I cried during pretty much every episode of Eastenders last week. I felt very affected by Ben’s storyline and I felt that it was very well written, very well directed and all three actors – Max Bowden (Ben), Aiden O’Callaghan (Lewis) and Tony Clay (Callum) really gave stellar performances.
Max Bowden as Ben Mitchell (Digital Spy)
I have been avidly reading Twitter, as I often do, regarding this story and there has been a real mix of feedback. There has been a lot of criticism, a lot of which has been that ‘this kind of story’ shouldn’t be aired at 7:30pm. Well, every soap has now covered the horrific subject of rape and they all air before the watershed. So, reading between the lines, I can only conclude that the people raging about ‘my kids (that should probably not be watching Eastenders anyway) shouldn’t have to see that’ weren’t actually talking about the crime.
Heartbroken Ben and predatory Lewis flirted heavily before the attack… (Digital Spy)
Excluding Doctors for a moment, only two other soaps have covered the issue of rape between two men – Hollyoaks twice and more recently, Coronation Street.
The first time, was one of the most ground breaking storylines, back in 2000. It was so violent and such a taboo story that it was covered in Hollyoaks Later, airing at 10pm. I was sixteen years old and to this day, I still remember sobbing my way through the episodes. I have been genuinely sad, through Gary Lucy’s return to Hollyoaks that Luke Morgan’s story arc, post rape, turned him into an alcoholic, who never recovered from what happened to him as a teenager. Since then, he has developed Frontotemporal Dementia and in the next few weeks, we will see him pass away. But I think essentially, this is the point. Although I wish he had returned to the Village as a superstar, it would have been unrealistic for him not to be haunted by his past so I suppose my sadness is the mark of good storytelling.
The Hollyoaks rape storyline was a ground breaking piece of television… (Radio Times)
Hollyoaks tackled the rape of a male character again in 2014 but this time, it was less graphic and shown in their 6:30pm (Channel 4)/7pm (E4) slot. The story was similar to Luke’s in that it followed months of harassment and bullying. Luke was bullied by fellow footballer, Mark Gibbs and teacher, John Paul McQueen was bullied and harassed by students, Finn O’Connor and Robbie Roscoe. The thing that that made John’s Paul’s situation particularly interesting was that he was an out gay man and the boys’ bullying was based on homophobia. After school one day, Finn pushed things further and raped him.
Finn bullied his own teacher, John Paul (Irish Mirror)
Four years later, over in Weatherfield, David Platt made a new friend in Josh Tucker but on a night out, Josh drugged and raped him. David woke up with very little recollection of events but began to piece together what had happened and eventually, with the support of his family, namely, wife Shona, he went to the police. These were two heterosexual males and it aired between 7:30pm and 8:30pm.
Josh drugged and raped David (Liverpool Echo)
Luke was pinned down and attacked, as was John Paul. David was drugged. With Ben and Lewis, it started differently. It started as a matter consent, before Ben categorically said no and so was pinned down and attacked. And that it why I think that underlying homophobia was the root of so many of the unpleasant comments I read on Twitter after the episode was aired. I don’t believe it was just the rape itself that was the issue, even though that was enough to make me cry my eyes out. I believe it was that they were in an intense, romantic situation first, which Ben very definitely called a halt on, that got the keyboard warriors going.
Ben retracted his consent (Mirror)
But the point is that Ben said no. He put a stop to things and Lewis ignored him. He wanted what he wanted and he took Ben’s choices away. It has been so devastating to see Ben having to live with the consequences of what has happened and that because of his past behaviour, everyone thinks the worst of him. Usually such a bolshy, mouthy character, he has no words to tell anyone the truth of what has happened. I hope that now he is staying with his Mum, who has suffered the same kind of violence in the past, he will be able to speak up and get the help he needs.
I have also heard criticism about an LGBTQ+ character committing a sexual offence and I totally understand that. We are so desperate for positive LGBTQ+ role models and presence on our TV screens and in our literature. And Eastenders have written Lewis as such a likeable guy, I for one was so shocked at how things have turned out. However, domestic violence and sexual assault does exist in same sex situation (and not just between men either). We do need positive representation but just like the Gray and Chantelle storyline must have helped women who needed help or when Linda was raped, that would have helped people too, those of us in the LGBTQ+ community also need to see ourselves in the darker, harder hitting storylines. And it’s not just about us suffering abuse from the straight community. Men do assault men, women do assault women, even when they are meant to love them. There are Queer people out there who need to see it, recognise it and feel they are being spoken to, as much as the heterosexual community are being spoken to.
And the more the keyboard warriors, harbouring underlying homophobia see us on screen in all kinds of scenarios, perhaps they will have no choice but to accept us.
There have been some truly stand out episodes and moments in Doctors recently and it remains one of my most favourite soaps – and my wife’s. We have been constantly saddened (and frustrated) by the breakdown of Rob and Karen’s relationship and it was a truly stellar moment when, in the middle of a car park Karen lost it with Zara and then broken down on her. She really needed it and Zara’s response was perfect. But then, I do have a bit of a Zara bias, I have to confess. My wife finds it a little annoying.
Another character I have really appreciated is the addition of Luca. Not only has he injected a lot of fun into the show and just the right amount of the camp, I think it is really important that they have more than just Emma representing the LGBTQ+ community. And Luca’s character has brought some great stories to the show in terms of his interaction with patients and recently, a brilliant discussion as to who owns the rainbow – the NHS or the gay community. Funnily enough, it was a discussion my wife and I had had not that long before so we thought it was a really interesting point to be raised on television.
Luca has been a walcome addition to the show (What On TV)
Luca’s point was that the rainbow has been ‘our’ symbol for a very long time (since 1978, in fact) and that while it was fine for everyone to commandeer it for the NHS during height of the pandemic, we would quite like it back please. And I have to say, I agree! It’s about identification, belonging, community… all of those things. Somehow, it feels like the rainbow has been diluted or taken away when it is something very precious to us. But these are all things that would only dare be given voice on a programme like Doctors.
And speaking of Luca, I have been blown away by his recent HIV storyline. Firstly, the fact that every single member of staff knew, it was never discussed previously and there was not a single question over support and love. There was not an ounce of sensationalism. What there was, was so much education, explanation and reassurance to anyone who, for whatever reason might have questions or concerns. One of my favourite moments was when Al challenged the vile, ignorant bigots protesting against Luca in the car park. I was cheering him on and actually had to rewind the scene because I loved him so much!
Emma and Zara face off! (What to Watch)
Although I expressed so many times, while watching, “Surely people aren’t really like this now?” the sad fact is, that yes, probably there are people out there who would respond in similar ways to the people who protested or wrote awful things online about Luca working at The Mill, just because he has HIV (with an undetectable viral load). This story coincided with World AIDS Day, which was really special, although Zara did completely the wrong thing by eventually sending Luca home for a few days to take the pressure off, as that sends the wrong message out. It tells the bigots that they are correct. On the plus side, that did lead to a Zara and Emma argument, which led to drunk Emma and Zara, which is one of my most favourite things ever!
I think it will take Luca a long time to recover from this and we have seen a really different side to him as he has struggled to cope with this very difficult situation. But he has held his head high and his colleagues in the most part have supported him throughout. This has been one of the best stories Doctors have ever done. They should be very proud.
Another standout story recently has involved Bear Sylvester and his mother Makeda, who nearly died. When Makeda was rushed into hospital, it turned out that she had not gone through with a procedure that would have caught her condition, which didn’t need to get anywhere near as bad as it did. The reason she didn’t go ahead with the procedure was because of the vile, racist abuse she received from the nurse who treated her. The scenes from the flashback episode were so deeply uncomfortable.
My heart was crying out, “How could this happen?”
My head was saying, “They’re showing this because this happens.”
It was just devastating.
Bear and his mother faced awful racism within the NHS (BBC)
When Bear found out the truth, he confronted the staff involved and it some of the tensest scenes, the staff went even further by racially abusing him! They treated him so appallingly! It was just hideous to watch. He reached for his NHS badge and they behaved like he was about to pull a weapon out. He was trying to explain his point and they treated him like he was in the wrong. By the end of the episode, he was outside the hospital in tears and I was in tears too.
Another episode I would just like to mention was a standalone episode (they have been doing some great standalones recently) where Jimmi took a FME shift for Emma. He was then caught up with guilt (and blamed Emma) when his next door neighbour was killed in a domestic violence incident. She ran from her house to his for help but he wasn’t there when he should have been and her ex-boyfriend killed her. Had he been home, he might have been able to help. It was a really interesting discussion about the decisions and choices we make, not to mention a really challenging episode about domestic violence.
The one thing that can most definitely be said about Doctors is that the stories are so interesting and they are not afraid to take on a challenge, despite their time slot. I have said it before and I will say it again – Doctors is underrated for the array of wonderful stories they tell and for the amazing, charming, talented cast they have.
Coronavirus has spun the whole world on its axis. It will never be the same again. For a good long while, we were completely grounded to a halt and even now (unless you happened to be a Tory, of course). With restrictions lifted, things are still so different, so many of us still do everything with such an awareness of Covid lurking around every corner. We don’t just leave the house having to remember our keys, wallet and phone anymore – it’s always hand gel and facemasks too now.
For the first time ever, all our soaps had to stop filming. A lot of them filmed far enough in advance that will a lot of gapping, they were able to keep on air. Eastenders shortened their episodes. We got a lot of classic Hollyoaks! And we still don’t have a full week of Doctors. I miss it terribly on a Friday.
Doctors filmed a special Covid episode (The Mirror)
In summer 2020, Doctors put together one of the most amazing pieces of television ever. Filmed on phones and computers at the actors’ homes, they produced a Covid special that brought so many viewers, including myself to tears. It charted them, as frontline workers, all checking in with each other as they battled Covid. Ruhma then developed Covid symptoms and was eventually brought back from the brink. It was just incredible. The script. The story. The fact that they managed to put it together in those circumstances and with such little time. And the sheer tribute to the true NHS who were and continue to go through hell to save all our lives.
But then Doctors resumed as if that episode had never happened and Covid didn’t exist. Ruhma continued her storyline where she was actually suspended from work (so how could she have been working during the pandemic and therefore nearly died of Covid?) and not a single cast member mentioned Coronavirus for weeks or months. There were no signs, no hand gels and the cast were just socially distanced like they’d had a bit of a row. As for patients, they just seemed utterly incompetent. How do you treat an emergency without actually going near someone?
Eventually, they started slipping the odd mention of Covid into the script. So, did they recognise their mistake that as a medical drama, they were in a position to really tackle a really important subject? The fallout of Covid is not just physical but the mental torture people have gone and are going through is immense, particularly being trapped inside and then being too scared to venture back out. And you know what? I bet a lot of those people will be watching shows like Doctors! Their writing team are so incredibly talented. They have tackled so many stories, particularly recently in such an educational way without preaching or patronising. They are challenging and sensitive as well as entertaining and they could do so much for people in terms of exploring the after effects of this hideous pandemic.
Well, apparently they have realised this because recently, there was a fantastic episode which told the story of a woman who had become so anxious about going back out after being trapped in, shielding, that she almost didn’t make it to her vaccination at The Mill. She lost her son to Covid (highlighting the awful situation where people with learning difficulties were not initially prioritised for the vaccination). There was also an episode where a taxi driver had become so overwhelmed with protecting her cab and herself and her customers during the pandemic from germs, that it had spun completely out of control.
These were such a good episodes and I for one, would love more of them. I don’t want to be beaten over the head with Covid episodes. There’s enough of it in life and on the actual news but episodes that are more reflective of the world we are currently living in are most definitely welcome.
I remember watching the soaps when I was a closeted teenager, in awe of the likes of Zoe Tate, who was such a rare gem on 90’s TV. Not only had she been out and proud since the early nineties, but her sexuality was also only part of her story. She was a powerful, even formidable character. She had money and knew how to use it. She had her own career as a vet, that she loved. She had a wicked streak. In later years, actress Leah Bracknell portrayed the most heartbreaking scenes as Zoe battled Schizophrenia. When people think back to the nineties in terms of the presence of LGBTQ characters, their minds immediately flashback to Beth Jordache and ‘that kiss’, which is of course important but Zoe came out a year before this and was the first lesbian character in a British Soap. She was also the first gay character to have a wedding/blessing, many years before Civil Partnerships or equal marriage were even dots on the horizon for any of us. I was genuinely saddened in 2019 when Leah passed away from cancer.
‘That Kiss’ in Brookside
Flash forward to present day and this past June when many of us have been marking Pride month with such gratitude that we are here, that so many things have changed and that we have the capacity and strength to try and change the things that still need changing. I have seen so many things online that remind us of why we still need Pride so much. One of things that struck me hardest was a post about while we live in a world where kids are still sat at home believing they would be better off no longer in this world than being gay, then we still need Pride. Pride isn’t a party. Pride is a march of survival. It’s a moment in time where we embrace every single ounce of ‘different’ inside and let it sing. Even if we sing out of tune.
I’ve been that kid, sat at home, scared for my future because I didn’t fit in, because while all my friends were watching the boys on TV, I was watching the girls. And it has been a long road in terms of being and out and proud soap addict to watch these shows change their characters, their storylines and their attitudes towards their characters and their storylines over the past twenty five years or so, when I first started tuning in and I started consciously battling my sexuality.
Lindsey fell for best friend, Shelley in Brookside
I remember, back in the day, that occasionally, a soap would have two dimensional gay man in it to back up another character and have no plot of their own. They certainly wouldn’t have a love life. Then there came the phase of the scandal storylines to boost ratings, where quite frankly, the characters and the LGBTQ viewers were badly mistreated. There was the random storyline of Lindsey Corkhill falling in love with her best friend, Shelley who actually had a thing for her mother in Brookie. Then there was that time that Todd kissed Nick in Corrie purely to pull viewers in to witness a ‘shock, gay kiss’ between two attractive men. And more recently, Tracy Barlow slept with Paula for literally no reason.
Charlie and Joey had a short lived romance in Home and Away #CJ
But Willow and Alex got a happy ending! #Willex
Over in Australia, back in 2009, Home and Away’s Charlie Buckton had a dalliance with Joey Collins, which I confess I got completely sucked into. It ended when Charlie cheated on her with some bloke and Joey left, never to be seen or heard of again. Charlie (the police officer) slept with one criminal bloke after another before she got shot and died. Delightful. They did redeem themselves recently though with Willow and Alex’s relationship, which I also fell in love with – they actually got a happy ending. Off screen, of course. Well, you can’t have everything.
The landscape of how soaps have presented the LGBTQ characters and relationships have definitely changed in a positive way over the years, I think. So many of the partnerships people have grown to love and adore, have not been heterosexual ones. Once upon a time, a soap would have to handle every aspect of gay relationships with ‘sensitivity’, in case they offended the homophobes when really, people like me and fellow members of the LGBTQ community were just desperate to see ourselves and our lives (or the lives we wanted to live), validated on TV.
Tony and Simon in Eastenders
Lana and Sky finally got their happy ending in Neighbours
I remember back in the day when in Eastenders, Tony left Tiffany for her brother, Simon. It was a scandal, not because of the affair but because of the sexuality aspect. I remember Shannon and Mandy falling in love so subtly that you could have missed it. Neighbours attempted to have Lana and Sky get together but the homophobia was so strong, they abandoned the story. They were so proud that for their 35th anniversary to be able to rectify this and have the girls get married. It had always felt for the show and for the actors like an unfinished storyline.
Christian and Syed lived happily ever after in Eastenders (in Birmingham, actually)
Ben and Callum are one of Eastenders’ most popular couples today #Ballum
I also remember the huge story that Eastenders took on when they got Christian and Syed together. It was amazing! Not only were they addressing Syed coming to terms with his sexuality, he also had to work out how this fitted with his religion. And despite the complaints, they became such a loved and popular couple. Since then, one of the show’s most popular couples are ‘#Ballum’ – Ben and Callum – who got together in a very similar way to Christian and Syed (an affair in the lead up to a wedding). And one of the most special moments in the show’s history was the moment that Johnny came out to his Dad, Mick and received nothing but pure love and acceptance in return – no hesitation.
Robert and Aaron were made for each other in Emmerdale #Robron
Throughout the soaps, there have been some amazingly popular couples and characters, which show the strength of writing, performance and on-screen chemistry. Who can forget Robert and Aaron – #Robron – in Emmerdale? Not my favourite, granted, but massively popular and there were a lot of devastated fans out there when Robert was sent to jail. Their counterpart, if you like, are Vanessa and Charity (who I much prefer). I am very hopeful that when Michelle Hardwick (Vanessa) returns from maternity leave, a reconciliation will be on the cards! Charity herself was initially one of those ‘ratings bisexuals’ when she had a random affair with Zoe Tate in the early noughties. So it was brilliant when they revisited this and created what has become a fantastic relationship with Vanessa. Until it all went badly wrong. Oh and let’s not forget that once upon a time, Charity’s daughter, Debbie, had a fling with best friend, Jasmine, played by Jenna Coleman. Jasmine went to prison. I don’t think she’ll be coming back…
I still believe in Charity and Vanessa! (Emmerdale) #Vanity
John Paul and Ste belong together (Hollyoaks)
One of my favourite Hollyoaks pairings is John Paul and Ste. Between them, they’ve had more relationships than hot dinners and many would say that John Paul’s true love is Craig and Ste’s true love is Brendan. But personally, I never subscribed to either of those relationships. Neither of those men ever treated John Paul or Ste very nicely. Brendan was violent and Craig dangled John Paul on a shoestring for most of their relationship. But although I have adored people like Doug and Keiron (RIP) and James and Harry (RIP) have been great players thrown into the mix, I firmly believe that Ste and John Paul belong together.
Aaron and David are the perfect couple in Neighbours
Chloe in Neighbours
Over in Australia, Neighbours has excelled itself in waving the rainbow flag. For me, they have outshone every soap. Years ago, it dipped its toe in the water with the character of Chris and from there, more and more gay characters arrived. Now, it can celebrate one of the best partnerships the show and in fact, soap, has ever seen in David and Aaron who are not only legally married (and walked down the aisle to Kylie and Jason!) but have also been foster parents and are expecting their first child. Aaron’s sister, Chloe is also bisexual and not just telly bisexual where she’s actually straight and goes off with a girl now and again to boost ratings. Chloe is such a vibrant character and has brought so much diversity to show in terms so showing someone who can love and have relationships with people for who they are, not for what gender they are.
Emma and Jasmine in Doctors
In more recent years, Doctors have created some great character development with Emma who now identifies as pansexual after being very surprised to find herself falling for a female friend. Since then, she has had relationships with either gender and a couple of years ago, the show had an extremely harrowing storyline where Emma and her then girlfriend, Jasmine experienced a homophobic attack. It was not dissimilar to that awful story of the girls on the bus in London a few years ago.
The amazing Mackenzie from Neighbours
Neighbours has taken Pride further in recent years with the amazing trans activist, Georgie Stone, who plays Mackenzie. Following Mackenzie’s story has been so emotional and so enlightening. She has been the Hayley Cropper of the millennial generation. But joking aside, it has been incredible to watch this young person, both the actress and the character, essentially explain her journey. She has not only portrayed the character but also been involved in the writing and story lining and I have genuinely wept during parts of her tale, as she had undergone surgery and struggled with acceptance from her family.
Hayley Cropper, Coronation Street. The Original.
I remember years and years ago, attending a transgender workshop and the first thing the trainer said was that they would love to say their charity was responsible for the education regarding trans people but it was actually Coronation Street. Everyone laughed because it was funny and also because it was a little bit true. This is the far reach of soaps and also the heavy responsibility they have to make sure that as well as entertaining people, they are socially responsible. I remember when Hayley first turned up in Corrie and it was such a scandal. I was about thirteen years old and still trying to get my head around my sexuality. I had no idea about gender diversity or anything and I had never heard of being transgender before. But the idea of someone not quite fitting, not feeling like they were who or how they were meant to be, completely connected with me. And Hayley turned out to be this angel, the kindest woman to ever walk the cobbles and they put her together with Roy, the kindest man to ever walk the cobbles… Well, the magic was made.
Sally from Hollyoaks
Since then, of course, Sally has turned up in Hollyoaks and the actress who plays her helped Coronation Street create Hayley so even though Hayley is gone, it’s kind of like she lives on. So even though Corrie was extremely late in bringing in the L, the G and the B, they did lead the charge with the T, something other soaps haven’t always been that eager (or that good) at doing. Currently, it’s only Emmerdale, (alongside Neighbours)who have Matty with any trans visibility. His story is particularly special as we actually knew his character as Holly, years ago. This hasn’t been done before. What’s also been a turning point in recent years with LGBTQ characters is that most of the actors who are playing the roles are members of the LGBTQ community.
So, at the end of this June – Pride Month – I am happy to reflect on how hard our soaps have worked to become inclusive and reflect the society we do or should live in. I am happy that I have all manner of characters and pairings to discuss, enjoy and dislike amongst all the different soaps. I love that I don’t have to cling to the single character that exists in each soap just because they’re gay. Firstly, there are plenty to choose from (except in Home and Away) and secondly, they are written so well that actually, sometimes they’re just not very nice. Because not all gay people are nice! Not all gay men are camp and fluffy. And gay women come in all variations too! Imagine!
Swooning (over) Shannon in Home and Away
When I was growing up, that just wasn’t how it was. You only knew Shannon liked Mandy because she talked about her incessantly. A bit like I talked about Shannon, actually! You were lucky if Zoe could hold hands with her wife. And two guys together were a rare scandal. Now, homophobia on screen is rare and definitely dealt with. I am reminded of a scene in Eastenders where Callum’s Dad was vile to him and Ben and Phil Mitchell to stood up for them. It was such a fantastic and affirming scene.
All the while people are not safe in the world because of their gender or sexuality, there is a lot of work to do. All the while there are people who don’t feel they belong in this world because of their gender or sexuality, there is a lot of work to do. But just for a brief moment in time, it is nice to reflect on how far this small corner of our society has come, even in my lifetime. When I was a teenager, I absorbed every message that these shows delivered to me and I am overwhelmed at how the messages have changed. You couldn’t pay me any money in the world to be a kid today with social media and mobile phones constantly beeping at me and recording my ever move and mistake. But I do think the positive approach to diversity and acceptance is a special thing that I definitely didn’t have twenty (ish) years ago. Soaps are intended to reflect life. They beam their way into our homes on a daily basis and right now, I praise them for doing a good job of positively affirming us, the LGBTQ community.
I don’t know about you but when Casualty returned to our screens after what felt like a long break, I was really thrilled. They hit us with one of the most incredible episodes they have ever made, tackling the Covid-19 pandemic head on with heartfelt sincerity and refusing the shy away from what our NHS heroes have been dealing with for the past year. It was a real contrast to Doctors who, despite that one amazing episode last year, have barely acknowledged the pandemic when they, as a GP based soap, could be highlighting so much of the fallout of Coronavirus.
Casualty created an incredible episode, focusing on the Covid-19 pandemic
However, since then, all Casualty seem to have filled us with is plot holes and implausibility. At the beginning of every episode, we are reminded that there is flexibility with the use of face masks. But it isn’t just face masks. They need to say that there’s flexibility with Covid Rules and Regulations – such as visiting loved ones in hospitals. Apparently anyone can wander round Holby City Hospital whereas you’re not allowed to attend hospital with your Nan in real life, no matter how vulnerable she is!
Jan is caught up in her son’s crimes…
As for actual stories, they totally built up Connie’s ‘new love interest’, claiming that it was going to be the last person we would expect. Jacob was literally the first person anyone would expect. And then they’ve split up anyway and Connie has left. Let’s pause for a moment to grieve for Amanda Mealing no longer on our screens.
And what on earth is going on with Jan? She is the most moral character on the show and has always been there to keep everyone in line and now she’s slipping drugs into the prison. Really?! Also, every time her wife appears on screen, who she has apparently been married to forever and everyone knows her; I can’t help but wonder where she – the police officer – was when Jan’s son was locked up for attempted murder. Just a mild musing.
Faith and Dylan were caught up in an ambulance crash…
And speaking of the paramedic team, Faith should 100% be dead now. I know there are difficulties with filming and social distancing and everything but the ambulance crash was so unrealistic. There is no way on earth Lev could have saved her. No way! He practically flew up out of the vehicle with Faith in his arms, a cape round his shoulders, his pants over the trousers and a big S on his chest – or maybe an L! Also, as one last aside, if he was so busy on those dating sites, how did Marty never notice him? He spent more time on those sites than at work. I detect a quick rewrite of a backstory that doesn’t completely make sense…
I have watched Casualty since I was a small child and I do hope that this is a blip. The show is capable of such amazing things. Just looking at it’s triumphant return episode alone, proves that, let alone all those series gone by. I look forward to episodes of that quality in future.
At the end of next week, my soap blog (as it currently stands) will be coming to an end/pause, as it is just taking up so much time that I am not getting a chance to work on any of my other projects. I will continue to write blogs regarding various storylines but weekly reviews of episodes will cease, at least for now.
So this week as been the last review for Coronation Street, Doctors, Eastenders, Hollyoaks and Neighbours. I’m afraid I fell behind with Emmerdale quite some time ago! As this week is the last week of Home and Away in the UK for this year, I will just finish that one off and that will be my last ‘review blog’ for now.
So, I have decided to be the bigger person and put my feelings about Doctors ignoring Covid-19 aside and just enjoy the episodes for what they are. I do accept that filming a medical drama in a socially distanced fashion would be very difficult. So with that in mind, this week, the show has been back to its usual standard.
Emma teases Zara about Harper… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
For starters, Harper has gone! Hooray! No more stupid Harper storyline! But first we got to enjoy some brilliant Zara and Emma scenes, with Emma teasing Zara about her new obsession and finally, Daniel (and Joe) had had enough and they and Zara staged a ‘Viking funeral’ for the thing. It is gone!
Daniel forces Zara to say goodbye to Harper… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Al and Lily’s relationship continued, with her buying him some tickets to a beer festival. She told Deborah they were seeing each other. Jimmi overhearing them was hilarious. Al confided in his friend, explaining it was all very casual. But I absolutely love this pairing. They are so well suited and it’s nice to see Al happy.
Al and Lily’s relationship is blossoming… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Sid had to let Deborah down gently, although I immediately became concerned that she overheard that Daniel and Zara talking about Ruhma having ‘custody’ of Tanya. If the relevant authorities find out about it, Ruhma will lose her job for good. Deborah wants to stay. I have no idea why she wants to stay in a job where nobody likes her. But could she be that ruthless?
Shak and his mates suffer the effects of dodgy tequila… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
While Ruhma was still away and suspended (so, do we assume the amazing NHS episode is outside of the Doctors timeline and didn’t really happen as part of any of the characters’ storylines then?), Shak decided to have a party. Bear and Sid felt like the old fogies amongst the young students and while Bear almost pulled a disgruntled neighbour, Sid was concerned about a student he had treated for an STI, pulling a girl who had no idea. Things came to a halt when most of the party started vomiting dodgy tequila that STI guy had brought. Grownups, Sid and Bear were left to clear up but Ruhma immediately worked it out when she got home and found a trashed painting behind the sofa.
Uh oh… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
However, that was the least of her problems, as the day after her return, she caught Tanya leaving with the baby, wanting to go and live with her sister and receive support from her mother. She didn’t feel able to talk to Ruhma about wanting to leave and start again. Ruhma found it hard to let go but it was all pretty good timing as just as I suspected, Deborah did leave an anonymous tip about Tanya staying with her. Ruhma and Shak managed to persuade her otherwise but things are not looking good for her case. And unfortunately, it has put innocent Zara in the firing line as Ruhma concluded that she was the only one who could have informed on her…
Ruhma is devastated to say goodbye to Tanya and the baby… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
I’m sorry to say that after months of longing for Doctors to return to my screen, it was a bit of a lacklustre comeback last Monday. The episode wasn’t the most thrilling, as a handful of the cast had a social distanced birthday celebration for Jimmi, resulting in Al and new girl, Lily, bedding each other. I have to say, I am so up for this pairing! They are brilliant together!
Lily challenges Al to a drinking game… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Karen and Rob said farewell to their latest charge by taking him climbing and putting a rather unpleasant policeman in his place. And the annoying temporary midwife, Deborah, just about managed to deliver a baby. Is she even qualified? She seems to have no idea what she is doing. Also, in the NHS special, Ruhma was working so hard that she caught Covid-19 and nearly died so why is this woman even still here? Why wouldn’t Ruhma be back now? Unless she is still unwell. In which case, wouldn’t someone have acknowledged that or that Covid-19 has ever existed?
But anyway, Deborah continued to struggle to fit in, not helped by a sudden crush from nowhere on Sid which was not reciprocated. But undeterred, Deborah decided that The Mill might be somewhere she would like to stay.
Thankfully, Zara swooped in midweek and saved the show with a very cool episode about a very strange actress imitating her for a play. It was really quite creepy and the kind of Doctors episode we have come to expect. Unfortunately, this annoying Harper storyline still harps on. I did appreciate the Shakespeare’s sonnets though.
Zara is still obsessed with Harper.. maybe she should change the batteries as he clearly doesn’t have a plug? (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Now, the time has come to replace Ayesha and Daniel and Bear were sure they had found ‘the one’ until they checked the woman’s references. They were not good.
Daniel and Bear interview for a new nurse… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Now, I’ve watched Doctors since just after Joe was born so quite a few years now. My Nan got my Mum into it and my Mum got me into it. My wife lived in Birmingham for years and she loves it. Just in case you were interested. Probably not. But anyway, of all the soaps, I am never disappointed in this show. I think it’s the most underrated soap there is. It doesn’t show off and it doesn’t boast and yet it tells the most intricate, important, incredible stories. This week, we had mental health, grief, vasectomies, births, meditation for people coming out of prison…
So, I am shocked to discover the soap that’s set in a GP surgery has skipped the entire Coronavirus pandemic and is acting as if it’s all over. I just find it really strange. It’s also skipped it without actually skipping time. All the storylines (Ruhma has vanished without mention, Deborah is still there, they’ve not filled Ayesha’s position, Jimmi’s birthday was literally about to happen, that annoying Harper thing) just ran continuously from where they left off in the summer.
I get it in the Aussie episodes which always have that element of fantasy in them (and also didn’t really go off air) but in this kind of show, even more so than any of the others, I think Doctors has really missed a trick. Now, it feels like we’re in a weird vortex of time and space. It’s not something I would ever normally say about my beloved Doctors but attempting to skip Covid-19 entirely from the show feels like a huge error.
On Friday, Doctors absolutely excelled themselves with a ground breaking episode, all filmed remotely from the actors’ homes. It was a forty five minute episode to round off for their summer break. (I actually don’t know how I am going to cope this summer without it – it’s been the only stable soap!) But wow, they went out in style! I just don’t know how many ways I can compliment this show and this episode. It was absolutely amazing.
It was so well crafted, perfectly paced and had a fantastic blend of humour and drama. One minute, I was howling over Valerie’s dance moves (Sarah Moyle has the best comic timing), to actually weeping at the thought of losing one of our beloved characters to Coivd-19. We had the fantastic story of Jimmi counselling an intensive care Doctor, the hilarity of Emma and Zara and I enjoyed having a look at all their backgrounds, as I have been doing for the past few months during every piece of news!
The Doctors Cast Came Together to Film a Special Isolation Episode (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
The episode covered several weeks of lockdown and it did genuinely cover everything that we have all been dealing with every day. It was relatable. It was creative. It was the first time a soap has every attempted such a thing. And if it doesn’t get Best Single Episode at the British Soap Awards, it will be an absolute travesty!
Ruhma arranged to take Tanya away for a few days. Not only was Tanya’s baby crying in the background when she spoke to Bear, also lurking in the background were Tanya’s phone calls to her mother, trying to organise moving away from Ruhma at the right time.
Deborah was really beginning to grate on Emma, keeping pestering her for basic advice on her patients. When Emma complained to Daniel, he dismissed her.
Al and Lily plan Jimmi’s birthday… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
New temp receptionist (shouldn’t they prioritise looking for a nurse first?!), Lily, played by former Emmerdale actress, Verity Rushworth, started, bonding with the staff much more easily than poor, old Deborah did, namely connecting with Al. She even helped him organise Jimmi’s birthday, starting by reminding him that it was his birthday in the first place!
Silly Lily gets locked in the surgery… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
On Wednesday, there was one of the best episodes ever, where Bear accidentally locked Lily in the building, where there was promptly a power cut. With her phone in her handbag in her car, there was no way out for poor Lily until a young, autistic man happened by. He had set the smoke alarm off in his house and the noise had sent him to The Mill which he knew was a safe place to get help. Lily succeeded in directing him into her car to get her phone.
Zachery rescued Lily… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
The bond that formed between them turned out to be very special as across town, Sid and his new trainee were attempting to save the life of his father, who had just attempted suicide. As a standalone episode, I would recommend this episode to everyone. It was absolutely fantastic and the actor that played Zachery was outstanding. He stole the show!
Sid attempted to save Zachery’s father’s life… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Regarding recruiting a new nurse, I can’t say Zara has not put her best effort in. After her announcement on the radio, applications from vastly inappropriate people have come flooding in! Everyone wants to work at The Mill! In the meantime, Zara persuaded Al to play nurse for the day. He almost finds a newfound respect for nurses. Almost.
Zara is under a lot of stress… (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
Daniel became very worried about the level of stress his partner was under with so much on her plate with work, including everything that recently happened with Ayesha. He was concerned when he witnessed her having a panic attack and then hurt when she turned to Harper’s meditation app to calm herself down instead of letting him help. When the school called to alert him to a problem with Joe’s homework (he has been cheating using Harper), he decided to deal with it himself instead of worrying Zara with it. Joe got into further trouble that night when he continued to cheat despite having already been caught out!
Karen was devastated that Jay was being moved on and Jay did not want to go. He opened up to Rob about his past and Rob in turn was honest about his own father. The two of them had a lovely day together, with Rob able to reassure Jay that nothing that has happened to him in his life has been his fault.
Goodbye, Jay (photo credit: WhatsOnTV)
And so, today, we look forward to the very exciting, history-making, extended-length Isolation Episode, although sadly, this leads us into a summer break… I always miss this show when it’s not on. It is one of my most favourite soaps.
The Soap Dish 