Sharongate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Sharongate" is the term used for a storyline in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, which reached its climax on October 24, 1994, attracting 25.3 million viewers. The plot was written by EastEnders scriptwriter, Tony Jordan.[1]
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[edit] Synopsis
Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean) confessed on tape that she had slept with her husband’s brother, Phil (Steve McFadden). The truth came out in the middle of a packed Queen Vic. Grant (Ross Kemp) attacked his brother and Phil was lucky to survive.
[edit] Storyline development
One of the most notable and popular EastEnders storylines was a love triangle between the characters Grant Mitchell, his wife Sharon and his brother Phil. The plot has been described by former Executive Producer of EastEnders and BBC's Head of Drama Serials, John Yorke, as a "Tristan and Isolde story".[2]
Despite the fact that Sharon married Grant initially, EastEnders writer Tony Jordan has revealed in The Mitchells - The Full Story that the love-triangle storyline had been planned since Phil and Grant's introduction in 1990, after the writers came to the realisation that Sharon was perfect for them both.[3]
This storyline was slow burning and was spread over several years, providing a plethora of dramatic tension along the way. The episode in which Phil betrayed his brother with Sharon occurred in September 1992 in one of the soap's notorious three-handers. Sue Dunderdale directed the episodes and the performances of McFadden, Kemp and Dean have been described as memorable and filled with high-tension drama.[4] Things finally came to a head in October 1994 with some of EastEnders' most popular and renowned episodes, which have been dubbed "Sharongate".[5]
The episodes — which were watched by 25.3 million viewers[6] — centred around Grant's discovery of the affair and his startling reaction. On-screen Grant accidentally heard Sharon unwittingly confessing to the affair on tape. He reacted by playing it to a pub full of people at Phil's engagement party and then beat his brother unconscious.[7] The aftermath of the storyline eventually saw the character of Sharon depart Walford after ten years in the show and the repercussions of Phil's betrayal contributed to many subsequent storylines involving the Mitchell brothers throughout the 1990s.
Writer of Sharongate, Tony Jordan, has stated that of all the storylines he has penned for the soap, Sharongate is the one he is most proud of. He comments "Three of the strongest characters that have ever been in EastEnders are the Mitchell brothers and Sharon... when we actually blew that story it was incredible... being able to reach that many people with your work is what makes EastEnders exciting."[8] Sharongate's success with viewers was not equalled until six years later, in 2001, when EastEnders screened the highly publicised Who Shot Phil? storyline.[9] Reporter for The Guardian, Sally Vincent, has commented on Sharongate's success: "It wasn't so much the guilt-stacked, long-drawn-out business of Sharon 'n' Phil's helpless lust for each other - all that unseemly face-sucking while her hubby/his brother, the ape-like Grant, languished in gaol for trying to set fire to everyone - that broke the ratings record, nor was it the ingenious ruse of using the baby's alarm system to broadcast Sharon's poignant little confession to the entire clientele of Walford's Queen Vic. It was the fact that we'd all watched Sharon grow up. We knew that she was a nice little person, vulnerable, brave, sweet-natured and kind to the dog. We were sorry for her...Neither of those Mitchells deserved her, so when one punched the other into the garage pit and half-killed him for tampering with his lady-wife, we didn't much care. We were sorry to see [Sharon] go."[9]
[edit] Plot
Sharon had become part of the Mitchell family when she married Grant in December 1991. But months later the couple began rowing. Grant wanted a wife who behaved like one, and Sharon refused to comply. He also wanted a baby but Sharon preferred to concentrate on making The Queen Vic a success.
During a major row in July 1992, Sharon confessed that she had carried on taking the contraceptive pill because she didn't want to have a baby with Grant. He went berserk and after smashing the pub up he disappeared for a few weeks, leaving Phil to comfort a devastated Sharon. Sharon began to wonder if she had married the wrong brother. Grant returned, and despite promises to try harder he immediately returned to his old ways, staying out with his friends all night and leaving Phil to help Sharon at The Vic in his place. Grant's thuggish behaviour only drove Sharon and Phil closer. Sharon found herself confiding in Phil and one night they both kissed, this eventually led to Phil and Sharon going to bed together; marking the beginning of their affair. However, Sharon could not bring herself to leave Grant and upon his return she chose him rather than Phil.
Grant's reign of terror continued, and he began to get involved with crime. He intimidated Sharon and her friends; he smashed up the Vic and later, torched it in an insurance scam, unaware that Sharon was inside. Sharon was furious when she discovered his involvement in the fire and decided to take a holiday to visit her mother in America in December 1992. Upon her return three months later, she attempted to seize Grant's half of the Vic and gain full control. More arguments followed and after another heated argument Grant beat Sharon across the face. Sharon tried to hide her injuries, but both Phil and Michelle Fowler—Sharon's best-friend—noticed there was something wrong.
When Grant's behaviour did not improve, Michelle called the police, but when they arrived Grant lost his temper and began attacking them. He badly injured one policeman and Michelle got punched by Grant. Grant was arrested and sent to prison on remand. With Grant out of the way, Sharon's affair with Phil went into full swing. While he was serving his prison sentence, Grant began to suspect that his wife may have been seeing someone else, and threatened to kill the man if he ever found him. Phil then had to meditate between his brother and his lover. However, Sharon and Phil were both tormented with feelings of guilt, and neither wanted to tell Grant the truth. When Grant was finally released from prison, Sharon took pity and by the end of June that year they had reunited. Phil, still in love with Sharon, married a Romanian refugee so she could gain a visa, though their marriage was short-lived. After Phil's first marriage collapsed, he began a relationship with Kathy Beale and the two were eventually engaged. Sharon felt a twang of remorse when she discovered the engagement and went round to see Phil, with the hope of reigniting their affair. They kissed, but Phil suddenly remembered himself and threw her out.
The storyline eventually came to a dramatic climax in October 1994. Sharon had put her affair with Phil behind her and she and Grant were even thinking about starting a family. Michelle's boyfriend, Geoff Barnes, had an idea about interviewing local girls for his book about the 'social and economic importance of women in the East end'. Sharon agreed to contribute, so long as Michelle conducted the interview. During the autumn of 1994 the interview took place, with Michelle taping the conversation on a tape recorder. However the girls forgot to turn the tape recorder off after the interview finished, and prompted by Michelle, Sharon began to reveal the full details of her affair with Phil, leaving the incriminating evidence in the tape machine, which Grant found.
Weeks later, on the night of Phil and Kathy's engagement party, Grant went on an errand to collect some beer from a nearby pub. On his return he remembered the tape and finally got to listen to what was on it. Grant went into a state of shock and anger, he went over to the Vic, where Phil and Kathy were having their engagement party, stopped the music and played the tape to a packed Vic. Kathy reacted by slapping Sharon and calling her a slut, whilst Grant went to The Arches, later followed by Phil who went to explain. Grant then beat him up, leaving him hospitalized with a ruptured spleen.
Phil spent some time in intensive care, and went on to make a full recovery from his injuries. He and Grant reconciled after Grant coerced him into blaming Sharon for their affair. Grant made Sharon's life a misery. He constantly humiliated her in public—branding her "the pub whore"— and acted in an aggressive manner—smashing plates on the table where she was sitting. Sharon wanted to reconcile so she put up with the abuse for several months, refusing to give in to his demands for a divorce. However, Grant found ever more inventive ways to humiliate her and by Christmas day that year Sharon finally agreed to sign the divorce papers. She moved to the United States to live with her mother Angie. This led to the re-introduction and recasting of Peggy Mitchell, the mother of Phil and Grant, who took over as acting landlady in Sharon's place.
Sharon returned in March 1995 to hostility from Grant, Phil and Peggy. Sharon was not perturbed and her gutsy behaviour eventually earned her the respect of Grant, who began to realise that he was still in love with her. Sharon was determined to get revenge for her mistreatment, so she led Grant on, while confessing to Michelle that it was really her plan to publicly humiliate him. She led him to believe that a public proposal of remarriage would seal their reunion. Grant decided to pop the question on The Vic's quiz night, and Sharon was ready to turn him down in front of a packed pub and his family. However, in the end, she couldn't go through with it, and stopped him from proposing before he humiliated himself. She then confessed to him that she still loved him, before heading for America to join her mother, leaving Grant shattered.
[edit] Reception
Sharongate has proven to be a popular storyline with viewers. In 2001 it was voted the second "Best Ever Soap Moment" in an ITV televised poll,[10] and it was voted the sixth top soap opera moment of all time in a poll of 17,000 people for What's On TV magazine in 2003.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ "EastEnders-style drama set for US", The Guardian. URL last accessed on 2007-08-18.
- ^ "EastEnders: Faith, Morality and Hope in the Community", BBC Press Office. URL last accessed on 2007-08-18.
- ^ "Mitchells Special", BBC. URL last accessed on 2006-09-18.
- ^ Brake, Colin (1995). EastEnders: The First 10 Years: A Celebration. BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-37057-2.
- ^ "Sharongate", BBC. URL last accessed on 2006-09-18.
- ^ "Profiles: EastEnders Kemp and McFadden", BBC. URL last accessed on 2006-09-18.
- ^ "Homecoming queen", The Guardian. URL last accessed on 2007-08-18.
- ^ "Tony Jordan interview", youtube. URL last accessed on 2007-02-24.
- ^ a b "Second skin", The Guardian. URL last accessed on 2007-08-19.
- ^ TV'S BEST EVER SOAP MOMENTS. Presented by Dale Winton. ITV. ITV1. 2001-08-30.
- ^ "Corrie killer Hillman makes top soap moment", Breakingnews.ie. URL last accessed on 2007-08-18.
