Comic Relief praises 'Enders Whitney plot

Comic Relief's head of UK grants Gilly Green has praised EastEnders bosses for tackling the issue of sexual exploitation in Whitney Dean's latest storyline.

Last night, viewers of the BBC soap saw that Whitney's association with mysterious stranger Rob had taken a sinister turn as he had been encouraging her to sleep with his friends and associates for his own financial gain.

The hard-hitting plot continues tonight with a special ten-minute episode which will air as part of Comic Relief's telethon.

Speaking of Whitney's story, Green told the Walford show's official site: "We're absolutely delighted that EastEnders has decided to focus on this - it brings a very welcome awareness to the issue. The fact that a soap is picking up this issue and broadcasting it to a very different kind of audience just means that it adds huge value.

"At the end of the day, the purpose of doing this is to make sure that we raise awareness that the risks are out there, that we need to make sure young people are aware of them and that they can take appropriate actions to make themselves safer.

"If EastEnders profiling this issue within the soap does that, it will have achieved a fantastic thing."

The drama's team worked closely with Comic Relief while devising the storyline, as the charity has been tackling the issue of sexual exploitation for several years.

EastEnders' special episode will air tonight after 8.30pm on BBC One.

> McGarty: 'Sex exploitation is shocking'