He uses Sharon more than I thought he would (although often as uber-camp and mostly to remind us that she can't lead the Mitchells/is just there to prop Phil), but I'm wary of where a story will go. I wish some of the writers who wrote for her in her better years were still around. Did Sarah Phelps write anything good for her?

Phelps wrote a great deal of the Shannis stuff and Den's return and death stuff. Though, I think Phelps may have been more interested in Dennis, Den, and Chrissie than Sharon...

Sorry, Phelps will probably never take over producing chores on EE or anything else. She's not interested in producing anything, she's only interested in writing. She's got a big writing project she's working on with the BBC that could keep her busy for the next few years anyway.

What I would find interesting is if Tony Jordan could end up as EP with Sarah Phelps also involved. I wonder if he'd do it if the BBC allowed his Red Planet Pictures production company to take control. That seems to be highly doubtful, though. Production companies do co-produce projects with the BBC but EE is a completely different story.

Edited January 27, 201510 yr by TimWil

Why is it Ashdown left?

Ashdown was a big part of the show's issues, IMO. He needed to go. He wrote some great episodes in the 90's and early 00's (I believe he wrote the Dot/Ethel assisted suicide episode), but he should have never been a story consultant, and ever since the Santer era, all of the big episodes they gave him to write were horribly formulaic.

Maybe the BBC should ask Tony McHale to come back and be EP when DTC is ready to go? It would probably be easier than getting Phelps or Jordan back.

Edited January 27, 201510 yr by BetterForgotten

The BBC is doing an online retrospective series called "Back To Ours" in preparation for the 30th anniversary.

They've released some short promo clips, the first episode in the series seems to be with Shane and Jessie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpH4MXm91gg

Oh God, I watched a bunch of EE clip specials when I was over there a few years ago and Ashdown was downright embarrassing as a talking head. He spoke about the show like the worst possible fanboy. His episodes were good at the beginning of his tenure but they became unwatchable by the end of it.

Isn't Tony McHale quite old now? I liked his work a lot.

Edited January 27, 201510 yr by TimWil

I believe he still writes for Casualty, and of course he co-created Holby City and served as EP there from 2007-2010.

Those talking heads were full of twats. I still cringe at DTC talking about "Chryed" being like Romeo and Romeo (sadly without the suicide).

I will have to watch those new interviews. It's a neat idea. Even after how many times they've played the "muvva" clip, and diluted it with lame retreads, it still has an impact.

Maybe we should name our favorite Eastenders characters.

Mine were, in no particular order:

Sue Osman

Colin (I can never remember his last name - Russell?)

Mary Smith

Carol Jackson

Angie Watts

Michelle Fowler

Carmel Jackson

Mark Fowler

Pat Butcher

Simon Raymond

Dot Cotton

Sharon Watts

Edited January 27, 201510 yr by DRW50

There's so many stories EastEnders has tried to redo over the years - Michelle Fowler's, Sharongate, Kat/Zoe to name a few.

That "muvva" scene is by far the most iconic moment in British soap of the 00's, and obviously EastEnder's definitive moment in the 00's as well.

My favorite EE characters in no particular order are/was:

Mark Fowler

Denise Fox

Chelsea Fox

Deano Wicks

Sharon Watts

Martin Fowler

Grant Mitchell [the ONLY Mitchell I liked]

Pat Butcher

Zainab Masood

Dot Cotton

Syed Masood [minus Christian]

Lucy Beale

Having watched all of 1985 and 1986 and started reguarly with Kirkwood's tenure in 2010, my favouirtes in no particular order are:

Pauline Fowler

Carol Jackson

Janine Butcher

David Wicks

Angie Watts

Den Watts

Ehtel Skinner

Anyone else is really second tier or lower to me.

Edited January 28, 201510 yr by Bright Eyes

My favorites were:

Angie Watts

Den Watts (only during the Den & Angie years)

Michelle Fowler

Dot Cotton

Sue Osman

David Wicks

Rachel Kominski

Joe Wicks (never been a more handsome male actor on that show IMO)

Tonight's episode made me want to throw something at the screen. Carol accused Max of getting it on with Emma's mother in the car lot office on the day of Emma's funeral. This was a beyond ludicrous contrivance to make Max get pissed off enough to change his mind yet again about The Arches and to be determined to keep it for himself. Awful, sloppy writing.

Edited January 28, 201510 yr by TimWil

Ah, Rachel. She'd never be let on Eastenders today.

True, Carl, she was Jewish and "middle class." Heaven forbid they'd let anyone like her on that show nowadays, especially under DTC. The actress who played her, Jacquetta May, still works from time to time.

Edited January 28, 201510 yr by TimWil