EastEnders: Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

That's neat. Peggy's expression is my favorite. What are they so shocked by?

[dannigold]

I think they are shocked by the square turning into a circle.

[DRW50]

Welcome back Carol!! One of the all time best.

[Sylph]

[BadBoy93]

Only 1.5 hours to go.Can`t wait to find out who the killer is.

My bet is on Ian.

[EricMontreal22]

This was in the NYTimes, but seems to be a syndicated piece.

UK Soap 'EastEnders' Celebrates 25 Years of Misery Sign in to Recommend

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: February 19, 2010

Filed at 6:42 p.m. ET

LONDON (AP) -- Someone killed Archie Mitchell, bludgeoning the pub landlord with the bust of Queen Victoria that stood proudly atop his bar.

Millions of Britons wanted to know who did it; thousands placed bets. Mitchell was a character in the soap opera ''EastEnders,'' which marked its 25th birthday Friday with a live episode, when up to 15 million viewers tuned in to learn Stacey Slater had murdered him in revenge for raping her.

The BBC said even the actor playing the killer did not know whodunit until half an hour before the live transmission. The cast rehearsed 10 possible endings as it prepared for a complex broadcast involving 51 actors, 36 camera operators and 13 makeup artists.

British soaps have a special place in the nation's heart, attracting huge ratings and generating political debate, despite being gritty, unglamorous and routinely derided by cultural commentators.

''American soaps are about watching beautiful people suffer,'' said Tim Teeman, arts editor of The Times of London newspaper and a big soap fan. ''We like to watch ugly people suffer.''

''EastEnders'' was launched by the BBC in 1985 as a cockney rival to the northern English soap ''Coronation Street,'' which is marking its 50th birthday this year. ''EastEnders'' is set in Albert Square, a TV version of a typical working-class London district. There's a Tube station, Victorian houses, a street market, a cafe, a laundromat and a pub, the Queen Victoria, that serves as the center of community life.

The Queen Vic is where the show's first great villain, ''Dirty'' Den Watts, served his wife Angie with divorce papers at Christmas 1986 after she had lied about having terminal cancer -- an event watched by 30 million people, more than half the British population.

More recently, it is where Archie met his demise -- the 76th ''EastEnders'' character to die.

Past residents of Albert Square have been shot, stabbed, strangled, impaled, burnt to death and run over. A study in the British Medical Journal once concluded that a soap character was a more dangerous role than bomb disposal expert, steeplejack or Formula One race car driver.

Unlike their American counterparts, British soaps are broadcast in the evening, and have a strikingly earthy tone. ''EastEnders'' is a distinctive mix of violence, implausible plots -- long-lost children pop up regularly, and more than one character has come back from the dead -- and finely observed everyday detail.

Jamie Medhurst, a lecturer in film and television at Aberystwyth University, said British soaps emerged from a tradition of social realism, and still have one foot rooted in that world.

''They have to keep within the bounds of realism,'' he said. ''The audiences have to be able to see something of their own lives.''

The stars, too, are expected to remain down-to-earth. Gillian Taylforth, who starred on ''EastEnders'' for 15 years, said her family had been less than thrilled to learn she had got a part in a soap.

''I said: 'I've got this fantastic new job,''' she told the BBC on Friday. ''And my mum and dad went: 'Oh,' and their faces dropped ... They said: 'We thought you were going to tell us you'd got engaged.'''

British soaps have fans in high places -- Prince Charles' wife, Camilla, recently expressed a desire for a walk-on part in ''Coronation Street.'' But some politicians remain unconvinced of their worth.

Two Conservative lawmakers squared off this week on whether ''EastEnders'' is good for society. The party's culture spokesman, Jeremy Hunt, wished the show happy 25th birthday and praised it for raising difficult social issues. But children's spokesman Tim Loughton said it perpetuated damaging stereotypes.

''Social workers are always caricatured as sandal-wearing interferers; the police as pretty dim and flat-footed and teachers as snotty busybodies,'' he wrote on a Conservative blog.

Supporters argue that ''EastEnders'' takes on serious social issues, from teen pregnancy to drug abuse, racism and homophobia, and has reflected -- and at times pushed -- changes in British society.

The show recently saw its first Muslim wedding, when Syed Masood married his fiancee Amira in a lavish ceremony -- to the dismay of his secret boyfriend, Christian.

Some had predicted there would be a negative reaction to a gay Muslim character, but the story line has been welcomed by viewers, with many fans rooting for Syed and Christian's romance to succeed.

''In the beginning soaps were leading public opinion, and that's why they were so shocking,'' Teeman said. ''Now public opinion is ahead of them, so you keep having to up the ante. You can no longer just have a gay couple. You have a gay couple who are separated by religion, basically. And the audience is on their side, 100 percent.''

------

On the Net: http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/twentyfive/

[DRW50]

Thanks for the articles. The NYT one is better than I expected, perhaps because they don't know that much about the show. I'm glad the usual cliches (it's so gritty, it's so depressing!) were kept to something of a minimum.

Thank you for the live article too Sylph.

I hate what they did to Archie. They have, in the space of a few months, made him into a rapist, and now someone who raped his own daughter. I don't believe that this was something which was initially built into his character, and they have not really explored any of the consequences of rape. It's just a plot device. When Kathy Beale was raped it was a huge and long-term impact on her life.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Well, so much for Bradley not being killed off for his exit. LOL!

[DRW50]

I wonder if they will write Stacey out. All they do with her is pile on the misery, but now, she has caused Bradley's death, in that she knew all along she had killed Archie yet she let him become a prime suspect, she was out clubbing and laughing while he was having a breakdown, she let him panic for months, leading to his death.

I just don't know where this character can go after this. You can't get much more miserable or devastated than this, and they've ripped a lot of the soul out of the character. If she could do that to Bradley than she would do it to anyone.

Edited February 20, 2010 by CarlD2

[Sylph]

[Sylph]

I found Bradley

an awful story choice. Completely random, silly... Just terrible.

Edited February 20, 2010 by Sylph

[DRW50]

Judging by the way he put his fingers in his mouth, Jake Wood agrees with you.

I did think it was silly. Thankfully we had some advance warning. I'm glad the tabloids are there for that. If I didn't know we'd have these stupid moments like Tanya burying Max alive or Nick blowing up the cafe I'd think someone just lost a bet right before taping.

Edited February 20, 2010 by CarlD2

[dannigold]

From digital spy

EastEnders' live anniversary edition averaged just under 15m last night and peaked at 16.6m in the final five minutes.

The half-hour live broadcast, which saw Bradley plummet to his death from the roof of The Vic before Stacey was unveiled as Archie's killer, pulled in an average of 14.91m (54.6%). The number peaked at 16.58m (59.4%) between 8.25pm and 8.30pm. BBC Three's repeat showing from 10.30pm added a further 1.42m (7.7%).

The George Lamb-fronted BBC Three reaction show EastEnders Live: The Aftermath drew 4.3m (15.9%) in the hour from 8.30pm and was by far the most-watched multichannel programme of the day. The figures were also BBC Three's best ever ratings and the highest ever ratings for a multichannel programme. A further 1.21m (9.4%) caught the repeat from 11pm.

Coronation Street's double bill, during which Gail told Tina the truth about Joe and the police arrived on the Street to question Gail, drew 9.94m (41%) and 8.63m (31.3%) at 7.30pm and 8.30pm.

ITV2's repeats in the hour from 11.40pm added 142k (1.4%) and 212k (4.8%) respectively.

Emmerdale's offering took 7.48m (34%).

[DRW50]

That's huge! Shows what happens when a network actively promotes and encourages a soap. And it halts some of the decline of soaps in the UK.

Santer is going to get all kinds of offers now that he's left Eastenders. I don't envy Bryan Kirkwood.

[Kylie]

So all this time, Stacey knew not only that she killed Archie, but that her baby wasn't his? (Who is the father, btw?) I mean, [!@#$%^&*]. What kind of woman lies LIKE that to the man she loves? She never even broke a sweat about the whole thing, and poor Bradley was coming unspooled the whole time. I want to slap the bitch. Ugh. And now she literally has Bradley's blood on her hands too. I wouldn't be surprised if they just let Bradley take the fall (haha literally) as Archie's murderer and Stacey and the baby get to live happily ever after. As sick as it all was, I still think that's what Bradley would want.

Was not at all surprised to learn that Archie had sexually abused Ronnie. That was bubbling under the surface with her the whole time.

Roxy was being a cow. It's about time she realizes who her dad was stops trying to paint him as some "misguided" bad guy.

The acting was pretty good for it being a live show.