Mark and Sky take a protesting Elly into custody for questioning. Sky and Mark struggle to work together. Toadie applies for bail for Elly. Susan expresses her guilt over dropping Elly in it to Toadie.
Amy, Kyle and Sheila have an emotional video call. Hooray! I was wondering if she was going to notice that the man she was engaged to had died and his son, who she was also in love with had lost his father. She can’t make it back for the funeral is in Frankston and Xanthe is going to meet Sheila and Kyle there alongside Ben and Naomi. I do like it when even if they can’t do it on screen, they make it realistic and the dearly departed’s family bother to show up to say goodbye.
Goodbye, Gary, you died a hero!
Susan and Karl welcome Bea home. She is nervous over returning home to where she shared her life with Finn. They notice other neighbours have gathered for Gary’s funeral – Roxy, Terese, Clive, Shane and Dipi. Roxy is so lovely to Kyle. She is the perfect tonic for his grief right now. I thought their relationship would be completely two dimensional but her careful kindness is genuinely heart warming to watch. Karl and Bea approach to offer their condolences. Sheila makes it clear that she doesn’t blame Bea, who tells them that Gary was a hero. Karl passes on Susan’s condolences. Sheila is quick to shut them out.
Sheila, Kyle and their loved ones return to the house after the funeral and the wake. They raise a glass to Gary. They decide to set his pigeons free in his hour; they crap all over them all! Everyone shares funny stories of Gary. When Susan comes to apologise, Sheila makes it clear that she holds her responsible for bringing Finn back to the Street and for the murder of her son.
On Toadie’s advice, Elly comes home to find Bea tearing up her songs about Finn. Elly assures Bea that she didn’t kill Finn but confesses that there was something going on between them before he died. She admits to them having feelings for each other and sharing a kiss. Bea is hurt and angry, realising that Finn tried to get rid of her because Elly gave him hope that they could be together. Bea tells Susan and Karl what happened; Susan doesn’t confess prior knowledge of the ‘affair’.
Elly confesses that she and Finn had feelings for each other…
Toadie expresses his own guilt to Sky and Mark over the fact that he was responsible for Finn going to The Island and that he had been working for him at the Buddy Club. He is angry with Sky for going after Elly when she is innocent. Sky tries to persuade Elly to plead guilty. It does not go down well.
Due to the Coronavirus, Neighbours did temporarily suspend filming
It doesn’t look like there will be a break in schedule in Australia but in the UK, Channel 5 will now only air episodes on Mondays and Fridays, 1:45pm and 6pm
Marilyn’s concerns about the Parata Family grows when she realises they are sleeping in their car. She is kind to Gemma when she takes a call from her brother in law, Tane while at work; she breaks down in tears over the loss of her husband. Gemma turns Marilyn down when she invites the family to move in with her and John but later changes her mind. She broaches the idea of approaching Tane for help but Ari shuts her down; Tane turned his back on their family. Ari has been told he cannot return to work for at least a week until he is cleared for physical and psychological damage.
Marilyn expresses her concern about Gemma and her family…
Meanwhile, John tells Ari and Nik off for using the public showers to wash their clothes. He even goes so far as putting a sign up informing everyone that the showers are not for laundry! Ugh, this is the old John Palmer that nobody liked! Imagine his horror when he finds that his wife has moved the whole family into his house! And she refuses to make them leave either!
John is at odds with Ari and Nikau…
In some good news, Nik finds himself bonding with Roo, who engages him in helping out at the bait shop. She then offers him some regular work there until Alf returns from his honeymoon, when he should be able to negotiate a new contract with him. Things are looking up!
Meanwhile, Mac tries her hand at online dating, something that Ryder tries and fails to keep a secret from Dean. However, she is immediately catfished by her ex-boyfriend, Jason who is not so much looking for a date and more looking for half the money she scammed from her Dad. Charming!
Due to the Coronavirus, Home and Away has had to suspend filming
Home and Away will now air on Channel 5 on Mondays and Fridays at 1.15 only
Wednesday welcomes the new credits for Neighbours and I have to say, I absolutely love Bonnie Anderson’s vocals. She sounds beautiful and it’s real throwback to old school, traditional Neighbours. I love it. My only disappointment was that I had been hoping for a genuine shake-up to the credits and completely new clips but there were actually no real changes. Gary had already been mercilessly removed at the beginning of the week and now Finn is also gone. But the loveliest thing is all is that Georgie Stone joins the regular cast as Mackenzie Hargreaves alongside the Rebecchi clan. I am so happy!
So, to the show itself… Elly denies murdering Finn, explaining that she attempted to bury him because she needed to know that he wouldn’t come back and harm anyone again. I mean, it’s dodgy storytelling but we’ll go with it. Call it guilt, shock, grief or whatever. Mark visits her at home after she is released and warns her that Finn died from blunt force trauma which left him paralysed (ironic after his fakery as Patrick) and led to him drowning. However, Elly’s fingerprints were found of the tap, which she didn’t mention touching. He advises her to lawyer up and be careful about everything she says.
While Mark and Paige feel guilty about their own personal happiness, Sky and Lana are reluctant to be separated. However, Lana has a book tour to complete and Sky needs to stick around for Finn’s murder investigation. I particularly enjoyed the moment that Mark dismissed her interrupting ‘police business’ and then she introduced herself as Senior Detective Mangel. Ha! Sorry, I know Mark is a really popular character but I find him ever so arrogant. Sky visits Toadie as a civilian, wanting to know how he is but also wanting to know how on earth he escaped The Island when he was so injured. Because he’s a hero, Sky, because he’s a hero.
Worried that Sky believes Elly is guilty, Mark decides not to return to Adelaide (with Paige’s permission) and after waving his wife off at the airport, informs Sky that he is sticking around to work on the case. Sky assures him that she will follow the evidence.
Karl tells Elly that Bea feels responsible for Finn’s actions. He is sure that Sky will be a reasonable voice during the investigation but Mark is convinced she is going to put her through hell. Forensics don’t prove or disprove Elly’s innocence but Sky is certain that she is holding back after watching Finn’s increasingly intense video diaries, revealing his feelings for her and her feelings for him. She believes there is more to the story than Elly has told them. Elly’s DNA has also been found on the rock that killed Finn; Elly explains that she pulled him up to check his pulse when she found him. She didn’t think their feelings for each other were relevant. Um… I think that’s a big, fat lie, young lady!
Susan and Elly meet up, both overwhelmed with guilt for letting the situation with Finn spiral; when they knew he had developed feelings for Elly, they should have shut him down then. Well, yes! Obviously! Susan, you did disappoint me. Anyway, Karl struggles to get Susan to slow down as she throws all of Finn’s belongings out and rips up the family photo from the christening. Susan is called in for questioning and makes the whole situation worse by admitting that Elly stated she was going to make sure Finn wasn’t going to hurt them again, that she would do whatever it takes. She hurriedly insists that Elly didn’t kill him. Well, it’s a bit late for that, Auntie Suse… Elly is arrested for Finn’s murder and Hendrix breaks the news to Susan that Finn killed Prue. It all gets a bit much for her.
Sheila is broken over the loss of her son…
Grief hangs over the Canning House as Sheila and Kyle struggle to come to terms with Gary’s death. Xanthe refuses to come home (presumably the actress declined to reprise her role!) Terese visits to console the family. Roxy does her best to cheer Kyle up. She is so clumsy, it’s cute. Toadie’s first port of call upon his release from hospital is to visit Sheila and Kyle. Sheila asks him to speak at the funeral but she is soon hit with the realisation that they haven’t even found Gary’s body yet, although they soon get word that his body has been recovered and needs to be autopsied. Mark tells her about Prue’s death.
Kyle moves back in with Sheila in time for Mark to break the news that Gary was shot in the back with an arrow. A shirt in the car Finn was driving was found, covered in Gary’s blood. They can only hope that Gary’s death was quick and painless. Kyle is torn up with guilt over bringing the archery set to The Island. Sheila’s anger switches to one person: Susan, the woman who brought Finn back to Ramsay Street. Oh dear.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Paul and Terese opt to delay telling Harlow about the death of her mother. Paul continues to refuse to let Hendrix near his granddaughter. Ned advises Hendrix to give Harlow and her family space and lets slip about Prue’s death. Ignoring him, Hendrix sneaks in to see hospital to see Harlow and he is so lovely to her. I was on the edge of my seat, assuming that he would let slip about Prue but he doesn’t. Paul takes him out of the room, asking him if he has told her but the young man simply says that it’s not his place. It thaws things between them at last. Paul seems to understand that Hendrix really does care about Harlow and wants the best for her.
While poor Harlow tries to piece together all her confusing memories of The Island, her loved ones avoid all her questions. Alone, she listens to a voicemail from her mother, at the end of which there is an explosion. Harlow demands answers from Paul, who has no choice but to explain that Prue has died. Heartbroken, Harlow listens to her mother’s final words on repeat. She feels terrible for being on bad terms with Prue when she died.
Between Sky, Mark, Paul and Terese, they work out that the bomb that killed Prue must have been contained in the Honeymoon Box she had with her – and that it was originally intended for Lucy. Paul explains to Harlow what really happened.
There is a particularly sweet scene where Chloe offers her support to Hendrix, who accepts her as a ‘sort of’ parent. He also accepts, in light of Harlow’s situation, just how lucky he really is.
David is torn up with guilt over not noticing that Finn’s memory had returned and for also letting him visit Harry; if he had done things differently, would he have been able to stop things from turning out the way they have? Ned accuses Finn of having faked his memory loss from the start.
Due to the Coronavirus, Neighbours did temporarily suspend filming
It doesn’t look like there will be a break in schedule in Australia but in the UK, Channel 5 will now only air episodes on Mondays and Fridays, 1:45pm and 6pm
Ryder hands Jade’s phone into Colby but when Nik refuses to step up, Ryder begs him to make a statement or the whole thing might fall to pieces. Nik comes through and tells the police everything he knows. Ryder is exonerated and Jade, should they ever find her, is potentially in big trouble. Mac happily gives Ryder his job back at Salt and arranges his shifts around TAFE.
Ari gets the wrong end of the stick when he spots his nephew in the back of a police car and lays into him, thinking he is in trouble. After yet another argument, protesting his innocence, Nik calls his other Uncle, Tane, for support. Gemma is relieved to confirm with Colby that Nik really isn’t in any trouble with the police.
Gemma starts working at The Diner…
Gemma is excited to start her job with Marilyn and Irene in The Diner but payday isn’t close and the family are three days behind in paying the rent on their motel and get a demand notice through the door. Ari still can’t find any work and gets into a row with John, who is clearly concerned about how protective his wife is of the family. Ari admits his troubles to Dean who asks around about jobs for Ari and casually buys him some lunch. Marilyn also slips the family as much food as she can get away with. Unfortunately, the family are faced with the prospect of packing up and moving away when they find they have been evicted from their motel.
Now, I am starting to work them out, I think… Bear with me… Gemma’s husband, Ari’s brother died. Nikau is Gemma’s son. Ari has taken it upon himself to look after them but Nik is resistant and blames him for the way they have to live. Tane, Ari’s other brother, has been somewhat outcast from the family by Ari, although he is still in touch with Gemma and Nik. I have read that Gemma’s husband died during a crime and Tane’s income isn’t the most legally obtained. We already know that Ari did time in jail, where he met Dean but appears to have changed his ways. He and Gemma are definitely sleeping separately; he has been doing his back in, sleeping on the floor in order to give her the bed. So, this family are clearly going to provide a lot of secrets and drama!
Still haunted by the loss of Robbo, Jasmine interrupts an argument between Colby and Bella about her resistance to begin counselling. Bella is worried about talking about things she isn’t supposed to. Jasmine snaps at the them that they should remember how lucky they are to have each other. In a bid to escape her memories of Robbo, Jasmine decides to move in with Irene.
Bella lies to Colby about her progress with the counsellor…
Colby takes Bella to see her new counsellor, Patricia the next day but Bella refuses to speak to her. However, she lies about it to her brother and insists that it went well and she was able to open up. When Colby attempts to book another appointment, Patricia doesn’t think she is the right counsellor for Bella, explaining that they didn’t make any progress in the session. He decides not to call Bella out on her lies. He worries about making ends meet now that he has lost Jasmine and Robbo’s rent. Aware of the difficulties he is facing, Roo and Maggie look into the financial help he and Bella can receive with Bella’s education.
Alf and Martha refuse to go on honeymoon so Roo and Ryder arrange to stay away from the house for a couple of days, leaving the newlyweds with a special breakfast. Roo goes to stay with the Astoni Family, only for Alf and Martha to decide they do want to go on honeymoon after all. Alf declares that Martha is ‘the best Sheila in the world’. So cute.
Roo and Maggie are frustrated with themselves that they haven’t done anything in the search for Leah. To be fair, I’d be a bit annoyed if I was Leah. Apart from Irene for a few days, nobody has really been very bothered about finding her until now. Anyway, they decide to start their own investigation, coming back time and again to the same question: who called her on the day she disappeared? Having passed around posters in the local area, they are shocked to discover that Leah’s previously shut down blog is now live again and full of anti-feminist rants that she absolutely would never have written – but only Leah has the password. I mean, websites can never be hacked, can they? Especially not something as professional as a part-time blog.
Tori and Justin are back from Mason’s funeral and are quickly updated on the progress of the hunt for Leah. Suddenly reminded that his girlfriend is missing, Justin immediately becomes absorbed in the posts. Tori is not impressed with the grammar. Justin furiously demands to know what the police are doing to find his girlfriend. He is convinced that the person writing the posts is holding Leah captive. His own guilt over his neglect of Leah at the time of her disappearance leads him to breaking down in the garage. I wonder if James Stewart, who plays him, is dreaming of happier storylines when he has to stop crying over Tori/Leah/Mason? Ziggy gathers friends together to help Justin run the garage, including finishing fixing Ryder’s car as a surprise, which he is thrilled about. In return, Justin arranges to fast track Ziggy’s apprenticeship.
Go Greased Lightening…!
Willow and Alex have also returned from Mason’s funeral, heavy hearted over the loss of their friend and original #Willex shipper. Willow still doesn’t know if she will have a job for much longer. While Alex waits for Willow to arrive for a date at Salt, she receives a call from the Locum Agency, offering her next job in Queensland in three weeks’ time. She delays telling Willow before she can speak to Tori and confirm whether she is planning to return to work immediately, which she is, dashing Alex’s hope that she could just stay on at Northern Districts. With no other option, Alex tells Willow about the job and takes the risk of asking Willow to go with her.
Alex asks Willow to move to Queensland with her…
In turmoil over what to do, Willow has a rather one sided conversation with Mac where she doesn’t really let the poor woman speak as she tries to make up her mind! Dean is not impressed when Mac tells him that Willow may be moving away with Alex and he doesn’t hesitate to tell Alex what he thinks. Alex eventually decides to turn the job down. She doesn’t want to lose Willow but she doesn’t want to drag her away from her friends and family either. However, Willow has already decided: taking the job is the best thing for Alex and being with Alex is the best thing for Willow. Oh, if only it was going to be that easy! But this is a same-sex love story and Home and Away do have previous so…
Dean gives Alex a hard time about taking Willow away…
Due to the Coronavirus, Home and Away has had to suspend filming
Home and Away will now air on Channel 5 on Mondays and Fridays at 1.15 only
There is a sneak peek episode on 5Star at 6:30pm
These reviews are based on the lunch time Channel 5 episodes
Mercedes and Grace are both desperate to stop Liam but neither can agree as to how to do it. Maxine attempts to calm things down; she is shocked to hear about his creepy dartboard. She reaches out to Damon. I do hope that despite everything, one day, they might find their way back to each other. Meanwhile, Liam is going a bit bonkers in The Loft. Grace and Mercedes tackle him but cannot dissuade him from going after Maxine who for once, didn’t do anything wrong. Courtney arrives and Mercedes bluntly tells her the truth about Liam’s behaviour. She is disgusted, warning Liam that if he continues on this path, he will ultimately self-destruct. He breaks down in tears and they all end up pitying him – even Mercedes. He promises to stop his revenge plan for good.
Liam then apologises to Maxine and offers her all the profits from the salon in a bid to get her back on her feet, accepting that it’s what he should have done in the first place. Damon arrives and realises that Maxine was telling the truth a few weeks ago when she told him that Liam had forced her to prostitute herself. She dissuades him from going after Liam or telling the police; everything is sorted now. Yeah, right!
Having deleted all the footage of Jesse and Courtney’s wedding in a fit of despair, Liam goes through all the CCTV footage from the club, which of course shows Jesse arguing with James and Grace about them shooting Mercedes. It explains why he was drinking so heavily, which led to his death and reveals that he was deeply upset when he died. Liam’s mood changes dramatically.
Liam makes a video for Iona. He knows that whatever happens, he is not coming back from this. He then abducts both John Paul and Sylver before inviting Mercedes, Grace, James and Maxine to The Devil’s Dinner Party, held at The Dog.
Liam hosts ‘The Devil’s Dinner Party’
Arriving at The Dog, Liam has indeed set it up like a dinner party. He also has a gun. First, he sends Grace and James off hunting round the building for John Paul and Sylver; they have three minutes or Maxine is dead. They don’t find them. Thankfully, Goldie interrupts what could be Maxine’s death. Mercedes has to send Goldie away. John Paul and Sylver are merely revealed to be hidden behind a curtain. Liam then announces that Grace and James shot Mercedes.
While Goldie rushes to the hospital to alert Warren, sure that something is wrong at the pub, John Paul is locked up in the basement with James. He makes it clear that should they survive this ordeal, they are over. He is horrified that all this time, it was him who shot his sister.
Up above, Liam order Mercedes to get her revenge and shoot Grace in order to save everyone else. He tells everyone what she did to Eva and Jesse. Remember Eva? That annoying woman Liam was in love with that Grace killed that ultimately changed Liam’s personality, not to mention his face. Grace is broken mess of guilt for her crimes; she genuinely has changed. Mercedes turns the gun on Liam and fires but it’s not loaded. Liam then orders Sylver to take over and kill Grace.
Meanwhile, Warren, Joel, Goldie and Brody try to get into the pub. Warren breaks in upstairs, meeting John Paul and James on the way, who have just escaped from the basement. The three of them listen to Liam telling Sylver that Grace is the Devil and requesting that he gives him the order to kill her. When he refuses, Liam decides to kill her himself but Warren bursts in and intercepts, tackling Liam and allowing everyone to make their escape. Liam makes a grab for Mercedes, holding her back. It’s Grace that comes back to save her, leaving Liam teetering at the top of a staircase. She ignores his pleas for mercy and down he goes – dead. I will not miss him. He was possibly one of the most annoying and overused characters that soap has seen for a very long time.
Goodbye Liam!
Courtney is horrified to discover the truth about Grace – that shot Mercedes and that she essentially caused Jesse to drink himself to death. Unable to excuse herself any longer, Grace asks Courtney to take custody of Curtis as she hands herself into the police for the shooting. Grace apologises to Sylver, who is more sad than angry.
James is also prepared to confess. Mercedes tracks them down to the police station and intercepts. She tells the police that she killed Liam in self-defence; she was in fear for her life. The police accept Mercedes’ version of events and no charges are brought. James and Grace can’t believe they will not pay for their crime. Mercedes tells them she needs to face up to her own behaviour, which led to the shooting in the first place. Now, she just wants to put everything behind them all and move on. And the first step to moving on is the long awaited reunion between Mercedes and Sylver! Hooray!
Sylver and Mercedes reunite…
Brody is uncomfortable when Liberty makes a heart shaped photo frame of herself and Brody for the baby and thinks she is becoming too intense. He is then frustrated and confused when she asks Damon out, not wanting his friend to be used. Courtney consoles Liberty over her feelings for Brody. Maxine encourages Liberty to be honest with Brody about her feelings. She opts to do so in song but she is hurt when he doesn’t respond. Eventually, he admits that he feels the same way, just as Sienna returns home.
In the best moment of the whole week, Marnie calls Walter out for his homophobia towards Mitchell, comparing him to Mac and warning him of what he stands to lose if he doesn’t change. I just love Marnie. Thank you for calling his behaviour what it is. It doesn’t matter if he thinks he is justified and if it’s caught up in his religious beliefs. It’s still homophobia and he is treating his grandson abysmally.
Taking Marnie’s words to heart, Walter invites Mitchell and Scott, as a couple to lunch. Walter has also invited Toby and Celeste to the lunch with Scott, Mitchell, Lisa and Martine, wanting to bring the whole family together. Things go south when Scott holds Mitchell’s hand under the table to encourage him. Walter is disgusted and Toby and Celeste enjoy winding the situation up, prompting Mitchell to start to walk out. Lisa tells her grandfather off. He is in the middle of apologising when who should walk in, fresh from charming Grace? Toby, Celeste and Mitchell’s father, Felix (played by Richard Blackwood – well, I guess he’s not going back to Eastenders then!)
The long awaited arrival of Felix!
Misbah catches trainee nurse Peri in a medication error at the hospital. She is kind to her and lets her off. She is just learning and no harm was done. Unfortunately, Edward notices and gives both of them a huge dressing down, undermining Misbah and derailing all of Peri’s confidence. However, as predicted weeks ago, he takes the opportunity to steal the drugs and swap them for Tony’s medication, another chance to screw with his son’s life and ruin his marriage. I really cannot stand this guy! Has Tony not been through enough already?
Due to the Coronavirus, Hollyoaks has had to suspend filming
Hollyoaks will now air Monday to Wednesday at 6:30pm on Channel 4 with a sneak peek on E4 at 7pm
Brenda and Eric launch their new menu at the café and despite some resistance, people dig in. Dan ends up overindulging and ends up rather hungover. Brenda rescues him with a wrap the next morning, only for her not to check the ingredients of some salad dressing. It contains almond milk and he goes into anaphylactic shock in the garage, falling and fracturing his back. Thankfully, Eric and Brenda find him in time to get him medical treatment, although when Eric tries Jacob’s epi-pen on him, he discovers it is well out of date (prompting him to scold Jacob for not looking after himself properly).
Dan is in serious trouble…
Dan is rushed to hospital with Kerry, Amelia and Mandy (haven’t they flirted like, once?) by his side where he is rushed into emergency surgery but it is possible that he may never walk again. At least he is in Emmerdale. Usually when this happens in soap, paralysis means a swift exit unless the character has actually been brought in for the purpose of being disabled but Emmerdale at least has Chris Tate in their history books. Anyway, at first, Brenda tries to pass the blame onto Wendy, who gave Dan some painkillers for his hangover but when she is confronted by the fact that it was more than likely a food allergy, she has to confess the truth. Dan and his loved ones are absolutely livid. I have to say that Kerry’s anger is somewhat hypocritical considering Frank is literally ashes because of her, don’t you think?
Brenda is overwhelmed with guilt…
Paddy and Chas finally talk things through and this time, she is a lot more compassionate and forgiving about his mistake. They meet with the social worker who is happy not to pursue things any further.
Things are tense between Jamie and Belle as they are both jealous of each other’s partners. Jamie and Belle end up together in the back of his car. Classy. Even classier, he ends up straight back in Andrea’s bed, as she has taken Leyla’s advice in how to seduce her husband. When Paddy unwittingly drops Jamie in it, Kim is quick to cover for her son, hoping to win her way back into his affections. When he wants to know why she would even begin to help him save his marriage, she concedes that even Andrea is better for him than a Dingle. Jamie tells Belle that it’s over between them. Kim warns Belle away from her son again. When Ellis feels like Belle is pulling away from him, she tells him she loves him. He loves her too. But he is actually telling the truth. As for Jamie, quite frankly, I’m disappointed. They brought him in as such an honest, moral character. I don’t buy that the moment he got back together with his wife, he would be at it on the backseat of his car with Belle. He’s grown up despising this kind of behaviour, the deceit and the lies. It seems a shame to take him down this path.
Belle and Jamie can’t resist each other…
Dawn is nervous as the social worker and Luca’s foster mother bring him to live with her. His foster mother is clearly reluctant to let him go and has left an ‘I love you’ recorded message in a teddy bear. He calls her ‘Mummy’. Dawn struggles with feeling like Lucas is bonding with everyone but her.
Meanwhile DI Malone continues to stir up trouble for Will, calling him in on a job with Cain and Billy. Will is not impressed to discover that Billy has been dragged in on the situation. Cain refuses to participate. I remain bored.
The truth is out about Liam and Leyla and Diane and the kids are unreasonably unhappy. Their loyalty is with the woman who went off to Australia permanently without bothering to end their relationship, leaving him hanging in absolute turmoil and grief instead.
Things remain awkward between Victoria and Luke; he tells his mother about the breakup. Rhona is relieved when Pierce is given a life sentence.
Due to the Coronavirus, Emmerdale have had to suspend filming
Emmerdale will now air on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV1 at 7pm
Geoff books another date with ‘Rachel the Escort’ while having a go at Yasmeen for making too much noise, hoovering the house he is so obsessed with being perfectly clean. He is then too busy with his ‘date’ to go with Yasmeen to the Doctor about her stomach cramps, snapping at her that he doesn’t need permission to go out and he is entitled to a life of his own. What a bloody cheek! Also, what is wrong is Yasmeen?!
Geoff is fully in control…
Meanwhile, Alya discovers that Zeedan is getting married in Spain and nobody is invited. And why have they changed his character so much off-screen? There is no way that he would have ignored Alya’s concerns about Yasmeen or shut them out of his wedding. But anyway, Ryan comes up with the idea of getting herself and Yasmeen invited, without Geoff, in a bid to get Yasmeen away from her husband. She excitedly tells her Gran about the wedding. Geoff fakes excitement but the next thing Alya knows, Geoff has invited himself, claiming to have rearranged their finances and booked a fancy five star hotel for himself and Yasmeen to go on a lovely holiday.
David bonds with Alina…
David resists Maria’s support over the loss of Shona and is extremely rude to Brian. He then spends the day with Alina. Emma admits to Seb that she had an awkward conversation with Alina about her possible feelings for him and now she seems to be avoiding them. She asks him to fix it but when he goes home, he finds her half undressed on the sofa with David. He is not happy. Alina is upset to discover that David has a wife and children. When he explains, she still doesn’t want to get involved. Fair play. David winds Seb up in the pub, prompting him to punch him. Emma is heartbroken to realise that her boyfriend still has feelings for his ex. It wasn’t Alina she should have been worrying about, it was Seb. Nick begs David not to give up on Shona.
Seb can’t control his anger…
Bernie does her best to help Gemma around the house and with the children, although it is not appreciated. She also takes her to see Doctor Gaddas, although she is frustrated when Gemma is not honest about how she is really feeling. Gemma promises to let Bernie keep an eye on her and if she doesn’t think she is coping, she will let her take her back to the Doctor.
At Stillwaters, the Retirement Village, Charles finds a patch of dog urine on the carpet in the hall and then hears Eccles barking in Ken and Claudia’s room. Ken is furious to receive an excessive bill for cleaning. Norris is happy to wind the situation up as much as possible.
Evelyn and Arthur finally go out on their date and they have a lovely time. Evelyn is overwhelmed when Arthur gives her a memento from a date they had all those years ago. Hopefully this will turn into a beautiful love story.
Due to the Coronavirus, Coronation Street has had to cease filming
For the foreseeable, Coronation Street will air on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm
Well, what can I say about Doctor’s 20th anniversary episode other than, thank you? It was the perfect tonic to the current, worldwide crisis and this amazing episode could not have come at a better time. Forget boat crashes and serial killers, all of which were fabulous anniversary celebrations in other soaps, Doctors celebrated their twenty years on telly with a documentary style episode, each character talking to the camera about the work they do for the NHS, explaining just how vital their role and the role of the NHS is in the UK.
Alongside this, we saw patients being treated, an accident between an ambulance and a scooter, a huge explosion, which brought in the essential services of the police and firefighters and a heart rendering labour scene where mother and baby were so close to death. Also, just as an aside, it did look a bit like the ‘newborn’ baby had teeth. I think it was just goo but it was a bit unsettling. The characters provided much care and support to a huge range of patients and at the end of the episode, Jimmi returned home to his chosen family, the people that love him the most.
We saw the role of doctors, nurses, midwives, reception staff, paramedics, police officers, firefighters and this episode celebrated them all in all the vital roles they play. And it was all on the day that everyone, all around the UK stood out on the streets, on their balconies or like me or simply hung their heads out of their windows and clapped for the NHS, clapped for the care givers, clapped for all those essential services who are working so very tirelessly to keep our country going.
This episode could not have been more perfect if it had tried. Right now, so many of us are trapped indoors, socially distancing, self-isolating, away from loved ones, a lot of us poorly, many of us feeling vulnerable and unsure in this time of crisis. The NHS and so many other services are under so much pressure and we know this is only the beginning. So, in the best timing ever, Doctors celebrated it’s 20th anniversary and used its platform to show us just how amazing the NHS and emergency services are and how lucky we are to have them.
Well done, everyone at Doctors for this episode and for the past twenty years.
Next week, despite Doctors ceasing filming due to the Coronavirus, the show does appear to still be airing every weekday on BBC1 at 1:45pm
With Gray’s discovery, Whitney is finally granted bail and allowed home to her family before her trial, which is set for nine weeks’ time. Although she is relieved to be out of prison, knowing that Leo was living in her loft, spying on her, home doesn’t exactly feel like the safe place it should be either. It’s going to take the poor girl a while to adjust after everything she has been through and let’s face it, it’s not over yet. Meanwhile, it’s a struggle for Chantelle who is being abused by the husband everyone thinks is a hero.
Ben is in over his head trying to strike a deal with his old dodgy ‘colleague’ without letting on that he can’t hear a thing he says. Callum sacks off an interview with the police to help him out only for things to go badly wrong when they get wind of him being a police officer, or at least training to become one. The boys desperately try to explain that it’s not a set up and Ben admits to his hearing loss but it’s too late. The deal is off. Ben takes everything out on Callum, who was only trying to help. Ben then gets arrested for stealing and joyriding a car on the Square, although he manages to blag his way out of it. Jack warns Callum that Ben is bad news and will not do him any favours for his future as a cop. Tired of the way Ben is behaving the way he treats him, Callum ends things with Ben. But he takes pity on him when breaks down in tears.
Ben is on a downward path…
Worried about Sharon (and consumed with his own guilt), Ian offers Karen money to take Kayden and move away from the Square. Karen tries to reason with Sharon about the baby but Sharon is completely shut down, consumed in her grief over her son. Aware that if she doesn’t take her grandson, he will go into care, Karen concludes that she has no choice but to accept Ian’s offer, upsetting all her family, including Bailey. Of course, what she doesn’t know is that she will be completely isolating Chantelle in her abusive relationship. She needs her Mum more she knows.
Ian puts pressure on Karen…
Keegan and Tiffany are having problems of their own as they struggle to communicate. He takes it personally when his loan application is turned down and his mood is deeply affecting their marriage, accusing Tiffany of not understanding what it is like to be victimised as she is white. She argues that being black isn’t a disability and being a woman poses its own problems when it comes to being victimised, as she has experienced. She tells him that every mother has to have ‘the chat’ with their daughter about what they will have to go through in their lives, just because they are female. It’s a very interesting debate. And it’s very sad to see these two, who are so in love, pulling so far away from each other.
Keegan and Tiffany struggle to understand each other…
The bitchy Mums come to the Queen Vic to hassle Linda and new teacher, Isaac about her coming to read to the children. Linda is amazing! She offers to step down, not wanting to cause any hassle but easily puts the lead bitch in her place, pointing out that it may be beneficial for her to get a job or take up a class as she clearly has too much time on her hands if she can make this much effort to come and hassle her in the pub – a text would have done. Well done, Linda! This is why we love you!
Habiba teases a potential romance with Jags, just to remind him how difficult he and his family have made things for Ash and Iqra. Kat makes a hasty exit (to make way for Jessie’s Wallace’s suspension – please come back soon!)
Due to the Coronavirus, Eastenders has had to suspend filming
It will air from now on only on Mondays and Tuesdays at 7:30pm on BBC1
Jimmi has been taken to hospital, having literally been stabbed in the back by Leon. Ruhma helps Valerie deliver a vase of flowers to his heavily guarded hospital room.
Meanwhile, Leon confesses that he was put up to the stabbing by Mr Butler, (Jimmi’s lawyer), who was blackmailing him. When Mr Butler then sneaks into Jimmi’s room and attempts to kill Jimmi again, Jimmi is thankfully alert enough to knock him out with the vase of flowers. Well done, Ruhma and Valerie!
Mr Butler is arrested, denying everything until the police trigger him with the mention of his dead son, George. He wouldn’t support him when he came out as gay. He stepped in when he was arrested for murder but it was too late by then. He held Jimmi responsible for turning him into the police. When he died by suicide, Mr Butler attacked Jimmi but when he fought back and didn’t die, he came up with the plan to take everything from him instead and set him up to go to prison.
Jimmi has his day in court…
Jimmi appears in court where the Crown Prosecution drop all charges against him and he is sent home a free man. Hooray! He is shocked upon his release to bump into old colleague, Julia Parsons (just in time for the 20th anniversary!)
Meanwhile, Karen proves to be counterproductive at The Mill as Bear plans for a very important day. All she cares about is Jimmi.
Zara finds herself drawn to a Q&A with a far right speaker who denies his own heritage, spouting hideous racist language. She supports his sister, who he denies even having. Karen helps a woman realise that her boyfriend is using her and lying to her about having MS.
Ruhma has quite a day attempting to exchange a gift from a shop run by a rude, racist woman (played by none other than Kika Mirylees – Julie J from Bad Girls) who favours a posh, white pregnant woman and accuses another girl of stealing, just because she isn’t white. Actually, it’s the posh, white woman who is the thief. She is also lying about being pregnant, as Ruhma discovers, utterly broken over the fact that she has tried and failed to get pregnant for real so many times before. She ends up counselling the woman and persuading her to tell the truth. The woman then buys a £900 coat, which she gives to the girl who was accused of theft. She doesn’t want it but manages to exchange it for cash. The posh, white, non-pregnant woman is utterly bewildered over the concept of white privilege.
Ruhma finds herself embroiled in other people’s problems…
So, today (Thursday 26th March), we are celebrating Doctors 20th birthday! Congratulations! We have an hour long special coming up and it promises to be a good one…
Next week, despite Doctors ceasing filming due to the Coronavirus, the show does appear to still be airing every weekday on BBC1 at 1:45pm
The Soap Dish 