BetterForgotten

The BBC is doing an online retrospective series called "Back To Ours" in preparation for the 30th anniversary. They've released some short promo clips, the first episode in the series seems to be with Shane and Jessie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpH4MXm91gg

Ashdown was a big part of the show's issues, IMO. He needed to go. He wrote some great episodes in the 90's and early 00's (I believe he wrote the Dot/Ethel assisted suicide episode), but he should have never been a story consultant, and ever since the Santer era, all of the big episodes they gave him to write were horribly formulaic. Maybe the BBC should ask Tony McHale to come back and be EP when DTC is ready to go? It would probably be easier than getting Phelps or Jordan back.

Phelps wrote a great deal of the Shannis stuff and Den's return and death stuff. Though, I think Phelps may have been more interested in Dennis, Den, and Chrissie than Sharon...

So Sharon's biological mother contacted her tonight? I know we met her briefly in the early 90's and she only saw Sharon as a friend and not her daughter. Anyway, I wonder how DTC is going to f.uck this up, as I assume it's probably going to lead to some of Sharon's biological family possibly coming. Though, as they ignore Sharon for the most part these days, I wonder if this will lead to anything as well... Also a Vicki and Spencer mention? LOL

The story has been so badly executed, who seriously gives a f.uck anymore (or ever)?

The last scene of the show is one of the best moments ever in a soap finale, IMO. It just went straight to the heart of the show. Helen looks sort of devastated, I don't know how she got though it as well as she did.

I hope her and Tony Bennett lose that Grammy on 2/8. I will be so pissed if the sack of sh!t duets album won something. It needs to go to Queen Barbra Streisand, it would be the first win for Babs in a competitive category since 1986, and I think it would be a great TV "moment" too...

I wonder how much longer DTC will stick around after the 30th anniversary. Producers have a tendency to leave soon after milestone anniversaries on this show. Santer left after the 25th, and Kathleen Hutchinson's brief stint came to an end around the time of the 20th. Also, Matthew Robinson left around the time of the 15th anniversary (both Robinson and John Yorke are actually credited in the 15th anniversary episode). I kind of hope that Sarah Phelps's one-off return is paving them way for her to replace DTC...

Josh and Reva always seemed so damn isolated from the rest of the show as I watch more stuff from the late 80's and 1990. To be honest, they're often my least favorite part of the 1990 episodes I've seen. Its almost feels like they're on a separate show sometimes.

Did Alice (regardless of who was playing her) and Rachel interact much after Rachel got intertwined with Mac and Iris? It seemed like there was an intention on reinventing Rachel as a character after her involvement with the Cory's, so many of her prior relationships were not emphasized as much after that.

I think this storyline is my first memory of watching GL on my own: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW_knfRP6sw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HstJy4nEHVM

On Graham's first show (So Graham Norton), Patsy Palmer, Natalie Cassidy, Jack Ryder, Barbara Windsor, Jessie Wallace, Martine McCutcheon, and Charlie Brooks were all guests at various points as well.

Back to basics since she's basically irrelevant these days? It's almost tragic how quickly she peaked in her career, and how much of her downfall has been her own doing.

^^^^^Ms. Garrett is marvelous in that episode. It pisses me off that she never gets the credit she deserves and never won an Emmy.

Anne Kirkbride Has Passed Away

It would definitely have to be a character she was passionate about, I assume. Out of the characters on the show now, she wrote a lot for Stacey (she practically was the one responsible for making the character successful after a rocky start), Sharon, and Kat & Alfie during her original stint. None of these characters seem important to the show anymore though. But a Dot centered story is a safe bet, as she seems to be the character writers return for (well, Tony Jordan at least).

Interesting, Sarah Phelps is coming back to write one episode in March. I wonder what the episode is about. She always turned in great work even when the show was sh!t. https://twitter.com/dominictc/status/553596554473656320

BBC Three is going to be doing an updated cliffhanger countdown for the 30th Anniversary. I can't imagine it will change much from the one they did 5 years ago... http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/dfdq5c/eastenders-30-years-of-cliffhangers--series-1---episode-1

EastEnders is always at its worst when it tries to recycle old iconic cliffhangers. Stuff like Sharongate and the Kat/Zoe reveal are once in a lifetime moments. The fact that they keep trying to recycle these same set-ups over and over again throughout the years makes the reveals and storylines so contrived and lackluster.

Is that supposed to be Babyface and LA Reid in the studio in that clip? LOL

I'll be annoyed if they ignored Robyn Crawford's part in Whitney's life in this biopic.

Two rough demo leaks apparently from Madonna's upcoming album: http://www.projectu.tv/madonnas-new-single-rebel-heart-is-here-in-full-and-amazing/

Patsy had to have known she wasn't exactly going to be getting anything if she moved to the States. She's over 40, has a thick cockney accent that I doubt she could hide well, and is not a classic beauty. The timing is just totally wrong for her. That said, I do not miss her on EE when I do watch. Bianca had become such insignificant and extremely grating character by the end that I was happy to see her go. Janine/Charlie Brooks is a different story though, as she basically carried the show during a really terrible era (which IMO has yet to end). Though, I can't see this new show working out well for her either and doubt she'll get any US roles as well.