Storylines on EastEnders and Holby City caused the most people to get in touch with the BBC’s advice helpline, figures dating to 2012 show.
The Action Line number, shown at the end of BBC programmes that deal with issues that may affect viewers’ lives, received 211 calls after an EastEnders storyline about breast cancer, more than any other. A further 4,908 visited a website run by Action Line to get information after watching.
An episode of the soap that aired on Christmas Day last year, in which the Queen Vic’s landlady Linda Carter revealed to her husband she had been raped, led to the most people contacting Action Line overall – 7,288 visited the website and 141 called the automated information line.
A storyline on the hospital drama Holby City involving a father trying to save his daughter from domestic abuse prompted 177 people to call and 2,032 to visit the website. Another plot line dealing with dementia generated 5,146 requests for information, according to the BBC figures.
Panorama and BBC3 programmes on mental health and body image also led many viewers to access the service.
Action Line was set up in 1995 and continues to be used regularly by viewers. Since 2012 it has received more than 1m calls or visits to its websites. In 2015, there were 362,132 visits to its support pages and 25,510 calls.
Currently there are Action Lines linked to 24 BBC programmes including: Sister Rita to the Rescue, which raises issued relating to alcohol addiction and benefits; EastEnders, which is running a story concerning sexual violence; and Doctors, which is tackling lymphoma.
Rudolph Walker, whose character Patrick Trueman’s stroke in EastEnders led to more than 1,367 contacting the service, said: “As an actor in a show that reaches millions of people each week, we go to great lengths to research the issue we’re portraying as many of the issues covered reflect real life.
“When Patrick had a stroke last year, it was important for me to not only tell the story well, but know that anyone who was affected by the storyline had somewhere to go to get help. This is why the BBC Action Line is so important, not only for the BBC, but for the millions of people tuning in who might need advice and support, be it for them or their friends or family.”
