It seems real slaps will no longer appear on the BBC’s EastEnders.
Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) famously slapped both Frank and Pat Butcher within seconds of each other during an argument. However, health and safety officials have stepped in to ensure that such slaps will be overseen by a stunt co-ordinator.
John Partridge who plays Christian was recently confronted by Preeya Kalidas (Amira on the show) after she found out he had been sleeping with her husband. However, although Miss Kalidas wanted to give him a real slap for gritty effect, she was made to fake it. Partridge said, "We want to do real slaps, but health and safety won't let us. It’s got to be staged."
When he was hit at New Year by Amira's mother-in-law played by Nina Wadia, a stunt co-ordinator was again there. Wadia said, "I thought, 'What? We need a stunt co-ordinator for a slap?” Nonetheless, EastEnders has fallen foul of health and safety guidelines and producers have ruled actors must not hit each other for real.
Guidelines on Health and Safety in the Workplace say an employer must control “any potential risk to health and safety.”
A spokesman for EastEnders defended the decision saying, “As with most action scenes, we always have a stunt director present to make sure that our scenes look realistic, but ensure that no one is injured.”
