Well...it's clear that they do things quite differently across the pond.

Even Y&R, the most visually appealing of them all, can't touch this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCEdx7Sc9Ys...feature=related

I haven't watched that show for months, and I don't miss it. But, just for you, this is all I could find - a changing time slots promo for the U Network (never of heard of it before). It's not much, because ITV went on a "rampage" and had all their You Tube content removed, so any promos that were on there, are no longer.

Thank you, Ben, I knew I could count on you!

Why did you abandon Emmerdale?

Still the actors are better then every single show in the us, even Suzanne Rogers is bad if you compare her to Emmerdale actresses like Jane Cox, Paula Tilbrook, etc.

Seriously, what's the point of posts like this one? Are you purposely trying to start [!@#$%^&*]?

Why did you abandon Emmerdale?

Good question. Thinking about it, I can't actually remember what was going on when I last watched!

I stopped watching because things started to become stale. Characters were changing like the wind - the King brothers all switched personalities with each other (Good-guy Carl became Mr. Nasty; Middle bro Jimmy turned into Mr. Nice, while Evil Mathew took on Jimmy's role - all without any proper reasoning) - storylines were unrealistic (Jonny forgiving cheating Paul 5 minutes after he 'fessed up), dull, or non-existent for some; new characters were bland and boring (Ross Kirk, Lexi Nicholls), while decent characters (Rosemary) were being pushed out the door due to having "run their course".

TPTB had a dispute with Linda Thorson (Rosemary) about the direction of her character - she wasn't happy that she was being written in an out-of-character way - and decided to terminate her contract. Linda has been quite vocal about this. Saying that, I've just remembered the last episode I saw, which was Rosemary's funeral, where Mathew sadistically dug up her body with a JCB and crushed it in front of Grayson! Her exit was abrupt and the character was killed off screen, via suicide (something I believed she would never do). I thought it was all in bad taste and I stopped watching. I read a couple of months back that they've also axed Jonny, one of the few decent gay characters in Emmerdale, who had a lot of storyline potential.

Edited June 30, 200817 yr by Ben

Ben, that sounds like a lot of cr*p!

Who is writing this, by the way? Who is the lead writer?

Ben, that sounds like a lot of cr*p!

Who is writing this, by the way? Who is the lead writer?

What is with the billy-goat avatar?

Good question. Thinking about it, I can't actually remember what was going on when I last watched!

I stopped watching because things started to become stale. Characters were changing like the wind - the King brothers all switched personalities with each other (Good-guy Carl became Mr. Nasty; Middle bro Jimmy turned into Mr. Nice, while Evil Mathew took on Jimmy's role - all without any proper reasoning) - storylines were unrealistic (Jonny forgiving cheating Paul 5 minutes after he 'fessed up), dull, or non-existent for some; new characters were bland and boring (Ross Kirk, Lexi Nicholls), while decent characters (Rosemary) were being pushed out the door due to having "run their course".

TPTB had a dispute with Linda Thorson (Rosemary) about the direction of her character - she wasn't happy that she was being written in an out-of-character way - and decided to terminate her contract. Linda has been quite vocal about this. Saying that, I've just remembered the last episode I saw, which was Rosemary's funeral, where Mathew sadistically dug up her body with a JCB and crushed it in front of Grayson! Her exit was abrupt and the character was killed off screen, via suicide (something I believed she would never do). I thought it was all in bad taste and I stopped watching. I read a couple of months back that they've also axed Jonny, one of the few decent gay characters in Emmerdale, who had a lot of storyline potential.

I think you've made me realise some of what I hate about the show and for the record, I had no idea that they did that tacky grave stuff. I remember the producer putting a spin on Rosemary's exit at the time and how it was "storyline dictated" but it just stank because I don't see more than five minutes a week and I knew very well that the character wouldn't top herself. My parents love the show but they didn't actually understand that Rosemary had even left until the suicide rubbish came through.

At least in the past with ludicrous stories such as Steph going mad there was a through line for the characters. Their actions made some kind of sense other than arbitrary flip flopping. Now I don't know who's good or bad or whatever and that's not because characters are written in complex shades of grey, God knows. They just don't make any sense. Not to mention that nothing ever seems to happen that isn't marred by panto-esque humour.

The only thing I will maintain is that the episode dealing with the death of Laurel's baby is in the top 5 soap episodes I've ever seen. I have never, ever been as moved by an episode as I was for that.

Enjoyed the bushfire promo btw. Susan Bower's being a little too overtly symbolic about clearing the dead wood but it's exciting stuff.

Edited June 30, 200817 yr by JamesF

I think I'm drawn to Emmerdale because it's not a typical British soap in that it's about richer people than the traditional working-class soap and because it has these awful over-the-top storylines. I would just like to see how the Brits represent the wealthy in TV. Why is that such a tabboo? And wasn't there a Wales-based soap about the rich and famous? Which was awful, BTW.

Was this show ever good?

Edited June 30, 200817 yr by Sylph

Oh Emmerdale used to be great back in the 90s when it was about the wealthy Tates. The difference is that it combined camp stories played absolutely straight with genuine humour instead of the strange panto thing they've got going on now.

Kim Tate is one of my favourite soap characters ever. She bashed her wheelchair bound stepson over the head, left him for dead and took off in a helicopter with her baby son (whom she'd previously sold to his real father for £1 million). Not to mention her "coming back from the dead" and scaring her ex-husband Frank into dying of a heart attack. She checked under his nose with a compact to see if he was breathing and then used it to touch up her makeup.

Not sure about the Welsh soap but I'd be interested to find out more. I know Howard's Way did wealth in the 80s and was dreadful. Revelations was about a wealthy family which I enjoyed. Then obviously there was Footballers' Wives. Other than that, Emmerdale is really the only British soap to consistently showcase wealth.

Edited June 30, 200817 yr by JamesF

Oh Emmerdale used to be great back in the 90s when it was about the wealthy Tates. The difference is that it combined camp stories played absolutely straight with genuine humour instead of the strange panto thing they've got going on now.

Oh, how much I love JamesF's posts! The only problem is that I have to squeeze them out of him with my incessant questions!

So now there's no soap that does these campy, over-the-top stories? At least, not well?

Not sure about the Welsh soap but I'd be interested to find out more. I know Howard's Way did wealth in the 80s and was dreadful. Revelations was about a wealthy family which I enjoyed. Then obviously there was Footballers' Wives. Other than that, Emmerdale is really the only British soap to consistently showcase wealth.

Oh, I hate Footballers' Wives, and I'm sure you do to. The delirious flood of narrative, terrible stories, cr*ppy dialogue, inexistent acting, Amber going to see the witch doctor to hex Tanya!! :lol:

And I made a mistake, it's not Welsh, it's Cornish - Echo Beach, which you also hated if I remember correctly.

Edited June 30, 200817 yr by Sylph

Thanks Ben and Danni.

So Tanya buried Max alive!! You know I'll need to see what hapens next! LOL So please, keep them coming! Is there a youtube channel where I can watch new episodes?

I really like stories that last for a very long time......stories where things lead to something else and that you can trace back the root of the story to a year or two ago. That's awesome storytelling.

You should watch this Eastenders revealed episode, which looks back over the last twenty years of EE christmas storylines, with contributions from cast and crew. It also shows you the build up to Max and Stacey's affair.

http://uk.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=...istams+fallouts

Edited July 1, 200817 yr by dannigold

OK, dannigold, you are a mystery to me: do you watch any of the US soap operas?

I watch Y&R, Bold and Days. I just rarely ever post about them.

Edited July 1, 200817 yr by dannigold

Who is writing this, by the way? Who is the lead writer?

Well, the chick who was running the show from 2005-2007, was Kathleen Beedles. Anita Turner took over the role of Exec Producer sometime this year, and really, her stories aren't any better... maybe worse. The Bland & the Boring are still around harvesting up airtime. The ratings over recent months have also reflected this; the show now fluctuates between 5.8 and 7.0. It's not good, but then ITV1 really don't seem to care.

Ooh question: The Nets over here take the audience share over the ratings on most occasions. If the rating figures are low, but the show garners a high audience share, then the programme is classed a hit. Is that the same in the US? Do you have audience shares, as I don't think Toups posts any when he adds the weekly ratings?

The only thing I will maintain is that the episode dealing with the death of Laurel's baby is in the top 5 soap episodes I've ever seen. I have never, ever been as moved by an episode as I was for that.

Enjoyed the bushfire promo btw. Susan Bower's being a little too overtly symbolic about clearing the dead wood but it's exciting stuff.

Because I'm not watching, I missed that episode. Apparently though, people weren't happy with the baby switch revelation afterwards - as it tainted the cot death story - even though it had been planned for a year. Was the baby switch element really needed?

The bushfire eps are awesome. Friday's was really suspenseful, with Karl and Susan, lost, running away from the fire. I'm pretty pleased with her work so far. Did you read the interview she did for NeighboursFans.com? The only element about her, is that she doesn't seem to be interested in learning about Paul's history, while at the same time, stating that continuity is of the utmost importance - major contradiction! I thought it was testament to a writers credibility to actually take the time to learn about the show, and all it's characters.

I think I'm drawn to Emmerdale because it's not a typical British soap in that it's about richer people than the traditional working-class soap and because it has these awful over-the-top storylines. I would just like to see how the Brits represent the wealthy in TV. Why is that such a tabboo?

Was this show ever good?

That's exactly why I loved Emmerale - because of it managed to combine the ultra rich, with the mega poor. Somewhere recently, the lines have become blurred, and the rich no longer have their trademark characteristics, and the poor are just, well, dirty. Lady Tara and the Tate's wouldn't be seen dead fighting over garbage contracts - the term rubbish plot, was taken a little too seriously with that one!

I wouldn't say it's a taboo, more of a combination of culture, and trashiness. Culture wise, this is one of the claring differences between the UK and US - in the latter, you guys love to look up and strive to have the success and power that comes from having money; while over here, the UK has always been about celebrating the working class. The trashiness angle comes from shows like Footballers' Wive$, and the recent drama, Rock Rivals, where the rich are always portrayed as OTT, trashy and psychotic. This type of portrayal has dented anyone else from taking on the challenge of portraying them in a realistic, non-trashy way. That and the fact that American's do it better.

I use to love Emmerdale when I was at school. It was the show that no one dared admit they watched. Like, James said, Kim Tate was awesome. From the cottage fire that claimed her lover, Dave, to her faking her death, and employing Kim clones to trick Frank (how very Days of Our Lives ), and scaring him into a heart attack, to whacking wheel chair-bound step-son Chris over the head with a paper weight and fleeing in a chopper, were all classic moments.

Lady Tara Oakwell was another awesome bitch, who liked to get down and dirty (in every way possible); The Charity/Chris/Zoe triangle and Chris' murder were gripping and shocking (Charity bedding both brother *and* sister); Zoe's lesbianism, and decent into schizophrenia were all well handled and acted, who had one the most memorable exits when she blew up Home Farm. Psycho Graham was also great - He transformed Rachel into his murdered wife, and then pushed her over a cliff, who then seduced her best friend Kathy, nearly killing her by driving over said cliff! Even the whole Bernice/Carlos/Nicola triangle was good (I remember it was very similar to a story from either B&B, Days or Beach at the time - I forget which soap), Louse's stalker who turned out to be her boyfriend Ray; and the infamous plane crash of '93, all had something that the show has now lost.

Ah, the memories.

So now there's no soap that does these campy, over-the-top stories? At least, not well?

Oh, I hate Footballers' Wives, and I'm sure you do to. The delirious flood of narrative, terrible stories, cr*ppy dialogue, inexistent acting, Amber going to see the witch doctor to hex Tanya!! :lol:

And I made a mistake, it's not Welsh, it's Cornish - Echo Beach, which you also hated if I remember correctly.

Footballers' Wive$ was horrible. There was never any follow up to the season cliffhangers, and characters vanished without any explanation. The acting and stories was worse than Passions - applying fake tan to a baby just so it could look "darker", so the baby switch could be revealed! Purleeez!

Echo Beach was a disaster. The show didn't no whether it was a satire, or a serious drama. I think it was supposed to be about the middle class, more than anything else.

I would say Hollyoaks is the closest you'll get to the campy OTT-ness. I don't watch it, but from what I've heard, a certain character is going to fake his death, and switch identities with a dead corpse that they stumble upon. Oh, and I think they're doing the first case of Dissociative Identity Disorder (but don't quote me on that!).

Night And Day was always outlandish, and campy and fun. It's such a shame that ITV never gave it a decent chance.

So Tanya buried Max alive!! You know I'll need to see what hapens next! LOL So please, keep them coming! Is there a youtube channel where I can watch new episodes?

I really like stories that last for a very long time......stories where things lead to something else and that you can trace back the root of the story to a year or two ago. That's awesome storytelling.

There doesn't seem to be anyone uploading regular episodes. Maybe it has something to do with BBC's iPlayer, where recent eps are uploaded. I'll keep an eye out for anymore recent stuff surrounding that story.

I love stories that last for ages and spin out into different directions. The only problem that can arise from this kind of storytelling, is the payoff might not live up to the expectations that the storyline has set.

OK, dannigold, you are a mystery to me: do you watch any of the US soap operas?

I couldn't help but laugh at that. It's like you were asking: 'What the hell are you doing here?' So random. So Sylph.

Edited July 1, 200817 yr by Ben

Kevin Laffan


Kevin Laffan, who has died aged 80, was the man behind the ITV series Emmerdale, Britain's second-longest running soap opera after Coronation Street.

Set in the fictitious village of Beckindale in the Yorkshire Dales, Emmerdale, originally entitled Emmerdale Farm, began as a twice-weekly lunchtime experiment on November 16 1972, for an initial 13-week run. The show was an immediate success and went on to become the first five-nights-a-week television soap. Renamed Emmerdale in 1989, it now boasts a regular audience of 10 million viewers.

Emmerdale's current form bears little resemblance to the original series, which Laffan conceived as a realistic portrayal of life in a farming community, centred round the Sugden family and its matriarch Annie Sugden (played by Sheila Mercier), who struggles to make a go of the family farm after the death of her husband Jacob. Laffan's scripts were bold from the start. The first episode began with Jacob Sugden's funeral, a device which enabled Laffan to introduce all the characters in the drama.

But Laffan became increasingly disenchanted with producers looking for what he called "sex, sin and sensationalism", and he eventually walked out in 1985 after 262 episodes. Subsequently, the pace of life in Emmerdale speeded up, with an aeroplane disaster, kidnappings, robberies, crimes of passion and affairs of the heart.

Not that Laffan was prudish about such matters. His play It's a Two Foot Six Inches Above the Ground World (1969), about an Irish Roman Catholic family and their struggles to cope with the Pope's encyclical about birth control, carried the health warning: "It may not be for those who could find a frank discussion of sexual and religious matters not to their taste." Another play, The Missionary and Other Positions (Etcetera, Camden Town, 1994), was about exactly that.

The third of 14 children, Kevin Barry Laffan was born at Reading, Berkshire, on May 24 1922, into a devout Irish Roman Catholic family. It was not an easy childhood. The family moved to Walsall where Kevin's father, a disabled itinerant photographer, could not earn enough to pay the bills. The family was eventually evicted and sent to the workhouse, a fate the 12-year-old Kevin claimed to have avoided by jumping off the bailiff's lorry as it passed through the gates.

As a result of this experience, Laffan was strongly in favour of birth control and critical of the Church whose strictures on the matter, he felt, had contributed to the family's problems. "I am a product of my father's belief in God rather than his belief in sex," he said. He was taken in by an elderly actress who allowed him to sleep in her kitchen. She told him "if you want to be serious, make them laugh". So he joined the Theatre Royal, Bilston, aged 14, as a call boy and progressed through the ranks to become a stage manager and then an actor and director.

In the early 1950s, Laffan returned to Reading to run his own company at the Everyman Theatre. When the theatre was taken over by the council seven years later, he moved to Bognor, then Ilfracombe, for the summer repertory seasons.

By this time, he was establishing a name as a playwright, first under the name Kevin Barry, then as Kevin Laffan. His Zoo, Zoo, Widdershins Zoo (1968), about young drop-outs living in a Birmingham attic, won the first prize for new plays at the 1968 National Union of Students Drama Festival and was staged at Nottingham Playhouse in a production starring Lynn Redgrave.

It's a Two Foot Six Inches Above the Ground World, which starred Prunella Scales in a production at the Bristol Old Vic, moved to the Wyndham Theatre and was later turned into a film, The Love Ban, starring Nannette Newman and Hywell Bennett.

By now Laffan had acquired a reputation as a writer for television, scripting the Castle Haven series for Yorkshire Television (1969); Bud (1963), a series about Bud Flanagan; and Beryl's Lot (1973-77), a comedy drama about a cook determined to improve her lot in life. He also co-wrote, with Peter Jones, the sit-com I Thought You'd Gone (1984), about parents who move to a smaller house in the country in the mistaken belief that their children have left home.

Laffan's television plays included Decision to Burn (1971) and The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1968), which was later remade into a feature film starring Reg Varney as an ageing holiday camp drag artist. He also contributed scripts to the espionage series Man in a Suitcase (1967); Kate (1970); the courtroom drama Justice (1973) and The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries (1992).

His later plays for stage included Never So Good (1976), an unlikely tale about black squatters in London being visited unexpectedly by a terrorist with a bomb; and Adam Redundant (1989), a play set in the Garden of Eden in which Satan is cast as the hero.

Laffan published his first novel in 2001. He called it Pendle's Disposal, but could not find a publisher; so he changed the title to Virgins are in Short Supply and had two offers in a week.

Laffan, who died on March 11, was married to Jean Thompson; they had three sons.

Edited July 1, 200817 yr by Sylph