BetterForgotten

Letitia Dean interview: http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a627777/eastenders-star-letitia-dean-sharon-and-phil-are-right-together.html#~p3QHyFXJwJRp5Z Even though she mentions's Dennis's death, I'm guessing she wasn't a fan of the Shannis pairing and storyline as she never mentions it among her favorites.

People can say what they want, but she'll always be the most relevant female pop star in music history. Madonna and Michael Jackson set the template for the definition of what a pop star is, no one else can claim that or is really on that level.

This "feud" seems incredibly fake to me. It seems calculated on both of their parts to stay in the headlines and gossip columns and to pose as supposed "rivals."

Taylor and Madonna also have a pic together, courtesy of M's instagram: http://instagram.com/p/y3kBbgGEZt/?modal=true

In today's world, Hilda Ogden's exit (which, IMO, is probably the best ever exit given to a beloved long-running character on a soap) would be lambasted for being "boring" and "playing it safe." Corrie used to do great and classy exits for its veteran characters once upon a time. I do think there is a lot of life left in Bet, even in her short 2002 return, she stole every scene. They don't make characters like that anymore.

No matter how many times I watch it, Bet's 1995 exit always break my heart, but strangely makes me smile (much like Bet herself). Too bad Julie Goodyear will never return, but I can't see them knowing what to do with a character like Bet in the Corrie of today.

The video for Living For Love is out:

I still can't get over how eveytime I catch an episode everything leads back to the f.ucking Carter family. I've never felt so sick of a shoehorned family in my life on a soap. Have we become too pessimistic? I had no issues with the Slater domination in 2000-2003, which was definitely the show's last great gold era. Did I not mind a new dominant family back then because the show was very good overall or was it because the family was just better overall? It's strange how it didn't bother me back then as much as it does now.

His body is about the only thing interesting or appealing about him.

EastEnders Revealed: the original Angie and why she was fired 30 years ago She just looks wrong....

Tracy is such an ill-defined and poorly constructed character, but I did like the actress prior to Kate Ford who played her in the late 90's. Since Kate Ford, it seemed like Corrie wanted to have their own version of Janine Butcher, but were never able to fully pull it off with this character.

I do think Deirdre's years away from Ken and pre-Ken were probably her best years. She was probably at her most vital after their first marriage had ended. I think Anne was very underrated as an actress, and I hate that the writing for Deidre's from the past decade will probably leave many having the wrong impression of both Anne and Deirdre. She was an amazing dramatic actress when they gave her the material.

I honestly don't know if I can take watching either Tracy or Ken without the possibility of Deirdre ever coming back. I always thought Anne was far superior in the acting department than Bill Roache (he was lucky to have her IMO, even if I grew tired or Deirdre and Ken), and I won't even go into the disaster I find Kate Ford to be.

Apparently, the show's writer's conference was today (where they plan out stories for the next year or so). Letitia, Jessie, and Lacey attended. I wonder if they all asked for better stories..... Sharon Batten posted this on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonJBatten/status/562006824829063168/photo/1 An Instagram pic with a junior level writer/trainee: http://instagram.com/p/ykwuE8Khvu/

Just re-watching the Deirdre and Me special that originally aired in in 2012 when Anne celebrated her 40th anniversary on the show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TfTb2kwfbU I think the Jon Lindsay stuff and subsequent prison sentence for Deirdre was the first Corrie storyline I remember reading about online and keeping up with in the late 90's. The Ken/Deirdre/Mike triangle seems very inspired by American soaps. I know triangles had been done before on British soaps and they're certainly not unique to just soap operas, but something about the way that storyline was told from what I've seen of it feels more akin to American soap storytelling.

Apparently, the cliffhanger special re-purposed most of the clips from the 25th anniversary special, just with an updated rank. I think Michelle Fowler is still in the top 10, which is a strong testament to how strong and vital that character was to the first decade of the show. Someone at Walford Web did their own list of the characters with the most cliffhangers about a month ago, and this was the result of their top 20: 1. Phil Mitchell-253 Duff Duffs 2. Ian Beale-185 Duff Duffs 3. Sharon Rickman-157 Duff Duffs 4. Grant Mitchell-119 Duff Duffs 5. Pat Evans-118 Duff Duffs 6. Pauline Fowler-116 Duff Duffs 7. Michelle Fowler-111 Duff Duffs 8. Kat Moon-109 Duff Duffs 9. Dot Branning-104 Duff Duffs 10. Kathy Beale-100 Duff Duffs 11. Alfie Moon-99 Duff Duffs 12. Mark Fowler-98 Duff Duffs 13. Peggy Mitchell-98 Duff Duffs 14. Max Branning-94 Duff Duffs 15. Den Watts-92 Duff Duffs 16. Bianca Butcher-89 Duff Duffs 17. Janine Butcher-83 Duff Duffs 18. Ronnie Mitchell-80 Duff Duffs 19. Stacey Branning-77 Duff Duffs 20. Arthur Fowler-75 Duff Duffs As for Pam, I don't think I necessarily disagree with killing Pat if Pam didn't want to stay long-term anymore. I just can't imagine Pat as one of those characters that randomly visits from time to time. But the way it was handled with Pam seems shady.

Hopefully we'll never see those characters again. ::shutter::

Laura Wright may as well be playing a completely different character because that's what it is.

There's so many stories EastEnders has tried to redo over the years - Michelle Fowler's, Sharongate, Kat/Zoe to name a few. That "muvva" scene is by far the most iconic moment in British soap of the 00's, and obviously EastEnder's definitive moment in the 00's as well.

I believe he still writes for Casualty, and of course he co-created Holby City and served as EP there from 2007-2010.

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)?