Ben

Paul arrives at the party with Gail at 1.50.

Thank you Huntress for those detailed family trees. They paint a clearer picture.

Thanks Huntress for the reply. It explains a lot. I think it's interesting that you can see how TV trends have impacted on the soaps - telenovelas, now reality soaps (I don't get why people like them). Soaps have taken a lot of knocks, yet they still keep on fighting. Dumbing down is such a vexing TV trend. I think it's sad when a show feels they have to change beyond recognition in order to compete, and still it never really solves the problems, but adds to them. I'm glad UU hasn't changed too much, and is character driven. I think you can incorporate OTT stories and still develop the characters. I guess it shows that RTL have faith in their soaps, otherwise they would cancel them. I guess the very nature of constantly revamping, that instability, would drive me away from the shows. ETA: Looking at those preview photos, I notice the soaps are very young; they don't appear to have a cross-generational appeal, as there doesn't seem to be many older characters. If there are, they aren't appearing in the previews, which leads me to suspect they aren't involved in a storylines. FYI: By older, I mean 50s, 60s, 70s... Are they family based? Like, Neighbours has only just gone back to families, and Hollyoaks is trying to do the same, and that brings a totally different tone to the shows, a more relateable feel.

I don't visit this thread much, but when I do the German soaps always seem to be revamping. Are they constantly chasing ratings or simply following trends? One or the other always seems to have a hostage/murder/birth drama, and I always feel like they're quite OTT - is this a fair assessment? Or can they be quite character driven? What constitutes high and low ratings in Germany? Why don't viewers stick with the soaps? They seem to go through a revamp every year, yet people don't seem to stick with them. Is it b/c soaps are no longer popular? Sorry for all the questions Huntress. My previous post was probably better worded until it vanished.

The first article is incomplete. I found their characters dead boring, anyway. Justin was such a drip, Kelly was beautiful, and could have done much better. Sean was the one who was murdered. I know what you mean, as those stories all follow the same pattern.

I'm just watching those bloopers that you posted, Carl, and some are pretty funny. I'd forgotten that Kate O'Mara guest starred as Chrissy's mum. 7:17 is a good example why actors shouldn't take "normal" mouthfuls of food. At 20:03 when the actors couldn't see a thing through all the smoke - Caleb: "I fell awkwardly". Denise:"I can't see [!@#$%^&*]!"

I had to Google who is he! I've never heard of him, so no idea if he was popular over here. Has any other soap ever had a threesome before? Bar Hollyoaks! It would be too taboo for a US soap. I think this next one was the catalyst for the Münchhausen by Proxy Syndrome story. I don't remember any of this happening after it.

I've found some more FA articles while sorting through my Neighbours stuff. Some of these you'll see where they fit in with previous articles that I've posted.

IA with you about the Katy/Ryan story, but I also get where Carl is coming from, too. I think Katy cheating on Chesney with Ryan is the most believable affair this show has done in a long time; it totally makes sense from a character point of view, and is in fact character driven. However, the story should have been done last year. Katy and Chesney have had zero development for several years now, and are generally given dialogue that is meant for 40 year old's, not 20 year old's, and all this impacts on the story, as it feels like they've been given this story purely b/c they haven't had anything to do for a very long time. It also doesn't help that this comes off the back of other affairs, and sadly it gets tarnished with the inevitability of being yet another affair. But it's more than that. Katy is old before her time, and is only attracted to Ryan b/c he has the fun, carefree lifestyle that she so graves; she regrets the decision to have a baby so young, and that decision is like a noose around her neck. And Ryan actually showed genuine feelings for her, but what knocked back by Michelle's terrible parenting. I missed the fallout, but from I can gather, her family told her to stick with Chesney, who seems to have some random 1950's attitude, and while I think Owen would be all 'I told you so', I think Anna would kind of understand. If this has lasting repercussions then I'll know that it was more than just a plot to give them something to do. This story has depth if developed right, and it could actually make Ryan a sympathetic character. Carl is right about his drug addiction - it was dealt with really badly. His addiction was so bad, it caused Sophie to be mowed down and paralysed for a few weeks, and this made him give it up. Just like that. I think he had a week of cold turkey and was all better. I don't think they ever intended to make this a serious story. I think the sets suck; they are worse than EE. Everything about them is so dated and miserable. No-one would live in a house like the Barlow's. jfung, I think your posts are very insightful, and you do seem to see things that other don't. I've read some of your Days posts, and I think "is this the same show I no longer can stand?" "Are these the same terribly written characters that I hate?" You have the ability to see past a lot of the issues that I and a lot of people have with whatever show, and that's refreshing. I definitely enjoy reading your posts. This is what bugged me about the story as well. Alison King did a phenomenal job, but the overall message was really bad. I think whenever doing these kinds of social stories, the end message should always be positive and give viewers who are going through the same thing encouragement and hope. I don't care if it's unrealistic that rape cases don't have a decent outcome, b/c the viewers should feel that they can report their own crime, not feel they shouldn't bother b/c the cops won't take them seriously, or they will be made to feel like they asked for it. This is the problem I have with the domestic abuse story: it doesn't have a positive message. If I was experiencing what Tyrone is going through and I watched this, I wouldn't feel like I should report the abuse as the cops wouldn't believe me; it doesn't give out any hope, and men have it grained in to us by society how stronger we should be than women, and I think this story gives out the wrong message to other male domestic abuse victims. Tyrone has been beaten, and now he's being accused of being the abuser and is currently waiting trial. How does any of this give a guy encouragement to speak up and not suffer in silence?

Can you really label someone who has been brainwashed by a cult as "losing it"? It's not just those "alleged" offensive comments, but he's also been made a healer, who he said that he cured a woman with cancer through the power of love! Corrie needs to do this story.

Did Esther need a 2 month break? Ruby and Sinead have been on screen continuously, and Tilly is off canvas more than she is on. I get what Carl is saying, and I feel the same way. There is something off about portraying a bullying story, only to have the victim placed on the backburner for 2 months while the bullies are redeemed (for Ruby, but not for Sinead). This should be about Esther, not anyone else. Immediately after the truth came out, the Osbournes forgave Ruby, and JP went out of his way to reintegrate Ruby into school life with some odd bake sale. So, Ruby has retained a roof over her head, the forgiveness of her "family", a place in school, and all seems to be well; Sinead is still a bitch and has yet to realize that bullying Esther was wrong, but Diane has agreed to raise her baby, and she will sit her exams at college, with the goal of getting into a veterinary course at University. Meanwhile, Esther who was bullied so bad by these two, tried to commit suicide, but bodged it up and needed a liver transplant, and has lost the trust of her family. So who's come out of this worse - the bullies or the victim? I still don't get how Ruby listing her crimes against Esther to the kids at school (Phoebe) helped to reintegrate her back into school life? All of those kids joined in and bullied Esther, only to do the same to Ruby, and Patrick didn't seem to care. It's more unrealistic how the Osbournes have forgave Ruby, when realistically they would have sent her packing to Spain. 80% of Sinead's problems are down to being pregnant with a married man's baby, and not due to any backlash from being a bully. As for Darren, I feel BK has partially regressed the character. I really don't believe that Darren would have impulsively smashed up the Kanes home just so he could save the pub when he has newborn baby who has health problems. It's interesting that you say BK is getting back to who certain characters were, but has stripped Walker of his humanity. His revenge on Brendan has been awful. What was the point in having Brendan relive his abuse and goading him to kill his abuser? In the long term, he's not going to care about killing his father, not when he killed his Nan for far less.

I think Michael is one of the few complex characters on the show, so it's a shame he's leaving. There are so many avenues they could have explored with him, but have failed to do since Janine left. He really brightens any scene that he appears in with his hilarious reactions to whatever's going down. May be he's too much of a psychological character for EE? jfung, can't you watch it on YT? I don't watch every episode these days, and I don't feel I miss much. When I do tune it, I feel the tone of the show is completely off. It's misery with double helpings of grey. There's no positive, bright spark at all - actually, Jay & Abi and Fatboy & Poppy are the only positive elements of the show, and they're like 5% of the whole show! There's a lot of random couples, like Denise & Ian, who just don't go together. I think it's realistic that they would bond on an emotional level, but as lovers?! They don't have that kind of chemistry, and they look odd. However, outside of Ian, there isn't anyone else who could be a possible love interest, which is a crime in itself. Then you have P&T hooking up, and that's just plain wrong. They broke up Kim & Ray for nothing; Shirley has been MIA for months, and no longer has a place in the show; Kat/Alfie/Roxy have been badly executed, to the point where neither couple has any rooting value. And, Carol & Mas have now been unnecessarily complicated by the introduction of a random third party, when they had all the conflict they needed with Tamwar's dislike for Bianca, and Carol's tragic past with David Wicks that they could've mined instead of including a dull character that no-one cares about. Oh, and this is without mentioning the boringness of Tanya/Max/Kirsty, and the badly written trash of Jack/Sharon/Phil. In fact, Sharon has been written quite badly during this triangle recently, especially with her thoughtless and insensitive treatment of Jack. And finally, Bianca's trouble with Liam isn't bad, but I'm so over Bianca being poor. There are so many reasons why kids join gangs, and Liam has plenty of reasons without the family needing to be perpetually poor all of the time. At least give Bianca a stable job where she can at least afford to feed her kids and pay the bills. I'm also tired of Bianca hogging all the big social issues - last year it was Whitney's decent into sexual exploitation, and now Liam has joined a gang - spread out the love. Bianca isn't a good mother, and having good intentions is not the same. She has constantly set bad examples, and I hope this story allows for some character development for her, as she really needs to move forward. I also hope at some point they have a few Liam/Jay scenes, as Jay was once in a gang, who robbed Dot, and got stabbed, and has since developed into a good person, so it would be nice to see Jay part what he has learned on to Liam. The only story that I've liked and seen possibility with was Alice and Michael. Never really liked Alice, but as soon as she started wearing Janine's clothes and taking on her personality (sort of), she became so much more fun. ETA: I should mention the horrible way they've treated Lucy's cancer scare. It's been a plot device for Ian & Denise; all of the development has happened off screen. I quite liked the Lucy/Tam scenes, but nothing has come of that, which is a shame. They are too complete opposites that may just work if written in the right way.

That sucks. But as soon as I found out that... was leaving, I knew their time would be up also. Also, Menik Gooneratne (Priya) is pregnant, so that's great news for and her and her husband. If only they could've written it into the show and made Paul the baby daddy. What's you thoughts on all of this, Edward, where ever you are?

Neighbours gets a AU$1 million make-over for new backyard sets. http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2013/03/neighbours-unveils-million-dollar-expansion.html The sets really do look awesome, and super stylish. I think this shows renewed commitment for the shows future from FremantleMedia, and that can only be a good thing. I guess this budget increase explains how they can afford all the new characters, and the apartment complex along side these newly created sets. It really is a new era for the show.

Extended wedding explosion promo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVoH-FwOMRY Spoilers for Wedding Week.

Probably b/c he's been doing a hell of a lot of theatre work since leaving EE. He always seems to be promoting this play or that play in the West End. So, he's never really had the time for big TV roles. If you would go to YT, Carl, then I class that as watching in some capacity.

You must be watching a different show to me, Bright Eyes. I think the show is boring right now. The Brendan/Walker story is really bad, it's like a rehash of Walker's first stint, with repetitive scene after repetitive scene. I loved Walker, but they've ruined him. The JP & Doug pairing is so predictable, and Doug's return makes no sense. They made all that fuss with Doug needing to care for his sick father in the States, only for him to return 2 months later and his father being OK, never to be mentioned again? Seriously? Now there's this Trudy chick, who is in this dull revenge story with Jacqui, who really deserves better. The Will/Texas thing is awful. Sinead's pregnancy has become a non-story b/c they totally dropped all the elements and made it pointless. And I don't like all the Darren & Nancy angst - a lot of it seems unnecessary, and it's so out of character for Mitzeee to sell the pub as soon as she leaves, considering Nancy is her best friend.

Surprised by Jack's departure, but he won't be a great loss to the show. I do think Jack is a likeable character (most of the time), and EE lacks likeable characters a lot of the time.

They messed up the whole love story of Dodger & Texas so bad. We had to endure months of will-they-won't-they, and when they finally got together for real, they disappeared for a few weeks, only to reappear and split up over something trivial. Then, when they were going to get back together, they have Texas sleep with Will! Seriously, this was so dumb and unbelievable. Now Texas is trapped in Will's orbit, and Dodger is stuck with deadwood Theresa. And that spoiler only adds insult to injury. We have had zero scenes exploring D&T as a couple, and that's really insulting to their fans. I'm not looking forward to the future on this show. Not a fan of Clare coming back; not a fan a male McQueen family. Mitzeee's exit was rushed and so poor for such a fan favourite.

Yeah, I've seen that news, and I'm not sure what to think. I should be really happy that they're bringing back another past character as a regular, especially one I was a fan off (I loved Brad & Beth), but it's mired in the high possibility that the Kapoors may be leaving in order to for the Willises to move in. I really think the Kapoors have so much potential, especially Priya, that I'll be really disappointed if she leaves (I'll be more disappointed if she leaves and Ajay & Rani stay, as Priya is the more interesting member of the family, IMO). They've suffered with bad writing, and that is something that could have been easily fixed. As you know, I loved Sophie in H&A, so I'll be happy to see RE in Neighbours, and I never hated KG, unlike some, so that's good in one way (even though it's currently difficult picturing him playing a surfie - lets hope they remember Brad's defining quality was him being a surf dude). However, does the show need another family? We have/will have the Kapoors, the Rebecchis, the Turners, Lucas/Vanessa/baby Patrick, Karl & Susan, Paul & Kate, and Chris/Kyle/Sheila/Georgia (possibly) as the share house... from this alone, I can see that the Robinsons is the area that needs most attention, and the family I would beef up by bringing back Amy and Robert, or Lucy. I do wonder why Brad, and I guess it's b/c of his past with Lauren. But why not bring Brad back alone, or with his wife, instead of creating another new family for a street that doesn't have enough houses? I guess this is why the Kapoors leaving makes sense, as it will free up #24 for the Willises to move into. But where will Lucas/Vanessa/Patrick live? They can't stay living with Lou & the Turners. And Karl is going to be alone in #28 when Tash leaves in May, and even if Susan moves back in, it's going to be a big house for just them to fill. I don't want the Kennedys to be moved out of the street and into the apartment, as they belong living on Ramsay Street until the day they leave. Thanks to James Mason's tweet, it is suss that Neighbours hasn't rebuked the rumour, like they constantly do about Ashleigh Brewer.Then there was that other tweet (supposedly from a Nicola Charles radio interview) about Sachin Joeb going to LA... I've loved having some colour in the show, instead of everyone being white, as that look doesn't feel very contemporary and realistic, IMO. It would be a shame if the show goes backwards with its diversity, especially seeing as Chris' future is also in doubt. Traditional family values doesn't equal white and straight. Thinking about it, I've noticed lately that the extras aren't as diverse as they were a year ago... If there's one think I'll praise SB for, it's injecting some much need diversity into the show. I also wonder why they didn't create a new family, instead of bringing back an iconic old one? Lauren made sense, as Lou has been in desperate need of family, but Brad has no connection to RS outside of Lauren... I know some people are speculating that maybe a long term character is going to leave, and this is a way to placate long term fans by reinvesting in the past. Of course, the Kapoors may not be leaving, and it could be Lucas/Vanessa/baby Patrick who will depart, and Karl moves into Susan's apartment? Or Chris may be going, and Kyle & Sheila may move in with Karl (& Susan)? So many questions, so little answers. It does look bad for the Kapoors - and Priya in general - though. On another note: loved seeing the sneak pics of Steph! I can't wait until she's back, and wish it was for longer. The same with Sarah.

I don't have good vibes about Clare returning (again!). It just seems like a desperate attempt to recapture the past instead of moving the show forward. I hope she won't be a panto villain, which I suspect she will be. The show has lost some characters recently, and could do with losing a few more to give them a more manageable cast size; but what do they go and do? Add a new family of 6! What happened to Kirkwood loving the Kanes? Lacey was given an off screen exit, while Callum, Martha and (until last week) Ash have been MIA for months. They're badly written characters now, anyway. And GT's character is gonna be another spare part, just like all the +30 characters end up being. I'd love for them to all work out, but I just think it's a way of papering over the cracks, just like he did at EE, when he continued the inherited mess left by Santer. GT's comment about being approached by TPTB at EE to think of a way to bring back Kathy was odd. How come she couldn't think of a single plausible storyline to resurrect Kathy? Actually, how come TPTB couldn't think of a way to bring back Kathy?

I've just sent you a reply.

The Brannings now consist of: Max, Tanya, Lauren, Abi, Oscar, Jack, Joey, Alice, Cora, Ava, Dexter, Kirsty, Carol, Bianca (they're written more as Brannings these days), and Dot (who is being placed as the matriarch of the Branning family, when she's more like family to Sharon and the Beales). No show is ever better when one family/character dominates. Zainab's exit doesn't sound like it will be that great. They seem to be regressing her, much like they did with Syed when he left, instead of showing that these characters have developed some what due to recent events.

That episode was awesome, but the writing for Jen ruined what could have been perfect. This is a character who has tried to support Esther, and then she sees her with a bottle of vodka, knows about the bullying, but walks away!? That seemed out of character to me. They reunited Jen & Tilly, but are simply retreading over the same old ground. Jen chose her career over Tilly, and now they're back together again, it's still a secret and her career is still more important than anyone else. So what's new? I think everyone's reactions have been credible and realistic. The Headmaster not wanting it to get out that he did nothing about the bullying when it was brought to his attention by Jen; Frankie's reaction to Esther's suicide attempt has been realistic, even though she's been portrayed in a very poor light prior to this. Jen is now a ruined character, and she's not rooted enough to the show to be redeemed in a believable way, so she really should leave at some point. I think they've got the right message across about attempted suicide, but I can see where Carl is coming from regarding the bullying aspect of the story. The Headmaster knew about it and did nothing, and so did Jen - a teacher - and she failed her. So what encouragement is there for other victims to talk to a responsible adult at school about bullying, when Hollyoaks have shown that it may all be for nothing? Of course Esther is representing the kids who don't feel they can talk to anyone and choose suicide as a way out, but I don't think the show should have had the school knowing and doing nothing about it, only to cover it all up. It would have been better if Jen wasn't thrown under the bus and shown to be trying to support Esther whenever she could, or the Headmaster should have been in the dark all along. One of them needed to be written in a more positive light, IMO.

I don't mind most of them, but they are now a huge family unit, with ever expanding members, who all have storylines at once. It's Branning over kill. It doesn't help that this Tanya/Max/Kirsty triangle is tedious a boring; it doesn't bring anything new to the table or develop any of the characters at all - it is a retread of past storylines for this couple. I don't care about them, and that is a major problem, as I can't get invested in such an empty story. I've noticed that seems to bug a lot of people, like b/c she comes from a working class background, her having aspirations that exceed that class barrier is some how a hated topic. As an American, you don't really need to understand it, as it's not made an issue of on the show. I think it's always been part of her character to be snobbish and pass judgement on people who she should have more sympathy for due to her childhood, but I can understand her wanting to better herself and move out of that. Maybe it's a generational thing, and it's older people who have an issue with it, but as someone who is a lot younger and hasn't had to live through eras when class has been so focused on, it doesn't resonate with me. I hope I've made some sort of sense here. lol.