Slaps are a staple of soap – they can bring huge tension and add a really explosive nature to highly dramatic conflicts. It is never right to slap or hit anyone but rarely in the likes of EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks do we get characters who always do the right thing.

In these shows, we can accept that violence plays a part in the drama – we have people scheming, blackmailing, lying and murdering so we will also see some people lashing out and they can create some really iconic scenes.

However, when smacking people across the face is being played for comedy, it starts to get a little uncomfortable. Men – especially bumbling men like Jimmy King and Steve McDonald – are forever getting smacked about the face for laughs and it is setting a pretty irresponsible trend to portray that violence against stupid men is funny.




Last week in Emmerdale, a comedy storyline was based predominantly on Paddy Kirk getting slapped and punched no less than three times by different women. And because of the slapstick situation and Paddy’s shocked expression, this was supposed to make us laugh.

However, while they are certainly exaggerated, soaps are supposed to reflect real life and in the same shows that quite rightly condemn characters for violent actions, we are supposed to accept it’s okay and funny for others to be used as punchbags.

Paddy was punched by Rhona, walloped by Chas and then slapped by Lydia and the casual approach to this just isn’t really sitting well.

Soaps have done amazing jobs of highlighting violence as a massive issue with storylines like Trevor and Little Mo, Tyrone and Kirsty and Andy and Jo showing that lashing out is never okay and is never an excuse.

In the same week that Paddy was having lumps knocked out of him, we also watched the devastating and moving scenes of Ashley’s horror over accidentally hitting Laurel as his confusion brought about by dementia led him to lash out. It’s very jarring to play this against it being supposedly a hoot to see Paddy getting knocked about.

The amazing work is undone when constant violence is being downplayed. If Chas had been the one trying to get out of a date and Paddy had slapped her, there would very rightly be some serious backlash.

Paddy was hit so much that by the time the last one came, he took his glasses off first as if to say: ‘here it comes, I should just accept this’.

In reality, it’s against the law to slap someone across the face and if you ever do it, you would hopefully be arrested. Soaps are sending out a bad message by slapping men for the bants and for shows watched by so many that aim to represent real life and tackle important issues to normalise it is dangerous and unsettling.

There is a place for slapstick. There is also a place for slaps for high drama – compare the videos above to when Rhona slapped Paddy in a highly charged scene. It certainly wasn’t played for laughs.



What there isn’t a place for is creating laughter out of people deliberately hitting each other across the face. Can we just stop?

MORE: Crash, tragedy and heartbreak: 20 huge Emmerdale spoilers in our Christmas preview

MORE: Emmerdale spoilers: Here’s why you recognise Ashley’s ‘hottie’ carer Will

Advertisement Advertisement