DRW50

Who did you prefer her with? If you're ever interested in any of the recaps, from any year or story or whatever, let me know, and I can type out or scan those I have (which isn't a lot, but it's some).

In the end who did Clarissa stay with? I had also wanted to ask if you were interested in any of the Capitol preview type of stuff (text not photos) that they had in some of the Digests. I have a few from 1985 and 1986.

I love that song, especially when she says, "I told you Young Hearts Run Free." It's just so self-absorbed. Love this too:

I will never NOT want to see Lois' work on Somerset. I have seen little of her work, just some of her OLTL run. I guess I should find more of her stuff. For a while I mostly just knew her from a negative Pauline Kael review. Speaking of ATWT, Donna Wandrey, the wooden but striking Roxanne Drew of Dark Shadows, auditioned to be Rachel on AW after Robin Strasser left, I believe the first time, not sure. They told her she was too nice. She went out shopping and when she checked her service, her agent told her ATWT wanted her to read for Barbara.

Rahm off the ballot! Drama. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48061.html 19 days and the Republicans are already giving us jobs. Wow. http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0111/19_days_in_GOP_leadership_takes_credit_for_job_growth.html?showall

This is from the early December 1984 Digest. Anyone with any more info on this please feel free to tell us more!

Fatboy's father on the way. http://www.walfordweb.co.uk/item.php?id=2810

There's been a lot of controversy among some fans over whether or not he gets along with Marc Silcock, and the comments about whether Marc will win Best Newcomer sort of fed into that. I think it's a very very bad choice to play Aaron as totally shut down emotionally and physically, because it means viewers will not care.

I was reading a Digest article from around 1989, where they talked about crime stories, and Henry Slesar said a moment he really loved, during his tenure as Capitol headwriter, was bringing back Clarissa's dead husband or whoever, because that was a story about older people. Did you like that story?

Well at least it's with another woman. Usually it's with men on these shows.

I'd like to know that too, about Robin. I was bewildered when I read these synopses and they talked about Matt/MJ. Doesn't that seem very random? I guess they had run out of ideas for the characters. So did Maggie lose her baby? I found another 1981 recap I had. This one is in the middle of the two September 81 I already posted. September 15.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Roxie/Alfie scenes on Thursday. It helps that they don't seem likely to be paired up. But I have never liked her with anyone and the "friendship" with Christian does not work for me.

I liked Nana, she was too cutesy, but I thought she was a nice character and worked well with Alfie and Kat. I also liked the Spencer/Alfie relationship. I just don't think Spencer worked on his own. Jake seemed popular. Danny didn't seem to be though. The problem is Michael seemed so dull...I have no real desire to ever see him again.

I think it makes some sense to show more of Alfie's family, but I don't really care about Michael. I hope his father is more interesting.

I think that Max still could have interacted with the women in his harem as well as the Brannings, if the writing had made the effort. In 2010 he was more involved with Stacey than he had been in years and he still had a lot of scenes with Carol. To me the Brannings are different than the Mitchells because the Brannings aren't steeped in tropes and nostalgia. There is no "famirrrrleeee" with the Brannings, there's no pub they revolve around, they don't have the same stories again and again, which I think the Mitchells generally did. The Mitchells falter as characters on their own, whereas the Brannings don't. But I agree that Jack could go and the family wouldn't suffer. It looks like one family will be expanding - the Moons. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a299682/david-essex-lands-eastenders-role.html Hey, Rita sang a David Essex song at Christmas. Bryan Kirkwood is ripping off Corrie1!11!!11

I think that bringing in Brannings generally works, as long as the casting and writing is there. They really bounce off each other well and the family is fascinating, they have so much baggage. I would like to see more of them while Carol is still there, because once Lindsey leaves (if she does) she may not ever come back. I think it only fails when they do a poor job establishing relationships, like they did for the first few years with Max/Jack/Suzy and then barely any interaction with Bianca or her kids. They had more Slaters a few years ago and they were barely in story together, it seemed. I'd like to see more Beales though. Two different posters at DS have said they heard the Sinead thing. I hope you're right though.

Great scene with Sonia and Carol. Not the most flattering hairstyle for Sonia. The Brannings do family drama better than anyone. There are all kinds of rumors going around DS, one that Derek Branning and his two sons (late teens and somewhere in twenties) will be announced soon. Another is that someone said a Hollyoaks actor told them Sinead Moyenhan has been cast as a love interest for a new Branning. If that's true...I didn't hate her as much as some fans did, but of all the Hollyoaks actors to bring over, why the wooden Sinead? She was Rhys' sister/lover, Beth.

January 19, 1982 Digest. This should cover the last few days of 1981, or part, right? MichaelGL I don't want to post too many too quickly as I don't know if you might only have time to read some, so when you want to see the 1982 I have please let me know.

Wow. Nothing against the actor, but I can see why you've all said he was not right for the role of Derek. He looks like Mike Karr from Edge of Night.

December 8, 1981 Digest.

From the October 27, 1981 Digest.

I read that too. You can already hear the hype starting, about how fantastic this is and what a blow to Eastenders, and isn't it fantastic. I actually laughed when I read that about "strong female characters", because Collinson has ruined any strong female character Corrie ever had. The women on the show now are shockingly weak and exist only to be dominated by men. Any time they try to make a decision on their own, they fail miserably, and men have to save them. He's even turned poor Eileen into another one of these twits. Collinson is also terrible at camp, and he's terrible at bringing in new characters. So what is there to look forward to exactly? Corrie gets a lot of praise at the moment no matter what it throws up on the screen, so I'm sure this will be no different, but it's going to take a lot more than stunt casting to make up for the bad writing and regressive, depressing atmosphere which has taken over the entire show. Michelle Collins worked well as Cindy because of the writing and because of the mating of artist and character. Nothing else I've seen her in since has come close. I just hope she takes a look at the disaster of Tracy Barlow's return and makes sure her great pal Phil doesn't give her the same [!@#$%^&*] writing and directing.

October 13, 1981 Digest.

From the September 22, 1981 issue.