the idea that her birth mother just didn't want her (as Kathy explained, when she looked at Donna, she just saw her rapist) and that she was the product of rape. It tipped her over the edge and she was obviously fragile before ever even coming to Albert Square.
But to the OP, as others have said, Ian, Sharon and Dot are the only people that knew her - she was dead before even Phil arrived. She caused so much trouble for everyone, including Ian and Sharon (she'd dated Wicksy around the same time as Sharon got with him) that nobody is going to mention her really and I doubt Ben does know about her. There is no real reason for him to - who would have told him?”
Your right I would assume Ben does not know of her existence Kathy never considered her her daughter and Ian never considered her his half-sister so neither of them would mention Donna to Ben. I assume Phil must at least know about her I'm sure Kathy would have told him during their marriage but he probably doesn't feel it's his place to tell Ben. If Ben were to be told about Donna he'd have to be told about the rape and how do you tell a young man that his mother was the victim of a rape?
Originally Posted by Fizzbin:
“It was dating Mr Bean what really ended it for Donna.”
“It was dating Mr Bean what really ended it for Donna.”
Oh of course! I never made the connection before!
I wouldn't be surprised if Ben somehow found out in some contrived way. He was on the same Square as Dot, who can't keep her mouth shut for nothing. She probably told him the story of his "poor, misunderstood and neglected" half-sister Donna. Dot did compare Rainie to Donna, except Rainie is still alive. Donna committed suicide by a heroin overdose (it was either suicide or a suicidal gesture)
I always felt sorry for Donna. She was written to be unlikable. It was a little creepy the way she encouraged Ian to romance her but I think she was just trying to get her brother to like her. Iirc Kathy found out and was understandably angry and I think that was the end of any relationship they might have had. It was sad when she died but the writers had made us hate her by then so no one minded!
Originally Posted by KieranDS:
“The scene where Dot found her dead body on the floor, surrounded by needles, and covered in sick was shocking. Especially for the time.”
“The scene where Dot found her dead body on the floor, surrounded by needles, and covered in sick was shocking. Especially for the time.”
It was a hugely shocking scene ... but probably less shocking then than it would be now. TV is a lot more timid and cautious nowadays, and something as horrible as that would never be shown at 8pm on BBC1 in the 21st century.
Likewise, I remember Lou Beale talking to her family about the P*ki family running the local shop, and Kathy calling Willmot-Brown a "bastard" : you'd never get language like that on telly now.
