DRW50

I think people might have really enjoyed Robin since she was so complicated and she was eventually played by Gillian Spencer, who, I don't believe, was ever unpopular in any soap role she played. Kathy seems like a mess, although that isn't helped by the annoying voice of the woman who played her in those 1952/3 episodes I've seen. I wonder why they replaced the woman who initially played Meta. I always wonder how fans at the time felt about seeing Peggy just basically disappear. What I'd most love to know is how people would have reacted to Bert at the time and also how they reacted when she began to mature. Would they hate her? Would they love her as a bitch? Would they say that her maturing was "dull" or "character assassination"? Would they blast her as being a hypocrite? Charita was such a delight as bitchy Bert I almost wish that had come back a little later on, as that does tend to happen to some older people.

Kyle Secor, wow! Was he ever on a soap? I didn't know David Forsyth left SFT, I thought he was on there to the end. They never really did find anyone who clicked as Laken, did they?

Does she have dead bugs on her ears in the clip? I guess this was a popular look at the time -- I think Mary Ellen Stuart was sometimes dressed or made up that way as Frannie on ATWT. Either way it is not overly flattering. I think Eileen also looks better with less hair. That beret is some sort of resistance movement. Cruz/Kelly weren't popular, were they?

Thanks for listing those. I didn't realize that Kelly and Morgan were married in 1981, although of course they had to be. I also thought Roger/Holly were earlier than 1979. Kathy sure got around in 1952.

This one is pretty good, although the guys steal it. I still wonder sometimes why they cast the guy who plays Ryan as some sort of hard type when that doesn't ever seem to suit him.

Oh yeah I remember that -- some very creaky singing...to say the least. Although I'm glad for the lack of Autotune. The staging in that is what makes it fun, especially the last number. I notice that the worst singers in that were all written out... I think that This Morning interview is one of the most unprofessional I've ever seen. It was insulting to Kirkwood to say he's going to bring Hollyoaks to Eastenders, when Kirkwood has worked on other shows, and when his decisions have not exactly shown he's making this into Hollyoaks. To ask if they are "threatened" by Corrie. The SHAMELESS decision to bring up Jack Duckworth leaving Corrie, solely to bash Eastenders as being depressing. First of all, what does that have to do with the interview? Second, have they seen Corrie in recent years? Third, if you're going to talk about depressing, Jack Duckworth has basically sat around for 2 to 3 years mourning the past and now he has a terminal illness! I wish Kirkwood had defended the show a bit more, as it does have comedy, instead of just saying they're working on that and its Eastenders style to be depressing, but oh well.

That's a funny description. The hats sound like Blossom. Perhaps the shows were sharing wardrobe. I guess that Eileen was a Y&R star and this was her return to daytime, right? So the soap press wanted it work for her. It's a shame Carrington got the shaft, because I remember liking her, and I have very vague memories of watching SB at that time. It is basically just her, Eden, and a bit of Gina and Sophia. I can't even remember the stories, but they all had such a striking presence. I agree about Eileen's appearance -- I think it was her DAYS run which started her move upwards and she's looked even better the last 3-4 years. In the 80s and early 90s something wasn't quite right.

Honey was one of those characters who didn't know what words meant. She was mostly a dippy character. I didn't think she was that bad in small doses. The big problem was when she left so did most of Billy's story. It's a real testament to Perry's talent that Bryan Kirkwood didn't axe him this year, because a lot of fans wrote Billy off a long time ago, thanks to his awful, repetitive stories. The last time Billy's kids were seen was in March or April, when Honey and her father (who had dated Peggy but broke up because she could not deal with a Down's child) were in a car crash. Her father was killed. This all happened offcamera and ended in about three episodes. Sometimes EE has the most strange pacing around.

I didn't see this when it first came out. It's nice to see more of some of the actors. I was surprised Lindsey Coulson was in this, I guess I sometimes have some vision of her beaming on and off the set or something.

Is it? I thought they ended on October 21, but I'm not sure. I'm still back in July. I think I'm going to try to move forward by skipping a lot of the town hand-wringing over Frankie and the stupid stuff about Taylor. I don't know who came up with the scenes of John and Sharlene breaking into her place in their black thief clothes, but...really odd.

August 76 SOD. Welcome to Gail Brown and Susan Harney. S. O. D. Publishing Inc.

From the December 1977 Soap Opera Digest. This was part of a larger feature on pets and soap stars.

From the September 1, 1981 Soap Opera Digest Network Publishing Co

From the September 1, 1981 SOD. (Network Publishing Co) Who was Connie Wilson? This issue also has a baseball game between ATWT and Edge stars. I'm posting that photo in the Edge thread.

That's true about the variety of humor AW had back then. The characters are generally surprisingly complex. Anne Heche's last episode. That last scene is very moving, as it becomes more and more clear that the show is saying goodbye to Anne, not to Vicky. No wonder she's so choked up. I also love that they let her Vicky and Marley both leave on a happy note. That was a nice tribute to her. Seeing what they did to Kathleen and Cass is so depressing. This episode also has some very bizarre scenes with Iris in black workout gear, vamping for Amanda's hot piece of a$$ boyfriend. I had forgotten that this role was initially played by Bill Shanks. He went from Casey Peretti to a brief recurring role on AW? Kind of a step down. Anyway, I think they did these scenes just so they could get this hunk barely-dressed... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIlYW87kdWE

Unbankrupt My Heart - Toni Braxton

Janet Jackson

Oops. I meant 1990 -- the issue came out in early 1991.

I don't think the Brannings will ever be a constant presence in each other's stories but I'm hoping they will still maintain some links even when this story is over, like Jack and Max did after Jack was shot and learning to walk again. I decided to watch an early 2009 episode and within two minutes Max was going "Tan...Tan..." Unless Max sings The Girl from Epenima or whatever that song is, I hope to never hear that again.

I wasn't sure. Once we saw how close Lauren was physically to the first Lauren, I thought they might go the same way. I thought they were probably going to keep Ben the same in personality but might change him physically. I'm glad they haven't, at least so far. The boy who plays him reminds me somewhat of Jay. I'm still hoping they won't go the cliche of having Ben as closeted gay. I've always felt like having Ben as effeminate, shy, and heterosexual would be Phil's worst headache because if Ben was gay then Phil could, after some anger and belligerence and perhaps efforts to "cure" Ben, would probably just say nothing can be changed. That won't be as easy if Ben is straight. I forgot to mention how good it was when they had Liam go to get Max. I never thought I'd see the Brannings this close. I still remember in 2008 and 2009 when they barely seemed to remember they were related to each other. They are such a jagged edge family, so true to life. In spite of the confusing backstories and the actors being on the show at very different times in EE's life they are one of the most believable families I've seen on a soap. And while this might just be a respite until Jack gets a story again I am so glad they have stopped the stories where Jack goes around squaring off with other alpha males. That type of thing can become very silly quite easily -- I think the only time it's ever really worked on EE was with early Grant, then Steve Owen and Phil and Dan, and finally Dennis. With Sean it looked like he was going to start laughing most of the time...

I don't mind Liam but I cannot take any more of him being presented as some sort of ragamuffin child. Between the cap which seems to get larger and larger and the coveralls they had him wear today to work on the car, he looked like he was from Gasoline Alley. He desperately needs to be matured. He doesn't have to go around getting drunk, I just mean lose the cap and some of the stupidity. Tiffany greatly annoys me when they write her as some sort of saccharine Veruca Salt (I still have awful memories of when they had her scream for comedy -- children screaming isn't adorable), but she seems calmer now. I don't know if that is just the little girl getting older or if Kirkwood sorted it out, but either way it's good. I liked the scene with the vicar, mostly because it was light relief without seeming too cutesy. The stuff with Bianca and Kim and Ricky didn't quite work for me, although I did get the idea of it, and Patsy did a good job. I wish Kat had had more of a role in that than standing in the background. I wasn't bothered by her actions today with Patrick but some fans were. I think that's because she has been far too one-note on her return. I hope the show does more to actually fit her into the Square. I wonder if the other shoe is about to drop on Whitney. She seems too secure in the idea of Billie wanting to be with her. I wish all this about Jay deserting Billy for Phil had not been so sudden, although I guess they have to work with the limited time Jay can be used. I still think Billy's old flame looks like Laurie Metcalf. All the scenes with Carol were hard to watch but I have to say again and again how believably they are writing her breakdown. It is so slow, and painful. She's helpless, angry, bitter, clinging to anything she can find, and every time she tries to get back up, she's kicked harder than ever. Lindsey Coulson is doing some of the best work I've ever seen on a soap and Jake Wood is right there with her. That scene of Carol and Max on opposite sides of the door and Carol trying to lie to Max to get him to leave her alone was exquisitely done. And on a shallow note -- Jake looked gorgeous in that shot. Between that and all the fantasstic shots of him in tight trousers, today was a very very good Max day

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=44784497&postcount=38 Supposedly this story would have originally gone to Michaela. This is a combination of stories in Indecent Behavior -- Beth Morgan was raped by a footballer. Another woman, Geri, to try to show her footballer boyfriend she was in control, had sex with him and with one of his friends. Then another man came in after they left her alone and that man tried to rape her, but she got away.

The new spoilers are out. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=44823578&postcount=1

Reading some stuff on DS about Hollyoaks Later. Some are saying that Jaq Croft, who played Carrie Owen, will be an extra. I guess that's my punishment for knocking points off her in the HO game over and over. I could never stand her, the actress just seemed bad and the character was insufferable, only there to disapprove and wring her hands. I guess she's not coming back as the character though. It also looks like they might be I don't know if this is in Later but I also read that

The Children in Need promo.