Neighbours: Modern Families

(Monday 20^th – Friday 24^th January 2020)

Pierce is in freefall at the prospect of Lisa arriving to sort Hendrix out, believing that she is going to ruin his relationship with his son. While Hendrix is keen to repair his relationship with Chloe, he is destroyed to finally learn the truth about how he actually came to exist. When he and Pierce have a heart to heart, Hendrix finally understands their relationship but he is desperately upset with his mother for keeping Pierce at a distance all these years. Hendrix also apologises to Harlow for the ‘cat toy’ joke and the pair make peace. They will absolutely be dating before the year is out. 100%

Lisa tells Pierce she wants to have another baby with him now that she and her partner have split up. She suggests that she and her daughter move to Erinsborough and they, Pierce, Chloe and Hendrix can be a ‘modern family’. The suggestion is not met positively. Chloe eventually tells Pierce that as children are not an option for her so if he wants to have a child, she would consider allowing him to father a child with Lisa and create the ‘modern family’ she has suggested.

Now that Hendrix has moved out, Bea is keen for Elly and Aster to move back in but as Finn predicts, Elly declines, claiming she wants to be independent. Not that she is getting much of a chance thanks to Aaron and David (who has made a miraculous recovery from the certain death he was facing a week or so ago). They send Elly off for a spa treatment and take Aster to a picnic without taking their phones or telling the kid’s mother whether they’re off to. So when Elly doesn’t find them at home, she flies into a panic. Now, I adore David and Aaron and I have long ceased to be an Elly fan but however well-intentioned they are (and driven by their own desire for children), it seems to me that they smothering her. She doesn’t really want a rest or ‘time off’, she just wants to be with her baby (and Finn – but that’s another story). When she finally catches up with them, out of her mind with panic, she tears a strip off them for not letting her know where they were.

Afterwards, she feels really guilty and frets to Bea and Finn about the way she has treated the boys who have only been nice to her. When she moved in, she was happy to let them help but no real boundaries have been set and she’s been left feeling like a failure as a mother. And of course there’s all the guilt weighing down on her for wanting to sleep with her sister’s boyfriend. I mean, that’s got to be exhausting!

At home, the boys realise that they went too far with looking after Aster but while David worries that that means they might not be ready to be parents themselves, Aaron is surer than ever. Elly comes home and they broker tentative peace, agreeing that they will only help with the baby when she asks for it. But later, they have to physically wake Elly up when the baby starts crying.

Having renewed their relationship, Shane and Dipi are keen to spend alone time together. Unfortunately, Shane gets pulled into work alongside Roxy, interrupting his time with Dipi, who spends the evening with Sheila instead. The usual banter continues between Shane and Roxy at work. Roxy admits that she thought Shane had changed their shifts and didn’t want to hang out with her anymore. When he reassures her, she kisses him. Shane is horrified and Roxy is absolutely mortified and apologetic. The next day, Roxy explains that she just got confused because she isn’t used to platonic friendships with men. She begs him not to tell Dipi what happened. Shane changes his shifts again so they don’t have to work together anymore and tells Roxy they can no longer be friends.

Yashvi has returned from training with Mishti but while Ned wants to get reacquainted, she is keen to keep on with the study program she has got into. He decides to help her study instead but it ends up in a falling out. They make up fairly quickly and Yashvi’s new celibacy rule quickly flies out the window! Little do they know that Liam Murphy from Home and Away has tracked them down! How exciting! Of course, I mean, Axle Whitehead, who is guest starring as Zenin Alexio. He follows Ned home and gives him a stern warning that he and Yashvi had better not have seen anything at the fight club or passed any information onto the police. I’m guessing this is not the end of it. While I’m pleased to see Axle Whitehead back on screen, I am not thrilled that this boring story has reared its ugly head. I was seriously hoping it was over!

Ned’s past comes back to haunt him… again…

Harlow persuades Paul to accept a gift from Robert. Her family also help her settle her mind over her mother’s lack of contact with her and she opts to focus on the family she does have that love her.

Neighbours is on Channel 5, 1:45pm and repeated at 5:30pm

Home and Away: Leap of Faith

(Monday 20^th – Friday 24^th January 2020)

Robbo struggles to look after Grace alone when Jasmine goes back to work but he refuses to let anyone in to help him. Eventually, Irene thrusts helps upon him and attempts to persuade him to let his wife in. However, he continues to hold her at arm’s length, aware that she previously made it clear that she did not want children.

Willow and Alex have spent every single day together since they decided to see where their feelings take them. During a dinner date at the gym, Willow attempts to take things further, only to be turned down but Alex who wants to wait, bringing their night to an abrupt end. The next day, Jasmine and Willow both need a friend. Jasmine is feeling frustrated and left out by Robbo while Willow cannot reach Alex. Opening up to Jasmine about her fledgling relationship, Willow takes her advice and insists on talking to Alex face to face. Alex is clearly terrified of getting hurt. She explains that her last relationship last ten years and left her very hurt. She doesn’t want to be a phase. Sweetheart Mason offers her his friendship, reminding her that he is not just Willow’s friend. Also, just as an aside, I love the rainbow in the distance while Willow and Alex talk about their relationship.

Taking her own advice, Jasmine wants answers from Robbo. Why won’t let her anywhere near Grace? He tells her that it’s because she has already made it clear she didn’t want children. Jasmine pledges her full commitment to their family and it looks like Robbo might finally accept it. I think I may be in a minority but I just don’t really like Robbo all that much. There’s nothing particularly warm about him and he doesn’t listen to other people’s opinions. But anyway…

Ryder shows up for a group surf lesson and while he is smitten with a new girl, Jade, Ziggy clearly sees her as a threat to her and Dean. They end up in an argument, as Ziggy demands Dean stop teaching Jade and accuses him of being no better than Brody. Ouch. Willow understands where Ziggy is coming from, pointing out that everyone has baggage and everyone gets scared. Jade attempts to buy Dean a drink but he abruptly avoids her and sets her up for a drink with Ryder instead. He then pledges his commitment to Ziggy, who assures him that it’s not him she doesn’t trust, it’s Jade.

With her own words sinking in, Willow charges back to the hospital and tells Alex how deeply she cares about her, promising that she’s not an experiment. They decide to take a leap of faith and make a go of things. Hooray!

Meanwhile, Ryder gets Jade a job at Salt but while he enjoys spending time with the girl he clearly has a crush on, she is equally as clearly more interested in Dean. Dean begs Mac to fire Jade so that she will leave town and not cause trouble for him and Ziggy. Ryder enlists Dean’s help in winning Jade round, aware that it’s really Dean that she’s interested in. I mean, have some pride, boy! When Ziggy finds out, she reaffirms that she trusts Dean. Dean then makes it clear that Jade does not stand a chance with him. Although she denies she was ever interested in the first place, he stands firm and refuses to have her at his surf school. Ziggy is touched.

Justin takes Ava to visit Brody and the rest of the family, including Tori. Leah confides in Irene that she misses Justin already and thinks she has fallen in love with him. Inspired by the return of Alf and Martha and their decision to move in together, Leah decides it might be time for her and Justin to move in together too. However, when Justin returns, sad at Ava going home to her mother, she feels that it’s not what Justin wants. But Justin pledges his love and commitment to her and very much wants them to live together. Aww.

While Colby and Mac are eager to send Bella off on her photography trip, the teenager is suddenly unwell, causing Colby to have to cancel his plans. Mac is more than a little suspicious. Unable to stop herself, Mac accuses Bella of faking her illness. Bella is furious when Colby doesn’t defend her. Then she collapses. Colby and Mac rush her to the hospital where Alex works to get to the bottom of what’s wrong. She notices that the cut on her hand hasn’t healed and it transpires that she has no medical history to speak of and so is unlikely to have had any immunisations. She is diagnosed with tetanus. Bella firmly rejects Mac who ends up drinking alone at Salt while Colby remains with her at the hospital.

Maggie supports Ben as he reopens the board shop and continues to navigate his mental health struggles. Although business starts slow, they are thrilled when their bank accounts are unlocked and it’s an exciting day when Ben gets a genuine board order for the shop.

(Channel 5, 1:15pm & 6pm (sneak peek, weekdays on 5STAR at 6:30pm)

Emmerdale: #WhoKilledGraham

(Monday 20^th – Thursday 23rd 2020)

And so we begin our week of #WhoKillsGraham, each episode focussing on a different suspect before the big reveal on Friday… So here’s my review of the episodes leading up tothe big reveal… (I’ve written this blog episode by episode so I don’t know who kills him until the end!)

The week begins with Kim, Al and Graham all at loggerheads. Kim has worked out that Al is up to his neck in debt and offers to buy him out of the business. She then humiliates herself by telling Graham she loves him and wants to give their relationship another chance. He strings her along by asking for time to think but in that time, Kim discovers his deception: he has been stealing from her. She calls Al back and orders a hit on Graham. Drowning in debt to the tune of £60,000 and now with the loan shark threatening Ellis’s life, Al agrees in exchange for the amount of money that will pay off the money he owes.

That night, Kim almost changes her mind, conflicted by her feelings for Graham. However, we then cut to Graham, dead in the woods. Al returns to Home Farm to tells Kim that it’s done, Graham is dead and he wants his money. However, we don’t see him actually kill Graham and I think this is too obvious a plot. I don’t think Emmerdale would waste a ‘who done it’ on Kim. They’d just let her go for the kill. And to me, it looked like Graham was already dead…

In the next episode, Jai thunders through his day’s work, taking all his stress out on Dawn and Laurel and can only survive the day by snorting coke up his nose. Everything seems to go wrong and one minute he thinks he’s on top of it all and the next, he’s falling apart. In the car, he nearly crashes into Graham, who correctly assumes he is back on drugs, which he confiscates as well as his keys. Laurel is confused by Jai’s version of the accident and challenges Graham about apparently running him off the road. She is horrified, especially as that means Jai was prepared to take Dotty in the car with him when he was high. Jai denies everything. It’s a stupid move really. If anyone would understand and support him, it’s Laurel. She’s been there. But he lies. She walks out on him and he follows her, apologising and admitting it and begging for another chance. She feels like it’s too late. She can’t keep him afloat as well as herself, her own sobriety and look after her children. She throws him out. He orders another ‘special pizza’, only to get caught out by Rishi, who immediately takes the drugs away from him. Jai violently takes the drugs back, scaring his Dad.

Cut to Graham in the woods being hit with what looks like a fatal blow to the head. Jai walks away and passes out. So, could it be Jai? He believes he has a motive, even though actually, Graham is just trying to look out for him. And he is feeling reckless enough right now. He has been pushed and pushed by Kim and Al and he wants someone to take it out on. The odds are potentially quite high even if it wasn’t on purpose.

On Wednesday, Charity struggles to keep control of Sarah, Noah and Ryan as she and Vanessa try to keep their secret wedding under wraps. Charity is horrified to learn of Rhona and Graham’s plans to leave the country without informing Marlon. Tracy then reports that Marlon and Graham have just had a huge fight, leading Charity and Vanessa to conclude that the cat is out of the bag. Charity and Vanessa finally announce to the kids that they are getting married. Before the wedding, Charity and Vanessa share a genuinely emotional, loving moment. It’s not often you see the soppy side of Charity but Emmerdale lucked out with this pairing and long may they continue!

Meanwhile, Graham is impatient with Ryan over getting hold of the rest of Kim’s cash. Graham then has his car accident with Jai, as seen in the previous episode. He meets up with Ryan in the woods by the outdoor pursuit centre, demanding that he makes the final transfer. Ryan refuses so Graham takes the money anyway and denies Ryan his cut. He then locks him up in a shed so that he doesn’t tell Kim about the theft. Of all the terrible things Graham has done, there is just something truly wicked about harming Ryan, one of the nicest characters to ever exist in soap. Unbearable.

Things get tense between Graham and Charity…

Realising that Ryan is not there, Charity phones him. Dawn finds the phone discarded on the ground and the pair of them are able to track him down and rescue him. Charity is broken hearted to then have to cancel the wedding in order to look after her shattered son. Ryan explains the story from the beginning and she gives him all her love and support. She then violently confronts Graham for what he did to Ryan and Debbie and what she thinks he did to Noah. Graham is absolutely vile to her. Charity tells Ryan they are going out and will prove to Graham that he cannot mess with them.

Cut to Graham being thrown to the ground, dead. Charity meets Ryan on the bridge:

“No regrets, Ryan. That’s what we said.”
“Yeah. No regrets.”

Andrea tries to reassure Millie as she struggles to work out what why her family is falling apart. She is then spooked by a man watching them. She tackles him and discovers that she is being watched by a private investigator, hired by Jamie, who she then gets into an argument with. He is unrepentant, claiming he is worried that she might up and leave with their daughter. Graham then brings Andrea some documents that give her every piece of information she could possibly need on Kim. It’s enough to put her behind bars and also has innocent Jamie’s signature on everything and it will give her the upper hand in the fight.

Belle encourages Jamie to play nicely so he visits Andrea to try and smooth things over. When Graham sees Jamie and Andrea spending time together, he cannot help revealing the truth about the files, prompting a fight between the two men. Despite Andrea shredding the documents, their peace is broken. Andrea then witnesses the cruelty Graham dished out to Charity in the previous episode and lays into Graham for destroying all their lives.

Andrea drinks alone while Jamie rants to Belle about Graham. Jamie gets into his car, driving past Priya on the phone to Rishi about Jai. Having been drinking, Andrea also gets into the car. Already clearly in a bit of a state in the woods, a car runs Graham over. Andrea cries in the woods, covered in blood.

In the following episode, Marlon and Victoria are busy setting up when Rhona arrives, and foists Leo on his Dad, secretly wanting them to have one last day together before she sweeps him off to France. Things go wrong when they realise that Marlon forgot to switch the fridge on and all the burgers are ruined. In the chaos, Marlon loses April and Leo and desperately races around trying to find them, sending out a search party. When Graham turns up with the kids, Marlon becomes violent but it turns out that April told him her Dad knew where they were.

Vanessa tells Rhona that she and Charity are getting married. She beds Rhona to be beside her on her wedding day. Rhona is regretful but refuses to stay. Vanessa is horrified to discover that Rhona hasn’t told Marlon that she is leaving with Leo. Marlon has a heart to heart with Rhona but gets overwhelmed her and tries to kiss her. Alarmed, Rhona tells him about the move to France, escalating into a huge row. Marlon charges out of the house, determined to stop Graham taking his son away. Sometime later, Graham returns with a cut lip from his fight with Jamie to find Rhona distraught after her row with Marlon. However, she is still determined to forge ahead with their plan. Before they set off, he receives a text from Marlon and arranges to meet him at the outdoor pursuit centre (where he’ll later be murdered) and stupidly asks Rhona, ‘what’s the worst what can happen?’ and then tells her that he’ll see her on the other side. I mean, has he never seen a horror film before? Doesn’t he know the rules?

While Leo takes pictures of Rhona on her phone at home, Marlon seeks out Graham in the woods at the centre, amid lots of creepy music but misses Graham’s final moments when… drum roll please… Rhona’s ex-husband, Pierce Harris, who has just been released from prison for rape, delivers what is presumably the fatal blow! Oh Emmerdale, you do try to fool us! But despite not being on the list, he was still one of my suspects.

So, let’s all look forward to tonight’s complete explanation of Graham’s final, chaotic day…!

Emmerdale is on at 7pm Monday to Friday with a second episode at 8pm on Thursdays

Coronation Street: Trapped

(Monday 13^th – Friday 17^th January 2020)

Liz is surprised to arrive home and discover that Amy has moved out and so has Steve, thanks to Tracy’s one night stand with Paula. Steve is surprised to learn that Amy already knows and feels guilty that his daughter has been put in such an awful position. Steve decides that the way to save his marriage is to propose to Tracy in the middle of the pub. Obviously. She turns him down. Instead, she suggests couples counselling. It’s explosive to say the least.

Geoff sets up a ridiculous cleaning rota, claiming that he has dust allergies. He then leaves Yasmeen to complete all her chores alone. Yasmeen works hard on the house but then gets distracted by Cathy. At first, Yasmeen is very anxious to get back to her jobs but eventually, one bottle of wine becomes two and the women are having a lovely time. Then Geoff comes home. As soon as they are alone, Geoff lays into Yasmeen, furious with his wife for slacking off and revealing that he knows she didn’t complete everything as he set a trap for her, making a deliberate mark on the skirting board that she would have known was there if she had cleaned it.

Yasmeen is a victim of coercive control…

Later, Yasmeen tries and fails to stop Cathy popping in to retrieve her handbag. Not realising that she is in the house, Geoff lays into Yasmeen again and Cathy is horrified by what she overhears. He gets even worse when she leaves. Cathy is suitably worried. Geoff meanwhile, lies to Yasmeen that his health condition has worsened and that’s why he needs the house so clean. This of course makes her snap to it and believe he is being reasonable. Subsequently, she stays up all night adhering to the complicated rota, utterly exhausting herself.

When Cathy approaches Yasmeen about her concerns, Yasmeen is clearly conflicted but plays the situation down. Geoff accuses Cathy of being a lesbian and fancying Yasmeen! He states that they should keep their business to themselves. However, things escalate when, on Cathy’s behalf, Brian approaches Geoff with concerns about his behaviour and that it might be seen as controlling. Geoff hits a new low by informing Brian that Yasmeen is an alcoholic and his behaviour is out of concern and trying to manage the situation. The obsessive cleaning is to cover her tracks. He implies that she has been physically abusive and begs him to keep it to himself. He then returns home and attempts to persuade Yasmeen herself that she’s an alcoholic, which she finds hard to accept. Because she isn’t!!! The next thing they know, Peter is knocking on the door, offering to take her to an AA meeting with him.

Alone again, Yasmeen is distraught to have been made out to be an alcoholic but once again, Geoff manipulates her into believing she is the one at fault. He tells her that his ex, Tim’s mother was an abusive alcoholic and every time she drinks, he is taken back to that time. He tells her that he believes the abuse will inevitably follow if the drinking continues. When she throws all the alcohol out and vows to stop, he still isn’t happy, claiming that just because she has to stop drinking, doesn’t mean he intends to stop, although later, he offers to cut down around her! Oh, this storyline makes me so angry! It’s such an important storyline but it is so, so difficult to watch.

When Brian and Cathy approach Alya with their concerns, she doesn’t believe it for a second. At least she knows that there is something wrong between Geoff and Yasmeen. Unfortunately, by that point, it’s too late and Yasmeen has already been brainwashed. She tells her granddaughter that she does have a problem with alcohol and that’s the end of it. I just hope that Alya doesn’t allow herself to be pushed away. Geoff takes things one step further by taking Yasmeen’s bank cards away. Yasmeen just lets him. The next day, Geoff keeps Yasmeen at home, away from work, cleaning the house and with only a little bit of pocket money. She cancels going to her book club with Cathy, who remains deeply concerned about her friend and not convinced she is an addict. She is still suspicious of Geoff, who comes home irritated that Yasmeen has cooked the ‘wrong’ dinner.

With Fiz having been honest with the police about the gun, she is formally charged. Social Services conclude that Tyrone and Evelyn are not a threat but are still investigating Fiz. Subsequently, the kids are allowed to return home so long as Fiz moves out. Tyrone tries to get the truth out of Hope but it seems like she has been completely brainwashed by her psycho older sister. News begins to spread about Fiz bringing the gun to the Street but Evelyn is quick to shut any gossip down. With Imran representing her in court, Fiz is given a suspended sentence of four months and a fine. Fiz apologises to David, who hadn’t yet found out about the gun. Jenny gives her a hard time in the pub and she continues to be the town pariah. Jade is horrified to learn that Hope is back living with Tyrone. She books a one way ticket out of Wetherfield for herself and Hope.

David remains by Shona’s side, playing her sounds from home. When she opens her eyes though, she doesn’t seem to remember David or her life with him. She struggles with any recall at all. The hospital recommends a neurological rehabilitation centre in Leeds. At first, David can’t accept it and brings the kids to try and trigger his wife’s memories but she mistakes Max for her older son, Clayton, the one who murdered David’s late wife, Kylie. David reluctantly accepts that Shona really does need specialist care.

Frustrated with the police’s progress with Kel, Bernie takes it upon herself to catch him out. She poses as a fourteen year old boy and arranges to meet him in the park, live streaming it online. Paul and Gemma catch on and go with her along with worried Billy. They do catch Kel, who is armed with booze and condoms but the police are not impressed with Bernie’s efforts, explaining that the CPS could see it as entrapment and it could be detrimental rather than good for the case.

On the day of Richard’s funeral, Roy discovers that Nina’s door has been egged. He determines to clean it up for her and finally begins to make progress in bonding, although she turns down his offer to let her move in with him, feeling closer to her Dad in the flat. Roy acts as a model for Nina’s dressmaking project and he opens up to her about his life with Hayley. When a brick is thrown through the window, Nina admits that she is engaged in an ongoing dispute with someone.

Coronation Street airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30/8:30pm

Eastenders: Honey Gin

Monday 13th – Friday 17th 2020

Overwhelmed with the guilt of leading Keanu to his death, Louise contemplates smothering baby Peggy. Lisa catches her just in time and is amazingly supportive as her daughter breaks down and tells her everything about Keanu’s murder. However, Lisa cannot believe what she is hearing and thinks Louise is having a breakdown. She books her an appointment with a therapist and even mentions the murder plot offhand to Ian and Sharon. Well, that’s going to come back to bite them! She turns to Phil and Ben about Louise, prompting Phil to finally speak to his daughter and offer some sort of support. I’m not even sure they’ve had a scene together since Christmas… it’s all been on Ben! He admits to horrified Lisa that what Louise has told her is true.

Callum returns and after a quickie in the car lot office, Ben dismisses him again. When Callum begs him to give their relationship another chance, Ben puts all his cards on the table. He tells him that a man is dead because of him, that’s how serious his life is. Callum leaves. Ben breaks down in tears. Callum attempts to date someone new but he is still stuck on Ben.

When the police come calling, asking about Keanu’s whereabouts, Karen has no choice but to lie to them for the sake of her son. Phil and Ben go into panic mode as they try to work out who may have rolled over on them, suspecting Sharon. Correctly. Despite his anger with his mother, Denny warns her that she is in the firing line.

Linda returns from visiting her mother, oblivious to the suffering of her husband who along with continuous panic attacks, has found an anomaly on their credit card statement. On New Year’s Eve, Linda booked a hotel room. Linda has no recollection of this at all and is horrified by the idea that she may have cheated on Mick and terrified that the man the hotel confirms was with her, may have done something to her against her will. Of course, viewers know that Linda did go to a hotel room with a man, completely out of her head but when he tried something and didn’t take no for an answer, she shoved him away and bolted.

Mick accompanies Linda to a sexual health clinic but it’s all too much for Linda who returns to her secret drinking while claiming to be completing dry January. Shirley, backed up by Tina, makes it clear that she does not trust Linda and is looking out for her son. Mick’s anxiety grows when the Queen Vic is named the Best Pub in London and they are awarded a day out on a boat for themselves and all their locals with a free bar. Well, that’s clearly going to be a big episode!

Leo is frustrated when Kat takes over Whitney’s stall but he quickly makes some calls to lose her cleaning business as many customers as possible. Habiba gets confused when Jean asks her to arrange a surprise 50^th birthday party for Kat, thinking it’s for Big Mo! It’s really quite amusing. Stupid Dotty decides to make a move on Leo, not realising that he is blatantly trying to morph her into Whitney! Well, not until they’re making out in the alley and he actually calls her ‘Whit’. Then she walks out on him.

Billy is determined to support Honey, no matter what, although she is reluctant to let him in. Honey frets that she may be pregnant with Adam’s baby. Catching on, Ash buys her a pregnancy test but thankfully, it’s negative. Ash explains to her that her eating disorder is very serious and is affecting her cycle and will be affecting other parts of body. She begs her to accept help. Please!!! While she attempts to push her loved ones, including kind Ash away, Honey eventually breaks down and talks honestly to adoring Billy about how much Adam destroyed her and how engulfed she is by her eating disorder. She decides that she has to go away and get some actual help and tearfully says goodbye to Billy and the kids.

Acting as the least casual spy in the world, Sonia approaches Martin’s hit and run victim while she is at work to find out what he knows about the accident. He doesn’t know much except that one of the people who hit him was called Martin. For some reason, Sonia lies to Martin about this, reassuring him that everything will be fine. I really don’t know what Eastenders are doing to Sonia at the moment. I mean, she’s always a bit annoying but it’s like they’ve removed her spine or something. She’s this whimpering, simpering mess who’s suddenly obsessed with her ex-husband. She’s more in love with him than she ever was when they were married. It’s very weird.

Anyway, she returns to visit the patient who was clearly suspicious of Sonia. Who wouldn’t have been? He has worked out that she is the partner of the man who ran him over and wants £10,000 for his silence. Okay, so she needs money now. I get it. So why was she trying to rob Dot before?! Did they run that story too early by accident or something? Anyway, she clears her savings of two grand and robs the rest from poor, trusting Dot.

Kush catches onto Sonia and Martin being back together. However, Sonia is left heartbroken (surprise, surprise) when Martin receives divorce papers and realises that he still loves Stacey. Wow. Nobody saw that coming! He also admits that he lied to Stacey about cheating on her with Sonia and clumsily tells her it was the worst thing he could think of to could say! No, Martin, that was the worst thing you could say! Meanwhile, Dot is beside herself as she discovers that has been robbed – someone has written themselves a cheque without her permission. Um… Sonia? Do you have something to confess?

To cheer things up, the cutest couple on the Square, Jean and Daniel, decide to take their relationship to the next level. And Mitch makes some gin and punts it around the Square, including in the pub where Mick and the rest of the punters try it and fall in love with it. Mitch is then horrified to discover that, thinking it was cold water, Karen bathed in it! Mmm… yum!

Eastenders is on BBC1 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (7:30pm/8:00pm)

Doctors: Acts of Kindness

(Monday 13^th – Friday 17^th 2020)

We appear to be landed with one of those stupid Valerie storylines. Don’t get me wrong, I love quirky Valerie. She is absolutely one of my favourite characters. But sometimes I feel like they go a bit too daft with her. Case in point, she is currently obsessed with this DNA testing where she has poor Sid going through every single test result, she is deeply concerned about conditions she might carry genes for and is convinced she is now Jewish. She also fails to recognise that it’s a load of rubbish as the results show that she has the body of an athlete and is unlikely to get cancer. And of course one of the strongest Valerie storylines ever and indeed Doctors storylines ever was Valerie’s cancer.

Rob assists with giving guidance on the perils of crime to an Intervention group but recognises some of the boys as being behind some bike thefts. However, the group leader persuades him not to follow it up, as the boys have had extremely difficult lives and are not desperate to turn their lives around. Speaking of crime, Zara and Emma receive the news that Gareth is pleading not guilty and his case is going to trial.

During evening surgery, Karen and Bear are at loggerheads as Bear fails to respect the depth of the work Karen is required to do as a receptionist. When a frightened fifteen year old Muslim girl comes into the surgery, desperate for help, not only from Emma as a Doctor but also from Karen as a Mum and just as a kind woman who will listen and help her work through things, Bear demands to know what she is doing and why she is away from the desk. He also gets mistaken for a junior receptionist while he is holding the forte! At the end of the night, the young woman manages to sort things out with her family and commends Karen to Bear. Karen, who is beside herself about Jimmi finally gets a visiting order to go and see him.

Karen and Bear clash during evening surgery…

Behind bars and against Emma’s advice, Jimmi finds himself providing more and more medical support for his fellow inmates. He provides one man with a new mental health diagnosis that could potentially change his life and begs a prison officer to get urgent care for another inmate whose life could be in danger. Instead, the officer assaults him… not quite what Jimmi had in mind.

Emma has her own battle on her hands when a man rushes into the Campus Surgery in desperate need of mental health support. Instead, he receives suspicion and fear based on race from other patients.

Doctors is on BBC1, weekdays at 1:45pm

Emmerdale: Who Kills Graham?

(This blog includes spoilers for the following week).

The Suspects:

Charity Dingle: She has been gunning for Graham for a while, blaming him for not helping sooner with Noah when he took illegal drugs and on the day of the murder, Graham is set to hold Ryan hostage and scupper Charity’s plans to marry Vanessa. And let’s face it, Charity is not one to hold back on a vendetta. But Vanessa would absolutely not forgive her so fingers crossed that Charity controls herself.

Kim Tate and Al Chapman: Not only has Graham been robbing her bank account, he has been manipulating her lingering feelings for her. She might well be ready to take revenge on him either personally or by getting that moron, Al to do it for her. She is a high profile suspect and has form (RIP Frank Tate) but then, is it just too obvious?

Jai Sharma: He’s fallen off the wagon and Graham is set to reveal all to Laurel and the rest of Jai’s family, sending his life into a further spiral. It’s possible. Once upon a time, Jai was a pretty ruthless guy and not someone who would have been controlled by the likes of Kim, Al and Graham like he is these days. So it’s possible that he could snap. Let’s not underestimate him.

Marlon Dingle: No way. He’s pretty angry that Graham is whisking Rhona and Leo off to France and even attempts to kiss Rhona this week in a moment of utter confusion. But I think it would be ridiculous to think he would be capable of killing anyone, let alone Graham.

Jamie and Andrea Tate: They both blame Graham for tearing their family apart. At the beginning of their relationship, Andrea and Graham slept together and it’s only recently that Andrea knows for sure that Jamie is definitely the father of their daughter. But all of this is a massive revelation to poor Jamie who is devastated. Their marriage is over, as far as he is concerned. He is angry with his wife and with Graham and she blames Graham entirely. And they are both angry with Kim. Who knows where this could lead? (Although I think Jamie is a little too gentle to kill anyone. I’m surprised he can carry out euthanasia at the vets!)

Or could it be a wildcard? Soaps love a wildcard, including Emmerdale. I’ll never forget my closeted teenage self being utterly delighted when I rightfully guessed that Charity was actually having a secret affair with Zoe Tate – who was not on the list of suspects! I just had a feeling… So could it be Rhona Goskirk who does Graham in? Perhaps she finds out the dark depths of her partner and loses it during a showdown? Could the suddenly frequently mentioned Joe Tate return for one final confrontation with the man who wrecked his life? Could it be Cain Dingle? They’re not exactly friends after what happened with Joe. Or could Rhona’s ex-husband Pierce Harris who was recently released from prison be planning to keep Rhona in the country? Or, as the rumour mill suspects, has Graham already dealt with him?

I’ve been complaining about the lack of enthusiasm in Emmerdale for a few weeks now but it genuinely looks like it’ll be an exciting week this week. Every episode focuses on a new suspect and how they affect Graham’s day before Friday reveals the culprit… Maybe this is the ‘plane crash’ the show needs to revive it! I for one, am very much looking forward to this week!

Emmerdale: Under Pressure

(Monday 13^th – Friday 17^th 2020)

In the middle of the Woolpack, Cara attempts to drag Nate away from the Dingles and bring him back home with her, citing all the horrific things she has been told by Moira. Cara is upset to realise that several things, particularly Belle’s crime, have been completely taken out of context just to hurt the Dingles and get Nate out of the Village. She gives Moira a dressing down in front of everyone and Cain tells Moira to leave. Moira confesses all to Matty and decides she needs to change her ways. She says goodbye to her kids and goes to stay with family for a while to get her head straight in order to move on and start again.

Aaron is struggling to move on with his life…

Having been told that now Robert is off the scene, his access to Seb has been cut off, Aaron is in an even darker place. He ditches Liv to go to a party with some random blokes. In the morning, the guy he hooked up with tries to steal from him. Having seen the boys fight, Victoria struggles with flashbacks from the rape and opens up to Liv about Lee, overheard by Wendy. I think she is starting to suspect that Victoria is telling the truth. Come on… she must be! I genuinely think that when she admits it, she and Victoria could have a connection and be part of each other’s lives. Or am I just being idealistic? Aaron decides to agree to a divorce and finally let Robert go.

Ryan catches Graham out in his thievery but ends up being forced to help him instead. Graham is acting shadier and shadier, presumably in the lead up to this big murder storyline that Emmerdale is hoping will save their show. That night, Graham cleans up his bloodied hand, which he tries and fails to hide from concerned Rhona in the morning. Marlon overhears them arguing and becomes even more concerned about Graham being involved in his son’s life.

Meanwhile, Jai is under more and more pressure to impress and meet impossible deadlines. A business meeting goes badly and Al scapegoats him yet again. Jai turns down Laurel’s offer of helping him pull an all-nighter at work. Instead he orders a pizza with a side of cocaine to help him work through the night. Oh dear. As if he doesn’t have enough problems! But the next morning, having not touched the coke, Jai has a fresh new perspective on life. Things unravel rather quickly though when Brenda pulls out of the catering and Al interrupts the presentation, having learnt that Ellis is about to demonstrate the zip wire. Having previously posed a Jai, Al signed off the installation, knowing it wasn’t complete or safe to use. He blames Jai, claiming that he signed the paperwork (and with his signature on it, he can prove it), losing Jai all credibility. Jai opts to get drunks, fights with Graham and lands himself back on drugs. He hides it from Laurel despite her giving his every opportunity to tell her the truth. Kim begins to suspect that Al isn’t as credible or as cashed up as he claims when she learns how underhand he has been with Jai.

Graham then has to do everything he can to keep Kim away from the business account as he prepares to run off with her money. Vanessa and Charity have to referee a huge row between Rhona and Marlon when Rhona accuses her ex of stealing Leo’s passport, desperately paranoid that her secret plans to move away will be scuppered. Well, they will. If she’d only pick up a TV magazine, she’d know that! Undeterred, Rhona attempts to get a new passport as quickly as possible. Vanessa is desperately hurt to discover her best friend’s plans.

Ellis adopts a rabbit for Belle with Jamie’s help. It’s a lovely gesture apart from the fact that Belle clearly fancies Jamie and she has a really weird reaction. She has a go at Jamie for interfering in her love life and it seems to come from nowhere apart from a small flirtation at Christmas. So either Emmerdale missed a scene. Or we’re supposed to be confused and not know that they got up to something they shouldn’t… But I just feel that that would be hypocritical considering his reaction to Andrea’s affair. But he’s currently single and Ellis is kind of annoying so if Belle ditched him then…

As for Jamie, he wants to move himself and Millie out of Home Farm but Millie doesn’t want to go. Kim steps in and demands that Andrea be the one to leave. She takes it one step further and offers her money to get out of their lives for good. Jamie is furious when she takes the money but Andrea announces that she using it for legal fees to ensure that she gets to keep her daughter. Jamie is livid with his mother for falling into such an easy trap, throwing money at the problem like she usually does.

Emmerdale is on at 7pm Monday to Friday with a second episode at 8pm on Thursdays

Hollyoaks: A Unique Fight for Custody

(Monday 13^th to Friday 17^th January 2020)

Sienna and Warren finally come face to face…

In the salon, Warren tells Sienna that Sebastian has leukaemia and urgently needs her to get tested to see if she is a bone marrow match in order to save his life. He explains that Sebastian is in a private hospital and promises to let Brody go if Sienna will go through with the transplant. Sienna agrees to go through with it but she is horrified to realise when Warren accidentally refers to ‘Sean and Ursula’ instead of Sophie and Sebastian that she was right last year and abducted the twins – they were her babies after all.

Sienna gets tested and she happily reports that she is a match. She returns home and tells horrified Liberty and Damon everything, believing incorrectly that Warren has changed his ways. Of course he hasn’t. Actually, they are at the local hospital and Joel is on board with his Dad who begs his forgiveness and has promised him that he has changed too. But really, his plans are to take Sienna’s bone marrow and leave her bereft of her children yet again.

Unfortunately, Sienna hits a snag. Her chemotherapy means that she is excluded from donating bone marrow. Catching on to his lies, she pretends to go through with the transplant and sends Maxine ahead to find details of Brody’s location. Damon and Liberty head off to find Brody while Maxine helps her abduct the kids. Sienna is just about to escape the hospital when she is stopped by Joel. Well, at least it wasn’t Warren! She hurriedly explains things to Joel, who is devastated to realise his Dad hasn’t changed at all. He helps her escape with the kids but it’s too late for her to meet up with recently rescued Brody and has to go it alone with her children if she wants to escape Warren for good. Desperately worried about Sienna, Brody and Joel have no choice but team up with Warren in order to try and track her down.

At home, Tony is an absolute mess. He cannot talk about the trauma of being held captive. Diane is impressed when she listens to Edward being kind to Tony, promising him their never ending support. However, once she is gone, Edward is really harsh with him, warning him that he needs to be a real man or Diane will find someone else. He takes things further by locking Tony in the bathroom. He rescues him just before Diane gets home so she finds him a complete and utter mess. Come on! The poor guy has been through enough! Edward spends the night with Marnie (who has no idea that he was previously seeing Diane or that she’s about the date yet another bad man).

Tony struggles to cope after his ordeal…

This boring wedding storyline rumbles on. Seriously, the only time that faffing around preparing for a wedding is interesting is when it’s your own. Watching Courtney and Jesse fuss over the intimate details of their big date is not good TV. However, the big day does finally arrive. As much as I like them as a couple, I am looking forward to it finally being over!

The only highlight is that wedding planner Azim and Scott are now seeing each other. Not if you’re Mitchell, obvs. And that one of the random extras appears to Mark Own from the 90s… Literally, what he looked like in the nineties. Blink and you’ll miss him.

James returns to the Village and is eager to pick up where he left off with Liam who invites him to be his plus one at Courtney and Jesse’s wedding. James is devastated to discover that Breda was the serial killer and Mercedes didn’t kill Harry; James therefore shot her for no reason. He has an emotional encounter with Juliet who has just been extremely rude to Sid in a panic over not wanting to sleep with him again. They genuinely bond and she sort of hints that she is struggling with her sexuality. Perhaps James will help her in the future? She consoles him about Harry. Then Donna Marie returns! Oh yay. She wasn’t annoying at all. With Breda having been discovered to be the serial killer and responsible for Mac’s death, there are no charges to answer. This leaves James squirming as he is the reason she was jailed in the first place…

Grace and James feel guilty for shooting Mercedes but while James wants to confess, Grace is determined to keep them both quiet and make the best of the situation. Of course, right before the wedding ceremony, Jesse overhears them talking about the shooting (because nobody in soap talks about serious crime in code or in private) and confronts his sister. I mean, you’d think in his family, he wouldn’t be so stunned! The couple get married, surrounded by their family, friends and bridesmaids in their ugly dresses and it’s all very lovely. Sally cries. Maxine is starting to be forgiven and welcome back into society and Jesse has asked her to work the bar for some desperately needed cash. When he finally confronts Grace properly, Jesse agrees to keep the police out of it but determines that Sylver needs to know the truth.

Channel 4 at 6:30pm or a sneak peek 7pm on E4

These reviews are based on the E4 episodes

Neighbours: Three’s a Crowd

(Monday 13^th – Friday 17^th January 2020)

Nell has run off to see her mother’s mural, beautifully painted by Ned as a memorial to Sonya. And it really is a beautiful piece of art. I really hope as this kid grows up, they keep the actress on. She is such a little cutie and you can see her budding talent. Torn up with guilt for being distracted over his grief over losing Amy and not keeping an eye on the kids and aware that Terese has lost faith in him, Kyle offers to step down from the Buddy Club. Toadie will not hear of it and pushes him forward regardless. Terese interferes with Kyle’s first lesson, not completely trusting him but actually he really impresses her and bonds with a boy called Seth. Will this be Kyle’s redemption at long last?

Dipi grows increasingly uncomfortable with the blossoming friendship between Shane and Roxy. She confides in Sheila over her marriage woes, feeling that she and Shane are no longer close and Roxy is relying more and more heavily on her husband. Spurred on by Sheila, Dipi arranges to seduce Shane while he is closing up at work but things go wrong when she ends up flashing Gary instead! Shane has rushed out to rescue sad, drunk Roxy and doesn’t end up getting home until two in the morning. The couple argue but Shane cannot understand why his closeness with Roxy is such an issue. The next day, when Dipi sets up camp in the bar to do her books, things become more than a little awkward between Shane, Dipi and Roxy, especially when Sheila puts her foot in it about Dipi flashing Gary the night before! Whoops!

Three’s a crowd in Dipi and Shane’s marriage…

Shane angrily objects when Dipi demands that he swaps his shifts so that he doesn’t work alongside Roxy anymore. Then when Sheila changes their shifts anyway, Shane thinks Dipi is responsible. Dipi turns to Gary for support and he explains that going in hard is only going to make Shane push back. Sheila then gives Shane a talking to about his marriage, making Shane lose his temper with his wife again, made worse by Roxy calling him in the middle of it! She has now found out about the shift change and she is not a happy bunny. But when she tries to change them back, Sheila lays down the law. Back at home, Shane and Dipi do eventually make up. She understands that her husband is just being protective of a vulnerable young woman and he promises to start putting his wife first. As they wave Toadie and the kids off to go and see his cousin, Roxy is upset to have her call rejected by Shane. Roxy and Harlow make friends again.

Bea, Finn and the Kennedys are all missing Elly now that she has moved in with Aaron, David and Kyle. She is also struggling to adjust to her new surroundings and feels guilty that the baby is up crying at all hours and disturbing her new housemates. They invite Bea and Finn round to the house to help settle her in. But of course, it’s extremely awkward, especially when Elly and Finn go off to tend to the baby together and it’s all charged and weird while poor, oblivious Bea sits in the garden completely unaware that her sister is about to run off with her boyfriend. In the middle of the night, Susan catches Finn about to sneak out to be with Elly and Aster. Bad move, Finn. Bad move. Susan goes round instead and it’s clear that both of them are in her bad books. Elly promises that she would never act on her feelings for Finn. Like she didn’t with Chloe. Oh, wait… But there is a very cute moment when the boys look after Aster and do a little photo shoot for her at home.

Meanwhile, Finn and Bea go on a date where, keen to prove his love, he proposes. Thankfully, she turns him down. Cue: Elly the Green Eyed Monster, stage left.

Hendrix and Chloe bond when he helps her with a report at work that she thinks she has lost. Unfortunately, his lust wins out when he steals a naughty photo of her that she took for Pierce’s benefit. Feeling guilty, he confesses to Karl who advises him to put it back and tell his father. Chloe catches him returning it and she lays into him for what he has done. The next day, Hendrix is in big trouble with his Dad. All he can do is apologise and beg for help to make things right with Chloe. Taking pity on time, Pierce appeals to Chloe who is livid that he has gone soft on his son. She then appeals to Hendrix’s mother for support, infuriating Pierce as Lisa declares she is on her way to Erinsborough.

Also, to commend Neighbours, this week, they quickly filmed an extra scene regarding the horrific bush fires that are going on in Australia at the moment. Sheila, David and Aaron are seen discussing a fundraiser at the Waterhole to raise money for the bush fire relief. They also discuss their families and others affected by the terrible fires and smoke. As soon as the cast came back to filming, they threw in this extra scene, feeling that it was really important to talk about it. They had a lot of praise for doing so. There was also a link at the end of the episode for donations: https://www.channel5.com/wednesday-15th-january/

Channel 5, 1:45pm and 5:50pm