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
With their families as one now, Laurel reminds Archie to be careful with Arthur’s special boat in a bottle. Arthur is still grounded over his behaviour, prompting him to tell his mother that he hates her and that she’s a rubbish Mum. That night, Arthur hides the bottle in Archie’s bag and then smashes it, hoping the get the little boy in trouble. However, when he knows exactly where to find it the next morning, Laurel doesn’t buy his tale for a second. Jai begs him to tell the truth and apologise to his mother. Reluctantly, Arthur agrees. He takes responsibility for breaking the bottle and when pushed by Archie, accepts that he hurt him, even though it isn’t true.
Vanessa has surgery…
Charity, Tracy and Rhona support Vanessa as she goes into surgery for her bowel cancer. The surgery is successful, although she will still need chemotherapy to make sure. There is the loveliest scene afterwards where Charity takes Vanessa down to the chemo suite to make her feel more comfortable with what is to come. The two women pledge their love and commitment to each other. It really is very sweet.
Sam is upset to discover that Samson pawned his mother wedding ring to go on a school trip. Vinny takes the blame and he and Mandy get thrown out, prompting Mandy to steal from the Free Marlon Dingle Campaign in order to get the ring back. When Vinny gets such a hard time for his crime, Samson can’t cope and confesses. Vinny then admits that he isn’t actually a Dingle and wanted to prove his commitment to the family. Mandy was in a relationship with his father and has been a mother to him since he was a baby. His Dad left and she has been his mother ever since. The family agree that his love and commitment to the family make his as much Dingle as anyone else.
Unfortunately, Brenda twigs that Mandy has robbed the charity fund and she is soon tackled by the police. The police also want to speak to Marlon, who goes into meltdown at cops knocking on his door. Well, you can understand it. His last police interaction had him wrongfully imprisoned for murder! He hides in his house until Paddy and Rhona can persuade him to open up and calm the situation down.
Paddy takes Marlon out for a drive with Eve and drags him out to car to get some air where he promptly starts having chest pains. Paddy rushes him to the hospital and in the chaos, he forgets about little Eve in the back of the car! Marlon is rushed into resus and Paddy waits anxiously for news. It’s only when Rhona shows up that Paddy suddenly remembers his daughter. By the time he goes to find her, she has already been rescued from the car by the police. She has been taken into the hospital and treated for being too cold. The car is registered to Chas, who has been called to the police station. Social services have been contacted. While Marlon is diagnosed as having had a minor heart attack, Eve is kept in overnight. Chas is furious with Paddy.
Chas struggles to forgive Paddy…
The next day, Marlon is finally ready to forgive and forget when it comes to his family. He spends the day with Rhona but things get awkward when she tries to kiss him and then runs off. They eventually talk things through and confirm that they don’t want to restart their relationship, they just needed comfort and got carried away.
Rhona and Marlon confuse their feelings…
Back at the pub, Paddy has to announce his mistake but everyone is a lot more forgiving than Chas. Finding Paddy at Grace’s grave, Lydia says all the right things and sends him back to Chas and Eve. Chas and Paddy make peace but privately, Chas vows never to let her daughter out of her sight again.
The next day is Eve, Harry and Theo’s christening. Chas is late as she takes Eve to help Aaron get dressed, refusing to leave her with Paddy. While they are all waiting, some of the men do Godfather impressions, leading Harriet to start the service with a rather amusing impression of her own! The service goes well but the party afterwards explodes into an argument between Chas and Paddy over his mistake. That night, Paddy leaves. He spends the night in his car. When he does eventually come back the next day, he has missed the meeting with Social Services. Chas is livid.
The other person who struggles with the Christening is Wendy, who despite herself, still misses her rapist son, Lee. She leaves the service and when she apologises to Victoria later for doing so, kind Victoria just gives her a big hug. It’s a lovely scene. Later that night, Victoria takes a huge step and spends the night with Luke but while they seem very close the next morning, Victoria admits to Amy that she felt like the whole thing was happening to someone else. She is honest with Luke who is horrified and wishes she had told him and he would have stopped, never wanting her to feel like that with him. While he is happy to go back to a non-physical relationship, Victoria decides she isn’t ready for any kind of relationship at all and ends things completely between them.
Victoria and Luke grow closer…
Nick (where did he even come from?) gives Andrea a camera and literally sets her up to record Kim confessing to ordering Graham death and threatening to take out a hit on her. Also on camera, Nick and Andrea kiss before she pulls away, feeling she is cheating on Jamie. Of course, it’s all a plot to get Andrea in a compromising position and Nick has been working for Kim all along. He gives her the footage to use against Andrea but it backfires as Andrea immediately goes to Jamie with what has happened. When Belle also mentions that Kim threatened her to keep away from him, he concludes that his mother will never change. He moves out and reunites with Andrea, the family moving in with Tracy and shutting Kim out of their lives. Not exactly what Kim planned!
While Dawn is excitedly preparing for Lucas’s arrival, this boring story between Will, Cain and this DI Malone guy is rumbling on. This week, poor Billy gets dragged in on getting rid of a car with Cain, only Cain decides to merely hide the car and use it as an insurance policy against Malone. I mean, I’m not really following it to be honest. I apologise. I know I’m a soap blogger but some stories are just too dull, especially when they make them so bloody complicated. The most interesting thing about this one is that the actor who plays the dodgy copper is married to Samantha Womack (RIP Ronnie Mitchell, gone too soon).
Another example of a boring story is this apparently comedic story of Liam and Leyla trying to get some alone time together. They get caught out at the gym, at his GP surgery, at her office, at her house… Oh, it goes on! And why? Because his daughter thinks he should be waiting for the woman who abandoned him to move to Australia? Come off it. Move this story on, Emmerdale, quickly and quietly. The idea of Eric and Brenda getting together is more interesting than this and only because the actors are a couple in real life!
Due to the Coronavirus, Emmerdale have had to suspend filming
This week, Emmerdale is on at 7pm Monday to Friday with a second episode at 8pm on Thursdays
Monday and Tuesday’s episodes were kind of like a coda to last week’s #endgame so I thought I’d review them separately to the rest of this week. The first episode doesn’t have the usual Neighbours credits. It’s more like a film as JACKIE WOODBURNE, ROB MILLS and NEIGHBOURS appear on the screen for what is an absolutely fantastic two-hander episode. The second episode has the usual credits, having ruthlessly removed Gary Canning (RIP).
So, Susan is surprised when Finn arrives home alone. He tells her that Bea has gone to the Snowy Mountains and he needs her to go with him to see her as she is very upset. Always one to drop everything to help, Susan gets in the car with him, letting Karl know what she’s doing, not that Karl proves to be useful at all.
Travelling in Elly’s car, they head towards the Snowy Mountains where she updates him on the Wedding Expo. He wonders who ended up with the Rome Honeymoon Box. Clearly nobody has discovered Prue yet…
Finn admits that he had been hoping to make a future with Elly but he now knows it was a mistake. He then grills Susan on how she coped with Karl cheating on her and whether she has completely forgiven him. She says she has but the experience changed her; a part of her heart has turned to granite. Finn is full of compliments over the way she loves and cares for people. Then Susan realises that Aster is hidden in the back of the car. Finally, she realises that something is wrong.
Finn insists that Elly can’t look after Aster at the moment. He has clearly transferred his affection from Elly to Susan. Essentially, this is what it has been about all along. His mother never loved him. He wants Susan to be the mother he never had. He has now decided that Karl isn’t good enough for Susan and Elly isn’t good enough for him. He wants him and Susan and Aster to run away and be a family together.
Admitting that his memory has been back for a few weeks, Finn takes Susan to the cabin in the Snowy Mountains, ready for a new life with his new family. He shares some upsetting childhood memories with her and is clearly angry with Elly for giving him hope and then letting him down, even after he went to the trouble of removing all the ‘obstacles’. Susan is gentle with him and holds him while he falls asleep, just as his mother never did. He wants to know how much she hated Karl when he cheated on her. He wants to find some common ground. He wants Susan to empathise with his own heart having turned to granite as he admits that the only thing that makes him feel better about people hurting him is when he hurts them back.
When he is asleep, Susan seeks her escape but she is caught. She makes an excuse and soon has the opportunity to knock him out but she can’t do it. She persuades him that they need to go and buy milk for Aster. When he is getting ready, she spots his phone but he catches her with it and all hell breaks loose as he realises she was about to call the police for help. He is enraged, announcing she will never be a mother to him as he ties her to a chair. He informs her that Elly and Bea will be dead by now and that he killed Gary. He is upset that he won’t get to see Xanthe’s face when she finds out.
Finn turns on Susan…
While Finn goes outside to dig Susan’s grave, soaking the earth with water to soften it, Susan cries out for help. Aster cries with nobody to soothe her. Susan tearfully apologises to the poor little baby who has been through so much.
Finn digs Susan’s grave…
In the next episode, water pours into the grave. Finn is clearly getting carried away! Meanwhile, in the cabin, Susan has fallen backwards in her chair and Aster is still crying. Suddenly, Elly bursts in and saves the day. Hooray!
At the hospital, the Island gang are being rushed in. Harlow is critical and Bea is in a bad way. Paul hurries into the hospital with Toadie. Bea tells Karl about Finn. Karl can’t get through to Susan on the phone. Well, she is a little bit busy.
Finn finishes digging what has become a rather watery grave. As he climbs out of it, he slips and falls and the water and the mud suck him into it so he can’t get out. He calls Susan for help. Faced with a moral dilemma, Susan decides to take Elly and the baby and run, leaving Finn behind to die. However, at the last minute, Elly turns back for him. She turns the water off and finds him dead in the grave he dug for Susan. Standing over him, she tells him how much she hates him and that she hopes his last moments were awful. The police arrive, just as she begins to bury him. I mean… she must have known the police were coming. And even if she didn’t, there was no need to touch the scene. Why on earth try and bury him? What the hell is wrong with her? Well, if she hadn’t been messing around with him behind Bea’s back in the first place… Perhaps to answer my question, we should start there!
But anyway, I can’t even tell you how disappointed I am with Finn’s death. Firstly, Neighbours said the third death would be someone unexpected. Finn was the first person on my list. Of course, Finn was going to die. This was his ultimate storyline. It would have been a shock if he hadn’t died. Secondly, what a weak, weird death. It was just… odd. He slipped and fell and drowned in a grave he dug for Susan? I mean, I get it was supposed to be creepy and symbolic. But it was just weird. It didn’t… fit. And it’s such a shame because this whole story, from his previous reign of terror, to being pushed off a cliff, to his redemption, to this whole #endgame story has been incredible. It’s been one of the best Neighbours storylines ever. I’ve loved every single second of it. But I wasn’t impressed with the death of Finn. He has been one of the best characters the soap has ever produced. He deserved better.
Elly finds Finn dead…
Moving on… Chloe and Pierce give their statements to Mark at the police station. (I am very excited to hear a rumour that Sky Mangel is sticking around to take charge of the case, by the way!!!) They explain about Finn, Harlow and the fire.
As for Paul… he found Toadie and flagged Harry down for help, only to end up being taken hostage by him, using a gun from Finn’s storage locker. Harry had been on his way to collect Finn to take him to the cabin in the Snow Mountains. Toadie and Paul managed to explain the truth about Finn (and Elly) to him and he let them go, informing them of Finn’s attack on Bea. Paul explains everything to David while Harry gives his statement to Mark.
When Paul arrived on The Island, he sent Chloe and Hendrix off with Toadie to get help while he, Pierce, Kyle and Roxy went to find Harlow and Bea. By that time, Elly had also been thrown in the mine. Elly had to break the news to Kyle about Gary. There’s a particularly moving scene where Paul comforts him as he breaks down over the loss of his Dad. Everyone ended up having to hide in the mine to protect themselves from the flames, waiting for rescue. Elly drove off as soon as she got to the mainland.
Kyle arrives home and breaks the news to Sheila that Gary is dead. They are both are utterly broken hearted. Kyle must then break the news to Xanthe that Finn murdered her father.
Paul hasn’t been able to contact Prue (may she rest in peace) since it all happened. He lays into Hendrix and kicks him out of Harlow’s hospital room. Roxy promises to keep him updated.
Elly, Susan and Aster arrive at the hospital, reassuring Bea that they are safe and well, although Susan is suffering exhaustion from her encounter with Finn. Elly breaks the news to her sister that Finn is dead. Mark arrives and calls Elly in for questioning over Finn’s death.
Due to the Coronavirus, Neighbours did temporarily suspend filming but currently, they do seem to have resumed so no changes to schedule so far
Neighbours airs on Channel 5, weekdays 1:45pm and 5:30pm
Geoff persuades Yasmeen to sell up and move to Cyprus with him. There’s an interesting moment when he educates her on washing her hands while singing ‘happy birthday’ in her head, which apparently was coincidental but is now very apt!
Alya continues to be very worried about her grandmother. She accuses Geoff of theft, which he denies and she is later shocked when someone comes to value the business. Alya charges round to see Yasmeen who has no choice but to let her in. Convinced that Yasmeen is being abused, she furious packs some clothes for her, only for Geoff to interrupt them. Geoff and Alya fight over Yasmeen who ultimately chooses her husband. He throws Alya out. It’s just so sad, especially as of course, Geoff then takes everything out on Yasmeen, accusing her of accusing him of being an abuser. He leaves her stewing for hours before she agrees to abandon her granddaughter, something that rational Yasmeen would never, ever have done before. She absolutely lived for her family.
Toyah takes Alya to the police for help for Yasmeen…
Desperately worried, Alya goes to the police to invoke Clare’s Law and asks them to search Geoff’s background and find out if there is anything in Geoff’s past that Yasmeen ought to know. Separately, Alya discovers that Geoff and an ex-girlfriend were both once charged with a public affray after a fight in a pub. She takes the information to Yasmeen who is resistant to the news. Alya begs her to hang fire on the move to Cyprus. Yasmeen rushes her out the back door when Geoff arrives home. Alya expresses her concerns to Eileen.
Geoff is immediately annoyed when the neighbours make fun of him with ‘jiggle it Geoff’ as the chain is on the door. But mostly, he is excited over their plans to move away. It all goes wrong when Yasmeen reluctantly asks him about Jocelyn, the woman he fought with. He denies any blame and challenges Yasmeen to go with him to the police station to ask them herself. He is furious that Alya was back at the house and slams his fist on the table, frightening his wife before throwing her dinner on the floor. She is so scared of the mess and wasting the money that he spent on the takeaway that she picks it up and begins to eat off the floor. He is disgusted with her. It’s one of the most horrific scenes yet. This incredible woman has been utterly degraded by this vile man.
Geoff cancels Cyprus and then walks out on her for the night. While Yasmeen scrubs the carpet, he books an escort called Rachel! The next morning, Yasmeen desperately searches for Geoff and finds Alya in the restaurant contacting the police about their background search on him. She says some very unkind things to her granddaughter and makes it clear that she chooses Geoff over her. It really is the most awful situation.
When he finally does come home, Yasmeen finds the strength to say she wants to hang fire on moving to Cyprus. At work, Alya is frustrated with Geoff for not doing any work. He is too busy booking his next ‘date’ with ‘Rachel’.
Yasmeen is unable to work due to a bad stomach. Geoff rearranges the work rota so that he and Alya don’t have to work together. Alya is about to give up on Yasmeen, feeling that all her attempts to help have only succeeded in Yasmeen pushing her away. Ryan visits Yasmeen and begs her to come and see Alya, who is upset over a phone call. Yasmeen rushes out in her dressing gown, desperately worried about her granddaughter. She finds Alya in her flat with two police officers. They have information about Geoff. Yasmeen is worried about Geoff having seen her and she doesn’t want to hear anything they have to say. She storms out. The police are unable to tell anyone but Yasmeen about Geoff.
Alya visits Yasmeen and begs her to at least consider hearing what the police have to say. She persuades her to let her put the officer’s number in her phone under ‘Clare’, expressing how worried she is. It’s an emotional moment as Alya tells her she knows she is scared and confused. You can see Yasmeen’s conflict as she wants to reach out to Alya for help but she is trapped in this awful cycle of abuse with Geoff.
Alya attempts to bring Zeedan home to help with Yasmeen but he doesn’t believe that she is being abused and refuses to abandon his holiday with his girlfriend.
Gemma is struggling with parenthood and is reluctant to return to the Mother and Baby Group. The group are not impressed with Bernie, who has arrived back on the Street. Gemma is further upset to realise that she has been left out of a get together and embarrassed when Bernie bursts in and gives them what for. The girls appear to make a gesture by inviting Gemma and the quads out. There seems to be one girl, Imogen who isn’t very nice and deliberately keeps topping up Gemma’s Prosecco to get her tipsy and chatty and there’s another girl, Vanessa who does seem to be quite nice.
Gemma nearly has a serious accident…
Things take a turn when Gemma overhears Imogen remarking that the kids will end up in care. She storms out and nearly ends up under a car – with the kids. She is spotted by Craig and one of his colleagues who are concerned that she has been drinking, although Craig lets it go this time. Gemma breaks down and admits to Bernie that she isn’t coping but she cannot be honest with Chesney who is working so hard for the family. By the end of the episode, the quads are crying, Joseph needs help with his homework, she has spilt a cup of tea and she is sobbing in the garden. That night, she has a nightmare that she puts Aled in the washing machine. She still can’t tell Chesney what she is going through.
Gemma is surprised by a visit from the Health Visitor, who is mildly concerned about her mental health but Gemma doesn’t want to talk about it. Taking her advice, when she gets stressed, she goes outside for a moment, only to get locked out of the house. Bernie arrives and they manage to break in through the window and settle the babies down. Gemma breaks down on her mother. Bernie decides to move in and help with the babies. She wants Gemma to book a Doctor’s appointment. Chesney is not happy about Bernie moving in, especially after she takes responsibility for the broken window.
Ken and Claudia hit the ground running at the Retirement Village with Claudia volunteering Ken to run the book club, as their regular leader is unavailable. He ends up having to read an excerpt from his own book but there is a troublemaker in the form of Norris Cole, who attempts to discredit him. He is soon shut down by the other residents who don’t care if Ken has only had one book published: it’s one more book than Norris. It turns out that Norris and Freda have been living at the Retirement Village and Norris hates it. He feels like Freda has turned into a different person and he is desperate to leave. He is disruptive in an art class. You know, this Retirement Village seems rather a lot of fun! A book club, art club, cinema club, salsa class, a bar… Ken brings Norris to The Rovers to see his friends. Ken isn’t happy over the way Tracy is (not) looking after Eccles so he sneaks her into the Retirement Village.
Ken and Norris reconnect…
Fiz and Tyrone have a rather unpleasant discussion in front of the kids about cremated dogs being scattered in the Red Rec! It’s not that random – Tyrone and Evelyn have to take the dog to the vet but thankfully he will be just fine. However, his treatment is very expensive (no insurance). At the vets, Evelyn reconnects with an old flame, Arthur. They arrange a date (Evelyn even gets a makeover from Claudia and reserves a booth at The Rovers), only for him not to show up, which is a genuine shame. It would be nice for her to have a romance. Tyrone intercepts Arthur going to explain himself to Evelyn and warns him to stay away. He speaks to her anyway and explains that nerves got in the way of the date, asking for another chance. Evelyn tells Tyrone off for interfering, although she is touched that he cares.
Seb is reluctant when Emma tells him that her mother wants to pay for them both to come to Australia so she can meet him, although he does eventually agree. He also doesn’t seem to want to spend much time with her but later has a moment with Alina. Oh dear. Emma speaks to Alina directly when she gets wind of a possible attraction between her and Seb but Alina makes it clear that she would never come between them and that she values her friendship with Emma. Well, I hope that’s true.
Is there still an attraction between Seb and Alina…?
Alina tells David off for being rude to her at the pub so he buys her a drink to apologise. A possible new romance? For now, David has his own problems, as Shona refuses to see David but he reconnected with Clayton. She decides to go and visit Clayton himself and warn him not to take advantage of his vulnerable mother. He fails. Nick offers to try and see Shona and try to correct the situation. She refuses to see him. She passes on a message to David that she will not be returning to Wetherfield and she wants a divorce.
David fails to warn Clayton away from Shona…
Due to the Coronavirus, Coronation Street has had to cease filing
This week, Coronation Street will air on ITV on Monday & Wednesday at 7:30/8:30pm
Juliet and Sid are in way too deep with Jordan already but this is clearly just the beginning as he refuses to take no for an answer about them selling drugs for him. He threatens to tell Juliet’s family what she has been up to. Deciding to end things once and for all, Juliet opts to be honest with her family. Unfortunately, she overhears Romeo and James doubting her honesty and she cannot bear to prove them right. What she doesn’t hear is the end of the conversation and James putting his absolute faith in her. Subsequently, Sid and Juliet agree to work for Jordan, who has been getting up close and personal with Peri. This is also the first time we see a flicker of attraction on Juliet’s behalf towards Peri, which we know by the end of the year, will turn into love.
Darren is lost in the pit of depression…
Oblivious Mandy goes out for the day, leaving Darren all by himself. Desperate not to be alone, he arranges to spend time with Luke and Kyle. When they leave him to return to their partners in the evening, he is left broken again. He upsets Oscar, who tells him they never have any fun together anymore and pretends to be asleep when Mandy comes home. He cries alone.
Kyle offers his support to Darren…
When he backs out of the open mic night he has be obsessing over for weeks, claiming to be unwell, Mandy is at her wit’s end with him. When she expresses her concerns to their friends, Kyle also backs out of the open mic night (leaving a spot open for Cindy to insult people), and visits Darren. Once he’s actually got through the door, the boys have the first heart to heart I think they’ve ever had. Kyle suspects that Darren is suffering with depression. He tells him about ‘a friend’ he had while he was in rehab (news to Darren) who suffered terribly with depression. He admits that it never really left him and refers to a coping mechanism he had of pinching his hand when he got anxious. He advises Darren to keep it quiet (terrible advice!), claiming that Mandy won’t understand and will just tell him to man up. That night, Kyle smokes weed alone and cries. His pinches his hand. As all viewers knew, he is the friend he was talking about.
The next day, Darren makes a big effort with Mandy. Kyle visits, worried about Darren after her doesn’t reply to his calls or texts. Nancy is embarrassed when Kyle shows up to school in his green Lycra to very sweetly bring her some lunch. She accepts the lunch but hurriedly sends him away. No wonder the poor guy feels so rejected; she hasn’t exactly made it a secret that she thinks he’s beneath her. They’re meant to be getting married in ten wees and she wasn’t brimming over with joy about that. Plus, she told him that wasn’t cut out to be a father after her miscarriage. And there’s the small matter of her cheating on him with Darren. Her disregard for Kyle is quite obvious. It’s really very sad. And it’s a very interesting story, actually. As a viewer, I’ve very easily noticed the state that Darren has been in but I didn’t realise the depth of despair that Kyle was facing.
Thankfully, Darren does notice Kyle, stoned on skunk and hurries to sober him up, even though it means cancelling his date with Mandy. He is worried about his friend smoking and is sceptical over him doing it to solve his physical pain.
The next day, Mandy is busy but is eager for tickets so she sets Darren and Kyle the task of queuing online for them. Of course, they get distracted with video games and lose their place in the queue. Thankfully, Kyle has a contact at the venue and scores the tickets that way instead so Mandy need never know they messed up.
Edward and Diane’s secret is exposed…
Edward struggles to control his jealousy of Diane and Tony, particularly on his and his late wife’s wedding anniversary where he tells Diane that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her instead now. Things come to a head when Edward wins a prestigious award and threatens to reveal all about their affair during his speech but backs out at the minute. During the party, Diane takes him aside to make it clear that they are over and Tony must never know about their affair. Edward ‘just so happens’ to still have his microphone on and while Tony is in the middle of his own speech about how proud he is of his Dad, the truth about the affair comes out to the whole room. Eventually, Tony kicks Edward out of the house but gives Diane a choice – him or Edward. She chooses Tony. Good!
Tony is distraught to learn the truth…
Edward is particularly rude to Misbah who only has the best of intentions when she is concerned over him doing too many hours at work. Tony refuses to let his Dad get into his head over Diane.
Liam continues to throw his weight around with his enemies. Liam manages against the odds to get Warren out of prison, only for Liam to have him beaten to within an inch of his life. Liam continues to throw his weight around with Maxine, sending a client round to her house for sex, prompting an argument when she refuses. He doesn’t want to take no for an answer.
Due to the Coronavirus, Hollyoaks has had to suspend filming
For now, Hollyoaks still airs on Channel 4 at 6:30pm with a sneak peek 7pm on E4
The Coronavirus has suspended filming of Eastenders and now all the other soaps so this week, we only got two episodes (Monday and Tuesday). I will try and keep people informed over changes to schedules as I can.
So… something has definitely shifted in the Atkins household since Gray’s brutal assault on Chantelle. While he is walking on eggshells, she has completely shut him out and clearly feels broken by what he has done to her. She refuses to let him near her, including hiding from him when she gets dressed, as she is wrapped in bandages to try and heal all her cuts and bruises. When he does walk in on her and sees what he has done to her, he is visibly shaken but it may just be too late. She even flatly informs him that she has taken a job at the call centre with Kheerat and refuses to apologise for it, despite his objections. All we can hope is that this may be the beginning of her finding the strength to leave him.
Gray continues to work on Whitney’s case while she reluctantly recovers from her collapse in hospital. She is still refusing to eat. Gray searches Whitney’s room in frustration, looking for any kind of clue that Leo was stalking her and finally, looks up and sees the hole in the ceiling. He and Sonia then discover the creepy loft room, full of evidence of stalking and a planned attack on Whitney. This could be the ultimate key to her release. Gray appeals to his boss about his job, confident that Whitney’s case is now something he can win but it doesn’t look as if it is going to be that easy.
Sharon continues to struggle to be a mother to Kayden, although Linda is proving to be a true friend, offering to look after both him and her. She takes her to register the birth and is a genuine, kind, listening ear.
Sharon is further broken when she receives the news that Denny’s body has been released and she can go ahead with the funeral. Kathy goes with her to begin making plans with Jay. She goes to see the coffin (presumably it was too much to show a child in coffin on Tuesday night!) and breaks down, telling him that she could never love anyone the way she loves him. Well, that doesn’t bode well for the baby.
Sharon says goodbye to her son…
After a chat with Denise about when she had Raymond adopted and having left Kayden with Karen pretty much all day, the inevitable happens… Sharon takes the baby back to Karen and hands him over. She tells her that she can’t be a good mother to the baby and she wants him to have a good life with her.
Sharon hands Kayden over to Karen…
Keegan and Denise have a heart to heart over the difficulties black people face in this world. Keegan is upset that his father wasn’t around to prepare him. When he returns him, he talks to Bailey who is full of all the dreams under the sun. He warns Mitch to prepare her for future now so she isn’t hurt and shocked when she’s older if she doesn’t get the same opportunities as other people. Mitch reluctantly talks to Bailey who feels very sad that she could be treated in a different way. And I think viewers are left sad too. This whole storyline is sad. Because it shouldn’t be true. It should never have been true. And now, in 2020 this should not be people’s lives.
Ben is approached by an old ‘colleague’, the guy he got caught up with who abducted Louise. Remember that boring plot? Yes, all that is coming back. Brilliant. Callum is suitably worried but Ben is adamant that just because he is deaf, it doesn’t mean he can’t be stupid, I mean, himself. The couple attend another Doctor’s appointment and they are set for the cochlear implant in around four weeks (presumably unless the Coronavirus reaches Walford and they cancel all non-emergency surgery). And the Doctor does that awful thing of constantly talking to Callum instead of Ben. Offensive. You’d think a Doctor, especially in that particular field, would know better.
Isaac continues to make his presence felt in the Square. He gets very drunk on a school night, then quits his job to take on a teaching position at Walford Primary. Well, it looks like he is here to stay. Great. He’s not annoying at all.
Due to the Coronavirus, Eastenders has had to suspend filming
It will air as normal this week, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 7:30/8:00pm, BBC1
The Soap Dish 