 While in March 2008, Gareth McLean of "The Guardian" used Kathy Beale's rape as one of only two instances of a drama series that dealt with the subject "remotely realistically", the other being Sheila Grant's (Sue Johnston) rape in Channel 4's "Brookside".However, one prominent critic of the storyline was Mary Whitehouse of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association.Following the airing of the rape episode in 1988, Whitehouse branded it "totally unsuitable for family viewing".