I think she'll be alright. She's a tough old bird, is June! I had the pleasure of interviewing her for the Gazette in her dressing room at Elstree in 2001. I think I cried for the first time in several years when the photo I had taken of myself with her in the BBC canteen came out overexposed. In the photo she was wearing Dot's rain slicker and clutching the umbrella with the duck handle. I remember her saying to me "I'm in a soap, dear, I'll never get any sort of Queen's Honour." I was so glad she was wrong.

Matt Di Angelo sure was bad in tonight's episode but damn, he looked good.

Edited May 18, 201510 yr by TimWil

I'm sorry about the photo. Cool story though.

Oh goodie...another “comedy” entrance and another scene where a female character wants the gay character before he reveals that he’s gay. Always new and original.

I laughed when I saw that they refer to him at one point as “Jonny.” I guess the Ben/Johnny knockoff writing lulled them into a typo.

http://www.soapsquawk.co.uk/news/first-look-at-paul-coker-in-walford.php

Edited May 23, 201510 yr by DRW50

Well, the Julia's Theme at Friday's conclusion confirmed for me that was the last time we'll have seen Kat and Alfie together on EE. I think Alfie will end up dying in the final episode of their primetime "soap bubble" miniseries and Kat will return to Walford a well heeled widow with enough £££s to start her own business, most likely buying the Vic, perhaps for her long lost son to run. I think they would have plowed through quite a lot of their winnings by next spring so she might not quite be a millionairess but close enough.

Edited May 24, 201510 yr by TimWil

Well, the Julia's Thene at Friday's conclusion confirmed for me that was the last time we'll have seen Kat and Alfie together on EE. I think Alfie will end up dying in the final episode of their primetime "soap bubble" miniseries and Kat will return to Walford a well heeled widow with enough £££s to start her own business. I think they would have plowed through quite a lot of their winnings by next spring so she might not quite be a millionairess but close enough.

We can only hope. Alfie has been drowning her for years.

Oh goodie...another “comedy” entrance and another scene where a female character wants the gay character before he reveals that he’s gay. Always new and original.

I laughed when I saw that they refer to him at one point as “Jonny.” I guess the Ben/Johnny knockoff writing lulled them into a typo.

http://www.soapsquawk.co.uk/news/first-look-at-paul-coker-in-walford.php

Paul Coker is basically a Johnny recast with some minor character changes - basically he's playing out Johnny's storylines. I can't believe it has been a year since this story started, and Ben still hasn't developed at all. The pacing and plotting on this show is awful. My investment in Ben's character has long gone. DTC knows how to kill the momentum.

I think it would have been better if they had introduced Paul in a much better way. Maybe settled him in with Pam/Les first, before hinting at future story with Ben. I also think they should have made him bi, and made Lola a love interest, too - it would have given her something to do, instead of her twisting in the wind like the invisible woman for over a year.

I agree with all you wrote, Ben. Ugh.

I haven't watched much lately but I decided to watch today to see Bonnie Langford. I thought she did decently enough - a little OTT, but somewhat restrained by her standards. She blended in well with the cast, and I didn't just see a bad actress badly reading lines, as I did with Denise Van Outen.

I like the idea of Vincent, and I think it's somewhat gutsy for the show to take this turn with a black guy in a lead role, but I'm going to need Richard Blackwood to stop slowly overemphasizing every word if he wants me to not cringe. It takes me out of all of his scenes. I do think he and Kim work well together.

Sonia and Tina continue to embarrass me. They're infantile. I don't need to hear them talking about boobs or wearing each other's panties. It's cringeworthy and suggests the show sees lesbianism as a fetish.

Speaking of infantile, the show's idea that Martin's love for Stacey and his plans to marry her would only work if he didn't seem like a slightly creepy idiot. It's all too prefab, and I don't get the obsession some fans have with Stacey being a Fowler. Yes, the Fowlers were the show's founding family, but they're mostly gone now, so why is it such a big deal? "Oh, the Slaters and the Fowlers together!" What does that mean? It's still going to just be Big Mo tripping over her lines like old houseshoes.

I'm not sure why they're only making Liam more interesting just before they write him out. DTC really does some issue with writing for teenage characters.

I like Donna a lot more now.

Ronnie/Roxy/Charlie - pointless trash. They should just cut their losses and write Roxy and Charlie out. Have them run off together. I don't care.

The Masood stuff was the best part of the episode - Shabnam feels like a real person amidst so many caricatures. The Masoods do in general. I just wish I wasn't so put off by the baby story, especially once it becomes all about Shirley.

Edited May 27, 201510 yr by DRW50

I'm going to sound horrible but Anita hasn't age well. Maybe it's the hair color though. It's good to see her though. I always felt that the show should've never killed off Angie or Den. Or a lot of their originals to be honest....

Well, this explains why Max has been so phased out. Jake Wood is leaving for a year.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/eastenders-star-jake-wood-leaving-5775228

I kind of hope he doesn't return. I actually think he could have a good career in drama or even in the US. Or in porn. Hey...his choice though (I'd go for the porn though)

Well, this explains why Max has been so phased out. Jake Wood is leaving for a year.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/eastenders-star-jake-wood-leaving-5775228

I kind of hope he doesn't return. I actually think he could have a good career in drama or even in the US. Or in porn. Hey...his choice though (I'd go for the porn though)

I forgot that you have a soft spot for Jake Wood.

But I don't know why he doesn't try his hand here in the US. I think he'd excel.

If he does plan on returning to EE, he needed to take this year off. The Brannings were becoming draining about two years ago and a break is much needed at this point.

I'm thinking that Max will be the one who's falsely arrested for Lucy's murder. His sweet ass will make some lucky inmates very, very happy.

I always thought he should have been Lucy's murderer and that he also smothered Emma with a pillow in her hospital room to keep her quiet.

Then again he could go on the run and Kat and Alfie run into him in Ireland.

I wonder if he'll really be back after a year...

DTC will probably be gone by then, and I don't think he ever really had much interest in Max this time around and who knows if the next producer will.

Edited May 28, 201510 yr by BetterForgotten