Doctors: Heartbreak Hotel

(Monday 6^th – Friday 10^th April 2020)

I was desperately looking forward to last week’s Doctors and it didn’t disappoint as it aired the fallout from the brutal homophobic attack on Emma and Jasmine. One sad thing to note is that rather than bonding them, it has confirmed the end of their relationship, which is a real shame as they made a really good pairing. But it was all still so new to be facing something so difficult.

Jasmine started the week in a foul mood, having had no choice but to make a witness statement and report to Occupational Health once Emma had reported the attack. She did eventually attempt to make amends with Emma only to find it’s too late. Emma has had a lot of time to think, as well as talk to Victim Support (actually a non-speaking extra who doesn’t even have a face so could probably be a member of the crew!) and has decided that they want different things and their relationship is over. But regardless, if their relationship brought us anything, it brought this incredible, powerful, amazingly, written, directed and acted story and I am so impressed, Doctors. This is one to remember for Soap Award Season. Brilliantly done.

One relationship that is going strong, however, is Emma and Zara. Oh, I love Emma and Zara. Who would have thought that in that muddy field, in the middle of nowhere, that friendship would have been forged for life? Well, whoever saw the potential connection between them is a genius. Bravo.

When Emma failed to show up to work, Zara headed right round there, having not heard from her friend all weekend and she was stunned to see the state of her and hear the story of what she has been through. This lead to a fabulous episode on Friday (10^th) where Zara pitched up on Emma’s doorstep with food, drink and Bridget Jones. She even changed into some pyjamas in a bid to cheer up her friend, who did not want to be cheered up.

Meanwhile, Daniel had his own problems when Izzie and Valerie coerced him into their eco-warrior plan to cut down the netting on some trees in a car park, which has been put up to shut out the birds (thereby putting their lives at risk) to stop them crapping on the cars. Of course, it all ended in disaster and Daniel got arrested for criminal damage. Well, I fully support them! Don’t park your car there if you’re scared of a bit of poo! Honestly! These people need to go to the seaside and then try to protect their cars…

Ruhma continued to try and support Carrie, who is pregnant and immobile with a husband who doesn’t love her or want to spend any time with her. Little does poor Carrie know, he is also giving Ruhma the eye. I mean, who the hell is this guy? Why does he think he can try and move in on our Ruhma? Does he actually think he is a patch on Heston? I’m not saying that Ruhma can’t move on but when she does, I’d like to think she’d choose someone with a bit more kindness and personality, not someone who’d go and play golf and flirt with another woman while his pregnant wife was suffering and lonely.

The sad thing is that Carrie feels she has found a friend in Ruhma and this would otherwise have been a really nice story. Ruhma reluctantly went for dinner with her and Doug in Carrie’s bedroom but when Carrie fell asleep, Doug and Ruhma headed downstairs where Ruhma attempted to make her exit. Then Doug kissed her. And Carrie witnessed it from the upstairs landing. No!

Bear overheard Ayesha dismissing the idea of there being any feelings between them. So this story is going to be dragged out for a while then…

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

Coronation Street: Trust

(Monday 6^th – Wednesday 15^th April 2020)

Many apologies for the delay in updating this blog. Easter and everything. Well, the whole world is in chaos right now, isn’t it? Anyway…

Last week was a huge week for Yasmeen as she took a huge step in the right direction toward exiting her abusive relationship. While this storyline is genuinely excruciating to watch, it has me utterly gripped. I love the little details and how honest it is. Yasmeen finally musters all her strength to say no to Geoff and while not ending the relationship, decides to go to Spain for a break and to be with her family. Within hours, she is back with him, having endured countless texts ranging from begging, pleading, abuse and finally threats of suicide.

While Alya cannot understand while her Gran just can’t switch off and let him go, Yasmeen is still tied to the man who has been brainwashing her for so many months, subtly controlling everything she thinks and everything she does. So, she stays. And just as Alya warns her, Geoff waltzes back in as if nothing ever happened.

Thankfully, this prompts Yasmeen into finally contacting ‘Clare’, the police contact that her granddaughter put into her phone weeks before and she is able to learn more of her partner’s past. While the previously mentioned affray led nowhere, his partner at the time had previously made a complaint of harassment against him. Yasmeen turns down the offer of being taken to safety but she does go home and secretly pack a bag. I just hope that Geoff doesn’t find it, either physically or on that awful security camera of his. He has definitely found the domestic abuse leaflet.

This storyline is uncomfortable in every way that it is supposed to be uncomfortable. The actors and the writing are all superb. Every episode, I am rooting for Yasmeen to free herself. And I truly hope that that’s how it will be in the end, that she will free herself. I know that she has Alya and that there are others on the Street such as Ryan, Cathy and Eileen who are kind of looking out for her to differing degrees but I truly want it to come from Yasmeen in the end. I want her to be her own hero.

Another story that Corrie have done very well, I think, is Gemma’s postnatal depression, which came to a head this week when she left the quads on the bus on purpose, unable to cope any longer. Having shut Bernie out and felt too ashamed to talk to Chesney, we were witness to a tender moment between Gemma to Rita, as the younger woman finally admitted how she was truly feeling. It was a nice reminder of the depth of love between these two women. Rita was so gentle with her as she just sat and listened, took her for some food and then returned her to Chesney so he could take her to the Doctor and get some actual help. Gemma is such a great character to do this story with. She is so loud and bouncy and well, irritating. To see her so vulnerable is really sad. You can’t help but root for her.

My only criticism is that after the emotion of Gemma laying her soul bare to Doctor Gaddas and Chesney, it seemed a real shame to rush the treatment. Surely anyone at home going through a similar situation would care about the conclusion. Instead, Steve bursts in and interrupts them and we find out later that she got ‘a prescription’ and a referral for therapy. It just felt like suddenly they decided they’d spent too much time on this story and they needed to move on. Next!

So, why did Steve interrupt Gemma’s appointment? Well, it all began with Emma having a really bad week… First, she broke up with Seb because she quite rightly twigged that he was still in love with Alina, although he continued to deny it. Then she was left to dog sit, only for Eccles to be rushed to the vet with a tumour on her spleen and have to be put down. Tracy was a complete bitch and blamed Emma for the dog’s death (because the dog sitter is of course responsible for an undiagnosed tumour on a one hundred year old dog) and Ken couldn’t have been more passive aggressive if he’d tried. So Emma moved back into the flat with Seb and tried and failed to get him to move out. Steve left Oliver with Summer to break up the argument and when he arrived home, Oliver had just started having some kind of fit so he rushed him down to the medical centre for help, bursting in on Gemma’s appointment. The kid is fine. He overheated or something. But now things are very tense between Steve and Leanne. Oops.

Leanne blames Steve for Oliver’s condition…

And now it’s time for the teenagers to come into play. I actually can’t believe these kids are old enough for this kind of storyline. How old does this make me?!

Amy decides to throw a party, which immediately gets out of hand, largely due to this annoying friend of her and Asha, some girl called Kelly (that thug Rick’s daughter, I think). The crux of it is that Asha has done something extremely stupid and extremely dangerous, which she confesses to Amy before the party – the night before, during a video chat with Corey, she took her top off. Why do these kids do these silly things? Well, I just hope this storyline serves its purpose and raises awareness because you don’t have to have a crystal ball to work out where this one is going to go… While Aadi (played by newcomer Adam Hussein) gets off his face on vodka, stolen from the shop, Kelly gets pissed off for being blamed for breaking a lamp. So, she takes Corey’s phone and passes round the topless picture of Asha. Because of course Corey kept evidence of the chat. Of course he did! Poor Asha. This boy is the one who has done the wrong thing – and Kelly too for passing the picture round. But it’s going to be Asha that suffers. The only thing she did wrong was trust the wrong person.

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

Hollyoaks Favourites: #KillerCameron

(Wednesday 8th April 2020)

On Wednesday, Keiron Richardson introduced the first of the week’s Hollyoaks Favourites. The first episode focusses on the big reveal of Killer Cameron’s rampage through the village. It begins with Cameron, Leela, Tegan, Peri and Courtney all playing happy families in a cabin in the woods, which is just never going to end well. Have none of these people ever seen a horror film before?

Back in the Village, Cleo is missing her sister, Celine, who has disappeared. Cameron has told everyone that she has gone away to a retreat but actually, he killed her. Down at the lake where they are staying, Tegan and Courtney are horrified to find Celine’s body in the lake and quickly connect the dots. I mean, it’s careless really. Why would he bring his family to the place where he buried the bodies? That is bound to go wrong! Anyway, Tegan works out that Cameron is the one who deflected the search for Celine and he also gave Leela a ring that belonged to her. However, Cameron soon rushes down to the lake to silence them. Despite Courtney’s heartfelt attempt to reason with him, which she bravely persists with regardless of him admitting that he killed Lockie (has Ziggy already died at this point?), he locks them in a shed and rushes back to the cabin to deal with Leela and Peri.

Cameron attacks Tegan and Courtney…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Meanwhile, Warren has taken Ste under his wing. Having worked out that Cameron is a bad guy, Ste has tried to make his family see sense, only to be rejected. He was attacked by Cameron at the cabin the night before. Ryan, who obviously still had some good in him at this point, locates Ste and informs him that Courtney made a 999 call and hung up. Together, they rush to the cabin, as any normal police officer would of course bring a member of the public to a potential, dangerous crime scene.

This is back in the day when Lisa was having an affair with Mac, her boyfriend, Nathan’s father. While Nathan frets about his girlfriend’s whereabouts and leaves loving messages for her on her voicemail, Lisa and Mac are at it in a campervan. When she hears Nathan’s messages, Lisa ends things with Mac and insists they go home. Mac is not a happy bunny. He is not used to being told no. They drive home, despite the fact that Mac has been drinking.

Inside the cabin, Cameron claims to have dealt with Tegan and Courtney and informs Leela and Peri that this is the end now. He admits to killing Leela’s parents as well as Nico. He then covers the cabin in accelerant and is set to burn them all alive before they make their escape with the help of the timely arrival of Ste and Ryan. Cue: terrified running through the woods followed by a frantic, enraged chase from Cameron who promptly gets hit by Mac and Lisa’s van, which just happens to be trundling along the road. Lisa rushes out and obviously wants to call an ambulance but Mac refuses and they drive off, knowing they can’t be caught together.

The others arrive, including Tegan and Courtney, who have been rescued by Ryan (if only Tegan could see the future, she wouldn’t be so grateful to Ryan right now…) While they wait for an ambulance, Leela stands over Cameron and warns him that he will be locked up for a long time. He tells her that he won’t be the only one. Elsewhere, Zack Loveday is locked up in a van, crying out for help.

I cannot for the life of me remember what poor Zack had to do with any of this but my overwhelming sense from this episode is that it’s rather alarming to realise how many characters from it are now dead: Tegan, Mac, Nathan, Ryan, Amy and Ziggy. (Celine, Lockie, Nico (who actually turns out to be an unknown female), Danny and Sam have already been killed – all by Cameron).

Due to the Coronavirus, Hollyoaks has had to suspend filming

Hollyoaks Favourites airs Wednesdays – Fridays 7pm on E4 to fill to gap

Normal Hollyoaks episodes will air on Mondays and Tuesdays at 6:30pm on Channel 4 with a sneak peek on E4 at 7pm

Hollyoaks Favourites: When Mercedes Married Browning

(Thursday 2^nd & Friday 3^rd April 2020)

As a tonic to our loss of Hollyoaks, fans are being treated to classic episodes of Hollyoaks, as chosen by cast members. What a fabulous idea! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if other shows followed suit? Coronation Street and Emmerdale are offering a steady flow of episodes, three times a week and Doctors so far hasn’t reduced its output. But with only two episodes of Eastenders and both of them at the beginning of the week and Home and Away and Neighbours only airing on Mondays and Fridays, classic episodes in between would be fantastic. So, thank you Hollyoaks for your thoughtfulness and generosity.

Thursday and Friday’s offerings focussed on the infamous wedding of Mercedes McQueen (then Fisher – RIP Malachy, you were definitely one of the good ones) and Doctor Browning, as chosen by Jorgie Porter (Theresa McQueen), back in 2013. This is Mercedes’ fourth wedding of seven (so far!)

The first episode begins with Theresa finishing off the preparations at the venue while Mercedes leisurely gets ready for the wedding with John Paul and Nanna. However, Myra has got hold of a compromising photo of Browning and Lindsey and doesn’t know what to do about it. John Paul advises caution. He offers to walk Mercedes down the aisle. Rather than cause problems for Mercy, Myra speaks to Browning who denies everything and blames it all on Lindsey. Just as an aside, I had forgotten about his weird, annoying friend, Jim.

Meanwhile, Joe has got hold of a text between Lindsey and Browning and the truth comes tumbling out – Browning forced himself on her and that’s what has been evidenced in the photo. This is obviously still when she was a nice, kindly Doctor whose only crime was to be a bit whingy. Joe then bursts into the McQueen house, demanding answers over Browning forcing himself on Lindsey. Mercedes defends him and then charges out of the house, determined to get answers of her own.

Mercedes charges past Maxine (they are obviously not friends) and launches into a scrap with Lindsey, who is quick to fight back, insisting that she did nothing wrong and Browning didn’t take no for an answer. Browning and Joe soon get involved. Freddie informs Browning that he has one hour to pay up or he won’t stop Lindsey from going to the police. Browning forces Jim to help him. He then returns to Mercedes, who is a mess of tears and smudged makeup and attempts to explain himself. Not realising that Myra has got herself shut in the cupboard in the bedroom and is listening to their conversation, Browning accidentally reveals their secret, that he killed Lyndsey Nolan. Oh, I remember that! That was one of the most shocking soap deaths ever, the moment that Hollyoaks proved it is capable of anything. Usually, you know a character is going to die because you know a cast member is leaving or has left but Lyndsey’s death came from nowhere!

Anyway, Browning pretty much gives Mercedes no choice in marrying him and literally carries her to the car. The family follow, minus Myra who has been accidentally locked in the cupboard (she was searching for the engagement ring that Mercedes threw away – well, it would have been a terrible waste of money!) Now, Myra is desperately worried about her daughter marrying a murderer. Well, you would be, wouldn’t you?

Mercedes and Doctor Browning get married…

Browning literally carries Mercedes down the aisle. They argue at the altar but do get married. Everyone is amused that Doctor Paul Browning’s first name is actually Shirley.

After the wedding, Mercedes returns home and discovers her mother stuck in the cupboard. Myra is heartbroken to realise that despite knowing that Browning is a murderer, Mercedes still married him. She attempts to give her daughter an ultimatum – leave him or she will report him to the police. But it’s no good. Mercedes is desperately in love with Browning (and we all know how that ends!) and informs her mother that she has no evidence and faced with a choice, she will always choose her husband. Not wanting to lose her daughter, Myra tearfully attends the reception and pretends that everything is okay.

At the reception, Browning receives a ‘gift’ and a note warning him that someone knows what he did. I’m afraid I can’t remember who it is from! But he assumes it is Freddie, who denies it. And he is too busy getting his job back at the garage, complete with his £10,000 and making Joe and Lindsey make up (I assume all of this is before the big affair and she turned into one of the biggest serial killers Hollyoaks has ever seen!)

Meanwhile, let’s all take a moment to coo over just how tiny Tom is. I mean, he is just adorable! So cute! Back in 2013, we were amid the Psycho Sienna storyline (there were a lot of these in Hollyoaks back then), where she had torn Darren and Nancy apart and firmly placed herself in the role of ‘mother’ and ‘wife’ and she was not happy that Esther and Tom were not buying it. Tom has walked in on Sienna breastfeeding Oscar and feels completely unsettled by it (obviously). Sienna then manipulates the situation by telling Darren that Tom has a crush on her, fabricating video evidence of Tom spying on her in the bathroom. The boys then end up talking at cross purposes about the breastfeeding/crush, making Tom think Darren is telling him that Sienna’s behaviour is normal. It’s not! Oscar is also on the verge of getting his cochlear implant and Sienna is poised to insert herself as his ‘Mummy’.

Meanwhile, Esther had her own problems as she faced the prospect of girlfriend, Tilly moving away. And I disappointed myself as I spent the entire episode trying to remember Esther’s name. She was a character I absolutely adored! Oh, we soapies can be fickle sometimes…

We appear to be at the beginning of the incredible story of domestic abuse/coercive control that Hollyoaks portrayed between Patrick and Maxine. Right now, Maxine seems very happy while Patrick is frustrated with her lack of focus. He gets her a job photocopying/shredding at the school, which she immediately rebels against. Poor Maxine started out as such a free spirited, fun loving character. At this point in her life, she had no idea what was to come. She gets a job at the café with George (who I adored and had completely forgotten about) and was so bolshy and annoying that he ended up quitting. Patrick spends the whole day watching her and disapproving. Sadly, it won’t be long before he will stamp that spark out of her, which will have ramifications to this very day.

Also worth noting that Patrick and Sienna are not on good terms. The way he speaks to her is really unsettling.

Due to the Coronavirus, Hollyoaks has had to suspend filming

Hollyoaks Favourites airs Wednesdays – Fridays 7pm on E4 to fill to gap

Normal Hollyoaks episodes will air on Mondays and Tuesdays at 6:30pm on Channel 4 with a sneak peek on E4 at 7pm

These reviews are based on the E4 episodes

Hollyoaks: Dodgy Dealings

(Monday 6^th & Tuesday 7^th April 2020)

Sid is left disappointed when he discovers that Juliet has invited Imran and Ollie to their romantic, seaside getaway. They end up in an argument about their sex life and break up. While Sid turns to Jordan for support, wanting to step up in Juliet’s place for the deals he had set up during the trip, Juliet turns to Peri for advice. She is surprised (and interested) to learn that Peri is bisexual. She tells Peri that she can do better than Jordan. Peri agrees and only sees Jordan as a short-term love interest.

Is this the beginning of a romance between Peri and Juliet…?
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Jordan sends Sid out to do a drug deal to prove that he will be capable of completing all the jobs he has set up for the trip he was supposed to take with Juliet. The deal goes wrong and Sid ends up handing the drugs over for no cash and ends up in trouble with Jordan. Jordan then asks Juliet to get back with Sid, if only for show, reminding her what happened to Romeo last time she backed out on him. Juliet steps up, offering to go along with Sid as a friend. And of course, as it turns out, Jordan intended the deal to go wrong in the first place; he wants to keep Juliet firmly under his control.

Jordan is firmly in control of Sid and Juliet
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Excited about their trip, Imran grows the tiniest little moustache in the world. It is so cute. Then in some of the most excruciating scenes ever, Ollie notices Imran’s sudden crush on Cindy (it’s as if they’ve never met before) and pays her to flirt like crazy with him to the point he completely panics. It’s the epitome of cringe.

Liberty decides to move out of the flat but Sienna is desperate for her to stay. Things are awkward between Liberty and Brody. He is in love with Sienna and wants to be with her but the last few weeks with Liberty still happened. Eventually, Liberty agrees to stay and make things work with Sienna and Brody and their baby.

Warren is furious to overhear Felix blackmailing Walter into persuading Mitchell to see him again. Grace interrupts an argument between Warren and Felix and at first, makes it clear that she is not a woman to be messed with. He then charms her into bed. I know she killed her brother last week but I’m starting to think Grace has lost her edge…! She claims that her spontaneous sex with Felix was unexpected but it was obviously going to happen from their first scene together! Unexpected? I don’t think so.

Scott overhears Felix and Walter’s secret…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Walter and Mitchell do go for a drink with Felix. Later, Scott overhears Walter and Felix arguing over the fact that Felix sold Toby and Celeste to the Doctor for money when they were born and Walter knew about it. Scott confronts Walter about his deception and warns him that if he doesn’t tell Mitchell the truth, he will. When they all meet up at the pub, Felix persuades Scott to keep quiet. For now. I’m telling you now, Scott, you are making a terrible mistake! Keeping this secret will make you just as bad as them when Mitchell does eventually find out…

Darren offers to help Kyle plan his wedding to Nancy, who just won’t stop criticising him. Mandy seems completely oblivious to her partner’s depression and his genuine lack of reaction to DJ’s steps. Nancy contacts Kyle’s Mum.

Due to the Coronavirus, Hollyoaks has had to suspend filming

Hollyoaks will now air Mondays and Tuesdays at 6:30pm on Channel 4 with a sneak peek on E4 at 7pm

These reviews are based on the E4 episodes

In place of normal episodes, Hollyoaks will air ‘Hollyoaks Favourites’, Wednesdays-Fridays, 7pm on E4

Eastenders: I’m Proud of You

(Monday 6^th & Tuesday 7^th April 2020)

During our two visits to The Square this week, Phil wakes up in a police cell and is all set to declare responsibility for causing Denny’s death. However, being that he caused it fighting with Keanu, the police are set to charge him with attempted murder – twice, as they have a statement from Sharon regarding the attack at Christmas. Ritchie is unable to get through to Phil, who throws her out of the interview room. It’s only when Ben persuades Sharon to withdraw her statement, the police have no choice but to let him go. How frustrating for them! They finally have Phil Mitchell (willingly) in their grasp and they have to let him go!

Phil and Sharon reunite a lot more easily than this huge Sheanu/baby/boat crash/Denny storyline would suggest and she breaks the news that Ben has lost his hearing. Ben is resistant to talking to his father about it but Phil is genuinely lovely. He is sad for his son and he struggles to communicate with him (well, he is a mumbler at the best of times) but eventually, he just writes down: I’m proud of you. That’s all he needs to do. It’s all Ben’s ever wanted him to say.

Vinny attempts to score a DJ job at the club, which I’ve only recently realised has been renamed Ruby’s. Where was I? Having sent Kheerat and his mother away, he arranges a house party in a bid to prove himself. Well, that’s not going to go wrong, is it?

Dotty confides in Vinny about the situation with Ian, who has taken the phone from The Arches, deleted the voicemail, smashed the phone and binned it (although Sharon has since found the phone in the bin and fished it out). Dotty takes Vinny’s advice and decides to stick close to the family, staying in Ian’s face and reminding him of his guilt as he plays the dutiful friend to Sharon, something made easier by Bobby’s obvious crush on her. Ian confronts Dotty over her inviting herself for dinner, reminding her that she no longer has any evidence. She tells him that it’s not about The Arches anymore; it’s about his own guilt and his own behaviour – Sharon might not be ready to hear the truth yet but one day, she will be. There’s a very sweet moment when Dotty enables Sharon to actually speak about her son, which she is very grateful for. You know, I’m actually starting to warm to Dotty…

Mick and Linda fail to keep their plan to sell The Vic under wraps, meaning that Shirley and Tina hear it from the locals instead. Thankfully, they are supportive, just wanting Linda to be well.

Mitch makes a play for Karen as she prepares to leave The Square. She is horrified and they agree to forget it ever happened. Billy is also feeling worried about Karen’s departure and how they are going to find time to see each other.

Due to the Coronavirus, Eastenders has had to suspend filming

It will air from now on only on Mondays (8pm) and Tuesdays (7:30pm) on BBC1

Neighbours: The Walkthrough

(Monday 6^th April 2020)

Yashvi is thrilled when Sky invites her to shadow her at work. She takes her to a walkthrough of the crime scene where Finn died, alongside Mark. At the crime scene, Yashvi lets slip that thirteen years ago, Sky was in a not dissimilar situation to Elly. Mark pounces, convinced that Sky is letting her past cloud her judgement. Sky insists that she is determined not to let her past cloud her judgement. Just because she was framed doesn’t mean that every woman in a similar situation is innocent.

Elly was found burying Finn’s body…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Everyone is still feeling the effects of Finn, The Island and Gary’s death. Chloe feels guilty for bringing everyone to The Island in the first place and David has pretty much stopped being able to function, having missed the signs that Finn’s memory had returned. To be fair to him, how many sessions were he and Finn even having? Wasn’t he off sick during all of this being that he nearly died of kidney failure a couple of months ago? What exactly was he meant to notice apart from unofficial conversations in the Street?

Aaron tries to encourage his husband up by going through old thank you letters from the hospital. Unfortunately, they quickly happen upon a card from Finn, which puts the exercise to an abrupt end. Inspired by a conversation with Yashvi, Mark breaks protocol and brings over the transcripts of Finn video diaries for David and Aaron to read to help David truly understand where Finn’s head was at and how hard he worked to keep everything a secret. There was no way that David could have guessed that his memory had returned or what he was planning.

Later, Mark catches Chloe sneaking a peek at the videos on his computer. Little does he realise that she has also copied the files and fully intends to share them with Elly, hoping that if the diaries helped ease David’s guilt, they might ease Elly’s also.

Dipi struggles with her grief for Gary and doesn’t appreciate Shane’s attempts to cheer her up. She wants to be sad. She, Pierce and Paul step up and support Kyle as he faces opening up the 82 without Gary. I really love the way Paul has come forward to care for the Canning family. He can be such a kind character when the moment calls for it. His gentleness with Sheila and Kyle is so lovely.

Mackenzie is under pressure from her aunt to ‘ask’ as she ‘needs to know soon’ but nobody seems to have time for her…

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

Home and Away: Lost Love

(Monday 6th April 2020)

Colby lays down some ground rules for Dean moving in with him and Bella. He forgets to mention not to spontaneously ask his girlfriend to move in too! Ziggy is thrown by the question and turns him down. She likes the gentle pace of their relationship, having rushed so quickly with Brody, only for everything to go wrong. She and Dean agree therefore agree not to move in together and continue being happy and in love. Hooray.

Ziggy is pleased to report that she is definitely not moving in with Dean!
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Bella mentions that her counsellor wants to discuss her ‘missing’ father. Colby tells her that she should discuss anything necessary that will help her heal. During a home education session, Roo calls Bella out on always telling people what they want to hear, suggesting that this is what she probably does during her counselling sessions too. Bella agrees to give the sessions a proper chance. I really hope this storyline doesn’t drag out too long. Bella is intensely irritating.

Irene, Jasmine, Willow and Alex all have dinner together, chatting about Willow and Alex’s big move. Jasmine hardly touches her food, still broken over the loss of Robbo. When the happy couple have gone off to bed, Jasmine admits to Irene that although she is happy for Willow and Alex, she feels she will never be able to move on with her life herself. Later, Alex overhears them talking about how much they are going to miss Willow when she moves away.

The four of them have lunch again together the next day. Irene washes her hands first (I hope it was for twenty seconds and to the tune of ‘Happy Birthday’). As they sit down to eat, Robbo’s will arrives, informing Jasmine that he has left her the gym. Jasmine is emotional as she goes to the gym with the girls, full of reminders of her husband, which she finds more upsetting than comforting. Alex supports Jasmine who struggles to plan for the future. She would have let Willow go ahead and run the place but now she is moving away to start a new life with her girlfriend. Alex is unsettled as Jasmine jokingly tells her that if she wasn’t so lovely, she’d hate her for taking her bestie away. There is no way that Willex are getting their happy ending… I am so sad.

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 Channel 5 episodes

Coronation Street: Get Away From My Granddaughter!

(Monday 30^th March – Friday 3^rd April 2020)

Imran informs David that he and Shona haven’t been married long enough to get divorced. Eileen informs Gail of David’s shenanigans with Alina and asks her to keep him away from her. Unfortunately, David is unimpressed with his mother’s advice and storms out, right into a confrontation with a gang who pull out a knife on him. He manages to get away and ends up back at home with a Chinese, in a thoroughly good mood. It’s worrying. Very worrying. He apologises to Alina for his behaviour.

David is confronted by thugs…
(photo credit Digital Spy)

Seb begs Emma to believe that she is the one he wants but she is adamant that it’s over and she wants him to move out, especially when she spots the pair of them arguing and it feels crystal clear to her that he still has feelings for his ex. When Seb refuses to leave, Emma decides to go and stay with Steve.

I have literally just realised every time we hear a ‘ding dong’ noise during scenes at Gemma and Chesney scenes, it’s her message tone. That’s why she knows who it is without answering the door. Please forgive me. I am not feeling very well. This time, it’s the hospital to say that Aled’s hearing aids are ready. Cathy ends up helping out with housework, sceptical of how much Bernie is helping. Gemma desperately tries to keep her post-natal depression under wraps. She and Gemma go to the hospital for their appointment with Aled to get his hearing aids. Chesney is thrilled to see his little boy being able to hear and respond to sound for the first time. Gemma is just anxious. She pushes her mother away again.

Ken realises that he is being overcharged for the cleaning at Stillwaters. Is he about to overthrow the leadership?!

Geoff is keen to put doubts in Yasmeen’s mind about the trip to Spain, wanting to put as much distance between her and her grandchildren as possible, aware that Alya is getting too close to the truth. He takes things one step further by faking heart trouble but panics when Yasmeen immediately calls an ambulance. Obviously. Because he is LYING! The paramedics arrive and confirm that he hasn’t had a heart attack but when Yasmeen mentions his heart condition, they recommend he go to hospital, which he refuses. Then he charms them by offering them a shout out on hospital radio.

While Tim and Sally are suitably worried, Ryan and Alya are sceptical, especially as it immediately means Yasmeen has decided Geoff can’t travel and she can’t leave him. Alya points out that he hasn’t even seen a Doctor. She says that Zeedan (who didn’t initially even bother to invite either of them to the wedding) will be devastated.

Things get tense between Geoff and Alya…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Alya discovers that there is actually only one five star hotel in the area that Geoff could have booked. She also discovers that the hotel has no record of him making a reservation or of cancelling it. With her new information, she visits Geoff and challenges him about his lies, accusing him of faking his health scare in a bid to get the trip cancelled. When she tackles him about his police record, mentioning Clare’s Law, he turns nasty. Alya looks genuinely frightened. Yasmeen walks in on Geoff threatening her and says the best words she has said in a long time.

“Geoff! Get away from my granddaughter!”

Finally, we can see that fire, that strength in Yasmeen that we have known was there all along. She may not feel able to protect herself but when Alya was in danger, she stepped up without any hesitation. That fight is still in her. It just needs bringing out.

Unfortunately, Yasmeen decides to ask Alya to leave amid all her new information about Geoff and for now at least, decides to stay with him. Having seen his level of aggression, Alya is more reluctant than ever to leave her Gran alone with Geoff but agrees to go home.

Alone, Yasmeen carefully questions Geoff’s health condition. It does not go well. He loses his temper, blaming her for causing his heart condition in the first place, suggesting they barge into the GP’s office and demand answers if she doesn’t believe him. He suggests they end their relationship. All things that she knows she will back down from.

Later, Geoff books another date with ‘Rachel’ before heading up to have a bath. Yasmeen tries and fails to gain access to his laptop but cannot guess his password. This storyline truly is awful but it’s so clever too. Throughout the episode, not just the ‘big’ scenes, there are constant digs from Geoff to Yasmeen, constant moments of control. They’re subtle but important. Constant criticism and bullying tactics, helping us to understand just how Yasmeen has become so trapped.

On April Fool’s Day, Tim and Geoff play a trick on Yasmeen and Sally, pretending that Tim has chopped his thumb off, washing up. Yasmeen cleverly suggests that Tim and Sally show them their new wedding venue on Geoff’s laptop and is then able to watch him type in the password. As soon as she gets a moment alone, Yasmeen logs into Geoff’s laptop. She discovers that her husband has been using an escort. He catches her in the act and although she challenges him about it, he still manages to turn it all around on her and she ends up apologising for snooping. I really thought this was going to be her moment. He changes his password.

Yasmeen begins to discover Geoff’s lies…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Yasmeen also mentions that she couldn’t find evidence of him booking the hotel, which is why she looked on the laptop in the first place; she was trying to prove Alya wrong. With no options left and convinced he will always have the upper hand anyway, Geoff admits that he lied and there was no booking. He insists that the lie was out of love and wanting to make a grand gesture that he couldn’t follow through but she has easily worked out that everything, including his ‘heart attack’ was a lie. He is mortified when she decides to go to Spain without him. Go Yasmeen! He tries to emotionally blackmail her and then fights to keep her from packing her things. When she insists on leaving, he slams the door, insisting that she is not going anywhere…

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

Emmerdale: Here Come the Girls!

(Monday 30^th March – Friday 3^rd April 2020)

Rhona buys into the farm…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Rhona and Moira bond over a vet visit to the farm. Unfortunately, it looks like Moira will soon have to hand over the farm to Kim as she can no longer afford to keep it on and Cain refuses to help. However, when it transpires that Graham has left all his money to Rhona (and it appears to be rather a lot!), Rhona decides to step in and go into business with Moira. That way, she can save the farm, save her from having to sell to Kim and rub Kim’s nose in it all at the same time. They very smugly inform Kim of their plans.

Brenda panics to Eric about Dan. He encourages her to get rid of any incriminating packaging that could link her to poisoning him. He then visits Dan himself to talk him down over his anger towards Brenda. Dan points out that this is the second time she has poisoned him in recent weeks. Furious that Brenda is now denying responsibility, Mandy goes rooting through the rubbish and finds the incriminating evidence. Rodney just about persuades her to keep to café open, only for Amelia to turn up and publicly lay into her, damning her to hell, which coming from a committed Christian really stings!

Mandy searches for evidence…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Charity goes hand gel crazy in preparation for Vanessa returning home. I wonder where on earth she was able to buy that luxury item from! She rejects Rhona’s flowers for fear of contamination. Tracy is clumsy when talking to Rhona about Pierce. Charity is ready to make a fuss of her fiancée as soon as she returns home from hospital.

Harriet takes Cain aside, worried that he is working Will too hard. Cain confronts Will for still working for DI Malone. When Will confesses to getting rid of a van, having first welded drugs into it, Cain takes his wage for it. He orders Will to pick a side and advises him to chooses his. While Harriet cannot make head nor tail of the conflicting stories she is being told by Will and Cain, the former of whom is moody and pushing her away. Will is torn between pressure from Cain and the power DI Malone has over him, leading Billy to find him having a panic attack in the garage. Feeling pity for him, Billy tells Will that he doesn’t have to work for Malone anymore; he and Cain kept the car they were meant to get rid of as insurance against him. However, he stupidly gives away the location of the car and sure enough, when he and Cain go to the farm, the car is gone. Unfortunately, this plot has not vanished with it. And now, with only three episodes a week, it’s going to drag on forever.

Al and Priya grow closer…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Priya and Jai are enjoying working together, although not quite as much as Priya and Al are enjoying working together, as the pair of them begin hooking up (and are nearly caught out by Jai). I mean, come on! Surely Priya has better taste than Al? He has about as much personality as wallpaper paste!

Due to the Coronavirus, Emmerdale have had to suspend filming

Emmerdale will now air on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV1 at 7pm