16 minutes ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 

I agree. I am trying to prep for Ashley's demise as it is nearing, but I don't think I can. It's gonna be such a huge gap when he's gone. 

 

I know. The show has so few moral touchstone characters. I wish they'd build up Harriet's role as she's just about it on that front. 

13 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

I know. The show has so few moral touchstone characters. I wish they'd build up Harriet's role as she's just about it on that front. 

 

I feel like this regime doesn't even give a damn about Harriet which is sad. I find her to be one of the many great things Kate Oates got right during her stint at ED.

Just now, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 

I feel like this regime doesn't even give a damn about Harriet which is sad. I find her to be one of the many great things Kate Oates got right during her stint at ED.

 

I think Shirley Stelfox passing away and the Laurel/Ashley reunion have boxed her out. Oates hinted at pairing her with Bob, but I don't know if that would have worked. I do wish they'd give her more to do as I'm not sure why the actress even stays on the show. 

 

I think Kate Oates had a lot of good ideas for a while but for me her last year had a lot of mistakes. 

While Kate might've made mistakes her last year, I still found ED enjoyable. I still do, but I hate how so many characters aren't being thrown bones at all. 

 

I could've gotten behind a Bob/Harriet pairing. 

1 hour ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

While Kate might've made mistakes her last year, I still found ED enjoyable. I still do, but I hate how so many characters aren't being thrown bones at all. 

 

I could've gotten behind a Bob/Harriet pairing. 

 

Depending on the writing I could have but the buildup was so odd - they had feelings for each other almost overnight. 

 

I think they try to give a lot of characters something to do, but outside of the main characters, it often feels like just filler stories to mark time. Even stories that I think could be or could have been interesting, like Megan/Frank or Finn/Kasim, are obviously just marking time. And I'm not really sure why some like Carly are so rarely shown. 

47 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

Depending on the writing I could have but the buildup was so odd - they had feelings for each other almost overnight. 

 

I think they try to give a lot of characters something to do, but outside of the main characters, it often feels like just filler stories to mark time. Even stories that I think could be or could have been interesting, like Megan/Frank or Finn/Kasim, are obviously just marking time. And I'm not really sure why some like Carly are so rarely shown. 

 

Carly being shown rarely is criminal. I've enjoyed the recast Carly from the start, and loved her friendship with Tracey/Finn. That I miss. I hate those 3 don't rarely have scenes anymore. 

 

Most of the stuff does seem filler, which is sad b/c I feel like ED has the strongest cast of the UK soaps. I feel like the writers and producers should be inspired to write nothing but greatness for this cast. 

 

I think the two people I hate getting filler stories are Victoria & Adam. Though I hate pregnancy stories on soaps, I do hope that the 2 end up having a baby this year. It is time that the Sugdens be restored as they are running scarce. 

 

Seeing as they are in the UK, I wouldn't mind Aaron/Robert having a designer baby as it has been in the press in recent months about this topic. I feel like it is something (if done right) could shake up the village. Especially, with many of the people being uber-religious. It'd be interesting to see their opinions on something that isn't traditional. 

 

Interview with Ian Sharrock about 2:30 in.

 

 

Not only was the Ashley centric episode terrific, but it was a nice surprise to see Bryan Parry again who played Louis McQueen on the last Hollyoaks Later.

4 minutes ago, Bright Eyes said:

Not only was the Ashley centric episode terrific, but it was a nice surprise to see Bryan Parry again who played Louis McQueen on the last Hollyoaks Later.

 

He did a great job - he got a lot of Danny Miller's mannerisms. The woman who played Laurel also did a wonderful job, with some tough, tough material. 

 

When I heard about this episode I wasn't sure, because I thought it might be pretentious or self-conscious, but it was much better than I thought it would be. The care they took to show his point of view and to show his struggles, and also to show the worry and kindness of those around him. And their use of Ashley's history - with his mother, his relationship with Laurel. 

 

It's everything American soaps used to be, and what UK soaps rarely are now but still can be when they try. 

 

The village and Woolpack scenes were filmed in Esholt, where Emmerdale filmed from 1975-1997 or so.

 

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/news/a817405/emmerdale-ashley-thomas-episode-old-village-esholt/

Seeing this happen to Ashley is quite painful. I wish the show were not eliminating a character who represents a solid moral centerpiece. I would rather say goodbye to a Dingle or two.

 

 

14 hours ago, DRW50 said:

The village and Woolpack scenes were filmed in Esholt, where Emmerdale filmed from 1975-1997 or so.

 

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/emmerdale/news/a817405/emmerdale-ashley-thomas-episode-old-village-esholt/

 

The golden age of Emmerdale Farm.... 

53 minutes ago, I Am A Swede said:

 

The golden age of Emmerdale Farm.... 

 

I keep hoping more will pop up. I will try to upload some of the 1983 I got...

 

Did you watch yesterday's episode?