In November 2009, the character of Loretta Jones became the centre of controversy when various media outlets revealed that Loretta would be part of a child murder storyline. The mother of murdered toddler James Bulger, Denise Fergus, condemned the storyline and when interviewed by "Click Liverpool", she criticised the decision to air a plot without consulting her first. Channel 4 released a statement defending the plot, but it was abandoned soon afterwards.