EMMERDALE has taken a big swing with its latest bombshell child killer storyline - and I for one am glad that they have. These are exactly the types of storylines that soaps should tackle. For all the sensationalism, huge stunts and so-called issues-based storylines - the hearts of soaps should be people.
And they shouldn’t shy away from damaged people like Ella. Yes, she’s a killer and yes she killed a child as a child - but she’s settled in the right place - Emmerdale makes Midsomer look like the safest place in the UK. Throw a stone and the likelihood is you’ll hit a killer, and then they’ll hit another killer thinking they threw the stone.
Undoubtedly there is going to be a backlash to this storyline. It’s only a matter of time before there are comparisons to real-life cases like Jamie Bulger’s killers or Mary Bell, but they would be unfair. People will obviously have strong feelings about it - and Ofcom might want to gird itself for the inevitable onslaught.
But as unseemly as it could be described - this is a powerful storyline. Bosses have played a blinder by casting Paula Lane - and by slowly integrating her into the village and showing her true personality. Hints of intrigue, but not over the top, have suggested she’s linked to serial killer Meena Jutla - and she is, just not in the way everyone thought.
Meena was a breath of fresh air in soapland - a serial killer who enjoyed herself. She didn’t agonise over every little kill - she celebrated them .
