DRW50

I'm glad that I didn't see most of that. I can't see Stacey ever wanting Mickey Miller, of all people. I don't know why they would have given Kareena a cocaine addiction. Was that Berridge? Juley Smith -- awful character. And bad miscasting. Wasn't he supposed to be charismatic?

I love that song, Y&RWT. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOzfYfRYLxU

Helen was the older woman? She wasn't around long past 94 was she? It doesn't make any sense to me to get rid of Rebecca. I think she still could have found a place even without Declan. She worked well with Paul and with Susan. You also have to wonder how much more they can really get out of characters like Toadie or Libby.

Roxy hasn't had any real story in quite a few months. She mostly gives people loans. Ronnie is pregnant, five or six months. She tried to get Sam Mitchell to lie about her baby's paternity and pass the child off as Ricky's. When that fell through, she paid Sam to leave town. So Jack is still getting over losing his son (Richard). Billy is upset because he got a letter about abuse in the children's home he was in. He was also abused. Supposedly the big reason he's upset is that Billy had a one night stand with Jean Slater to get over his anxieties, but was overheard by Jean and Stacey when he was doing the macho thing and trashing Jean. Jay called him a coward, and Billy hit him. I was shocked that they had Whitney on top of Peter. I liked her better with Todd, but Whitney and Peter could be an interesting couple. I'm a bit surprised to see Eastenders moving in this area mostly because under Santer they were much more stringent about teens and sexuality -- the only one who had sex was Lucy, and she was punished with pregnancy. I love Kim too. She's brilliant comic relief. They know how to use her just right. I'm enjoying the show at the moment, I find something good to great in every episode. The show at the moment feels more like old style US soaps than any other UK soap. A year ago I never would have said that! There aren't any other big stories going on at the moment, aside from the story with Stacey, where Janine is on a vendetta against Stacey since she found out about Ryan being baby Lily's father. Did you see any of their confrontations? Good stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttsYAZ05JlY

I liked Kareena once she stopped the crying over her half brother but then I haven't seen a lot of 2004 yet. What was the history between them, do you know? Stacey and Kareena, I mean. There are several "Stacey annoys/is annoyed by" clips up. A very interesting way to classify scenes. Can you imagine if someone put up all the times where Ian annoyed someone. Youtube would break. Have you seen the new Children in Need advertisement yet? I haven't. I hope it gets posted at some point for non-UK residents. I think Whitney, Fatboy, Tanya, Patrick, and someone else are in it.

Wow how nasty was Stacey back then http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMKkcWOrGd8

I've heard fans complain about this before, the lack of vets. I didn't mind as much as long as they stayed around in some capacity, but clearly that's not going to happen. It's just a waste because you will lose older viewers and viewers who like what the soap is and then when the people who just watch the show as a fad leave, then you don't get any of the old viewers back. It's short-sighted. I think the real problem is that a lot of the new characters do not have staying power. Do you think most of the people added in the last year will be around in three or four years? I don't. Perhaps one or two at most. He also doesn't do a lot with some of the better new characters he created, like the Sharmas, or Adam Barton. If those actors leave, I can't blame them.

It looks like the new Declan, Zeke, and Rebecca are all being written out. I think that's a waste for Rebecca, she's a great character.

It's a nice photo. They all look very dapper (Rick would look even better with a bit less hair). I had forgotten Wendy Kaplan filled in as Eleni. I don't remember that. I often forget exactly when Melina K left.

From an early '95 Update.

I love the look on Jane's face. I wonder if any of her future co stars ever found that and humiliated her.

From the August 13, 1985 SOD. Network Publishing Co

What stood out for you with Linda Gibboney? Did she leave or was she fired? From the August 13, 1985 episode, SB's 200th episode. Network Publishing Co

From the August 13, 1985 SOD. S. O. D. Publishing Inc. Was this story any good? I am not a big fan of Nancy, from the little I've seen of her.

I actually think Nick works as a character with the proper writing. I think all of his returns were OK until the last one, which made him into a joke and like so much of Santer's run, was far too self-aware.

Dot was also basically on her own, she lived her life for Nick and kept hidden, in some ways, because of him. It still surprises me that Nick's first story, the one where he drove Mark towards racism and tried to get him hooked on heroin and Mark fled town and Nick was run out, was done entirely without Dot onscreen. I think they would just mention her, like saying her flat had been turned over by Nick, or whatever.

I know there was a lot of Ethel/Lou stuff but I usually remember Lou with the Fowlers/Beales and Ethel with Dot and with Lofty and in the Vic. Ethel was a very mobile character in her best years. I think that photo out there of Lou/Dot/Ethel is misleading, because they were never really a Martha/Minnie/Ena type of relationship.

I think Lou was too tough to ever really be a close friend to anyone. Ethel was also very close to Dot after Lou's death.

Why would they be?

Yeah, I won't be surprised if all the characters you mentioned leave. I think Alan and Betty might stay because they are old and the show might just keep them on as long as they are still able to act, but still, I can't even assume that. And I also wonder about Terry. I keep forgetting he's still on the show. He's one of my favorite vets but geez if Viv is going he probably would too. Emmerdale has so many new characters now and many of them barely even have a purpose - they have barely given the Sharmas one story in well over a year, Ryan and Faye still seem pointless, the writing for Jackson is awful and he is basically only used to make Aaron into a sympathetic sociopath - and I really don't know what the village will look like with these random faces who come and go, while those who help make the constant of village life are written out. And yet Katie goes nowhere...

Holy s***, it looks like they fired Deena Payne. http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s12/emmerdale/news/a281332/deena-payne-to-leave-emmerdale.html Viv was such a fantastic character when they actually wrote for her. She was also one of the few ties left to the old Emmerdale, one which did not revolve around characters who tend to leave after a few years. When a show loses touch with its roots it pays a price in ratings and in quality. It was obvious that Blyth had little use for Viv but to actually write her out, especially when she is one of the longest serving female characters, is sad. This makes me wonder about other women he has little time for, like Val. I have had an increasingly difficult time being invested in Emmerdale, and decisions like this are an example of why.

I looked it up, and it's Shirley Stelfox, who has been on Emmerdale for years as the one of a kind Edna Birch. She was also on Keeping Up Appearances as the first Rose. And on Brookside for a while. I never knew she was on Eastenders. I just hated Sarah Hills...the story where Rob was falsely accused of rape was good though.

BTW, Amello, you can see Charlotte Bellamy/Emmerdale's Laurel at 2:58 or so.

http://www.igs.net/~awhp/special.html

Carol had kept this from everyone for quite a while after the family moved to Walford and David showed up. She and David had issues but no one except Pat, I think, knew why.