BetterForgotten

It's probably an announcement that they're adding in an extension of the Carter family with a bunch of cousins on the way. The sad thing is, I could see that happening....

Apparently, there is a midnight announcement on the way. I bet it's really nothing, but let the speculation begin.... EastEnders Ultra ‏@EastEndersUltra 11m11 minutes ago Some super-exciting #EastEnders news at midnight!!

You had to literally be 7 years old to enjoy this show (I know adults who grew up on it enjoy it for nostalgic reasons, but you know what I mean) that's who they went after. I don't think a show as corny and saccharine as this one has been produced since. Though, the same could be said for all the Miller-Boyette shows I guess...

Yuck, one of the worst (not to mention, corniest) shows ever created. I am happy for those who are fans though.

Yes, it was in the early stages, and was one of the reasons Gail considered aborting David (but Martin stopped her before she did).

Alan's the only man that's ever respected her the way she deserved, so I agree, that was her most mature pairing (even if ultimately they were never going to make it work out).

Who do you think was their last viable female character? Corrie used to be known for their diverse and popular female characters, but I can't remember the last time they got one right. Maybe Becky in the beginning before that deteriorated to hell (though they did give her a great exit, probably the best Corrie's done in in the past couple of years)? Probably a great reason why I mentioned above that I'm glad we'll never see Karen again (probably the most successful female character they created in the 00's). I think a character like that would be trashed on today's Corrie and not allowed to develop organically.

Which is funny as Anne wasn't a fan of the Samir storyline (she was also battling her first battle with cancer for much of that storyline as well). I know Brian Park has a controversial reputation as he set about with changing the show when he took over as Series Producer in 1997 (and the show in some cases has never been the same after him), but I thought he really loved Deirdre and she was probably last at her best in the late 90's. mrmagister1 has much of the Jon Lindsay storyline up. It's almost 17 years since this iconic moment/story:

Probably the last time Corrie was amazingly good. Karen is a character we probably should have never cared about, but Suranne Jones was amazing and had great writing for most of her run. She was probably one of the last characters they really invested in as well (at least organically). It's a bit of a depressing exit, but haunting and compulsively watchable in the way it was directed and played by Suranne. I know Suranne has had an active career since leaving Corrie, but I wonder if we'll ever see Karen again. In a way, I hope she never returns as I think Steve sucks the life out of everything he touches, and her exit was such a raw and heart-piercing exit. I am happy to remember her this way. I also think Suranne/Karen left at her peak in popularity, which rarely ever happens anymore.

The cast list from the Sarah Phelps episode airing on the 27th: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05p21ff

Ah yes, see, I try to forget about Martin and Sonia. On the topic of Martin, I am just not feeling this new actor at all.

I guess Phil is enough of a connection for her, but who does Lisa even know on the show? Phil, Sharon, Ian, Dot, and Kat? And other than Phil and some scenes here and there with Sharon, she wasn't close to any of these characters. Also, with Kathy back and Phil married to Sharon, how many of Phil's women can they concentrate on? That said, I did have soft spot for Lisa and did think Lucy Benjamin was very underrated.

Well, Jimi Mistry is leaving, if anyone cares: http://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/news/farewell-kal-jimi-mistry-secret-plot-twist

I think the Sarah Phelps episode is the one that airs on the 27th. From the description, it appears that episode is Sharon-centric (thankfully). The Jim death/funeral stuff is probably going to take place next month. Ugh at the Carter's getting new contracts and being credited for "turning the show around." I guess if you have enough misplaced hype anything is possible... ETA: More on Sharon's storyline and her adoption : http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a635447/eastenders-discovery-corrie-visit-emmerdale-plan-hollyoaks-trouble.html#~p6ZMbkmZaK1PSD

While I'm sad she's no longer with us, I can imagine Wendy was probably extremely difficult to deal with over the years. It's also no secret that her departure from the show wasn't under the best circumstances for both her and the the producers (and the brass at the BBC) as well. Also, while I wish Pauline had gotten a better exit, I can't say I miss the character at all. I think I had given up on her for a long time before Wendy quit (and judging by some of the performances Wendy gave in her latter years on the show, so did she). With Pat, it's different, and I definitely miss her more than I miss Pauline.

Hmm, Pam is not the first person to say something like that about Wendy Richard. I know Bill Treacher said something similar a few years back. I wonder who the main actors she liked were and those she hated.

I don't know what they would do with Grant at this point anyway. They'll probably try to do recreate Sharongate and do it in reverse, as Grant always maintained that Sharon is the love of his life. But I don't know if they'd work together at this point, even if they matured.

Gillian was also recently involved in a drunk driving incident I believe. But we know that's probably not the worst thing she regrets ever doing in a car.... Sorry, I couldn't resist.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/eastenders-nurse-sonia-fowler-barmaid-5292698 I am not here for this, Sonia should have never returned (I've always hated her, but she's extra annoying and judgmental these days), and Tina is a block of wood that's one massive waste of space.

And of course - Linda had to be involved somehow! DTC has no clear conscience on his his pet characters are being burnt out. It's bad enough that Linda has her own storyline with her overexposed family, she had to be shoehorned into stories for Sharon and Kat as well - all within the same damn week too. I don't care if we ever see Zoe again, and I think she could easily be recast (yeah she was part of two "iconic" stories, but she wasn't the lead in those).

After tonight's episode, I wonder if they're recasting Zoe or if Michelle Ryan is going to eat crow and return. Zoe was mentioned so many times and Kat texted her at the end. I wonder why Zoe hates Kat again these days when they left on good terms back in 2005. This was also the best Kat's been written in a long time, and obviously having no Alfie around and not making her a drunken mess helped.

The episode where The Fowler's and Ian and Kathy find out Pete died. There are no follow-up episodes though and we only find out during the cliffhanger. Was Peter Dean on break from the show when Pete was killed? I know he was hated by most of the cast and the producers, so I wonder if this was their way of getting back at him. Mandy and her pathethic-ness is hilarious in this episode.

I think the show had its best writing for minority characters in the 90's, it's actually said to see how they've regressed in that regard since then. Both Corrie and EE went though significant changes in the 1997-1999 era with massive changes in tone and cast culls. The changes seemed to help EE become more popular at the time, and Corrie seemed to lose its footing (it would take a while longer for them to get back into a groove). The late 90's seems like such an odd, yet interesting time for British soaps in retrospect.

I think this press hounding storyline was Sanjay and Gita's exit storyline: I always loved Sanjay and Gita when I watched the 90's episodes on PBS. They may have ran out of steam towards the end, but I always thought they were well integrated into the fabric of the show. They never felt like the "token Asian couple/family." They were of course part of Matthew Robinson's housecleaning, which was probably justified as they seemed to run of ideas for them. However, I do still think they could easily be written back in, but I doubt they'd be on the top of anyone's list of returns.

She was never a particularly great actress, I just think she was perfect for Cindy and just rode the wave of exposure she got from the role until it ran out. The same with Martine McCutcheon - not a particularly great actress, but great for Tiffany and she was able to score like two pop hits (including a UK #1 single) based off of that.