Skylover

OMG no! Why kill off their only child with long term potential?

Not a fan?

At least Holly's there. But I wish she had been recast.

She contracted pneumonia and had a collapsed lung, which is what caused her absence in 2008. I'm not sure what illness she had later in 2011, but she sued Fremantle in 2013 over 'sex and disability discrimination'. According to this article, she claimed FremantleMedia failed to provide “a working environment that was safe” and that it breached “the relationship of trust and confidence”. It was reported here that she was seeking an order directing Fremantle Media to re-employ her in her role as Libby Kennedy on conditions no less favourable than her immediate past contract of employment, but I assume it resulted in her 2014 guest stint, which lasted just a few weeks and re-introduced Ben Kirk into the show, before he later returned as a regular. I don't know what Kym's health issues were at the time or if they were chronic, she may be better now and able to work full-time, but it seems unlikely she'd be back on the show as a regular.

I was surprised that Kym Valentine returned for the video message, but I think any future appearances for her are unlikely to be longer than a video message or a week long stint (possibly a few weeks at the most). I actually really liked Michala Banas as Libby back in 2008, but Kym was a very popular character as Libby so I can't see the producers recasting. Kym is actually appearing in the line-up for the 40th anniversary tour, but AFAIK this isn't organised officially by Fremantle. I imagine they are happy with the Kennedy set up with Holly around, but those unseen characters could definitely add something.

She's Teddy's ex wife I think. I'm about 35 episodes behind though.

Malcolm's the only one likely to return of those characters, as there are BTS reasons Kym Valentine is unlikely to return, and the actors who played Billy and Ben went on to great success and I can't imagine the producers would want to recast those characters. I'd like to see more unseen Kennedy characters introduced, like Billy's son Jackson or Billy's twins (we don't know their sexes). I would like to see Malcolm's daughter Susannah introduced as well. I kind of wish Majella Davis had been selected to play a recast Holly Hoyland, I like the current Holly but she's not quite Izzy enough for me, and I think Majella is wasted on the Krista role in a boring relationship with Leo and being based at Lassiters, which is a boring set up for her. I could have seen her working well with Alan and Jackie, and she's more of the type of actor to more convincingly play Izzy's daughter. It is what it is though. Yeah, the show has been a bit hesitant on certain issues for a long time, it seems to be even still today, but at least it no longer has a G rating so it can be bit bolder.

I've been watching the 80s recently, and I have to say, I honestly think the 90s and 2000s (up to 2007) were the show's best time. It dipped from 2007 to around 2015, and I have enjoyed 2015 onwards, but I definitely think the blend was great in the 90s and 2000s.

I think what's good about that moment is that Harold was the most unlikely person to try and kill someone. Ordinarily, I would have been critical, but I think it was great to show that anyone can be pushed to their limit to do something awful, and they laid the groundwork by killing off his whole family to get to that moment. If anything else had led up to it I probably wouldn't have believed it. I'm glad they didn't bring them back from the dead though.

He did indeed! It was the 2005 season finale, Harold blamed Paul for his 3 family members being killed in the plane crash. It is regarded as a low point, but I quite liked it.

Not long I imagine. I kind of liked her and Felix together.

In terms of the current show vs 2011-2022; I do think the current show is doing pretty well. 2021 was a pretty ropey year where not much happened, but the final 2022 season was pretty strong and I think the revival has been pretty much the same level as the final six months of 2022, if not a bit better with the introduction of a new family in the Varga-Murphys and the opprtunity to get to know the Rodwells in more depth. There was a stale feeling in 2021, so it's nice there are fresh dynamics. 2015-2018 is a bit of a golden era, with early 2017 being the peak of that time. There's a lot of change from 2011 to 2014, it's not as strong as 2015-2018, but it is still pretty good. 2011/2012 were quite character-driven but it went more plot driven from 2013 onwards, but there were 2 new families that year which gave it a fresh vibe. 2019 was a bit of a gemini year, with big highs and big lows, with Sonya being axed, and the introduction of Kyle, Pierce and Finn as weak male leads. Overall, I'm really enjoying it. I love having hotties Vic and Felix back. I also think the Boylesque story is quite genuinely funny and very old school Neighbours in a good way. I think the cast is very strong at the moment, Melanie is better now Toadie's not weighing her down like an anchor, Holly is persistently great, having Vic and Felix back is great, and I'm enjoying seeing Andrew and Wendy's marriage tested. Also loving seeing the Varga-Murphys together a lot as a whole family unit. The only real ways I'd improve it is I'd increase connections within the cast and explore more off-screen family relatives. Krista should have been revealed as Melanie's secret daughter IMO, I'd love to see a Petrides niece or nephew for Terese, an extra Kennedy like maybe Jackson, Kerry Mangel in the sharehouse attending Eden Hills uni, I'd explore the unseen relatives like Cara's or Remi's parents, or Remi's siblings, or introduce a secret third child for Vic he didn't know about to throw a spanner in the works and cause drama, exploring Andrew and Felix's parents would be good, as this could cause further drama with the Varga-Murphys due to their link to JJ as biological grandparents. I'd ramp up the drama a bit, but in a character driven way rather than a plot driven one, like maybe a pregnancy or something for Sadie, to test her and Byron's relationship. An unwanted young pregnancy could be interesting followed by an abortion or something, or maybe adoption following the birth? I'd explore Susan's brother as a black sheep of the Smith family, having not been mentioned since 1996. They could create a compelling reason for this, other than just the writers forgot he was ever mentioned. If I was producer I'd be begging Natalie Bassingthwaighte to come back, Izzy is iconic and with Holly in the show it would be brilliant to have her back. I'd have her cheat on Shane with Vic or Felix, if they can get back Shane for an extended period too. I would have had Izzy have a baby to Shane and got married to him off-screen in the meantime so she could be a Ramsay in name. I'd be looking to explore an alcoholism storyline with a younger 20 or 30 something character, which could be interesting as it's a complex subject. Maybe someone diagnosed with ADHD or someone with bulimia or an eating disorder. I would also be looking to explore homophobia, maybe a homophobic attack on Aaron and a resulting mental health storyline. The cast is great and diverse in terms of demographics, I'd just be looking for them to increase connections/family members in the households and be more diverse/ambitious in terms of storytelling and the subjects they tackle rather than someone being taken hostage every 3 weeks which gets boring real quick. Morally ambiguous characters like Vic, Felix, and Izzy are much more interesting than token guest villains who have no depth. Back to what I was saying earlier about off-screen relatives; in the 80s, mums, dads, siblings, grandparents were often introduced as guest characters and I think we should see that happen more frequently. The fact Terese has been in the show 11 years and we still know so little about her dad is something that I don't think is a good thing. Also, I'm really excited about the new generation Max Ramsay joining. The actor is beautiful, and the show has lacked eye candy in comparison to previous eras.

Fingers crossed! Kinda hoping Vic and Felix become regulars. Shipping Vic and Mel.

I hope so @Liberty City, I don't want to go through the grieving I went through in 2022 again!

Fingers crossed all is good. But I'd imagine now is about time discussions will be taking place about whether it will be renewed, I suspect the decision will be made by Christmas at the latest? I hope we get news by then.

Oh, do catch up! We could do with the support after the news that TEN will be cutting to 3 eps a week until December, it feels like an ominous decision.

I've just been on holiday so am behind a week too!

The actor playing Max Ramsay is beautiful. Looking forward to seeing the character! Will also be great to have Ramsays back in Ramsay Street.

Wow, I'm truly shocked. I have always absolutely loved John and Marlena. It was thanks to John and Marlena that I really got interested in Days when I saw it in Barbados back in 2008. RIP Drake, thanks for the fun memories you've given me of this iconic soap.

Just wondering if our American viewers have ever seen Bouncer's dream from 1990? 🤣

Really enjoyed Chrissie's return.

I don't watch the other UK soaps, but I'm wondering if EastEnders tends to recast more than the other UK soaps. There's been quite a lot of Peter Beales as well.

Yeah, I'd say both UK and Aus soaps recast less than US soaps.

Toadie's life flashing before his eyes really hit me.

I hope politics is going ok in the US. Please pray for us in the UK. I can't say more than that