Emmerdale fans slam major baby health storyline after it’s ‘forgotten’ by bosses
SOAP fans are baffled as to why the childhood blood cancer storyline has been forgotten in Emmerdale.
Emmerdale viewers were shocked to learn baby Evan Fletcher (Malachi McKenzie) was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a type of childhood blood cancer.
Evan’s low hemoglobin and platelet levels lead to an urgent bone marrow biopsy.
The storyline aims to raise awareness of leukemia symptoms and how it affects families.
It also explores the stress and strain a long-term illness can put on a family, including the financial pressure.
This came after Dawn Taylor (Olivia Bromley) noticed a new bruise on Evan’s leg and immediately called the surgery.
Dr. Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) advised her to take Evan directly to A&E, where a pediatrician examined him and ordered blood tests.
Dawn and Billy (Jay Kontzle) feared they might be accused of harming Evan, but the doctor reassured them that he was seriously ill.
The blood test results prompted the pediatrician to recommend an urgent bone marrow biopsy due to Evan’s low hemoglobin and platelet levels.
Overwhelmed by the situation, Dawn was instructed not to feed Evan as he needed to remain nil by mouth until after the biopsy.
While struggling to comfort her son, Billy returned home, visibly upset, and shared the troubling news with Dawn’s father, Will Taylor, and his wife, Kim Tate.
He mentioned the possibility of an infection, autoimmune disease, or leukemia.
Will and Kim rushed to the hospital just as Evan was being taken for his biopsy, with Will trying to console Dawn.
Eventually, the doctor confirmed that Evan had a type of leukemia, leaving Dawn devastated as her worst fears became reality.
Following her son’s leukemia diagnosis, Dawn stayed at the hospital with Evan as his chemotherapy treatment continued.
Forgotten soap storylines
The nation's soaps have had many gripping storylines play out over the years. However, some plots proved to be far less memorable. Here are some forgotten stories from Weatherfield, Walford and more...
- Ken and Audrey’s romance (2015): After the death of wife Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), Coronation Street original Ken Barlow (William Roache) started to move on in his life. He started to develop a spark with old friend Audrey (Sue Nicholls), with then-Corrie boss saying it would be like “Ross and Rachel”. In the end, nothing ever came of it and the two remained platonic pals.
- Beth’s bigamy (2016): Despite being happily married to Kirk (Andrew Whyment), a troubling secret came to light about Beth Tinker (Lisa George). It transpired that she had never divorced from her first husband, Darryl (Paul Loughran), father of her son Craig (Colson Smith). Although Craig and Kirk were shocked – and Beth was arrested – the storyline didn’t didn’t go much further.
- Kat Slater’s secret son (2017): Capitalising on the popularity of Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Alfie (Shane Richie), the two received a spin-off back in 2017. Titled ‘Redwater’, it saw the two travel to Ireland where they met long-lost son Luke, now called Dermott Dolan, played by Oisín Stack. Despite the high-tension events during Redwater, Kat seems to have put the experience behind her as Dermott’s not been mentioned since.
- Alfie’s brain tumour (2015): Having learned in 2015 that he had a brain tumour, Alfie kept the news from Kat until their trip to Ireland. At the time, actor Shane Ritchie revealed fans would see a change in Alfie as he battled the illness. It would appear that at some point after leaving the Square, was told the tumour was non-malignant. By the time Alfie returned in 2022, fans were left confused over what had happened to the storyline.
- Kathy and Buster’s affair (2016): In 2016, Walford legend Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) fell into the arms of convict Buster Briggs, played by Karl Howman. Buster was the long-time lover of Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) and fathered both her sons – Mick (Danny Dyer) and Dean (Matt Di Angelo). When Buster left, he begged Kathy to join him, but she refused for the sake of her family. Meanwhile Buster didn’t even stop to say goodbye to Shirley before exiting with a broken heart. Fans expected a showdown between the two women, but this never came to pass.
- Jacob’s OCD (2016): After his dad, David (Matthew Wolfenden), was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016, Jacob (Joe-Warren Plant) developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This manifested in the form of cleaning. Jacob’s OCD made a brief return one year on, after David had another scare after finding a lump. Jacob frantically searched the bins for a “lucky coin” that had accidentally been thrown away. Despite stressful situations – such as being groomed by his teacher Maya, losing his fiancee Leanna to a serial killer, dealing with mum Leyla’s drug addiction, and surviving a stabbing – the condition doesn’t appear to have returned.
- Marlon and Charity’s fling (2003): Few fans would likely remember few will remember the one-night stand between Charity (Emma Atkins) and Marlon (Mark Charnock) in 2003. The pair slept together when Charity was staying with Marlon while still under suspicion for husband Chris’s supposed “murder”.
- Alex Browning’s revenge plot (2014): Fans expected a confrontation when Dr Browning’s son Alex (Ojan Genc) mer stepmum Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe). After all, Mercedes, with Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) and Lindsey Butterfield (Sophie Austin) had murdered Alex’s dad, double-murderer Dr Paul Browning, after he kidnapped and attacked his new wife. In fact, the soap teased Alex would seek revenge for his father’s death upon arriving. However, he instead gave Cindy’s son Hilton (his half-brother) a life-saving transplant, became his godfather, and leaving the village soon after.
However, when Dawn and Evan returned to Home Farm, Dawn was immediately overwhelmed with paranoia about the children seeing their sick baby brother.
Billy grew increasingly worried about Dawn’s overprotectiveness, but things settled when Rose Jackson (Christine Tremarco) offered a heartfelt compliment to Dawn, acknowledging her natural maternal instincts.
This moment brought them closer together as they collaborated on building a fort for the kids.
However, viewers are now complaining that the storyline has been forgotten about in recent episodes.
Taking to Digital Spy fan forum, one fan said: “It wasn’t a good idea to tackle a subject that they aren’t really equipped to deal with properly.
“And it seems likely that the new producer doesn’t seem keen on the storyline either as they seem to be jumping from one over the top storyline to another leaving others pushed into the background.”
Another argued: “Just short conversations now and again, with facts included, would be great.”
A third penned: “Taking on a baby storyline like this was the wrong choice. It could never be showcased properly.”
Meanwhile, Billy is in a desperate bid to make ends meet for his family and has been engaging in illegal fights unbeknownst to his wife Dawn.
Things got even more complicated when Jade, who is a ruthless boxing promoter, spun a tale claiming Billy was considering her as a new client.
Will he re-enter Jade’s boxing venture?
Could there a grim turn for Billy ahead?
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 or stream from 6am on ITVX.