User:AnemoneProjectors/Episode 5129

"Episode 5129" is an episode of the BBC soap opera EastEnders that was broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 31 August 2015, between 8pm and 8.30pm. It was written by Pete Lawson, directed by Richard Lynn, and executively produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins. The episode features the character Shabnam Masood, played by Rakhee Thakrar, giving birth to a stillborn son, Zaair.

Plot
The Masoods are in turmoil as Shabnam Masood (Rakhee Thakrar) prepares to give birth to her stillborn child. Her partner Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) finds it difficult to take everything in and flees, though Shabnam's father Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) convinces him to return to the hospital and face his child. Following the birth, Shabnam holds her son, naming him Zaair and comforting him before returning him to the nurse. Shabnam is distraught, and believes that it was Allah's revenge for giving up her daughter, Jade Green (Amaya Edward), for adoption. Kush's mother Carmel Kazemi (Bonnie Langford) soon arrives at the hospital and encourages Kush to say goodbye to Zaair. Kush holds Zaair and tells him how proud he is of his son before leaving him with a nurse.

Characters and cast

 * Shabnam Masood – Rakhee Thakrar
 * Kush Kazemi – Davood Ghadami
 * Masood Ahmed – Nitin Ganatra
 * Tamwar Masood – Himesh Patel
 * Nancy Carter – Maddy Hill
 * Carmel Kazemi – Bonnie Langford
 * Comfort Shodipe – Nicola Alexis

Production
On 1 August 2015, Thakrar confirmed a stillbirth storyline for Shabnam and Kush, in which she realises that her baby has stopped moving. EastEnders worked alongside neonatal death and stillbirth charity Sands to produce the storyline. Speaking of the nature of the storyline, Thakrar commented: "In the UK, 3628 babies were stillborn in 2013, that's one in every 216 births; a shocking fact I've come to learn during my preparation for telling this story." She added: "It is an experience that profoundly changes a person's life forever, and we feel a heavy responsibility to tell the truth of this. Our hope is that we can encourage people to talk about their experiences and their babies that have died." Erica Stewart, Bereavement Support Services Manager at Sands, stated: "The death of a baby is rarely talked about. Many people shy away from the issue, others have a misconception that this is a thing of the past. We hope that with a TV drama as popular as EastEnders covering this heartbreaking experience, it will help to lift the taboo, and raise awareness of all the issues that surround the death of a baby. We worked closely with the writers and actors on this storyline. We really appreciate their dedication to ensuring that they portray the impact that the death of a baby has on bereaved families as truthfully as possible. Everyone involved has approached this storyline with incredible sensitivity."

Reception
Overnight ratings showed that the episode was watched by 6.25 million people, a 27.7% share of the total viewing audience for that time. However, this was down on rival soap opera Coronation Street, whose two episodes broadcast on ITV that day received overnight ratings of 6.85 million and 7.05 million respectively. A repeat at 10pm on BBC Three received overnight ratings of 379,000 (2.3%). Official ratings from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board showed that 6.993 million people had watched the episode within 7 days of the original broadcast, increasing to 7.173 million over 28 days. It was the third most-watched programme on all UK television that week, beaten only by the launch of the 13th series of Strictly Come Dancing and an episode of the 6th series of The Great British Bake Off, both also shown on BBC One.

Duncan Lindsay from the Metro called the episode "Shabnam's darkest day" and said, "There wasn't a dry eye across the country when Shabnam and Kush's baby Zaair was stillborn in some of soap's most devastating and emotional scenes of the year. Rakhee Thakrar gave a sensational performance as the destroyed mum and the story rightfully won praise from viewers and charities such as SANDs for the portrayal and sensitive handling of the issue. It was the show's saddest moment over the last year—but also one of their proudest."

It was nominated in the "Best Single Episode" category at the 2016 British Soap Awards, under the name "Shabnam's stillbirth". However, the award was won by the Doctors episode "The Heart of England".