BetterForgotten

I didn't know they aired any of the soaps outside of EE. How long they did they carry it for? Didn't Corrie also have a brief US run? For the life of me, I can't remember on which network though.

EastEnders legend June Brown is losing her sight but still has to work due to financial crisis

Duncan did great in the role, but I do have a hard time reconciling it with the character McKinsey played in the 70's. They are just completely different actresses, and I felt like Duncan's Iris seemed to be a product of her time and clearly inspired by Joan Collins, if that makes sense... I don't know if it would have been different had McKinsey resurrected the role though. Though, I guess doing GL was hugely beneficial for her as it allowed a new generation of soap fans to know her and proved she could be someone else in the same genre other than Iris.

Hopefully she's inspired to put out something with quality after her long hiatus. Actually, I do think Jimmy Jam and Terr Lewis were actually part of her deterioration, by the time of 2001's All For You, their chemistry with Janet had clearly gone away and Janet needed to step away from them. The problem is - she chose the wrong people. The fact she gave Jermaine Dupri so much control of her music career for a while was not a good decision on her part. Luckily she split with him personally and professionally a while ago.... The rumours are she's hoping to do a Rhythm Nation part 2 (have music with a socially conscious message). We'll see how that goes - though after singing about sex for a long time, she needs a new theme. Anyway, in terms of Janet history, this is actually a big week for her. 22 years ago in 1993 she scored the biggest hit of her career when That's The Way Love Goes hit #1 - where it would remain for 8 week. The accompanying janet. album would also be the most successful of her career.

Promo from 1994 promoting the 3rd episode addition

Awful Psycho inspired promo promoting the addition of the 4th episode in 1996 (widely considered one of the worst years ever for the show).

I wonder if they ever tried to woo McKinsey back before recasting with Duncan. It may have been difficult though as McKinsey was still in the P&G soap family and in another prominent role. I think I recall a small bit in one of the soap magazines from the late 80's where McKinsey said they asked, but she told them was happy at GL.

Yes, but she wasn't really interested in him. The McDonald's were like the Corrie equivalent to what the Carter's are on EastEnders these days. They were better cast though and had some OK stories, but shoehorned beyond belief during their initial years.

I wonder if the show was surprised that Raquel became such a popular character in the 90's. I guess the genuine good intentions of the character and her naivete really resonated with people. Sarah Lancashire (along with Suranne Jones) is also probably the most successful actress on British TV to come from a soap

The last time Whitney worked was during the prostitution storyline when she heavily interacted with Janine. But then, Janine made everyone more watchable...

I don't like this actor playing nuMartin, and I feel like the character bares no resemblance to the character James Alexandrou played. While Sonia is still her annoying self, I feel like they've completely tried to reinvent Martin, and it's not just the change in actors. He may not have been the best actor in the world, but James is still Martin to me and the actor we watched grow up in the role.

More trash storytelling: http://www.soapsquawk.co.uk/news/eastenders-kush-and-stacey-kiss.php#results I still don't think they've had any idea what to do with Stacey since she returned.

I've hated her for years, but I still don't know why Sonia was every brought back in the first place. Terrible character, and Natalie Cassidy has gotten worse as the years have gone by.

The entire show seems to be floundering at the moment. It's all really running out of gas and nothing is working.

Liz and Steve should have never gotten their hands on the Rovers anyway. The McDonald's have never ever fit in there. I think Carla could actually be good at the Rovers, and assuming she comes back, stays long enough, and has the proper writing - she could be Bet's true successor.

Hilda's exit is my favorite. I've never seen such a beautifully done and classy exit for a long-term character that wasn't killed off.

I wonder if King will return at all - given by 2017 there will definitely be a new producer who may not be interested or she herself may not be interested. I love how her reasons are "creative." She too must hate the writing she's had to endure over the last few years. Not sad to see Crag Charles go...

I doubt they'd recast Sean though, so it will probably be a new character. For some reason, Rob Kazinsky keeps getting work in the US...

I think this is probably the set-up for the spin-off and the twin may be in Ireland. But why? The Kat/Zoe storyline is the show's definitive storyline from the 00's, and I feel this will detract from it. How the hell could Kat not know as well? Didn't she have the wristband Zoe was born with and gave it to her when she left town? What the hell happened to the other one then? This was probably the last time EastEnders properly invested in a relationship that prompted a few years worth of story, sadly.

Can there be a bomb at Michelle and Steve's wedding that kills the groom and bride and selected guests please?

No loss, if only they'd get rid of like 30 other characters.

She's also one of those characters that never needed any family around her to make her viable. She was so embedded into the community of the show, probably the friend some viewers had at some point in their lives or wished they had. Julie often tells a story about how protective the audience was of Bet. She said the day they shot Bet's wedding to Alec, there were hundreds of fans outside the set protesting and calling for her not to marry him. When I started researching the show, she was one of the first characters that popped out to me. They just don't make characters like that anymore.

I know Bet's iconic beehive was voted soap's worst hairstyle on a poll done a few years back. But Bet wouldn't be Bet without it. I love how Julie/Corrie brought it back just in time before she left in 1995. It's just Bet. I always love watching this clip of Bet and Rita's friendship crumbling to a million pieces, which of course ultimately lead to Bet leaving. It's sad, yet entertaining as hell at the same time. More than any man, the Rovers Return meant to world to Bet and was the one sense of stability she had ever had in her life. It made sense that losing it would drive her off the Street. It's too bad Julie will never come back to the show and we're left with trash like the McDonald's, Michelle, and Sean at the Rovers. If Corrie ended tomorrow and since Annie Walker is long gone, it should be Bet behind the bar than anyone else.