Lorna Cartwright
Encyclopedia
Lorna Cartwright is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Janet Dibley
intermittently between 1997 and 1998. Lorna was introduced primarily as a catalyst to break up the marriage of the characters Phil
and Kathy Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden
and Gillian Taylforth
). Although producers reportedly wanted to develop the character further, actress Janet Dibley declined their offer of an extended contract, as she disagreed with a proposed storyline that would see Lorna gang raped.
met at his AA meetings. She bumped into Phil at a café one afternoon and was openly attracted to him. Phil, whose marriage was suffering due to his alcoholism, found a kindred spirit in Lorna. She understood his struggles with addiction in a way that his wife could not. When Lorna invited Phil back to her place, she was shocked to discover that he was married, as in her experience, alcoholism destroyed marriages - her alcoholism had destroyed hers and her ex-husband was awarded custody of their children after she went to court, drunk. However, Lorna was not perturbed, and the following meeting, she invited Phil back to her place again; he could not resist her advances and they slept together.
Phil was plagued with guilt, he tried several times to end his affair with Lorna, but he couldn't and always ended up sleeping with her again. However, Lorna began expecting more than he was prepared to give. He ended their affair when she started coming to his home in Albert Square
but this infuriated Lorna. She phoned Phil’s house and made herself known to his wife Kathy. With Kathy’s suspicions raised, Phil concocted a story that Lorna was an obsessive alcoholic, who had merely taken his rejection badly. However, when Phil got to Paris, he was given a hand-written suicidal letter from Lorna, ridiculing his skills in bed. Kathy demanded to know what was in the letter, leaving Phil no choice but to admit to the affair. Kathy's response was to throw her wedding ring in the River Seine, telling Phil that marrying him was the worst mistake of her life.
Lorna's next appearance was in February 1998, when she arrived drunk and homeless at Reverend Alex Healy
’s refuge centre, Bridge House. Lorna’s suicidal threats caused concern in good samaritan Sarah Hills
, but she couldn't cope with Lorna’s constant binge drinking. Sarah sought help from her aunt, Kathy Mitchell, Phil’s estranged wife. Kathy, a former Samaritan
, tried talking some sense into Lorna, unaware that she was talking to the woman who caused the breakdown of her marriage. After listening to Lorna’s tales of woe, Kathy realised the truth and exploded at Lorna for breaking up her family. Lorna was incensed to discover that, even after Kathy dumped him, Phil did not want her. Phil struggled to cope with Lorna’s suicidal threats but Kathy was more supportive. She visited Lorna and was told that she had turned to prostitution, and when Lorna was assaulted — allegedly by a client — Kathy allowed her to move in with her to recuperate. Phil was furious.
Lorna made various attempts to reignite her affair with Phil, hampering any reconciliation between him and Kathy. When Lorna discovered that Kathy was planning to emigrate to South Africa, she immediately told Phil, just to cause trouble between them. Kathy turned on her, and following rejection from Phil, Lorna decided to take her own life by swallowing a cocktail of pills and gin in Phil’s bathroom. Phil broke the door down and called an ambulance, stalling his attempt to win Kathy back. She left for South Africa before Phil had a chance to persuade her to stay. Lorna survived her suicide attempt and with the help of Rev. Healy, she admitted herself into a detox programme in April 1998. She has not appeared since.
was cast in the role, previously known for her starring role opposite Nicholas Lyndhurst
in the ITV
sitcom The Two of Us.
Lorna, described as “a drunken loner”, was part of a storyline that centred on the character Phil Mitchell
(Steve McFadden) and his ongoing struggles with alcoholism
. A fellow alcoholic, Lorna met Phil at an AA
meeting and “became attached to him”; they began a torrid affair, which ended badly. Lorna’s principal purpose was to break up the marriage of Phil and his wife Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), which eventually happened in a special set of episodes, that was broadcast in August 1997 and was filmed in Paris, France. A critic for The Independent
commented on the Paris episodes: “Phil is jumpy because he expects Lorna to emerge shrieking from the bushes at any moment; stabbing wildly about her with a carving knife (she gave a tiny clue to her highly strung nature the other night, by stubbing a cigarette out on his chest). He was so nervous, indeed, that he eventually confessed his infidelity to Kathy. If he thought that this was going to buy him a quiet few days of remorse and mutual weeping, he was wrong. The wedding ring went straight in the Seine
in the middle of a blazing soap aria from Gillian Taylforth
.”
After being absent from August 1997, Lorna reappeared once again in February 1998. Lorna was involved in the storyline that saw the character Kathy depart the serial after 13 years; her suicide bid helped to ruin Phil and Kathy's chance of patching up their marriage, and Kathy left for a new life in South Africa. Following the climax of this storyline, Lorna departed. The producers of EastEnders had wanted to keep the character in the show, but Janet Dibley reportedly turned down the BBC's £130,000 pay offer after discovering they were planning to turn Lorna into a prostitute who was to be gang-raped. It would have been the first time the soap had shown such an attack, but Dibley feared the “harrowing scenes” would lead to her six-year-old son being taunted. She reportedly commented, “"It just doesn't feel right. I don't care how much money is on offer. I can't do those scenes…I am terrified about how it might affect [my son]. I don't want him getting taunted at school." Dibley allegedly heard about Lorna’s intended storyline from rumours on set, and approached series producer Mike Hudson to talk it through. After several meetings, Dibley told Hudson she was unsatisfied with the storyline and refused to sign a new contract. The producers were reportedly upset over her decision, “because they saw Janet becoming one of the most important stars of the show”. The scripts were subsequently re-written and Lorna made her final appearance in April 1998.
Dibley’s decision was supported by MPs and women’s groups, who condemned the BBC for planning to screen gang rape scenes, which would have been shown 90 minutes before the 9 pm watershed. Philippa Chipping, of the Domestic Violence Intervention Project, said the storyline was irresponsible: "I completely understand Janet's fear of playing what would be a very traumatic scene. EastEnders would not be able to give a sensible and responsible handling of the issue." A counsellor at the London Rape Crisis centre added: "The scriptwriters are using the traumatic experience that many women have gone through just to increase their ratings. They should speak to victims before doing something like this. Janet deserves full credit for the stand she has taken." Tory MP Ann Widdecombe
also praised Dibley’s decision: "Well done to her. It's high time somebody took a stand. EastEnders is watched by an awful lot of children and something like this should not be shown." Labour MP Ronnie Campbell
added, "to show a gang-rape in a soap opera is entirely wrong. I am pleased that this actress has taken a stand. It is a very bold move". Mary Whitehouse
, of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, said: "I think her actions are very commendable. It's splendid that she has turned down the offer of more money to stand by her principles. There is far too much sex and violence screened on TV when children are watching." Conservative MP Teddy Taylor
said, "Janet will lose a great deal of money by the action she has taken, but she will gain a great deal in helping to improve standards in British broadcasting."
Dibley also received praise from the media. Pam Francis of the Sunday Mirror
commented, “If it were not for the fact that Janet Dibley plays such a tragic alcoholic in EastEnders, I'd send her a bottle of bubbly to toast her protest. It takes a brave performer to fight for what she believes in, particularly a single mother like Janet who is sacrificing a lucrative contract. But you can't put a price on the damage caused by exposing young viewers to brutal scenes. It is known that children as young as Janet's son Bobby, six, tune in to the soap…. By standing her ground, Janet Dibley is giving what I consider the performance of a lifetime.” While Dibley was praised, EastEnders was heavily criticised in the media for planning the storyline. One reporter questioned the competency of the programme makers, saying, “Are producers of EastEnders so unimaginative that they couldn't think of a future for Janet's character Lorna other than turn her into the tart…” Another accused the show’s producers of being prepared to expose “children to scenes of violence and sex, which are both gratuitous and offensive”, merely to bring in higher ratings, and beat their biggest soap rival, Coronation Street
. John Blunt, from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, accused the gang rape storyline of being the latest novelty wretchedness to be gratuitously used by soap scriptwriters “in the name of family entertainment”. He criticised the UK broadcasting watchdog’s efficiency at protecting young children who routinely watch soap operas, commenting: “Short of parents having the good sense to turn the TV off and spare their children from exposure to such coarse assaults on their innocence, a much firmer line needs to be taken by our broadcasting standards watchdogs - whose evident ineffectiveness is brought home by Janet Dibley showing what ought to be done in the name of common decency and family values."
Despite the controversy surrounding her departure, actress Janet Dibley has since been complimentary about her role in EastEnders. In 2006 she commented, “It was a great part…[Lorna] wreaked havoc and left.”
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, played by Janet Dibley
Janet Dibley
Janet Dibley is an English actress. She is best known for her role the 1980s sitcom The Two of Us. She currently appears as Dr...
intermittently between 1997 and 1998. Lorna was introduced primarily as a catalyst to break up the marriage of the characters Phil
Phil Mitchell
Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy...
and Kathy Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden is an English actor, known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which he has played since1990.-Early life:...
and Gillian Taylforth
Gillian Taylforth
Gillian Taylforth is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Kathy Mitchell on the BBC soap opera, EastEnders and as Jackie Pascoe-Webb on ITV's Footballers Wives , but more recently as Sgt. Nikki Wright in ITV's The Bill...
). Although producers reportedly wanted to develop the character further, actress Janet Dibley declined their offer of an extended contract, as she disagreed with a proposed storyline that would see Lorna gang raped.
Storylines
Lorna first appeared from July to August 1997. She was an alcoholic Phil MitchellPhil Mitchell
Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy...
met at his AA meetings. She bumped into Phil at a café one afternoon and was openly attracted to him. Phil, whose marriage was suffering due to his alcoholism, found a kindred spirit in Lorna. She understood his struggles with addiction in a way that his wife could not. When Lorna invited Phil back to her place, she was shocked to discover that he was married, as in her experience, alcoholism destroyed marriages - her alcoholism had destroyed hers and her ex-husband was awarded custody of their children after she went to court, drunk. However, Lorna was not perturbed, and the following meeting, she invited Phil back to her place again; he could not resist her advances and they slept together.
Phil was plagued with guilt, he tried several times to end his affair with Lorna, but he couldn't and always ended up sleeping with her again. However, Lorna began expecting more than he was prepared to give. He ended their affair when she started coming to his home in Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
but this infuriated Lorna. She phoned Phil’s house and made herself known to his wife Kathy. With Kathy’s suspicions raised, Phil concocted a story that Lorna was an obsessive alcoholic, who had merely taken his rejection badly. However, when Phil got to Paris, he was given a hand-written suicidal letter from Lorna, ridiculing his skills in bed. Kathy demanded to know what was in the letter, leaving Phil no choice but to admit to the affair. Kathy's response was to throw her wedding ring in the River Seine, telling Phil that marrying him was the worst mistake of her life.
Lorna's next appearance was in February 1998, when she arrived drunk and homeless at Reverend Alex Healy
Alex Healy (EastEnders)
The Reverend Alexander "Alex" Healy is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Richard Driscoll between 1997 and 1999.-Storylines:...
’s refuge centre, Bridge House. Lorna’s suicidal threats caused concern in good samaritan Sarah Hills
Sarah Hills
Sarah Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Daniela Denby-Ashe.-Storylines:Sarah was rather troublesome when she arrived on Albert Square, shoplifting from various market stalls. This was noticed by Alistair Matthews, a shop manager and religious cult leader...
, but she couldn't cope with Lorna’s constant binge drinking. Sarah sought help from her aunt, Kathy Mitchell, Phil’s estranged wife. Kathy, a former Samaritan
Samaritans (charity)
Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress or at risk of suicide throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, often through their telephone helpline. The name comes from the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, though the organisation...
, tried talking some sense into Lorna, unaware that she was talking to the woman who caused the breakdown of her marriage. After listening to Lorna’s tales of woe, Kathy realised the truth and exploded at Lorna for breaking up her family. Lorna was incensed to discover that, even after Kathy dumped him, Phil did not want her. Phil struggled to cope with Lorna’s suicidal threats but Kathy was more supportive. She visited Lorna and was told that she had turned to prostitution, and when Lorna was assaulted — allegedly by a client — Kathy allowed her to move in with her to recuperate. Phil was furious.
Lorna made various attempts to reignite her affair with Phil, hampering any reconciliation between him and Kathy. When Lorna discovered that Kathy was planning to emigrate to South Africa, she immediately told Phil, just to cause trouble between them. Kathy turned on her, and following rejection from Phil, Lorna decided to take her own life by swallowing a cocktail of pills and gin in Phil’s bathroom. Phil broke the door down and called an ambulance, stalling his attempt to win Kathy back. She left for South Africa before Phil had a chance to persuade her to stay. Lorna survived her suicide attempt and with the help of Rev. Healy, she admitted herself into a detox programme in April 1998. She has not appeared since.
Character creation and development
Lorna Cartwright was introduced in July 1997 under Series Producer Jane Harris. Yorkshire actress Janet DibleyJanet Dibley
Janet Dibley is an English actress. She is best known for her role the 1980s sitcom The Two of Us. She currently appears as Dr...
was cast in the role, previously known for her starring role opposite Nicholas Lyndhurst
Nicholas Lyndhurst
Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart, and as Adam Parkinson in Carla Lane's series Butterflies...
in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
sitcom The Two of Us.
Lorna, described as “a drunken loner”, was part of a storyline that centred on the character Phil Mitchell
Phil Mitchell
Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy...
(Steve McFadden) and his ongoing struggles with alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. A fellow alcoholic, Lorna met Phil at an AA
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
meeting and “became attached to him”; they began a torrid affair, which ended badly. Lorna’s principal purpose was to break up the marriage of Phil and his wife Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), which eventually happened in a special set of episodes, that was broadcast in August 1997 and was filmed in Paris, France. A critic for The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
commented on the Paris episodes: “Phil is jumpy because he expects Lorna to emerge shrieking from the bushes at any moment; stabbing wildly about her with a carving knife (she gave a tiny clue to her highly strung nature the other night, by stubbing a cigarette out on his chest). He was so nervous, indeed, that he eventually confessed his infidelity to Kathy. If he thought that this was going to buy him a quiet few days of remorse and mutual weeping, he was wrong. The wedding ring went straight in the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
in the middle of a blazing soap aria from Gillian Taylforth
Gillian Taylforth
Gillian Taylforth is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Kathy Mitchell on the BBC soap opera, EastEnders and as Jackie Pascoe-Webb on ITV's Footballers Wives , but more recently as Sgt. Nikki Wright in ITV's The Bill...
.”
After being absent from August 1997, Lorna reappeared once again in February 1998. Lorna was involved in the storyline that saw the character Kathy depart the serial after 13 years; her suicide bid helped to ruin Phil and Kathy's chance of patching up their marriage, and Kathy left for a new life in South Africa. Following the climax of this storyline, Lorna departed. The producers of EastEnders had wanted to keep the character in the show, but Janet Dibley reportedly turned down the BBC's £130,000 pay offer after discovering they were planning to turn Lorna into a prostitute who was to be gang-raped. It would have been the first time the soap had shown such an attack, but Dibley feared the “harrowing scenes” would lead to her six-year-old son being taunted. She reportedly commented, “"It just doesn't feel right. I don't care how much money is on offer. I can't do those scenes…I am terrified about how it might affect [my son]. I don't want him getting taunted at school." Dibley allegedly heard about Lorna’s intended storyline from rumours on set, and approached series producer Mike Hudson to talk it through. After several meetings, Dibley told Hudson she was unsatisfied with the storyline and refused to sign a new contract. The producers were reportedly upset over her decision, “because they saw Janet becoming one of the most important stars of the show”. The scripts were subsequently re-written and Lorna made her final appearance in April 1998.
Dibley’s decision was supported by MPs and women’s groups, who condemned the BBC for planning to screen gang rape scenes, which would have been shown 90 minutes before the 9 pm watershed. Philippa Chipping, of the Domestic Violence Intervention Project, said the storyline was irresponsible: "I completely understand Janet's fear of playing what would be a very traumatic scene. EastEnders would not be able to give a sensible and responsible handling of the issue." A counsellor at the London Rape Crisis centre added: "The scriptwriters are using the traumatic experience that many women have gone through just to increase their ratings. They should speak to victims before doing something like this. Janet deserves full credit for the stand she has taken." Tory MP Ann Widdecombe
Ann Widdecombe
Ann Noreen Widdecombe is a former British Conservative Party politician and has been a novelist since 2000. She is a Privy Councillor and was the Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1987 to 1997 and for Maidstone and The Weald from 1997 to 2010. She was a social conservative and a member of...
also praised Dibley’s decision: "Well done to her. It's high time somebody took a stand. EastEnders is watched by an awful lot of children and something like this should not be shown." Labour MP Ronnie Campbell
Ronnie Campbell
Ronald Campbell is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Blyth Valley since 1987.-Early life:He grew up in a family of eight brothers and sisters...
added, "to show a gang-rape in a soap opera is entirely wrong. I am pleased that this actress has taken a stand. It is a very bold move". Mary Whitehouse
Mary Whitehouse
Mary Whitehouse, CBE was a British campaigner against the permissive society particularly as the media portrayed and reflected it...
, of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, said: "I think her actions are very commendable. It's splendid that she has turned down the offer of more money to stand by her principles. There is far too much sex and violence screened on TV when children are watching." Conservative MP Teddy Taylor
Teddy Taylor
Sir Edward MacMillan Taylor, usually known as Teddy Taylor , is a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1964 to 1979 for Glasgow Cathcart and from 1980 to 2005 for Rochford and Southend East.He was a leading member and sometime Vice-President of the Conservative...
said, "Janet will lose a great deal of money by the action she has taken, but she will gain a great deal in helping to improve standards in British broadcasting."
Dibley also received praise from the media. Pam Francis of the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
commented, “If it were not for the fact that Janet Dibley plays such a tragic alcoholic in EastEnders, I'd send her a bottle of bubbly to toast her protest. It takes a brave performer to fight for what she believes in, particularly a single mother like Janet who is sacrificing a lucrative contract. But you can't put a price on the damage caused by exposing young viewers to brutal scenes. It is known that children as young as Janet's son Bobby, six, tune in to the soap…. By standing her ground, Janet Dibley is giving what I consider the performance of a lifetime.” While Dibley was praised, EastEnders was heavily criticised in the media for planning the storyline. One reporter questioned the competency of the programme makers, saying, “Are producers of EastEnders so unimaginative that they couldn't think of a future for Janet's character Lorna other than turn her into the tart…” Another accused the show’s producers of being prepared to expose “children to scenes of violence and sex, which are both gratuitous and offensive”, merely to bring in higher ratings, and beat their biggest soap rival, Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
. John Blunt, from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, accused the gang rape storyline of being the latest novelty wretchedness to be gratuitously used by soap scriptwriters “in the name of family entertainment”. He criticised the UK broadcasting watchdog’s efficiency at protecting young children who routinely watch soap operas, commenting: “Short of parents having the good sense to turn the TV off and spare their children from exposure to such coarse assaults on their innocence, a much firmer line needs to be taken by our broadcasting standards watchdogs - whose evident ineffectiveness is brought home by Janet Dibley showing what ought to be done in the name of common decency and family values."
Despite the controversy surrounding her departure, actress Janet Dibley has since been complimentary about her role in EastEnders. In 2006 she commented, “It was a great part…[Lorna] wreaked havoc and left.”