An MP has called on Coronation Street to stop using outdated 'custody battle' language in family breakdown plotlines. Siobhan Baillie has said she is concerned about how arrangements for children are portrayed as a 'war to be won' in soap operas such as Corrie and EastEnders.
She highlights a plot in EastEnders, where Phil Mitchell had a so-called 'custody battle' over his son Raymond, and another in Coronation Street involving Fiz Stape and Tyrone Dobbs. The MP for Stroud and a former family law solicitor said society, the media and courts needed to move away from adversarial language.
Read more:
Speaking in Parliament, she said: "Who does not love a good on-screen relationship drama? Lovers falling out, marriages breaking down and dramatic affairs of the heart are the stock-in-trade of film, soaps and the media.
"But when children are caught in the middle of storylines, we routinely hear 'I'll see you in court', 'I'm going for custody of little Johnny and little Sarah', or the possessive 'She's my daughter', and divorce is described as a battle to be won.
"I am often found shouting at the telly when they get the terminology wrong. I am going to write to the producers. Language really matters in family law."
She said that about 280,000 children see their parents separate each year with about 40 per cent of all separating parents taking issues about their children to the family court. She suggested that mediation and alternative resolution options would help overstretched courts.
BBC and ITV have been approached by the PA news agency for comment but have not provided a response. The Family Solutions Group, a support group for separating families, has written a report called Language Matters to highlight issues and possible changes the Government should consider.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ MORE:
- 'Cup of coffee saved me from being raped... it might have saved my life'
- Police release CCTV footage after three attempted kidnappings that saw schoolgirls targeted
-
'I used to be bullied for how I looked - now I earn £37,000 a month on OnlyFans'
-
The 'frightening' £9-a-night party house locals fear will change their town forever
