it seems to be an issue that is pointedly avoided in the TV shows, with Chris' year of birth glossed over, and no real discussion to the fact that Sue was a young teen when she became a mother. add to that the support they have from so many people who will fight to defend Noel, and attempt to justify his abuse with excuses like "oh, but it's totally fine because they got married and are still together!" or "it was normal back then!" with people giving examples of how child abuse was overlooked "in the past", as though this all happened in the victorian era, and not the late 80s. it genuinely blows my mind how happy people are to try to justify a man raping a child, and dismiss it as somehow acceptable - claiming he shouldn't have to face the consequences of his behaviour because he married his victim, and continued to impregnant her - which supposedly makes his abuse totally okay!
even on these threads, people who are generally critical of the family will often defend Noel, and claim that him raping Sue is somehow "different" to all other examples of child rape - despite her being a twelve year old
child without the ability to give consent. it's beyond twisted that so many people support a child predator and argue against those who criticise him - and it's incredibly uncomfortable to know that channel 5 are totally okay to continue filming them for further series', portraying them as a happy and hard-working family - pointedly choosing never to mention the horrors surrounding the conception of Noel and Sue's eldest son.