Skylover

I want to see Lisa return to EastEnders. Her or Kate. I know some people thought Lisa was a bland character but Lucy is a great actress and bringing back Lisa could be a good move if they let her actually have fun for once.

I wasn't a fan of Lynne. She was very annoying and bland. I agree with the idea of Paul being underrated though. I thought he was great, shame he got killed off

It's interesting to read your thoughts.

Carl - I think you're right that Kirkwood doesn't deserve the hate he gets, it can become OTT and unnecessary, I guess he is responsible for the direction the show takes which is why it's difficult not to blame him.

There are definitely things other than Janine that Kirkwood has done that I didn't mention. For a start I think Lauren is a completely fascinating character and the recast has been wonderful. Bringing in Janine's grandmother was also wonderful, though I would have liked her to have stayed for longer. I don't necessarily agree with Janine being left millions in her will though, somehow it doesn't sit right with me. You're right, having David back was great for the show, not really a character I was too bothered about, but I know he is a massive favourite so it was great for the show.

I agree with you Carl, that there were certain aspects of Santer's era that were unwatchable, Darren being the father of Heather's baby etc, and it was very plot driven during his tenure but I still prefer that era to Kirkwood's overall. I'm finding it difficult to get my point across because I've lost so much passion for the show that I find it irritating to have to bring up the reasons why because it makes me frustrated with the state of the show.

I've switched off totally now and the reason was solely Derek Branning. I can 't stomach him. I literally feel like watching him would be a total waste of my life - what's he going to do? Threaten people, bully people, everyone's going to do what he wants, despite the fact he doesn't look scary whatsoever. I literally cannot comprehend the producers decision to bring in Derek - what does he bring to the show? A rivalry/alliance with Phil is something I couldn't give a hoot about. Rather than bringing in another pointless character who will get away with murder and not get their comeuppance, how about sorting out the character they've already got who fits this description, i.e. Phil. Phil is a legendary character but he just makes me cringe these days. Someone here posted a link to a thread on DS about the future of the Mitchells, well I personally feel that Sam needs to be brought back (played by Kim Medcalf) - Phil lacks chemistry with any of his family members, he and Shirley are one of the worst soap couples of all time, they don't have any chemistry and are mis-matched, she sticks up for him no matter what low act he does, it's just not right. I'd rather he was with Kate again. I don't think he should leave, but if Sam or Kate or someone came back I think his more endearing side could emerge again, being with Shirley seems to bring out the worst in him.

Talking of the Mitchells leads me to another point - people being 'family' when they're not family. Jay 'Mitchell' is one of the worst ideas they've ever had, I hate that soap cliche of families taking in randoms, I hated it when they did it on Neighbours but it's more annoying on EE because the characters actually act like they're family. The Kim/Denise/Patrick trio winds me up no end.

I also think that even though many of the storylines were plot-driven in Santer's era, they were character-driven at the same time - Syed and Christian's relationship, Zainab's behaviour totally fitted in with her character, she cares what people think about her and has strict morals, therefore she wouldn't have reacted well to the news that Syed is gay and I think, yes, it was a dramatic storyline, but character-driven. Well, on Zainab's part at least. I know Christian and Syed's build up to their relationship could have been better.

However, another thing I've liked during Kirkwood's era is Ian and Mandy's relationship - I find that fascinating. My main gripe though, as I wrote on DS, is that there are too many 'antagonists' or 'villains' - Michael was supposed to be a villain when he came in, now I don't know what he is. I think EE just needs more 'nice' characters who are likeable. I dislike nearly everybody thanks to the writing and that never happened during Santer's era. The Yusef/Zainab storyline is one of the worst in years. If there have been any plot driven storylines recently, that's it - the moat predictable, crappy storyline you could imagine - everyone knew how it was going to end, and like they've pressed the reset button, Zainab and Masood get back together like nothing has ever happened, like the story has been erased from the history of the show. Zainab has a lot of explaining to do for her actions but Masood, like a fool has not questioned any of her horrific behaviour. That is unrealistic because the man would want answers.

Why does the show also have this obsession with couples being unhappy too? Kat and Alfie, Ricky and Bianca, don't even get me started on the Whitney/Tyler/Fatboy triangle, is that supposed to be entertaining? I can't even follow it anymore because it's so boring and I hate Whitney as a result of her selfish, slutty behaviour.

I do agree it's great to have Kat and Alfie back, but I don't know if I'd rather they never returned. They are the second reason after Derek why I've stopped watching. I literally can't stomach them anymore at all, they are so despressing I'd rather watch the shopping channels. They have been universally ruined. Hardly anyone likes them anymore, it was totally unnecessary for Michael to be the father of her baby. Their stories don't make sense anymore. They left in 2005 both blissfully happy, and return to have their baby swapped (I don't have a problem with that) but it seems as though they've fallen out of love with each other and constantly wish they could get a divorce. I know that's not the case but if you watched on a casual basis you could be forgiven for thinking that.

P.S. I worry for Sharon. It's the wrong time for her to be coming back. I'm going to be devastated if she has to share any scenes with Derek Branning which I'm guessing will be the case. I really hope they don't ruin her by assocation with the dislikeable cast.

I totally understand the Kirkwood bashing, I'd like to know why you think it isn't justified, Carl, as I do respect your opinion.

For me the show has become unwatychable in many ways. A lot of people seem to have a problem with Santer's era, but it was a lot better than the show currently is IMO. The main things for me are that:

- he's ruined Kat and Alfie. I dread them appearing in an episode together because they're so dreary and depressing these days.

- very few of his new characters have worked.

- he brought in Derek Branning (panto villain with no purpose, cringeworthy and pointless)

- he has made nearly all characters unlikeable

The only good thing I can think of is the fact that Janine is finally a brilliant character again - I think she was trashed under Santer.

^You're right, I don't think the continuity of character backstories was a strength in the early years! At least it was entertaining then though

I don't see what is so shocking about it. It was simply a special episode. The soaps have done that many times in recent years. A good example would be those Fan February episodes OLTL had, or the most recent Fraternity Row episode. I thought it made sense considering how many years GL was running and how many different special episodes they would've done at that point.

To me what is shocking about it is that viewers would have tuned in for a new episode of Guuiding Light and what they were seeing was nothing to do with the characters in the show at that time. I wouldn't have been shocked if, say, it was revealed at the end of the episode that it was all a character's dream, i.e. that all the people they knew were in a soap or something, but the fact that it was in the show rather than a specially commissioned documentary type episode out of the show is what's surprising.

But then I guess the UK soaps do try to stick to some consistency more than the US soaps?

It was just a special episode, outside of everything. The only connection to the present day was a brief opening scene of Jonathan and Tammy, when Tammy was dead, or dying.

Didn't it ruin the illusion of the show? I can't imagine an English or Aussie soap doing it.

Thanks Carl. That's really interesting. It's great to have such an old article dug up to see how parts of the show were being received at that point. I just wish Neighbours had articles of that size written about it these days

Thanks Carl. It seems really bizarre. Did it count as an actual episode of the show or was it a special documentary episode? Was it a dream sequence or did a character dream up the scenario?

Hi, I was just looking at some stuff about the 70th Anniversary episode of GL and it seems to be some kind of parody of its start?

I don't get it...?

Right, gonna continue my reply now...

I totally agree about Robert. I've thought for a really long time that they should do something with him but I think they're afraid of going there because they want to bury that sensationalist era but it would make that whole era come to life if they didn't just ignore it, and actually tried to to develop the show using that turbulent history. I'd love it if Robert came back for a cameo role, or a few cameo roles and Paul went to visit him in prison. You're right, it would enhance the Robinson family by allowing them to have more presence, and it would be interesting to see how it would affect Andrew and Paul's relationship. I was incredibly annoyed (but not surprised) when Andrew came back, and loads of things were just swept under the carpet. It seemed like they were planning to do something big with his character. All the trailers made him a 'bad boy' and I thought the fact that Paul had been out of his life for so long would come up in the storyline. I'm not talking bombs/psychopath stuff a la Robert but I'd have loved a two-hander (yeah right, this is Neighbours LOL) between Paul and Andrew, with Andrew asking Paul why he'd made no effort to see him since coming out of prison etc. I was hoping for some emotionally-driven material, you could see at first that Andrew resented Paul for not being in his life but nothing has come of it since. I was hoping that Andrew would explain how angry he was that so much had happened in Paul's life, such as Robert killing an entire family and he had to read about it in a newspaper (for example) as well as the fact that Cameron had been killed yet Paul had made no attempt to contact him. Bringing in Amy is another idea that I quite like, but at the same time I also like how she's a blank canvas and they can sort of mine her to be whatever they like in the future. Perhaps once most of Paul's other family has gone then she can be brought in but obviously there is potential with Andrew still being there although I'd rather the Robert arc be resolved or developed before they turn their attention to Amy. I don't know why they're so against bringing in Lou's family but it has destroyed him. I think he went downhill dramatically ever since they paired him off with the Parker family as it made no sense whatsoever. At least he had Harold before but since going part-time Lou is literally crashing and burning as a character. People have said the Parkers should have been brought in as Lou's family which I agree with (in theory if it was all different actors being brought in rather than the ones who ended up being the Parkers)! I have to agree with you about Christina too, she was hardly an iconic character (despite some people arguing that she is too memorable to be re-cast) so I think it would be worth re-casting her. I'd also like Gail to be brought back as she was Paul's true love and apparently Fiona Corke has been up for a permanent return for years.

As for Rhys, I've read comments on Facebook that Rhys' mum is disabled and how cliched is that - is that meant to make us like him? People thought it was predictable storylining but I thought it was quite clever. I still wouldn't regard him as a favourite but he has certainly improved, lots of people have compared him to Darcy. You've hit the nail on the head with the development story - if I don't care about Toadie then I won't care about the development. But if it was a favourite character I still don't think I would enjoy it because there's nothing exciting or well-written about it. If the outcome wasn't so predictable then I think it would be more enjoyable, and that's without taking into consideation that it's been done 3 times before! I did suggest Angie returning and trying to get Sonya and Toadie to marry, but I agree that they shouldn't go down that route just yet. I still see the potential in bringing Angie back for a bit of light relief though. I like that Sonya and Toadie are a modern couple, plus if Eve ever does decide to leave, even though it would be a huge loss it wouldn't feel like such a huge blow for Toadie if they weren't married. That seems a bit strange after typing it but it does become a bit tedious when long-term soap characters have four or five marriages just because they've been in the show for so long. I think it's surprising (but good planning) that Janine in EastEnders wasn't rushed into having a baby. Has there ever been a soap character who's been on screen for over ten years without having a baby? Janine is the only person I can recall.

Haha, you are right, I meant flour, but I thought it was spelt 'flour' as opposed to 'flower' or is that the American spelling I'd love to see the Kapoors celebrating Diwali, but I doubt it. The makers are probably so keen to make them seem like a 'normal' family that they'll probably sweep most cultural things under the carpet although I hope that isn't the case. They shouldn't just neglect the family's culture in order for them to be treated like a normal family. As for HD, I don't have a problem with that - I don't like the film effect and HD are the same thing. If you'd seen the change from the BBC to Five you'd know what I was talking about I think, the change from the way the show was aired from the BBC to Five is astounding. I think HD is something different entirely. When the show was aired on the BBC you felt more involved with the action (sorry if I'm repeating myself) - by feeling involved with the action everything seemed more realistic. A soon as it went to Five everything seemed distant and cold, even the audio made everything seem like it was a TV show rather than real life. If you watch EastEnders in HD you still feelm involved with the action and the production standards are a hell of a lot better, whereas with Neighbours the film effect has lost everything that made the show with it is. There was an outcry amongst fans when it happened in 2008 (I guess you'll know if you read NFans or PB) and I'm not surprised a lot of viewers have been lost as a result. You're right about the pool scenes, I don't see why it's necessary to portray it being Winter or Summer but I guess that's Bower's plan to make it seem more realistic. I actually really like the production standards on Home and Away. I know at points it can be overly bright in the Diner but that bright feel is much more inviting than the way Neighbours is presented.

I'm not sure about the writing yet, Ben. At the moment I'm trying to focus on my final year, but next month I will hopefully be able to spend more time writing and figuring out Final Draft!

I did see the Top Ten, I'm not sure what I think. People seem to be under the mis-apprehension that Mark and Kate were this huge couple because Mark's final episode was voted No.2, but I think it's more because the episode itself was excellent rather than the couple.

Carl - Thanks for posting that interview with Jasek and Hardy. There's another one which can be found ]here

I can't say I'm overly impressed on first impressions.

''It does make it hard for me,'' Hardy says. ''Because I say, 'Can we do this?' And they [the scriptwriters and producers] say, 'No, he's already been married to her three times … ' 'Can we bring her mother in?' 'No, she died … No, he can't start going out with her, she's his sister …' It's complicated.''

There are no words:

Nice thread, Carl.

It seems that people think the Brannings have taken over from the Mitchells as the main EE family. I tend to agree but I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing. It is true though that the family is built on sensationalism and it's almost as if they've unrealistically explored so many avenues already. To me the Brannings are one of the few good things Kirkwood has done in his era. Bringing in Cora and Rainie on a permanent basis has enriched story potential and it was badly needed. I also think Lauren's characterisation has been realistic. As a result of everything in her family life she's turned to drink. So I guess at least they've used those crappy, sensational stories for a purpose now. Abi is the weak link for me. It annoys me because even now I read on DS posters saying that it was unnecessary to re-cast Lauren but I totally disagree. Jacqueline Jossa has been a God send for the Branning family and Lauren actually feels like a character now whereas she didn't before. People have said that the first actress would have adequately played out the scenes supporting Lauren at the hospital through her cancer storyline, is that some sort of joke? Hopefully now they'll develop the Brannings in a more realistic way after how they've been storylined recently.

I still don't think Lucy needed to be re-cast though. Melissa Suffield wasn't an amazing actress but she was good enough and I think they should have allowed her time to develop as an actress simply because of her likeness to Cindy and believability in the role. That history meant it was worthwhile perhaps making Melissa to take an extended break from work and then re-instate her on the basis that she had to stop going out on the town underage. What is so wrong about that? Putting the BBC's reputation into disrepute?

This Morning interview with Pam St. Clement

I don't watch Emmerdale so feel like I shouldn't be posting in this thread, but does Matthew Wolfenden not get much screen-time? You are right, he is very nice-looking, it's a shame if he's wasted.

I can't get into Emmerdale, the production standards seem terrible - it doesn't have a light feel that draws you in. I imagine it's probably better than most of EE at the moment though.

Yes, I was aware of that but it is interesting though! Also a notable feud, the actors behind Rosie and Frazer didn't get on which is surprising given their onscreen chemistry.

I love Sharon. I would rather Kat and Alfie left so that Sharon could run the Vic again.

I don't trust Kirkwood to do her return justice though.

Pam apparently criticised the amount of adultery and violence portrayed in EE and said that the audience used to be gripped by simple stories like Arthur stealing from the Xmas Club fund but that would be dismissed these days on the basis that it wouldn't be 'gripping' enough. She has got a point and all the soaps could do with taking this on board but EE in particular. It is why I enjoy Neighbours so much more than EE because its premise is a lot more basic.

I watched that episode last night, poor Pat It was really sad seeing her drinking at The Vic for the last time, it really is the end of an era. Someone from DS has posted a thread with some links to great Pat moments on YouTube, it's worth a look at. I love all the 80s Pat and Janine stuff!

Yeah, for some reason the retconning of those characters doesn't bother me much at all. You're right about Jade. When she arrived I thought it was fairly obvious that a line was going to be thrown in about Jade having a different father to Sonya or something about the fact that she is quite obviously of Asian heritage. I am quite appalled that TPTB let that one slip - you'd have thought someone running a professional operation would have noticed this quite obvious problem? But then, this is Neighbours... I did vote for Harold's return in the Top Soap Moments, and I did enjoy it on the whole, but I do think it could have been so much more. I would have liked it to have been mentioned that Harold was Kate and Sophie's Great Uncle, but I suppose the fact it wasn't mentioned means they can forget this connection further down the line. But considering at this point in time Kate and Sophie are 'Ramsays' it should have come up. It also annoys me that we've never seen Lou mention it considering how close he was to Madge. You have to wonder wht the actors think in these situations. Why hasn't Gemma Pranita or Eve Morey pointed out that they clearly couldn't be full-blood sisters? Are Ian Smith and Tom Oliver aware of Madge's connections to the kids and do they think it's ridiculous this hasn't been mentioned? So many questions that we'll never know the answers to...

interesting point about trying to recreate the heydey.I guess you've got a point but personally I would be surprised if Susan Bower watched it in those days. She probably just thought it would provide some conflict between most of the long-stnading cast members in the show's 25th year and experimented a bit. She failed LOL. It's a real shame about the Karl/Susan and Jim story because it had so much potential. Nearly all of the legends/long-term characters have been tainted in some way on Neighbours, even characters that are long gone such as Helen who supposedly abandoned her illegitimate granddaughter.

I've loved the Mal/Jade affair but a lot of fan have said they're struggling to understand Mal's motivation and would like Catherine to return as well. I don't agree with that, I quite like that aspect of the affair - that Catherine is half way across the world - because it shows how easily Mal can forget about her and carry on what he's doing with Jade. I would love for Mal and Catherine to return next year. You're right about Karl and Susan. Perhaps it's more important for kids to be there this time because characters over 40+ don't have personalities anymore and need to pander to the younger generations so they wouldn't functon on their own. A spoiler released says that there are some previous characters returning; the nature in which it was written makes me think it could be Mal and Catherine returning but another poster has suggested that it could also be Libby and Ben (recast). I can't imagine who else could return unless the returnees are not actually linked - i.e. Angie and Boy to return for their respective family members.

Sorry, Ben, I'm afraid I'm very fickle when it comes to the characters I like and that has got me into trouble in the past. What it comes down to though is that I love Neighbours so much that I only want the very best actors on the show so when a poor performance comes through I get annoyed by that character. For me the big emotions/dramatic scenes are the test for any character/actress and the ones that carry off dramatic and comedic material with ease are the ones I like. For example, you always know, that no matter what the material, you'll always get good scenes from Jade, Sonya, Susan etc. Tash, Andrew etc not so sure. I used to love Andrew when he joined the cast but then I easily fall for the good looking young guys in soap Yeah, I'm very fickle when it comes to characters. I HATED that scene with Tash getting the email of her mother's death certificate. Did I mention it before? It was SO insulting and possibly the most unrealistic moment of all time. No birth/marriage/death certificates are ever emailed, seriously, what a joke. The writers shouldn't just assume that everything is done online and actually check first.

I think the lack of family is a huge problem and I think it could lead to the show's demise if they don't sort it out. To be continued...

I think the intetion was for this to be a character led story but I don't think it has been. All of the characters have acted stupidly which has ruined my enjoyment of the storyline. Zainab has been totally ruined for me. I hated that line 'Will you rescue me again Masood?' and Masood just does what he's told despite how disloyal and ridiculous Zainab has been. I don't believe that she would have split from Masood, neither that she would marry Yusef again. The plot would have been so much stronger had Yusef just become a part of the famil simply because of Afia and Tamwar's marriage. They could still have had him manipulating Zainab and drugging her etc, and this massive finale could have happened but it would have been in character.

I agree that it seems like they don't knowwhat to do with Amira. Her return has been a total waste of time sadly. It would be nice to see Carol and Denise as friends - I don't actually recall them having a scene together which is a shame. Denise is a warmer version of Carol, well 2010 Carol onwards. I think they should have kept on Jordan and perhaps re-cast him. I don't like the Patrick/Kim/Denise household as it somehow feels like that soap cliche of characters who have nothing to do being shoved with others. Patrick should have left instead of Charlie I think.

Why do you think killing off Tamwar would have been an easy way out? I think there's a lot of mileage left in the character but it would certainly have put a spanner in the works. I'm not saying it should have been done for that short-term effect but how many times does a soap have to bring in a baddie, then predictable kill them off and them to be the only one killed off. You could tell as soon as you heard about the fire that Yusef would be the only one.

It's just run-of-the-mill OTT soap plot. It's definitely where they're going wrong. However, I do think the actress who plays Afia has done a fantastic job portraying how grief-stricken she is. She's an asset.

I don't think I can face it yet.

I did watch some of the Masood New Year's stuff - what did you think?

I think in the main, it has been terrible. It' all just so predictable. If they'd done something like kill off Tamwar, then it would have been gripping. But you just knew that Yusef would be the one to die so it rendered everything else pointless, really.

I'm looking forward to Pat's exit although it does surprise me how people say how much of a legend she is etc etc when she's only really been a supporting character for the best part of ten years.

Everything comes across as very gimmicky at the moment. Hopefully things will improve in the new year but I won't get my hopes up!

I bought Final Draft 8 today, Ben.

Right, mammoth post in store now...

The second half has been a lot more character driven but I'm not sure if I preferred the second half over the first half overall. Although the second half was very character-driven, I think by that point I'd lost a lot of passion for the show which is gradually fading away as I see the show become worse and worse. It's nice to see the characters being a priority, but the small cast undermines everything; all the characters are over-exposed and storylines which are meant t be good turn out boring. The earlier half of the year was superior IMO because it had more characters in it, but by the time they'd left the show just felt desserted. Chris, Kyle and Jade have all been great characters, but I feel like the show has got good characters and stories but it somehow isn't enough. I just loved the Sonya/Callum story at the beginning of the year. A lot of fans are unhappy with how the backstories were changed but I personally feel that the revelation that Sonya is Callum's mum is actually far more believable than Karl and Susan splitting up again. The Sonya story gave us so many brilliant scenes, and Eve shone throughout. Perhaps it was the focus on Sonya's character which made this part of the year so special for me. So many scenes stand out - her chat with Jade on the couch at no.30, Callum telling her on the couch that story of how his mum stole money from his piggybank. At the same time there was other brilliant stuff, loads of great comedy, Libby bringing Lucas over 'for dinner', Rebecca's scene revealing to Paul how she felt that he'd succeeded in bringing her down to his level. I don't particularly see Harold's return as a highlight.

Kyle and Jade's romance has been the highlight of the year for me, but even then, there's been parts where I've got bored due to over-exposure of the characters. There have been a lot of times where it feels like the story isn't moving forward at all. The Kyle/Jade and Michael/Tash plots have been amazing in parts. Tash finding Emilia, Helena's ghost, the pictures of Helena the Teen Beauty Queen™. I think Karl and Susan's story has been a total disaster. It's mainly the tail-end of the season where things started to pick up for me. Perhaps from about September onwards or whenever Malcolm and Jade started their affair. The Michael/Tash thing picked up a hell of a lot when Tash found out the truth and Val did a geat scene telling Chris that she was responsible for her mother's death. Unfortunately the episodes before Val and Sandy did a terrible revelation scene. I can't see Natasha working when Michael's gone. While most of the stories have picked up come November, the Karl and Susan plot has just got worse really. There were some great flashbacks to The Slap™ and their fight in the street when Susan thought Karl was having it off with Jade, bu we still have no idea why Susan wants to separate. The Kate/Sophie/Noah stuff as well as the text on the screen has undermined the second half of the season for me. I still can't accept that Neighbours has no proper families in it and that is ruining my enjoyment of the show. When you look back, the show has always flourished when it has established families. In 2004, we had the Kennedys, Scullys, Hoylands, Bishops etc the show just feels like a vital element os missing. The way Paul flits around annoys me no end, and Lou literally just says lines now he may as well be an extra.

Rhys has come a long way. I guess you could say he's an another example of the character driven direction they've gone for. Working in medicine and his mum is paralysed. I think it's great to see why he is so motivated to work his way up the ladder an I felt really sorry for him when he was denied entry to the surgical programme. As for the development story, do you not think it's terrible? It's by far the worst story for a long time and I find myself just falling into a coma while watching it. I don't see what the point of it is? I don't really care about Toadie as a character anymore, and watching him struggling at work isn't something I would consider entertaining. It's jsut eating up screen time and is another exmple of why the small cast doesn't work. Had there been say another 5 characters in the cast at the time, not all screen time would have been to associated with the development and a wider variety of (hopefully interesting) stories could have been told. I guess it's meant to show the effect it's going to have on the family but I couldn't care less. Bring back Angie I say! She'd cause some friction and I'd love to see her trying to get Sonya and Toadie to marry. I guess you're right about Callum, I think the kindle/book comments were just technology being shoved in our faces rather than having any substance. I rolled my eyes at that. I also way prefer books to ebooks so I was on Susan's side! I think Jordan is a fairly poor actor - I don't know if I'm repeating myself now but there was recently a comedy plotline involving Andrew getting a tattoo at schoolies and Jordan's portrayal just failed to evoke any emtion from me whatsoever. Considering Neighbours can do comedy quite well (or used to, at least) it wasn't very good. The writing wasn't too bad, I think another actor could have carried it off better. He's also really monotone a lot of the time and the accent bugs me because I don't see why it was necessary for the writers to edit Anrew's backstory just so Jordan could play the role. If he wants to be a serious actor, he needs to be able to master different accents because I don't think he'll get roles using his natural accent. April in Home and Away originally comes from Canada and has a very strong accent, but Rhiannon puts on an Australian accent and you can barely notice.

Very interesting what you say about friendships. Now you've come to mention it that is a huge issue which needs to be addressedand maybe that's why the show falls flat a lot of the time. There are good characters but when essential elements are missing it's hard for it to all come together. I guess it's like baking a chocolate cake without eggs - the chocolates still good but you can't make the end product without those essential ingredients. Someon pointed out the other day that the cast is very male-heavy at the moment and it is true that the balance is all wrong. The Kapoors should be good hopefuly and I am glad they're an ethnic family too, but it being a family of three kind of defeats the object. What we need is a family similar to the Scullys, 3 kids, or even perhaps the Timmins. 3 kids at east with some off-screen and a grandmother or grandad. I am sure that if they did this the show would be brilliant again. It's hard to explain why Neighbours doesn't have that spark that it once did. It was that spark the made it so special, which was achieved through a variety of very specific things which come together and make magic. The film effect needs to go, the dialogue and sound has become distant since the show's move to Five, on the BBC you felt involved with the action, the sunny/warm/inviting aspect has gone, perhaps also linked to this visual change. The dark sets need to be revamped but it looks like they're doing something about that if you read PB depsite the fact the logisitcs of the sets don't make sense. And adding a family likke the Timmins to keep the show fresh, lively and to bring some energy and shake things up would be a good start.

Thanks Huntress I loved seeing the promo pictures for GZSZ. I'm upset that Zack doesn't appear in them! Nice to see that the show is getting a new regular. Who are your favourite GZSZ characters? Emily is great, I really like Tayfun, but to me it seems like Dominic, Jo and Jasmin are some of the best characters. Katrin is ok but like I said before, she's a bit cold.

I might have to start watching Verbotene Liebe. From what I've heard it seems it's the German soap with the biggest international audience of the main soaps, even my French flatmate watches it with subtitles!

Janine has been the saving grace of the show this year to be honest. After the way Santer trashed the character, I'm surprised she's become well-rounded again. She's been carrying big amounts of the show this past year.

I think her and Michael have a fascinating dynamic, I'm not sure if he's using her, but there appears to be some connection and spark there that she's never had with anyone.

I hope Charlie doesn't leave again, because I think Janine's become too crucial to the show, and is needed more than most.

Janine is, hands down, the best soap character of all time. The only character who comes close is Sally Fletcher from Home and Away, for me.

Thanks for the info, Huntress.

I've still been watching GZSZ. I really do love it. I've noticed how certain characters seem to feature for weeks on end, while other characters don't appear for a long time. It took half a month for me to see Zack again after the incident where Lilli threw up on him! He is so very attractive

Meanwhile, this show is really well-written. Although Emilie and Thune getting together seems really unrealistic, the characters have had so much air time and you really see the connection build between them. I don't like the separation between the two older characters (I forget their names) the woman just comes across as cold, and I was very surprised when she had sex with Tanja's dad in the toilets of the club!

I don't understand the love triangle between Zack/Tanja/Vince. At the end of the episode I just watched (22/11) it seemed like she was leading both of them on!

Dominic's recovery from the kidnapping has been really interesting to watch, and realistic too. I can't stand Patrick though.