Simon Ashdown and Shane Ritchie discuss the baby switch.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/eastenders/2010/12/tragic-new-year.shtml

Here's the video for those outside the UK:

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The video is working for me on the BBC website.

Really? It's telling me "not available in your area."

Today's episode:

Damn, those scenes with Ronnie were really disturbing and freakishly realistic. The directing was really good too. You could really see how this pushed her ass to the breaking point. She looked absolutely mad when she saw Tommy crying as she was holding a dead James, and said, "That's my boy." The ringing of the New Year's bell before the duff duff made Ronnie look even more sadistic. Samantha Womack was really good delivering those scenes.

Kat and Alfie were really good too, you could see their fear over Kat's predicament and how much Kat and Tommy mean to Alfie.

Lots of nice community interaction in today's episode as well. And Jane and Tanya drunk off their asses.

Whitney and Tiffany. :rolleyes:

It was nice seeing so much of Charlie and Big Mo again. I'm going to miss Charlie, and I can see Kat possibly blaming him for what happened, as Tommy was left in his care. But seeing Kat, Big Mo, and Charlie made me remember this show's last real golden period of the early 00's. I'm glad Big Mo is staying, Laila Morse and Jessie Wallace always had great family chemistry.

Tomorrow's episode should be really good getting to see how Kat takes the news with everyone telling her that her baby is "dead." It should give Jessie Wallace a lot of good material to play with, she can really break your heart when they write emotional material for her.

Yes, remember, EastEnders will be airing tomorrow (Saturday).

Edited December 31, 201015 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

Can't read your thoughts yet, but thanks for the heads up about tomorrow.

Edited December 31, 201015 yr by Amello

I wasn't a big fan of Dennis. He was hot, but that's not what should matter I guess. I found Nigel Harma's acting to be quite poor. Did you lot like the Sharon/Dennis partnership even during the rough patch that was 2004-2006?

OMG Imagine this

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a201280/eastenders-moments-janine-barry-and-the-cliff.html?rss

That would have really been a game changer for 2004.

Brian Kirkwood's Eastenders 2010

Rate The Characters

Ian Beale - 7/10

Dot Branning - 7/10

Pat Evans - 8.5/10

Ricky Butcher - 6/10

Janine Butcher - 8.5/10

Phil Mitchell - 8/10

Sam Mitchell - 6.5/10

Peggy Mitchell - 9/10

Carol Jackson - 7/10

Alan Jackson - 4/10 (Guest)

Bianca Butcher - 6.5/10

Lucy Beale - 7.5/10

Peter Beale - 6.5/10

Robbie Jackson - 4/10 (Guest)

Sonia Fowler - 7/10 (Guest)

Billie Jackson - 6/10

Blossom Jackson - 8/10 (Guest)

Sal Martin - 7/10 (Recurring)

Ben Mitchell - 7.5/10

Jim Branning - 5/10

Billy Mitchell - 8/10

Lisa Fowler - 7.5/10

Liam Butcher - 5/10

Charlie Slater - 6.5/10

Mo Harris - 7.5/10

Kat Moon - 9/10

Patrick Trueman - 8/10

Minty Peterson - 4/10

Alfie Moon - 7.5/10

Bobby Beale - 3/10

Jane Beale - 6.5/10

Darren Miller - 8/10

Stacey Slater - 9/10

Jean Slater - 7.5/10

Bradley Branning - 8/10

Chelsea Fox - 7/10

Denise Fox - 7.5/10

Libby Fox - 5.5/10

Max Branning - 10/10

Tanya Branning - 6/10

Abi Branning - 7.5/10

Lauren Branning - 8/10

Liz Turner - 4/10

Shirley Carter - 9/10

Jay Brown - 8/10

Heather Trott - 5.5/10

Zainab Masood - 7/10

Roxy Mitchell - 6.5/10

Ronnie Mitchell - 8/10

Tamwar Masood - 8/10

Masood Ahmed - 7.5/10

Jack Branning - 5/10

Christian Clarke - 6/10

Whitney Dean - 8/10

Morgan Jackson King - 3/10

Tiffany Dean - 7/10

Lucas Johnson - 6.5/10

Jordan Johnson - 5.5/10

Amy Mitchell - 2/10

Dotty Cotton - 4/10

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Manda Best - 3/10

Syed Masood - 7/10

Ryan Malloy - 8/10

Amira Shah - 6/10

Adam Best - 4/10

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Becca Swanson - 6/10

Kim Fox - 6.5/10

Zsa Zsa Carter - 10/10

Leon Small - 5/10

Fatboy - 7/10

Glenda Mitchell - 8/10

Connor Stanley - 6/10

Danny Mitchell - 5/10

Mercy Olubunmi - 6.5/10

Harvey Freeman - 5/10

Vanessa Gold - 7/10

Jodie Gold - 7/10

Grace Olubunmi - 7/10

Harry Gold - 6/10

Michael Moon - 5/10

Greg - 5.5/10

Julie Perkins - 4/10

Ellie at Walford Web said Simon Ashdown told her off the record that he had written and they had filmed parts of a two-hander between Bianca and Carol, but that had to be stopped and things had to be re-written when Patsy Palmer had to be rushed to the hospital to give birth.

I wonder if they'll save the two-hander for later, or if because of the timing and rewrites, it's lost forever.

I wish I hadn't learned that That would have been fantastic. Bianca and Carol have so many issues which are rarely touched. And what perfect characters for a two-hander. I hope that can be picked up again eventually.

That is a shame. I love Patsy Palmer. One of my favourite ever EE scenes is when Carol finds out about Bianca's affair with Dan!

Tonight's episode:

I can understand why the subject matter of this storyline can be hard to watch, especially for new parents, but from a character standpoint, it's been handled very well so far.

Ronnie is a very broken and disturbed woman. I'm glad they had the scene where she snapped out of her trance and was about to return Tommy, but then snapped back into it as she saw Jack. This story is clearly going to explore Ronnie's psychological issues, which have existed for years, but were never fully explored.

Really nice that they had that scene with Roxy coming in and seeing Ronnie in her fragile state and suspecting something was wrong with the baby, even if she didn't know Ronnie had swapped the babies.

Kat's scream at the end and Ronnie heard and her eyes got big.

Poor Charlie is really going to get it from Kat for leaving Tommy alone. I can see why he would do it as he thought Tommy would be asleep, but that's not going to matter much.

Whitney I hate this girl, she needs to be killed.

The community spirit was so alive and thriving in this episode. I loved how everyone was celebrating the New Year in the Vic, with all the dancing, singing, and conga lines. I felt a lot like 80's EastEnders.

Edited January 2, 201115 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

How odd if this story goes through -- I'm not sure I'd ask Glenda to be a surrogate mother.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/01/02/eastenders-bosses-plan-gay-surrogacy-storyline-115875-22821789/

This isn't the first "gay dad" story, but I can't blame anyone for wanting to forget that Sean and Violet mess on Corrie a few years ago.

I just hope they don't have it where her child is actually Phil's or Ian's, although the thought of Christian raising Phil's child is very amusing.

I have no interest in anything involving Christian and Syed. These characters who have such a poorly constructed and ill-developed relationship will be parents? Based on what? Neither character is emotionally mature enough for that.

I really don't like them.

I hope this is The Mirror making stuff up again.

If they want Syed and Christian to be gay parents then Syed's already got a child with Amira that they could bring into the show to achieve that goal in a more realistic fashion - at this point it just feels rushed to have them go down the whole surrogacy route. And I'd much rather Roxy carry the child too (though they'd have to spend sometime building a Roxy and Syed relationship - be it friendship or at least a strong respect for each other).

Jane and Ronnie's reaction would be quite interesting too. Jane seems to have calmed down after adopting Bobby but after having lost three babies (four if you include Tommy) I'd imagine Ronnie would be quite rankled to realise that even a gay couple are having a baby when it seems she can't - plus they're having said baby with her mother!

Speaking of Jane though, I wonder if the real reason they've quietly wrapped up Jane's issues with babies and Lucy's abortion is because of the baby switch? Perhaps the writers felt it was too much to have two characters in separate storylines agonize over their lack of children.