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The Ferreira family are a fictional family from the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
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soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
EastEnders'', that appeared on screen between 2003 and 2005. Created by
Tony Jordan
Tony Jordan (born 21 July 1957) is a British television writer. He was listed as the number one television screenwriter in the United Kingdom by ''Broadcast'' magazine in 2008 and among British broadcasting's top twenty in ''The Stage'' in 20 ...
and introduced by
Louise Berridge
Louise Berridge is a British historical fiction writer. She was previously a television producer and script editor, her most famous post being the executive producer of BBC's '' EastEnders'' between 2002 to 2004. During her tenure, the long-ru ...
as a new
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
family, producers hoped they would become central to the show. However, after
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n actor
Dalip Tahil
Dalip Tahil (born as Dalip Tahilramani; 30 October 1952) is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He studied at Sherwood College in Nainital, India. After attending Aligarh Muslim University for a year, he graduated from St. Xavier's C ...
was forced to leave due to a controversy over his
work permit, a major plot involving the family had to be scrapped and was replaced with a
kidney transplant
Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantati ...
storyline that was branded "boring". It was later revealed that the dropped storyline involved Dan being murdered by his children and buried in a shallow grave. The characters were also called "unrealistic", "annoying", and "unlikeable" by many of the show's fans and critics. They were blamed for a decline in the show's viewing figures and were eventually axed by
Kathleen Hutchison
Kathleen Hutchison is a British television producer, whose credits include ''Playing the Field'', ''Holby City'' (of which she was the Series Producer, then Executive Producer for many years) and ''Casualty @ Holby City''.
''EastEnders''
On 21 Se ...
after bosses struggled to find storylines for the family. Jordan later admitted the family's members were "the least successful characters
ecreated".
Creation
The Ferreiras were introduced in 2003 as the first Asian family in ''EastEnders'' since
Sanjay (
Deepak Verma
Deepak Verma MBE (b. 11 February 1969) is a British actor, writer and television/film producer of Indian Punjabi descent and Hindu heritage. His role as market-stall trader Sanjay Kapoor in long-running BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' brought ...
) and
Gita Kapoor
Gita Kapoor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Shobu Kapoor, from 18 February 1993 to 24 September 1998.
Gita has a fierce temper, which is needed to keep her troublesome husband in check. Any success t ...
(
Shobu Kapoor
Shobu Kapoor (born 28 May 1961) is a British actress of Indian descent.
Life and career
She is most notable for playing the role of Gita Kapoor, the long-suffering wife of market trader Sanjay ( Deepak Verma), in the BBC soap opera ''EastEn ...
), who both departed from the show in 1998. They were also the first large family to arrive since
the Slater family's arrival in 2000.
The family were the creation of writer
Tony Jordan
Tony Jordan (born 21 July 1957) is a British television writer. He was listed as the number one television screenwriter in the United Kingdom by ''Broadcast'' magazine in 2008 and among British broadcasting's top twenty in ''The Stage'' in 20 ...
,
and
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
star
Dalip Tahil
Dalip Tahil (born as Dalip Tahilramani; 30 October 1952) is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He studied at Sherwood College in Nainital, India. After attending Aligarh Muslim University for a year, he graduated from St. Xavier's C ...
was cast by the show's executive producer,
Louise Berridge
Louise Berridge is a British historical fiction writer. She was previously a television producer and script editor, her most famous post being the executive producer of BBC's '' EastEnders'' between 2002 to 2004. During her tenure, the long-ru ...
, to play Dan Ferreira, the patriarch of the family. The family, from
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, also consisted of Dan's three sons, Ronny (played by Ray Panthaki), Ash (
Raji James
Rajesh Kumar Jhanji (born 24 February 1970), known professionally as Raji James, is an English actor, known for his roles as Ash Ferreira in '' EastEnders'', DS Vik Singh in ''The Bill'' and Ali Shahzad in ''Hollyoaks''. He also played Abdul ...
) and Adi (
Ameet Chana
Ameet Chana (born 12 September 1975 in Epsom, Surrey, England) is a British-Indian actor. His most notable role is Adi Ferreira in '' EastEnders''.
In May 2006 he took over presenting the Breakdown Show (Bhangra Music) on BBC Asian Network ( ...
), and daughter Kareena (
Pooja Shah
Pooja Ashwin Shah (born 8 August 1979 in London, England) is a British actress, filmmaker and model of Kenyan-Indian descent. She is known for her role as Kareena Ferreira in the popular UK soap opera EastEnders. Shah works with her husband dire ...
). Ronny's friend Tariq Larousi, played by
Nabil Elouahabi
Nabil Elouahabi (born 6 February 1975), often credited as Nabil Elouhabi, is a British- Moroccan actor, known for his role as Tariq Larousi in ''EastEnders'' from 2003 to 2005, as Rashid "Gary" Mahmoon in "Strangers on the Shore" (the 2002 Chris ...
, also joined the show at the same time.
BBC drama bosses worked on introducing an Asian family, who would be central to the show, for a couple of years. Berridge commented on the casting: "After a search which has taken more than two years, and in which we have met literally hundreds of people, we have finally found the perfect cast for our dynamic new family. We're delighted to welcome the Ferreiras to
Albert Square
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location ...
and I'm sure the viewers will be too."
Berridge also claimed the show didn't set out to look for an Asian family, saying: "We wanted a new family as there were various elements missing from the show. I thought we were short on males and needed a surge of testosterone,"
and said that the characters were formed around the actors: "We didn't set out knowing exactly what we wanted. We workshopped constantly, trying out different improvisations with the actors and the characters evolved."
It was hoped that the family would have a big impact on the other characters.
The show's producers apparently vowed not to include too many racial issues in the family's storylines, although upon their arrival, the character of
Jim Branning
Jim Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by John Bardon, first appearing on 29 April 1996 and became a regular character in 1999. He remained in the series until 2011.
Jim was temporarily written out ...
(
John Bardon
John Bardon (born John Michael Jones, 25 August 1939 – 12 September 2014) was an English stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1988 (1987 season) for '' Kiss Me, Kate'', sharing the aw ...
) was heard saying "they're Indian, they do like to pack 'em in, don't they?" in reference to the family's size.
On being cast in the show, Tahil admitted that he wasn't unaware of how big a part of British culture the soap was until he arrived in the United Kingdom, saying "It's going to be a big adventure."
Shah commented "Joining ''EastEnders'' is a dream come true. I have been a fan of the programme for many years and I'm looking forward to joining the cast."
The family first appeared on screen on 3 June 2003. Later on in the year Indian chef
Madhur Jaffrey
Madhur Jaffrey CBE (née Bahadur; born 13 August 1933) is an Indian-British-American actress, food and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the western hemisphere with her debut cookbook ...
was cast in ''EastEnders'' as Dan's estranged wife, Pushpa. Jaffrey commented, "I really wanted to do the role because Indian women are usually portrayed as so proper and withdrawn – the kind of women who just stay at home cooking and cleaning. I thought, 'How wonderful of ''EastEnders'' to write a character that is realistic.' What my character has done happens all the time in India; there are all kinds of stories of people running away and marrying their lovers. This is what commonly happens in those places, but somehow the image of Indian womanhood is different." Pushpa was a guest character only appearing for the duration of a storyline that revealed Dan had been lying about her death and had actually left him for another man,
Pradeep (Kaleem Janjua) Dan's best friend.
Development
In November 2003, it emerged that actor Dalip Tahil faced being axed from the show due to not having the correct work permit. It was reported that after Tahil joined ''EastEnders'' from appearing in stage musical ''
Bombay Dreams
''Bombay Dreams'' is a Bollywood-themed musical, with music by A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black and the book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan, originally produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The London production opened in 2002 and ran for tw ...
'', neither he nor the BBC had obtained proper authorisation from the
Home Office to make the switch of employment legal.
The BBC issued a one-line statement, which read: "We are considering any potential problems with a view to resolving them as soon as possible."
Tahil was forced to leave the show, and made his last appearance on 30 December 2003, although the actor was eventually allowed to remain in the UK.
Following Tahil's departure, plots were abandoned and many scripts had to be rewritten.
''EastEnders'' scriptwriter Tony Jordan revealed that it was intended that Dan would be murdered by his children after prolonged bullying and abuse, saying "The family arrived in Albert Square in what was expected to be a huge storyline. The father
..was an oppressive and violent bully – eventually his children were going to kill him. It was all scripted – how they buried him in a shallow grave, how they dealt with it, and how it all exploded. And then Dalip got bloody deported. He was actually on the studio floor and they marched him off. Broken legs, nervous breakdowns – we can deal with that. But when actors are physically taken away by the government and deported, there's not much you can do. Fifty scripts had to be reworked. And because all the episodes had been written around this big storyline, we had to keep the same amount of Ferreira material."
The murder storyline was replaced with one concerning a kidney transplant between Ronny and his newly discovered half brother Tariq. Jordan admitted they could have recast the character of Dan, but it may have looked "tacky": "We couldn't go, 'Tonight, the part of Mr Ferreira will be played by
Michael French
Michael French (born Michael Clark, 17 September 1962) is an English actor, known for his roles as David Wicks in ''EastEnders''; Nick Jordan, a consultant and Clinical Lead, Senior Consultant in emergency medicine in '' Casualty'' and former ...
with a suntan'. We were trying to do it with integrity. Then somebody said, 'What if Ronnie Ferreira's mate Tariq turns out to be his half-brother and we do the whole kidney transplant thing?' And, of course, it was like
watching paint dry. 'Can I have your kidney?' 'No. Oh, go on then...'"
Jordan told the ''Daily Mirror'' the Ferreiras were "the least successful characters I created – through no fault of their own."
Berridge defended the family, saying that Tahil's departure caused many problems, however, she added, "
e Ferreiras have not been as successful as we had hoped. I think in retrospect we made a mistake in giving their entrance such a fanfare as a New Asian Family. Viewers traditionally take a long time to adapt to anyone new
..so it was wrong to emphasise what was different about this family from the start. Even so, we had a terrific first story for them, which was to have culminated in a huge, action storyline to mark the exit of their father. However, the sudden removal of actor Dalip Tahil, for reasons beyond our control, meant that the story had to be abandoned quickly – and 40 scripts rewritten on the spot. The result was the transplant story, which I have to admit did go on for far too long, especially when our biggest story in this period had also to be abandoned because of the pregnancy of
Kacey Ainsworth
Kacey Ainsworth (born 19 October 1968) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Little Mo in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Cathy Keating in ITV drama ''Grantchester''.
Early life
Ainsworth trained at the Royal Ce ...
. The writers and production team did their very best under these circumstances but I would be the first to admit the end result was not our finest hour. I hope that viewers will not hold this against the Ferreira family and will be prepared to watch the next stage of their stories with an open mind. This is a very talented bunch of actors, who've had to put up with a lot of stick for problems which have not been of their making. Viewer response to their lighter material was very favourable and I am confident the Ferreiras will regain their popularity."
Lorraine Heggessey
Lorraine Sylvia Heggessey (born 16 November 1956) is a British television producer and executive. From 2000 until 2005, she was the first woman to be Controller of BBC One, the primary television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ...
, controller of BBC One, said the show became overdependent on the kidney transplant storyline as there were several cast problems, such as illness, pregnancy, rehab and a car crash.
Berridge quit as executive producer of ''EastEnders'' and was replaced by
Kathleen Hutchison
Kathleen Hutchison is a British television producer, whose credits include ''Playing the Field'', ''Holby City'' (of which she was the Series Producer, then Executive Producer for many years) and ''Casualty @ Holby City''.
''EastEnders''
On 21 Se ...
.
In April 2004, producers were concerned that the family were losing popularity with viewers, and a decision was made to write Pooja Shah out of the show for a while, but to bring her back with a sexier image to rival
Michelle Ryan
Michelle Claire Ryan (born 22 April 1984) is an English actress. She played Zoe Slater on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' (2000–2005). In 2007, she starred in the short-lived American television series ''Bionic Woman''. She appeared as th ...
, who played
Zoe Slater
Zoe Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michelle Ryan. She made her first appearance on 18 September 2000. Zoe arrives in Walford along with her father, Charlie (Derek Martin), sisters Kat (Jessi ...
. Shah expressed a dislike of her character, saying "I'm fed up with it now. Kareena's too dowdy. I wanted Kareena to be different, to stand out. If I'm completely honest, I can't stand her – she just grates on my nerves. She hasn't got many friends, but then I wouldn’t be her friend if I met her." The family had failed and rumours began that the entire family would be killed off in a house fire. A further attempt to "spice up" the family was made in July 2004 by bringing back character
Sasha Perkins
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2003, by order of first appearance.
Eleanor Trueman
Eleanor "Ellie" Trueman (real name Amber) is the result of a one-night stand between Paul ...
, played by
Jemma Walker, and having her move in with the Ferreiras.
The show struggled to find storylines for Dan's children, and the remainder of the family, including Sasha Perkins, were dropped from the show by Hutchison in October 2004. This was claimed to be a mutual decision between the programme makers and the actors, as the characters had "run their course."
They made their final on-screen appearance on 22 March 2005.
Family tree
Storylines
Background
Dan Ferreira is a fan of
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, portrayed as a womaniser and a bully. He claims to be a widower, talking about his wife as being dead, both to the neighbours and his children, but they have merely separated after she had an affair with his best friend, with whom she moved in with. Ash is portrayed as the intelligent member of the family, the standard of his education being much higher than his siblings, so much so that he is a lecturer. He has an on/off problem with gambling, something that presumably led to the breakup of his first marriage, before he is seen on screen. Kareena is in a relationship with Tariq, though it is not a sexual one. Ronny works as a DJ under the name DJ Ronny Flawless, and Tariq is his best friend and promoter.
2003–2005
The Ferreiras move to Albert Square in 2003.
Kareena and Adi run a clothes stall on the market, Ash starts working at the local community centre, and Ronny earns money as a disc jockey, managed by his friend, Tariq, whom Dan dislikes. It transpires that Tariq is in a secret relationship with Kareena, but the Ferreiras discover this after they split up, causing further animosity between Tariq and Dan.
Dan starts a relationship with
Shirley Benson
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2003, by order of first appearance.
Eleanor Trueman
Eleanor "Ellie" Trueman (real name Amber) is the result of a one-night stand between Pa ...
(
Robyn Moore), telling her that his wife, Pushpa, is dead. He takes her to a wedding as his guest, but Pushpa arrives, introducing herself and exposing Dan's lie. Shirley then breaks up with him. The Ferreiras help Shirley to deal with her neighbour from hell,
Gavin Sharp (Steve Nicolson), which leads to Shirley and Ash becoming close and starting a secret relationship. Shirley is unhappy that Ash refuses to tell anyone about their relationship, as he knows his father will be furious if he discovers them together. Ash reveals to Shirley that he is a compulsive gambler and he lost his house and ruined his marriage in the process; Dan had bailed him out. He says he owes his father everything and he is not willing to hurt him. Dan attempts to woo Shirley again, forcing her to confess her relationship with Ash. This causes friction between the Ferreiras, and Ash breaks up with Shirley to keep the peace.
Ronny's love life is equally unsettled. He begins dating
Kelly Taylor (
Brooke Kinsella
Brooke Kinsella (born 17 July 1983) is a British actress, author and anti-knife crime campaigner. A graduate of the Anna Scher Theatre School, Kinsella has been acting since childhood. She has had various roles on television and in film. Her mos ...
), but ends the relationship when he discovers her past as a prostitute and begins dating Kelly's best friend,
Zoe Slater
Zoe Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Michelle Ryan. She made her first appearance on 18 September 2000. Zoe arrives in Walford along with her father, Charlie (Derek Martin), sisters Kat (Jessi ...
(
Michelle Ryan
Michelle Claire Ryan (born 22 April 1984) is an English actress. She played Zoe Slater on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' (2000–2005). In 2007, she starred in the short-lived American television series ''Bionic Woman''. She appeared as th ...
). This abruptly ends when Kelly witnesses Ronny kissing another woman. Meanwhile, Adi has a romance with
Sasha Perkins
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2003, by order of first appearance.
Eleanor Trueman
Eleanor "Ellie" Trueman (real name Amber) is the result of a one-night stand between Paul ...
(
Jemma Walker), a
pole dancer and
escort, who he initially pays to pretend to be his girlfriend. He strives to impress his father but fails. Dan disappears suddenly and clears out the family's bank account, leaving his children £12,000 in mortgage arrears. The truth behind his disappearance is never revealed.
Ronny is stabbed by a gang while trying to protect Tariq and has to have his kidney removed. However, it is discovered he was born with just one and will need a kidney transplant. None of his siblings are a tissue match, so Ash, Adi and Kareena visit their mother, but her kidney is not a match either. Tariq is forced to reveal that he is Dan's son, and he donates his kidney to Ronny. He explains that he thought having a mildly romantic relationship with his half sister would bring him closer to the family. Adi dislikes the fact he and Tariq are half brothers, but mellows towards him eventually. When bailiffs arrive to evict the family from their home, they board themselves into their living room, but eventually admit defeat and move into a flat with Sasha, starting a minicab firm called Toucan Cars.
Kareena begins dating
Mickey Miller
Mickey Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Joe Swash. He made his first appearance on 15 April 2003. Introduced as a guest character, Mickey proved popular and was turned into a regular by executive p ...
(
Joe Swash
Joseph Adam Swash is an English actor and television presenter, best known for his role of Mickey Miller in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' and various presenting roles with ITV2. He won the eighth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me ...
), but problems arise between them when
Juley Smith
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2002, by order of first appearance. Many were introduced by the show's executive producer, John Yorke.
Jack Evans
Jack Evans, played by the id ...
(
Joseph Kpobie) gives Kareena cocaine and she is seduced by him, though she manages to sort out her differences with Mickey eventually. Adi also has relationship problems after Sasha cheats on him with hothead gangster
Danny Moon (
Jake Maskall
Jake Maskall (born 1971 in England) is an English television, film and theatre actor.
Career
Jake has guest starred in ''Casualty'' as Paul Vessey and Scobie in '' Murder City''.
Jake's most notable role came in the BBC television soap opera ...
), leading to the couple's split. Later on, the whole family gets into trouble with Danny's employer
Johnny Allen (
Billy Murray) - also the square's reigning gangland boss - after the latter agrees to loan several cars to the Ferreiras' business. However, three of the vehicles end up getting stolen. Johnny quickly discovers this and orders the family to either leave Walford immediately or face repercussions. Kareena initially opts to remain in Walford with Mickey, but at the last minute she changes her mind and departs with the rest of her family in March 2005.
Reception
Tahil's casting was considered to be controversial, and was slammed by British Asian actors who said the part should have been given to a UK actor, referring to it as "disgraceful".
Actors
Albert Moses
Albert Moses, KStJ (19 December 1937 – 15 September 2017) was a Sri Lankan actor based in the United Kingdom. He is best known for playing the role of Ranjeet Singh, a student in Jeremy Brown's EFL class in the popular British sitcom '' Mind Y ...
and
Renu Setna complained that home-grown talent was being overlooked, with Moses saying, "British Asian actors have been fighting for the last five years to persuade the BBC to bring an Asian family into ''EastEnders'' and when at last it happens it goes to Bollywood. It is a disgrace and an insult to British Asian actors. This is a terrible thing for the BBC to do. It should be ashamed."
Setna said: "I have heard that for this storyline the BBC has brought over a Bollywood star to play the father. Why, when we have excellent Asian actors of our own?"
British immigration laws state that nationals from outside the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
should not replace resident actors capable of doing the same work.
A spokesperson for the BBC responded: "After due consideration, Dalip was deemed to be the most appropriate actor for the job."
Additionally, it was suggested that Madhur Jaffrey was miscast in the role of Dan's wife Pushpa.
Several of the family's storylines were criticised and branded as unbelievable and poorly researched, and they were cited as one of the main reasons viewing figures for the show dropped to a low of 6.2 million.
One columnist for the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' wrote, "Never has a family bored me so much. During their transplant saga I nearly donated a kidney myself to end the turgid tale. Get rid of 'em." Fans called for the family to be axed, and an editorial on the ''Daily Mirror'' stated: "The Ferreiras' father, Dan, was probably not just the worst character in soap, but the most annoying, unlikeable person on all television. Inveterate gambler, Ash and daughter Kareena are mere ciphers while Adi is just weird – like a gay version of a character from ''
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
''. Ronny Ferreira, meanwhile,
..presided over the most boring storyline in ''EastEnders''
' history when viewers spent several weeks watching him lying in bed growing a beard (i.e. waiting for a kidney transplant). The fact that the Ferreiras still haven't been axed shows how indecisive and complacent the show's executives have become."
However, a poll on radio station
BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British Asian radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially British Asians between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has ...
found that 75% of respondents wanted the family to stay.
One thousand young Asian professionals were surveyed on their opinions of the family, with most respondents saying the family were extremely unrealistic. One girl said, "I think the Ferreiras are shit! The story lines are stupid, unrealistic and dull. Most Asians would not get evicted and then remain homeless, they would go to an aunty."
A female PR manager told the survey: "Just how many shades of brown can there be in one family? You can't put them in any context. They have no background,"
and another participant said, "The Ferreiras should just be killed off. They are pointless, boring and the storylines are rubbish."
A barrister criticised the family's names, saying their first names were a mixture of
Muslim and
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
and their surname was
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
so the family should have been
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Following the axing of the family, actor Ameet Chana accused the BBC of discriminating against the family, saying, "I'm not afraid to admit that the Ferreira family have been treated like
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
We've been made scapegoats, discriminated against. They wouldn't do this to the
Watts
Watts is plural for ''watt'', the unit of power.
Watts may also refer to:
People
*Watts (surname), list of people with the surname Watts Fictional characters
*Watts, main character in the film '' Some Kind of Wonderful''
*Watts family, six chara ...
or
Slater
A slater, or slate mason, is a tradesperson who covers buildings with slate.
Tools of the trade
The various tools of the slater's trade are all drop-forged.
The slater's hammer is forged in one single piece, from crucible-cast steel, and ha ...
family.
..The Ferreira family have had bad storylines and we've taken the blame for it."
The family's Goan origin was also criticised by Samir Shah, a member of the BBC's board of directors, citing it as an example of "inauthentic representation" of ethnic minority communities. He said, "If you were to cast an Asian family in the East End, it should have been
Bangladeshi. Instead we had a family of Goan descent." A report by the
Equality and Human Rights Commission claimed that the Ferreiras were an example of stereotyping in the media.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferreira
EastEnders families
Television characters introduced in 2003
Fictional Indian people