I'll give Doctors some credit in that it's regarded to some extent as an experimental training ground for new talent. But God it's so cliched and stilted.

I remember one episode about a woman with a sexually abusive father who was sleeping with men and telling them she'd given them AIDS as some kind of anti-men revenge kick. Then at the end of the episode it turned out that one of the men she'd slept with didn't realise he was actually HIV+ and she was infected. Haha, trick's on you! Really borderline offensive.

The situation as I'm aware of it is that Network Ten just bought the show. They don't have anything to do with the production or ownership. So despite not putting any money into it, they'd be able to use it to fill quota points for local programming because it was filmed on Australian soil with an Australian cast and crew. Apparently now the BBC's relegated it and obviously won't order any more episodes, Ten most likely won't even bother to show it. I could be wrong but that's my understanding.

You know, this reminds me of HeadLand. As soon as Seven axed it, Ch4 pushed back it's premiere date for nearly a year later. And you never know, OOTB could build an audience on BBC2 and be recommissioned... and pigs might fly!

Re. the Doctors – is Dr Greg Robinson still around and was that character gay? I can't remember.

Yeah, Greg was gay. He even got a boyfriend, and got married, and left for a new life in Switzerland.

That's the one! And yes, the soap was awful... I only watched 2 or 3 episodes and just couldn't continue watching it any longer...

I'll give Doctors some credit in that it's regarded to some extent as an experimental training ground for new talent. But God it's so cliched and stilted.

I remember one episode about a woman with a sexually abusive father who was sleeping with men and telling them she'd given them AIDS as some kind of anti-men revenge kick. Then at the end of the episode it turned out that one of the men she'd slept with didn't realise he was actually HIV+ and she was infected. Haha, trick's on you! Really borderline offensive.

I no longer watch, as it all got too boring and dull. But to give the show kudos where it's due, things were great during 2006/early 2007. Most of the guest episodes are nothing to write home about, but during this time, the main cast had some great storylines. Greg and Rico had the first same-sex marriage, and were treated like a regular straight couple. Faith was going blind; Julia fell for a serial killer, who just happened to be the chief of police. He was involved in human trafficking, and killed call girl, Katya. He ended up trying to discredit Ronny, and kill Julia, after she discovered the truth. He met a violent end.

So, even though paint drying can sometimes be more fun, it has proved that it can be good... when it wants to be. I'll post some clips to show you.

Edited May 16, 200817 yr by Ben

Oh my God! I just found out Coral Drouyn is British! I didn't know that!! She's writing a series called Stormworld, about two boys who end up in a parallel universe.

Just how does one exactly pronounce her (fake) surname?

Edited May 18, 200817 yr by Sylph

I no longer watch, as it all got too boring and dull. But to give the show kudos where it's due, things were great during 2006/early 2007. Most of the guest episodes are nothing to write home about, but during this time, the main cast had some great storylines. Greg and Rico had the first same-sex marriage, and were treated like a regular straight couple. Faith was going blind; Julia fell for a serial killer, who just happened to be the chief of police. He was involved in human trafficking, and killed call girl, Katya. He ended up trying to discredit Ronny, and kill Julia, after she discovered the truth. He met a violent end.

Why does that kind of stuff never appear when I'm forced to watch? I do remember reading about one of those storylines though. Didn't the villain try to strangle Julia? Apparently they had to cut loads of stuff out of the episodes because of the timeslot.

Oh my God! I just found out Coral Drouyn is British! I didn't know that!! She's writing a series called fi]Stormworld, about two boys who end up in a parallel universe.

Just how does one exactly pronounce her (fake) surname?

Ugh is she? Not a fan and no idea about her surname. Ever since I heard that she introduced herself to Joss Whedon as his female counterpart, I've been even less receptive to her "talents".

Ugh is she? Not a fan and no idea about her surname. Ever since I heard that she introduced herself to Joss Whedon as his female counterpart, I've been even less receptive to her "talents".

No, she didn't say that! Did she?!

Yes, she was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, the IMDb says. So you don't know how to pronounce Drouyn?

(Un)fortunately not.

Yeah she was at some convention in LA I think and the gist of the conversation was that she was putting herself out there as his Australian equivalent. Something he picked up on and which drew them into a brief conversation.

She's not one for humility, our Coral.

(Un)fortunately not.

Yeah she was at some convention in LA I think and the gist of the conversation was that she was putting herself out there as his Australian equivalent. Something he picked up on and which drew them into a brief conversation.

She's not one for humility, our Coral.

Well, she doesn't call herself Queen of Drama for no reason! BTW, didn't you praise her ability to intricately plot, in that she was able to give great motivation for all sorts of sensational stories?

And is her protege Bennett still Network Ten's drama executive?

Edited May 18, 200817 yr by Sylph

There was one plot in particular (Angela Russell) that I would and probably did praise her for but there were numerous others that I disliked. Essentially she is a capable storyteller with some great ideas but her stinkers really are stinkers namely Kirsty Sutherland having a tortured romance with her sister's rapist. The personal opinion I've developed of her over the past year or so has made me less willing to bestow praise.

Dan Bennett is I think still drama executive in name only. His job was really obsolete from the beginning except from overseeing Neighbours in Ten's misguided attempts to recreate his controversial H&A success. This contributed to completely outlandish Bennett ideas such as Rowena Wallace playing psycho Mary Casey who locked up her son's ex-girlfriend and tried to co-erce her son into impregnating her. The [!@#$%^&*] hit the fan with Neighbours trying to distance itself from OTT stories from last July and I think he's had very little influence since.

He was however a co-producer on Out of the Blue. Seeing as it doesn't have any true Ten affiliation, I think it's fair to say he's got time on his hands to moonlight elsewhere.

The personal opinion I've developed of her over the past year or so has made me less willing to bestow praise.

Has anything specific happened for you to change your mind?

Dan Bennett is I think still drama executive in name only. His job was really obsolete from the beginning except from overseeing Neighbours in Ten's misguided attempts to recreate his controversial H&A success. This contributed to completely outlandish Bennett ideas such as Rowena Wallace playing psycho Mary Casey who locked up her son's ex-girlfriend and tried to co-erce her son into impregnating her. The [!@#$%^&*] hit the fan with Neighbours trying to distance itself from OTT stories from last July and I think he's had very little influence since.

He was however a co-producer on Out of the Blue. Seeing as it doesn't have any true Ten affiliation, I think it's fair to say he's got time on his hands to moonlight elsewhere.

In the end, how did that Neighbours revamp fare? It was his idea, I believe... I know some people, you among others, who hated his version of H&A, there seemed to be a psycho after psycho and a near-death experience at every possible place it could be for all characters!

So apart from Bevan Lee and these two, have there been other script producers who left their mark on H&A?

Edited May 18, 200817 yr by Sylph

The revamp wasn't his idea as far as I'm aware. Ironically he was behind the more ludicrous storylines that precipitated it. It's fared well from a quality point of view -- stories are being plotted with attention to all the beats etc. No repeat of the awful plane crash fallout when an entire family was wiped out without anybody batting an eyelid after two episodes. But the Australian ratings are still low and there's continued turmoil behind the scenes. Next week in Aus marks the first week of episodes helmed by new executive producer Susan Bower and I like the direction the show's taking.

H&A -- I don't remember any of the others! I watched the show intermittently in the 90s but I was only a kid and its merits or lack thereof were lost on me. As a casual viewer Daniel Bennett's version worked in a lot of ways. The big stories earlier in his run such as the Summer Bay Stalker were pretty fresh for the show but he took that formula and ran with it until the melodrama was at a ridiculous level. Characters were flying over cliffs like lemmings.

Next week in Aus marks the first week of episodes helmed by new executive producer Susan Bower and I like the direction the show's taking.

I know her from the McLeod's Daughters days. She seemed to be involved a lot more in the daily production of that show than she was in writing etc. Alexa Wyatt (ex-H&A) and Chris Hawkshaw ran things in that department, among others.

Characters were flying over cliffs like lemmings.

Dutch soaps are loosing viewers.

Dutch most watch soap 'Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden' lost more then 1 million viewers in 2 years time. 2 Years ago the soap had ratings between 2 and 2.5 million vieuwers, right now the soap has 1 million viewers. The other only Dutch soap 'ONM' also lost ratings. 2 years ago there where 800.000 people watching the show, right now it are only 350.000 people....thats too low. The network that is airing ONM has a contract to air it until 2010. The network that has 'GTST' says its not affraid to cancel the show after 20 years of airing it. The are willing to start a new show, but the network has 1,5 season to go, before the contract stops.

The American soaps are also losing ratings in the Netherlands. B&B had 800.000 viewers 2 years ago, now it only can handle 350.000 viewers. As the World Turns is the only winning show. 2 Years ago 600.000 people where watching the show and the repeat by 150.000 people. Right now in 2008 the first airing is watch by 400.000 people, the repeat late at night by 200.000 and the repeat the next day by another 200.000 viewers. So thats 800.000 viewers in totall.

Dayslover, was there a Dutch soap called West Wind or something like that?

Here's some of those Doctor's storylines I mentioned the other day. You'll notice, Jimmi singing in the season finale had become a bit of a fixture during 2006/07.

Greg & Rico's Wedding 1

Greg & Rico's Wedding 2

Greg & Rico's Exit

Leo tries to kill Julia 1

Leo tries to kill Julia 2

George Flatlines!

Oh my God! I just found out Coral Drouyn is British!

You have got to be kidding! Ugh, can't stand the woman. So egotistical, and full of self praise. The only two things she ever did well at H&A, was to bring back Jesse McGregor, and introduce Angela Russell, and then pair them together. Ben and Laurie had great chemistry; they worked even better when Laurie returned as Angie's identical cousin, Josie. Can you tell I was a fan?

Why does that kind of stuff never appear when I'm forced to watch? I do remember reading about one of those storylines though. Didn't the villain try to strangle Julia? Apparently they had to cut loads of stuff out of the episodes because of the timeslot.

Yeah, Leo Jackson tried to strangle Julie. It happened moments before the first clip I posted. But this wasn't him trying to kill her, just pleasure her!

Ever since I heard that she introduced herself to Joss Whedon as his female counterpart, I've been even less receptive to her "talents".

Now this just makes me dislike her even more; even though it sounds like something she'd do.

And is her protege Bennett still Network Ten's drama executive?

Dan Bennett has now moved on from that position:

After just over 12 months in the role, Dan Bennett will next week leave his position as Network Ten Drama Executive. Bennett was widely believed by Network Ten and Neighbours insiders to have been headhunted from Home and Away in 2006 with a Network Ten management brief to turn Ramsay Street into a clone of the higher rating (in Australia) Summer Bay. This was a move that many insiders feared would alienate viewers already jaded by Network moves to achieve similar changes in previous years, and it is understood that much of Neighbours' reduced comedy and increased sensationalist storylines in the last two seasons were a result of this continued push from Network Ten.

Edited May 19, 200817 yr by Ben