Given the string of high profile deaths in EE over the last few years all being women, Pat, Lucy, Ronnie, Roxy, and its constant slut shaming and overplaying the "broken and abused" woman narrative it sometimes feels like EE hates women. And lets not start with how they all seem to be saddled with children to give them any self worth.

Also how many failed mother plots have we had where mother abandons kids and dad springs to the rescue, Shirley, Kaffy, Sylvie, Paul's random mother.

In terms of shock value deaths I can't imagine producers so flippantly killing off high profile male characters like they have done with the women. I don't see the likes of Jack and Max being killed off and Phil is untouchable.

Den Watts (twice )
Steve Owen
Michael Moon
Nick Cotton
Dennis Rickman

No Eastenders don't kill off high profile male characters.... my arse

Michael was not that high profile, I loved him and his death was unfortunate but he was only on the show 3 years.

Nick had become a recurring character at best by the time of his death and a panto villain.

Steve Owen died in 2002 so while I would agree his death is not recent.

I don't feel Den had anywhere else to go, his return was a bit of a dud for the most part. And his killing off was a great storyline with the Witches of Walford and Chrissie.

You stated that they don't kill off high profile male stars and I would argue all of these were high profile, although I do accept your objection to Nick.

Thanks

I certainly think the likes of Tina & Sylvie need to leave now.

Dennis, Steve and Michael were short term characters, 2-4 years. Hardly in the same league as Pat or the Mitchell Sisters. Nick kind of falls into this category too for never being a front burner character and only coming for short stints for most of his run.

Now in terms of big deaths I'd say it's fairly balanced. Den, Pete, Arthur, Barry, Mark balance out Pat, Kathy, Cindy, Ronnie, Roxy.

They were still major players in their day and each one of them could have been iconic had they stayed. The OP stated that they did not kill off major male characters and these men were major male characters.

I guess the distinction also has to be made if they chose to leave or if they were fired though.

Outside of Den and maybe Nick the others were all willing departures I believe. (Can you fire a recurring guest like Nick?) If they don't want to stay and be legends then they don't get to be legends.

Pat wanted to leave, she didn't expect to be killed off but that besides the point, you know as a soap actor if you decide to go your character could possibly be killed off.

Eastenders has killed off plenty of high profile male characters over the years. In fact I'm fairly sure that more male characters have been killed off than female. If there is any sexism in Eastenders or the other soaps then it's usually sexism against men (the best example of this being the way physical and mental abuse against men is usually portrayed as funny and normal.)

Spot on.

There have been more high-profile male characters that have been killed off over the years than female characters, so that argument doesn't hold up. Den is the godfather of EE and he's been killed twice as you said.

But, I do agree with the OP's opinion about the treatment of female characters by writers. I do hate it how every big female character has to be broken or abused or emotionally repressed in some way (or all three). I would like to see a strong, carefree independent woman who isn't some tragic heroine for once. You don't get characters like Melanie Owen anymore...

In terms of slut-shaming, I don't think you can only accuse EE of this - Emmerdale does it too, it's a recurring problem in our soaps.

She only wanted a break not to actually leave, but Birkwood decided to kill her off.

Regardless though of deaths the fact that in 2016 a female character was paraded through the market as a whore and jeered for destroying a marriage because a man she didn't know was married slept with her sells home there is clearly sexism going on at the top.

And yet Bianca still lives.

There's no justice in this world.

That doesn't necessarily mean that the writer or Eastenders itself was sexist.

It could have actually been the opposite. They could have been depicting a situation which was a realistic portrayal of how some people are in real life and highlighting that attitude. Maybe you're meant to empathise with that character and think it's wrong how they're being treated?

Sometimes people believe that the depiction of bad or unsavoury characters in fiction somehow means that the writers or creators think like that character too. Sometimes drama requires writers to write for characters who may possess character traits or opinions which are contrary to your own. If they didn't write for these types of characters how could drama explore anything in life which is worth exploring dramatically?

In Eastenders most characters are dysfunctional or a bit fukced up. I suppose that's the nature of people.
You have people like Phil Mitchell, Ben Mitchell, Ian Beale, Dean Wicks, Max Branning. Am I to believe that these are fine examples of men in the show?

In fact there are female characters in EE who are quite positive in many ways and are popular with viewers for one reason or another.
After all it's going to be mainly written for women, and women like men are going to want to see all sorts of depictions of characters who are presented as good and bad by equal measures otherwise they aren't going to get much of a drama at all.

Agreed, every woman now needs some big dark secret of abuse or betrayal by a parent. Like heaven forbid anyone arrives who had a normal upbringing before living in Albert Square.

Even Linda had to have a rape shoved on her because no woman in EE can exist without some form of abuse. I'm waiting for them to come up with some convoluted backstory for Honey that she was gang raped or something.

BIB - Oh I don't know - she looked pretty tragic when she was being pinned up against the wall by Phil, slobbering all over her with one of the ugliest kisses in soap history!

Agree with you about the slut-shaming - it's too frequent for my liking throughout all the soaps, especially ED, who currently have an obsession with female on male violence just for laughs. I see we were treated to another one this week - a 'hilariously' accidental whacking of Paddy by Chas.

Other notable male deaths in EE:

Dennis Rickman
Andy Hunter
Johnny Allen
Mark Fowler
Arthur Fowler
Pete Beale
Barry Evans
Roy Evans
Fatboy
Bradley Branning
Archie Mitchell

...to name a few.

There's also:

Pauline Fowler
Peggy Mitchell
Cindy Beale
Tiffany Mitchell
Angie Watts

Who have died on or off screen.

I agree every woman who lives in albert square ,has been raped,sexually abused,used for sex, lose their babies/or suffered a cot death,and have had a slap of the old man,when they arnt binging on booze or drugs