Baffled British doctors are reporting a curious new phenomenon. Apparently ninety percent of our hardworking GPs claim to regularly see patients who are copying symptoms from their favourite TV soap stars
Quite what peculiar illnesses this bizarre fad is going to throw up in the future is a terrifying prospect. Maybe recently-revived EastEnders slaphead Grant Mitchell (a.k.a Ross Kemp (DVDs)) is due to inspire a fevered national outbreak of uncontrollable gurning.
Or – even worse – Coronation Street’s ‘Killer Katy’ could provoke a million or so young women into breaking down in tears at every single thing that happens.
"These results may be bad news for GPs right now, but they show soaps’ enormous potential for influencing people’s health behaviour in a positive way,‘ claimed Pam Prentice, chief executive of Developing Patient Partnerships.
Yes, Pam. Of course, another way of putting this would be to say that the majority of people who watch soaps are easily-led, dimwitted cow-mutants; the sort who would gladly clamp their nipples to the electric mains if giggling Barbara Windsor (CDs/DVDs/Books) leant out from behind her grotty little bar and told them to.
hecklerspray says: enough is enough. If you’re going to emulate what you see the pretty people on TV doing, then – for goodness sake – have some taste. Copy a decent programme. Imagine the wonderful public service that could be performed by an army of hardworking morticians (Six Feet Under (DVDs) or intelligent policitians (The West Wing (DVDs)).
But soap stars? For the love of god, people … surely one Patsy Kensit (DVDs) is enough …
[story by C J Davies]
