LondonScribe

Well this is a turn up for the books… https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/hollyoaks/a45048007/hollyoaks-channel-4-scheduling-shake-up/

Today’s writing gave me the impression that they are going to somehow untangle Gladys from the doctor and she will skate this situation, while he takes the whole blame.

As an aside, I used to love the British game shows when I was growing up. Including Going For Gold, with the Hans Zimmer-produced theme, the wonderful array of accents and Henry Kelly’s soft Irish lilt. I always felt they used to make more effort with their theme tunes than the American theme tunes. At least to my unsophisticated young ears.

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/hollyoaks/a44781972/hollyoaks-boss-lucy-allan-leaving/ https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/23426024/hollyoaks-crisis-bosses-sacked-toxic-lucy-allan/amp/ Welp, I clearly know nothing 🤷‍♂️ Thing is, there is no obvious option out there to step in. I’ve no reason to think Bryan Kirkwood would jump back in, even for a short stint, Bevan Lee-style at Home and Away in 2004 and 2008. I don’t know anything about the current Hollyoaks setup to identify anyone. I don’t imagine anyone from the Eastenders or Doctors teams would want to leave to join another. I imagine fans of Hollyoaks wouldn’t want anyone from the Coronation Street or especially the Emmerdale teams. The better producers and writers from the last 20 years (Myar-Craig Brown, Alison Davis, Diederick Santer, Kathleen Beedles, Johnathan Young, etc) have all seemingly left the soap world or retired. Anybody in anyone else’s mind?

That’s true. From what I recall, Gareth Philips brief tenure was widely praised, being parachuted in after the abrupt exit of Paul Marquess, following what was described as a ‘production crisis’ (word might be wrong) centred on the restaurant fire that killed off Steph Dean. He remains the most praised producer between the Kirkwood tenures. I think he was only ever meant to be a placeholder, so imagine the disappointment when he left, and Emma Smithwick’s approach undid a lot of what he did. This is all from vague memory, so I welcome any corrections.

A point of clarification. The 2010 overhaul you mentioned was the work of former Brookside and The Bill producer (and whose idea inspired the cult classic, Footballers Wives) Paul Marquess. That’s his M.O: Come in, blow things up, axe a lot of characters and retool a show. In this instance, it initially helped reinvigorate the show after Lucy Allan’s first tenure. But, he too, only lasted a year.

Replace the name of characters, and this statement could more or less be about 2009-2010 after Bryan Kirkwood left and Lucy Allan took over the first time. I don’t watch Hollyoaks, so I say this from a slightly unqualified position, but I’m pretty staggered that Lucy Allan appears to have learned nothing in the decade or so since she abruptly left. She is a more experienced and tenured executive and producer, so unlike last time, I think the Hollyoaks fans will have to grin and bear it for longer this time around.

Well, that was very surreal. The follow up episode has just aired, at least attempting to explain in a little detail how Cindy came to be alive (nothing revolutionary there, in my opinion). While I suspect the show will sit on the Cindy time bomb for a little while longer, the episode has spun and spotlighted a web of lies and secrets that might provide some compelling drama over the summer if done properly. If done sloppily, and the various threads flop, then it’ll be looked at as a failed ratings stunt. Because I suspect that not everyone who visits this thread has seen this episode, I won’t discuss it in detail, as a couple of little bits might provide a pleasant surprise 😉

It would have been a huge shock, spoken about for weeks afterwards, if The Sun newspaper hadn’t spoiled it a while ago 🤣

Have Alexis, Sam and Molly always interchanged Christina’s name with the shorter Chrissy they’ve called her the past couple of episodes? Or has that coincided with the recast?

Just spent an hour going down a Fred Elliott rabbit hole. Such fun, I say, such fun 🤣

Good Lord, that was painful to read.

Boy, the writers undertook a lot of dialogue and structural gymnastics to take the sting out of Cam’s verbal ‘showdown’ with Joss.

Glad to see people enjoying a show. What are you enjoying about it?

I’ve just finished episode 3 as part of a staggered watch (I’ll be done by tonight) and it’s very good. Well written, well directed, very attractive cast (Deborah Ayorinde really does it for me) and shows the opulent side of my home city, rather than the gritty estates and streets our writers prefer to highlight. And they didn’t have to take us to Wartime England or the aristocracy to do it. Even better, my culture is being highlighted and celebrated (as well as examined) to achieve this.

Gotcha. Hope you feel better. Most of my work colleagues, my sister and my wife have various colds and flu.

That’s a very good point, and a perspective I hadn’t considered. Entertaining a bit of hypothesis, if you had your pick of ANY existing (or recently active) writer/producer/showrunner, regardless of where they reside or built up their resume, who would it be? And what attribute(s) do you think they could bring to Y&R?

Besides, aren’t they both retired? I was going to jokingly suggest sourcing someone from outside the U.S, as maybe other sensibilities might rejuvenate the storytelling and production… Then I realised that even as a joke, Mal Young has killed that argument 🤣 Bryan Kirkwood (Hollyoaks producer, 2006-2009, Eastenders EP, 2010-2012, Hollyoaks EP, 2012-2021, Eastenders writer, 2021-present) isn’t as busy. But just no. Even though he’s a self confessed American soap devotee, as evident in the type of soap he produced, I wouldn’t wish him on any American soap. Jason Herbison is back at the helm at the returning Neighbours, and I doubt the slightly cosy sensibilities of that show would translate to Y&R. The exceptional Bevan Lee, formerly of Home and Away (usually brought in as a caretaker to steady the show after a shaky period under a previous producer) and creator of A Place To Call Home, seems like he’s close to retirement. Daniel Bennett (formerly of Home and Away and Neighbours, for numerous stints, mostly lauded) is a very good writer and storyteller, but doesn’t seem to stay in post for too long. I don’t know why and I’d never speculate. He briefly joined the Hollyoaks story team, but was gone almost as quickly. But as shown with Mal Young, a lack of ‘brand knowledge’ to accompany any stylistic and storytelling experiments won’t get you very far. Each of the above have their plus points, but it’s likely those strengths are very much of their shows, and wouldn’t translate to Y&R, a show that badly needs to be Y&R again.

Boy, the show would have been VERY different had he accepted (provided it’s true he was offered). As for the episode, I found the pieces there. But rushed. Also, the way tonight’s episode is being pointed towards suggests there is more of Mick’s exit to come, and not just other people’s.

Substantive point, though. I’m still estranged from Y&R, but from what I hear about the show, they probably needed a clean sweep. But the issue remains, with retirements of some writers and producers linked to the show, and others well and truly attached to other shows, who is experienced out there that could be parachuted in? Or promoted from within?

It was pretty funny. I chuckled. And I’m British with a checkered relationship with humour 🤣

Flamin’ Nora! Just watched Dot’s funeral episode. For someone like me, who grew up with Eastenders (I’m older than the show, but too young to fully recall the first couple of years) it was almost tone perfect, complete with an unannounced cameo that made it complete. I won’t put names for anyone still to watch it. As for Natalie Cassidy, cancel next year’s soap awards and give her everything!

I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but 1997-8 had Bill Bell (though I’ve seen people here speculate that he had started to fall ill, hence stepping back ) and Kay Alden, and a roster of long time writers and directors. Y&R, for its 50th has… Tony Morina and Josh Griffith, with writers and director(s) with any discernible history with the show you can count one hand. I’ve long stopped watching day-to-day (and it hurts), hence hardly posting in Y&R threads, but I miss the characters I largely grew up with, and am praying for something to pull the show out of its funk, not just for me, but for other watchers here that I loved discussing and (lightly) debating with. Based on the observations of those who still watch and post here, I may end up sleepwalking past important events during this period 😭 Sony and CBS seem to have thrown their lot in with Morina and Griffith and are prepared to die on that proverbial hill, so let’s all just hope a spark can be found 🤞

I watched River City for the first couple of years. And I’ll admit, I’m impressed it’s lasted 20 years. It was not well received in the beginning. When the 2 episodes a week were condensed to a single, 1 hour weekly episode, I thought they were moving it out of the way and letting it evaporate over time. I’ll watch the anniversary episode and might see if I can pick the show back up.

They can usually be found within a day of broadcast on YouTube’s most prominent ‘competitor’ if you just type ‘Eastenders’ and the date (I think in the U.K. date format)