Although Cheryl Fergison will always be associated with EastEnders, she no longer has the best things to say about the BBC soap opera.
The actress left the long-running programme in 2012 when Ben Mitchell murdered her beloved character, Heather Trott (played by Joshua Pascoe at the time).
Heather was a favourite among viewers because she and her best friend Shirley Carter were always bringing the humour (Linda Henry).
The 57-year-old, however, now thinks that EastEnders has “lost its way” because of how much violence is shown on the show.
She said, “I am not the morals police but I do think EastEnders has lost its way a little,” as she opened her interview with the Daily Star.
“I believe that instead of sensationalised content, people are demanding something more relevant and familiar.”
The 2007 addition to EastEnders, Cheryl, continued, “It has gotten a little far-fetched. There are a finite number of murders and serial killers.
“I recall how huge a deal Arthur Fowler’s theft of the Christmas cash was.” Now, the only thing that matters is how many people can be shot or stabbed in the Square.
She continued by saying that she didn’t think this was “the correct image for soaps to convey” and that it was “normalising violence to younger people.” Additionally, I doubt that’s what viewers want to watch these days.
Cheryl prefers that the soap “get back to fundamentals” and emphasise “community.”
They briefly attempted to do so in Covid but failed.
Cheryl did compliment the soap for trying to “inform people,” stating that it’s “wonderful” that the current Zack Hudson plot is raising awareness of HIV.
She continued, “But then they would also do absurd storylines for ratings and I think, why did you do that?”
“It’s like giving with one hand and taking with the other,” someone once said.
Additionally, Cheryl criticised soap operas for engaging in “age discrimination” by hiring more youthful actors rather than fewer older ones in order to cut costs.
They should consider quality in addition to quantity and price, in my opinion.
Following her participation on the 38-year-old drama EastEnders, Cheryl has appeared on a number of television programmes, including This Morning and Loose Women.
In between employment, she offers singing lessons.
