Neighbours: May I Return (To the Beginning)…?

Tragically, the Neighbours cast and crew, not to mention us as devoted fans are counting down the days until our beloved show comes to a hopefully temporary end on 1^st August, with a huge double episode. But by now, most of us will have heard of some major cast returns and some of them are SERIOUSLY exciting!

Harold Bishop (Ian Smith)

The first person to be mentioned, several weeks ago was Harold Bishop, such a classic character that the café is still named after him, long after his departure. He is so loved that the show wasn’t even capable of killing him off without bringing him back to life! Nobody would ever be able to forget the beautiful love story that was Harold and Madge (Anne Charleston) – the humour and the tragedy. It could not end without him. If only Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver), his old sparring partner was returning with him!

Joe Mangel (Mark Little)

We will also see Joe Mangel (Mark Little) with whom I am very much hoping we might also see his daughter Skye and her wife, Lana (Stephanie Mackintosh and Bridget Neval). Joe was always a loveable character and it was one of the show’s most memorable and tragic episodes when wife, environmentalist, Kerry was shot and killed. We saw Skye, a police officer return a couple of years ago a marry teenage love, Lana, finally getting closure on the relationship that started all those years and had to end abruptly due to homophobia. It was the show’s second gay marriage and really showed just how far Neighbours has come in terms of diversity and celebrating the LGBTQ community.

The Kennedy Family

Benjamin McNair as Mal Kennedy
(Digital Spy)

There are so many iconic families on Ramsay Street and Neighbours are clearly doing their best to represent as many of them as possible in the characters they are bringing back, as well as making sure they keep the current, radiant cast shining. It is a joy to hear that Mal Kennedy (Benjamin McNair) will be winging his way back to his parents from where he ‘lives’ in London. If only Libby and Billy (Kym Valentine and Jesse Spencer) would drop in too. They could pose for a new portrait! My wife has been tuning in for these last few months and she was shocked to see it still hanging in Karl and Susan’s lounge!

Also on her way back to Erinsborough is Elly Conway (Jodi Anasta), Susan’s niece, prompting the hope that after everything they have been through over all these years, #Chelly might finally get their happy ever after. I did like Chloe and Nicolette for a while and this Kiri seems quite nice but Chloe and Elly were the original couple. Nobody ever quite moved on from them, did they?! Next week, we will be seeing Pierce Greyson (Tim Robards) return, in line with his son Hendrix’s tragic diagnosis but let’s hope that doesn’t mean a reunion for him and Chloe because quite frankly that never worked for me. Just saying.

The Rebecchi Family

Morgan Baker as Callum Rebecchi
(Digital Spy)

Poor Toadie has been through so much during his life on Ramsay Street. He lost his first wife, Dee Bliss. He found true love with Sonya until she died from cancer in possibly the saddest ever storyline the show has ever aired. Then there was the whole Dee/Andrea insanity, which I was hooked on from start to finish! And it has taken a respectful amount of time but he has finally found love again with Melanie Pearson. So, it is lovely that his mother, Angie and his and Sonya’s son, Callum (Leslie and Morgan Baker) will be here for the end.

The Willis Family

Kate Kendall as Lauren Willis
(Digital Spy)

Paige Brennan (Olympia Valance) is also due to return again, although not with husband, Mark as far as we know. I’m not the biggest Mark fan but with the Brennan family having made such a huge impact on the Street, it would have been amazing to see Mark and Tyler (and Tyler’s partner, Piper) reunite on screen with their siblings, Chloe and Aaron – not to mention Piper and half-sister Paige back together again.

However, Paige’s mother, Lauren Willis (Kate Kendall) will return! And so will Ned Willis (Ben Hall), who has barely left. Ned has got himself into quite a lot of bother recently, having cheated on girlfriend, Amy with Harlow. He must take after his father. Deciding he needs to start afresh, Ned decided to head off to Sydney but it has been confirmed that both he and ex-girlfriend – and clearly the love of his life – Yashvi Rebecchi (Olivia Junkeer) will both return for the finale. So, does this mean they will get their happy ending after all?

Ned and Yashvi – reunited?
(Digital Spy)

But most importantly, Ned is heading to Sydney to spend time with his mother, Beth Brennan (Natalie Imbruglia) – no relation to Mark etc. Natalie recently won The Masked Singer UK and added her voice very loudly to the #SaveNeighbours Campaign so could it be possible that she might also return?! This would be amazing! Especially with Lauren, the third Mrs Willis back on screen, albeit played by a different actress, but still the same character who had an affair with Brad when Beth was in a relationship with him way back in the 90s. Neighbours, you need to make this happen. Three Mrs Willis’s on screen at the same time: Beth, Terese and Lauren! Ramsay Street actually could explode after all!

Will Beth make one last return to Ramsay Street…?
(ITV)

Also returning as part of the Willis clan are Kyle and Roxy Canning (Chris Milligan and Zima Anderson). They too have only left the show very recently. With Kyle only just recovering from testicular cancer, these two are a couple of the level of Scott and Charlene in terms of just how much they love each other. I’m not a TV wedding crier by any stretch of the imagination but I got very emotional at this one. And now, despite the odds, they are expecting a baby!

Chris Milligan and Zima Anderson as Kyle and Roxy Canning

Other Notable Characters

Also back for the finale are: Shane Ramsay (Peter O’Brien), Des Clarke (Paul Keane), Joel Samuels (Daniel MacPherson), Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingwaighte) and Amy Williams (Zoe Cramond).

The Robinson Family

Melissa Bell has returned as Lucy Robinson
(Digital Spy)

The final family with returning character are the Robinson family. Paul can expect two of his many children to return: Elle and Andrew (Pippa Black and Jordan Patrick). Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell) is already on screen, attempting to rescue the mess Paul has made – and is blaming Terese for – of the fashion show. She is due to be joined by gay best friend and father of her baby, former resident, Chris Pappas (James Mason) who moved to live with her in New York. As far as Paul and Terese are concerned, they remain together in the credits, so I hold out hope that by 1^st August, they will be back together, where they belong.

Scott and Charlene (Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue)

Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue as Scott and Charlene Robinson
(Metro)

And of course, the return that everyone is talking about… Scott and Charlene Robinson, played by the legendary Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue, who began their careers in Neighbours in the 80s and went onto become global superstars. This has been the ultimate dream cast return for decades and I can hardly believe it is actually happening! Scott and Charlene have been mentioned regularly throughout the years with their extended family still living on Ramsay Street. In fact, Jason’s real life daughter plays Harlow! In the fictional world, Scott and Charlene have been happily married all this time and remain one of those couples and make you believe in true love! Their wedding was watched in the UK by 20 million people!

They went onto have two children (off screen), Madeline and Daniel, both of whom turned up on Ramsay Street as adults. Daniel arrived in 2014 and eventually married Imogen Willis, daughter of Terese, who eventually married Paul, brother of Scott! I am secretly hoping that Daniel and Imogen (Tim Phillips and Ariel Kaplan) might also find their way back home for the end!

Of course, everyone knows that since departing Erinsborough, Kylie went onto have an incredible pop career and became a huge gay icon and ally. She has lent her voice to the cause and is cherished by the LGBTQ community the world over. So, there is something particularly special, I think, that she is returning not just to the show that began her career but to the show that has developed itself from a soap that competed with all the others, to a soap that celebrates diversity in such a magical way – far beyond any others. And I watch them all! When Kylie and Jason were Australia and the UK’s sweethearts, there were no gay characters. Through the years, they tried and failed with characters such as Skye and Lana and had successes with others such as Chris. Now, we have Aaron and David, who even have a child and have been accepted as foster parents. We have Nicolette. We have Chloe. We have had the privilege of following Mackenzie through her journey as a beautiful, graceful transgender teenager. I believe we’re about to meet a non-binary character in the coming weeks. Aaron and David had the first gay wedding on Neighbours and walked down the aisle to ‘Especially for You’ by Kylie and Jason themselves! So, to have them back is an amazing thing, despite the circumstances.

Although, I am dreading that final episode and having to say goodbye to one of my most favourite ever programmes, I admire the dignity with which all the cast and crew have approached things. I also salute every single fan, who with true Ramsay Street Spirit, has campaigned for the show to be saved. I am proud to have been tweeting away, desperate to save the show we love and I have really enjoyed making those connections. I am excited for all the cast members who love the show so much that they wanted to be part of its celebrations and goodbyes. And I will also never lose the hope that even though the show will be rested, it will return.

Eastenders: All the Reasons We Love Jean Slater

Gillian Wright is one of those not so secret weapons that Eastenders knows they are so very lucky to have. Jean is there to offer love and friendship and support to all who need her. She can swoop in and steal any scene with only one witty line that the other characters have been working so hard to build up. The show’s light was dimmed years ago when she departed to live in Brighton and it brightened again when she returned. I for one, hope that she stays forever!

Stacey and Shirley’s attempts to get Jean help were thwarted
(image: Radio Times)

The beauty of Jean is that as well as warming our hearts with her earnestness, her strength and her kindness, she can break them when we witness her constant battle with her mental health. This recent spiral into a manic episode with her bipolar has been devastating to watch, particularly with Stacey, played by the incredible Lacey Turner, who has been desperately trying to get the right help for her mother but with no support. As a bipolar sufferer herself and having lived with her Mum going through these episodes all her life, she knows exactly what the signs are and it has been so hard to see her being ignored by an understaffed and overstretched NHS. Not to mention the ignorance of Jean’s boyfriend, Harvey, who has no concept of the ‘real’ Jean and has been completely unable to recognise that the Jean who jumped into bed with him on their first date, who has been baking like she’s on Bake Off, who tried to hook up with Rocky in the Vic toilets, who has lacked so much compassion for him and everyone around them, who was pushing for a rushed, not to mention expensive wedding and who doesn’t care about her family anymore and would call the police on her own daughter, who is still on probation, is not the Jean we know and love. He has never met that Jean before.

I don’t know if we are meant to feel sorry for Harvey or not. I don’t, really. I don’t feel sorry for him over Aaron, whose views seem to only be a very exaggerated version of his father’s. But because Harvey would never be physically violent, murderous or aggressive to non-white people, we are apparently not meant to consider him racist, just old fashioned. On top of that, if you love someone, you care about their safety. Even if he hadn’t met Jean outside of her manic symptoms, so many of the things she has been doing are unsafe and out of the ordinary of what most people would do. And Stacey was telling him over and over again that there was a problem. He had the warning and he ignored it. Over and over again. The ignorance has been so frustrating. It didn’t need to come to this. He could have helped sooner. Or at all. While Martin and Stacey were tracking Jean down in Southend, he was feeling sorry himself, getting drunk and eating wedding cake, talking about how embarrassed he is that it was Jean’s bipolar that was attracted to him, not Jean herself. Well, that’s not helpful to the situation and yes, he should be embarrassed but not about that, specifically. He doesn’t deserve Jean, quite frankly. The only thing that makes me waver in my opinion was in Monday’s episode when he lent his support to Stacey, as he visited Jean in the hospital. Afterwards, she begged him not to let her face the situation alone and he assured her that he would be there.

Harvey blindly ignored Stacey’s desperate pleas for him to understand her Mum was ill
(image: Digital Spy)

As for last week’s episodes… I hardly have the words. They were incredible – particularly Thursday’s episode. Even if you’re not a big Eastenders viewer, I defy you not to get something out of the beauty of this particular episode. It was written so perfectly (by Lauren Klee) and directed so magically (by Karl Neilson). Gillian Wright was at her absolute best and Lacey Turner was amazing. The episode depicted Jean’s reality compared to what was really going on around her. It made me genuinely emotional, as she charged around Southend in her wedding dress, people laughing at her and getting impatient and some feeling concerned while she flitted from the joy of getting married, apparently to Daniel to becoming confused and frightened and at times, euphoric as she rode rollercoasters and played on the beach.

Jean went to Southdown in her wedding dress, believing she would marry her late partner, Daniel
(image: Digital Spy)

There were so many little moments of genius in this episode, including the heightened confusion of Stacey trying to find Jean in the hall of mirrors. Also, a hilarious little moment of Stacey walking into a mirror, which has become a delightful meme for all to enjoy! And finally, the climax to the episode between mother and daughter, where Jean admitted she was ill and attempted suicide.

Stacey found Jean in the sea, absolutely broken
(image: Digital Spy)

Jean has a long road ahead of her but I am confident she will be able to come back from this and that Stacey will be by her side throughout, as will the rest of the family because that’s what Slaters do. I hope Eve will be included in this, as she has been notably absent during these episodes and up until this point, she has been so supportive of Stacey and she seems to care for Jean very much. Presumably, we are supposed to assume she’s been in the background, helping out but we just haven’t seen her on screen. She is a great character and isn’t used enough. As for Harvey, time will tell, I suppose. But I am so proud of Eastenders for the way in which they tell Jean’s story. She is by far, one of the show’s most beautiful gems.

Hollyoaks on Fire!

Gosh, Hollyoaks has never been one to shy away from a bold story but taking out three massive characters has blown even my mind! Three! Celeste, Sylver and Marnie are all gone! And they’re not even ‘soap’ gone either, vanished into the ether, to one day pop back up when the actor is out of work.

Martine confirmed that Celeste’s body was in the chapel of rest so she will miss the fallout from Toby’s confession that he murdered Lisa. John Paul checked that it was indeed Sylver’s body being pulled out of the wreckage of the café, having been abandoned in the fire by Bobby. Of course, as it turns out, he recorded a message for Mercedes to say goodbye and inform her that Bobby knew where he was. Who knew that Bobby would turn out to be such a cretin and essentially kill his step-father who he had once loved so much?!

And the absolute worst death for me was Marnie. I should have expected it. There’s always a death like this. You think they’re okay and then suddenly…. But no. Marnie was chatting away to Donna-Marie and the next minute, she had collapsed and died, no matter how hard Misbah tried to save her. Awful!

It was a big week this week and some huge storytelling. The repercussions of this one will be felt for a long time, widespread through all the characters. Hollyoaks have done so well with the stunt, the writing, the performance and the shock factor. Good job! Keep it coming!

Who Won Christmas and New Year?

4^th Coronation Street

Billy provided the entertainment for the Street on Christmas Day!

I’m ranking Corrie last because although Corrie had some great bits this Christmas and New Year and I loved the focus on it being about family and community, it didn’t pack all that much punch. I found myself getting distracted while I was watching. I loved Billy playing the piano on the Street while people gathered around. I loved the Barlows and the Platts unable to get along. A real highlight was Tyrone and Phill fighting in their rubber gloves, although I find it reprehensible that Fiz wants to sell Jack and Vera’s house. Although, to be fair, if Tyrone hadn’t had some kind of early midlife crisis and gone off with Alina…

And what on earth was George thinking when he bought a coffin for Eileen?! Merry Christmas! Let’s plan your death!

Abi and Kelly’s scenes were heartbreaking and I was shocked by the revelation that it was Abi that Imran had a one night stand with. I just hope that this doesn’t break her and Kevin up. He has stood by her through everything and forgiven so much.

And I don’t know about anyone else but I am already sick of Adam’s lothario storylines. He’s either having an affair or a one night stand or he’s suffering the effects of having had one. And subsequently, he and Sarah are always arguing. They never give him a different storyline. It’s so boring.

3^rd Hollyoaks

Luke left a beautiful message for Cindy for Christmas…

I felt genuinely emotional as I watched Cindy desperately try to create the perfect Christmas for her and Luke and their family. But everything went wrong. Ollie got caught up with Becky and her bonkers conspiracy theories and Luke was so poorly and forgetful that everything fell apart. And then the next day, he completely forgot the big argument they had and was so lovely to her; he thought they’d had a lovely Christmas. I also loved the video he had made for her during a more lucid moment. She came to realise that no Christmas could ever be perfect. It’s too late and this is how they live now. It was really sad.

Ella had big news and revealed to Charlie and the rest of the family that she is pregnant! It was fairly obvious that this is where the story was going as they made such a big deal of their first time and they had that pregnancy scare before. It would be interesting if they hadn’t done exactly the same story with Tom and Peri. However, I am curious to know how they will write Sarah Jayne Dunn out when her on screen daughter has such a big story on her hands…

It is always nice to see the McQueens taking centre stage and this Christmas saw Mercedes and Sylver return with Bobby after their trip away to try and rebuild their marriage. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Mercedes, Sylver is planning to leave and move away, unable to forgive his wife for her infidelity.

Maxine went all out to keep Trish in the Village (why she wants to, I have no idea – she’s never anything but horrible to her!) New Year seemed the appropriate time to reveal that newcomer, Dave (Emmerdale’s killer Cameron who dated Debbie Dingle played by Charley Webb who is the real-life sister of Jamie Lomas who plays Warren Fox, just for a bit of trivia), who is already aware but has 0% interest in getting to know his daughter and disrupting his already complicated family set-up. Charming.

So, although I wouldn’t exactly call any of these episodes ‘Christmas specials’, Hollyoaks also doesn’t dominate any prime time viewing over the Christmas period. It did have some good stories and Cindy and Luke’s story really did get to me.

2^nd Eastenders

Gray was determined that the wedding would go ahead…

I was desperately looking forward to the Christmas and New Year episodes of Eastenders; they had promised so very much, what with Gray’s crimes and Rocky’s identity being uncovered and an explosive hate crime at the clock struck 2022.

Unfortunately, they delivered very little. The Christmas Day episode just never really got going. It was over before anything really happened. The Boxing Day episode was incredible though. It was almost as if they were behind schedule or something considering the difference in the quality between the episodes. And it was a real shame as the episodes leading up to Christmas too were so good! I was hooked all week long and so disappointed on Christmas Day. And I promise I am not going to sit here and complain that an evil, far right gang failed to blow up a building intended to be a mosque. Obviously. But again, the discussions regarding New Year were that everyone would be struggling after the traumatic events of New Year. And nothing actually happened at New Year. That was the big story. So, although I am very glad that the explosion did not take place, it still adds to the general feeling of overpromising and underdelivering.

As for storylines, Zaarah Abraham absolutely knocked it out of park and Toby-Alexander Smith was terrifying! I could have throttled Mitch for bringing Chelsea back to the Square, no questions asked. And I feel it’s a real plot hole that he has some kind of forgiveness amnesia when it comes to Gray. It was only last year that he suspected Gray of foul play with Chantelle himself. So, if a woman is clearly frightened of her husband and is fleeing the day after her wedding, wouldn’t you at least ask why?

I was glad that the truth finally came out about Rocky, although I like him so much that I still hope there will be away forward for him and Sonia. She wants a Dad and he wants a daughter – little knowing he does actually have one in Dotty! I feel stupid not to have seen that coming. Also, are we about to see him and Shirley get together?! It would be nice if Shirley met someone. She always seems to be on the romantic sidelines.

I was really happy to see Mick knock Janine back when he found her in his bed. However, it was disappointing to see that that wasn’t the end of it. Although it was wonderful to see Kellie Bright back on screen, albeit briefly, we should have known that Janine would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Unfortunately, despite how brilliant the scenes between Janine and Linda were, this plot, again, has so many flaws.

Linda has met Janine before, right at the beginning of the Carters’ time in Albert Square and Janine is not exactly the kind of person you forget.
The implication was that Janine persuaded Linda into drinking that first time but when Nancy and Zack went to see her, she implied that she’d been back on the booze for a while, so which is it? If it was the first time with Janine, she sure spiralled very quickly!
After finding out that Janine had been to visit Linda, why wasn’t Mick even more suspicious of the situation?
After finding out that Linda was drinking again, why wouldn’t Mick at least try to work things out and go and see Linda?
Why would Mick have left it so long to communicate with Linda anyway? They share a young son! How would it have even got to this stage?

And with the news at the weekend that Danny Dyer has quit the show… who on earth knows what will happen with Mick and his clan this year?!

And speaking of plot holes – as if Mr Lister wouldn’t know who Stacey was?! She has had a stall on the market for years! Come on!

1^st Emmerdale

Manpreet would live to regret uncovering Meena’s secret… she hoped!

I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the Christmas and New Year Emmerdale episodes. Every episode so was well done and so full of drama.

First there was devious Al blowing up the pub. I can’t stand Al at the best of times but honestly, how dare he?! Doesn’t he know how iconic that place is?! What an awful man! And I certainly wasn’t expecting Meena and Manpreet, in the middle of a completely separate plot, to get caught up in the blast!

I have read and heard a lot of criticism for the Meena story; people feeling like it is dragging on too long and is becoming over the top. But I completely disagree. The whole idea is that this woman is a psychopath and lacks any kind of empathy. I’ve found it really compelling to see her pushed into a situation where the one person in the world that she genuinely does care for, has discovered her secret. We saw her by Manpreet’s bedside in the hospital, willing her to die so she didn’t have to kill her. And normally, she would have revelled in murdering somebody and she would have done it immediately. But instead, Manpreet has ended up being held hostage in the house while Meena has been going quietly (or loudly) mad, realising that she has to kill her. I am honestly going to be devastated when Meena is caught or killed or vanishes into the distance; however, this story turns out. For a serial killer, she sure has injected a lot of life into the Dales.

Finally, my Vanessa returned to the Village! I have been so very desperate for her to come home! It has been forever! She returned just as Mack and Charity were confessing their love (yuck) – Mack because he means it and Charity because she wanted to mean it. Within about an hour, it was quite clear that Charity had lost all interest in Mack and was desperate to be with Vanessa again. I mean, she’s going to have to work harder than that but I have high hopes for them for 2022. I was a little thrown by Vanessa having a girlfriend but then it turned out that she was the woman that Nate cheated on poor Tracy with so that solved that issue…

Meanwhile, Ellis abandoned Belle and little Kyle out in the woods, accidentally taking the car keys with him when Priya called him for help. Staying out all night, the pair ended up in hospital with hypothermia. When Priya then rejected Ellis’s assistance, why he decided to get drunk with his Dad instead of going back to Belle and Kyle (or you know, look in his pocket and discover the car keys he accidentally took with him?!), I will never know. But Cain was very soon out for revenge…

So, yes, I absolutely loved Emmerdale over this holiday season. In 2021 and into 2022, it has gone from being probably my least favourite soap to one of my most favourites, if not my favourite. I love it. The writing, the storylining and the performance are all amazing and everyone should be very proud.

Christmas Soap Spoilers 2021

So, with Doctors, Home and Away and Neighbours done for the year, it’s left to Eastenders, Corrie, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks to entertain us over the festive period.

Eastenders

I am so excited for Eastenders this Christmas! This week, Whitney is desperately tying to get to the truth about Gray and to protect Chelsea from him and things look set to get far more intense at Christmas. I will be on the edge of my seat. I love Eastenders for putting Whitney in the hero/rescuer role instead of the victim role. I cannot applaud them enough.

Then we are due the big reveal about Rocky actually being Tom Cotton (although I like him so much that I want everything to be forgiven anyway! If we can forgive Stuart for everything he did…)

I am also very interested to see the first Mitchell/Slater Christmas… I love Kat and Phil together; I just hope that Sharon pining for the granddaughter she completely mishandled the custody of doesn’t mess up the relationship. I am also hoping for lots of Eve!

The only downside to Christmas on the Square is the rumour that Janine and Mick are going to get together/closer. For starters, this is a tired story. The last time Linda disappeared, he went off with Whitney. Plus we’ve already had an affair between Linda and Max. Obviously, they’ve had to create a reason for Linda to leave, as Kellie Bright is on maternity leave but can’t Mick just behave himself while she’s gone instead of this cliché every time? It’s so boring. These two arrived on the Square as the most solid, in love couple who had never been with anyone else and never loved another; I wish Eastenders would just keep them intact. I am really hoping that they have something up their sleeve with this one.

And from reading my beloved Inside Soap, I gather that Eastenders are not letting up after Christmas and the Square will also be bringing in an explosive New Year as well. I cannot wait!

Emmerdale

I am equally gripped by Emmerdale’s plots this Christmas, particularly Meena’s psychotic rampaging through the Village! This week, she has discovered that Billy, her newest obsession just isn’t that into her either! He is still in love with Dawn. And she is not happy about it. She has also fallen out with Manpreet, who is well on her way to discovering some truths about her past that Meena would rather she didn’t.

So I am pretty sure that not everyone is going to come through Christmas alive… Well, I hope not anyway! Honestly, I have never enjoyed a soap serial killer storyline so much – I think there might be something wrong with me…

Whoever created the character of Meena and the people who write for her deserve awards. She is incredible. And I can’t seem to stop saying how wonderful and talented Paige Sandhu is.

The Woolpack will also be left very vulnerable on Christmas Day, with Al’s scheming coming to a head. I called it ages ago that when Chas was being all compliant with him that she was playing him at his own game. She is far too clever to let him come and take her precious pub away from her. And I loved Nicola standing up publicly for the pub and the Village this week as well.

Coronation Street

I confess I am not quite as enthralled by the Corrie Christmas stories as I am for what Eastenders and Emmerdale have to offer this year but I am looking forward to them proving me wrong. You just never know with the soaps; they are full of surprises.

I adore Emma and I have been following her and Curtis’s story very closely. I felt so sorry for her this week when Curtis was arrested on their wedding day. I felt less sorry for him. Then there’s little Sam, who will apparently speak for the first time in weeks over Christmas. I also believe with are due some emotional scenes from Abi, not to mention some shocks! Sally Carmen has been stealing so many scenes recently. She’s just wonderful, as is Mollie Gallagher, who plays Nina.

Hollyoaks

Now, I don’t know about you but I have already blitzed Hollyoaks on All4, taking me right up to the episodes due to air on 30^th December. I’m not even sorry. I couldn’t wait!

However, I can report that it is definitely worth watching and there are some really amazing moments. The bit that really got me was Cindy’s desperation to have a positive Christmas with/for Luke and the almost impossibility of it and of the situation. It was utterly heartbreaking.

The Maalik Family confront Ali
The Osbourne Family get a big surprise
Cindy struggles through Christmas with Luke
Ollie’s new relationship with conspiracy theorist, Becky causes problems
Nana has bad news
Mercedes, Sylver and Bobby return
Trish has a shock for Maxine

The Stand Out Show

Rob and Karen have been struggling…
(Digital Spy)

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!

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.

Multiple Shades of Gray

I am so intrigued by the story we are venturing down with Gray, Chelsea and Whitney in Eastenders. I think this is one of the cleverest and most intricately written stories we have seen in such a long time.

There was a lot more to Gray and Chantelle’s relationship than people knew…
(Metro)

We first met Gray when he was married to Chantelle. They were presented as the perfect couple. They were beautiful and successful, they’d bought the fanciest house on the Square, they had their gorgeous children; everything was presented as the couple intended people to see them as. After a while, I realised that we only ever saw them outside of their beautiful house and that that must have been done on purpose – so what was happening inside the house? Gray was giving off uncomfortable vibes. And sure enough, one day we witnessed the violence and it was clear that this was not the first time he had harmed his wife.

As viewers, we then experienced Chantelle’s heartbreaking life as she tried to keep her family together and protect her children from the hell she was living through with her husband’s violent rages. It was clear she loved him and there were so many desperate episodes where I shouted at the screen, begging her to tell her Mum, Karen, what was happening to her.

Chantelle died at her violent husband’s hands – with the help of the dishwasher…
(Entertainment Daily)

Eventually, she connected with neighbour, Kheerat, who fell in love with her and she decided that it was time to leave Gray and take her kids to start a new life. I remember those awful (but brilliant) episodes where she was so close to telling her Dad, Mitch and if only she had, things might have turned out differently. But instead, before she could leave Gray for good, he killed her. And now, all these months later, her parents still don’t know the truth of what happened and still believe their daughter’s widower is a good and grieving man. They also have no idea he has killed two more people since then! (RIP Tina and Kush.)

I thought it was really brave of Eastenders to take the story in this direction and I don’t think anyone was expecting it. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any domestic abuse storyline that has ended in the death of the victim; it’s always been about surviving. In fact, it’s usually the abuser that ends up dead (such as being buried under the patio). But with domestic homicides on the increase, this storyline has played a brave and important role in social consciousness. While Coronation Street is doing a great job of showing Yasmeen, a woman who will forever be haunted by her experiences of living under the coercive control of her abusive husband (who incidentally died by falling off a roof), Eastenders has shown the other side: not surviving at all. Both stories have been devastating in different ways.

Gray and Whitney began to grow closer…
(Metro)

Another interesting aspect of Gray’s story is the obvious assumption that he would then get together with Whitney not taking place. For starters, she is Eastenders’ constant victim (Tony King, Leo King etc.) Gray fixated on her very quickly – he even killed Kush to stop them from leaving together (and murdered poor Tina because she worked out the truth about Chantelle)! He ruined Whitney’s chance of working on the cruise ship, which was very cruel. He worked very hard to manipulate her into a relationship with him too.

However, the moment she saw that flash of his anger, the hateful way he spoke to her when he found out that she already knew about Chelsea’s pregnancy and accompanied her to the clinic, she walked out on him. I was certain that it was already too late for poor Whitney and she was already too drawn in by Gray but really, I should have known that he’d shown his cards too early. I was so very proud of our Whit for halting things and knowing that this was a road she did not want to go down.

Gray proposed after discovering that Chelsea was pregnant
(Metro)

My last comments, regard Chelsea. Her relationship with Gray has been so interesting from the start. I wasn’t a massive Chelsea fan to begin with. To be honest, she was very annoying when she first returned to the Square! I find her shallowness quite grating and that whole drugs story was beyond tedious. However, now all that nonsense with Lucas and the drugs are over, her character has massively improved and putting her together with Gray was a stroke of genius. She has certainly kept him on his toes so far – spending his money and retaining a lot of the power between them. However, that power is clearly waning. We can see this with that way that he moved her in without even telling her and went over her head and told the children about the baby when she wasn’t ready.

One of the really interesting things to watch here, I think is that Gray and Chantelle came to the Square as a ready-made couple. We don’t know how things began between them, how this beautiful, strong woman, who was raised by a powerhouse of a mother ended up in such a terrible situation. We have also only recently gained any insight into Gray’s upbringing. Although he has told people that his father was a deadbeat Dad who abandoned the family, we now know that it was a lot more complicated than that – Gray was clearly a violent young man. It sounds like he harmed his mother and frightened his father. So it will be very interesting to see Gray, who is hiding many secrets – including three murders and has just had the loss of his job uncovered – get together with pregnant Chelsea. He is already beginning to take control of their relationship and she is already starting to feel vulnerable. Will Chelsea’s pregnancy protect her from violence? That was a tactic Chantelle used at one time when she was frightened of her husband.

Rumour has it that over Christmas, when Gray and Chelsea are due to wed, Whitney will uncover a lot more regarding Gray’s crimes so will everything come to a head at last? And will everyone come out alive? I for one, will be absolutely gripped. I absolutely love these characters, this story and the writing. And the actors have all been incredible from the start.

Letherbridge Lockdown

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.

Hollyoaks: Crime Capital of the UK

Hollyoaks Village is definitely Crime Capital of the UK, there can be no doubt. Every year in Inside Soap, they add up all the murders and the Chester based soap always tots up the most kills, even if, currently, Meena in Emmerdale is working pretty hard to challenge that, as is Gray down in Albert Square.

Ste was indoctrinated into a far right, racist group
(Metro)

However, in recent years, Hollyoaks appears to be tackling these ‘big’ stories that span almost an entire year. And the first time they did it, with Ste being indoctrinated into the white supremacist hate group and all the discussions of racism and all those powerful scenes entailed… well, it was amazing. They took a most beloved character and turned them against everything in our moral fibre. They did something that no soap has ever attempted before (although Eastenders are clearly touching on something similar with this new boy, Aaron) and it challenged people’s ways of thinking. I cried my way through that entire story. Every time Ste and his gang abused the Maalik family, it broke my heart. I was shouting at the television, wondering how people could let this happen. But of course, that was the whole point.

The kids were caught up in county lines drugs running
(Radio Times)

The following year, they got bigger. They took on this whole ‘flashforward’ story (which was rudely interrupted by the pandemic and then thrown somewhat by actor, Aedan Duckworth (Ollie Morgan) exiting his role with no warning. Can you even imagine the panic of reshooting and reimaging the story when they had not only filmed the end of the story but also aired it a year before?! The county lines drugs story spanned the entire year and although I know it’s a massive issue, for me, it was just too long. The young actors involved were wonderful and it was a great way of showcasing their talent. But by the end of it, I’d pretty much stopped caring what happened – not to mention lost track of it all. It just got too dark and too complicated (not to mention too unlikely that anything like this would happen in a tiny, little village!)

So, imagine how thrilled I have been by the latest, massive project surrounding Fergus and his exploitation of every woman in Chester. Again, it’s a hugely important issue. And it is something that’s important to me. But there has to be some level of realism, surely? Would this bloke really come to a small village and set up a series of pay per view spy cams in women’s homes? Locally? Where he lives? And nobody even noticed? Then would he shoot his tech guy for spilling the beans, having become obsessed with one of the girls? Oh and then sell his daughter in law to the highest bidder? It doesn’t make logistical sense. And once again, for me, it just got too dark and too complicated. It’s Hollyoaks, not Line of Duty.

In conclusion, sometimes, a less complex story can actually go a lot further.

Learning to Heal

Although I saw it coming a mile off, nothing could prepare me for the scene where Misbah finally admitted that Ali had raped her, resulting in her becoming pregnant with Shaq. The whole episode was amazing and I was on the edge of my seat, my heart pounding as the world began closing in on her at the ball.

Once home, Yazz was so amazing, as she spoke so wonderfully to her mother, kindly but firmly helping her to say the words and admit the truth. It was clear that the boys were not ready to hear it but Yazz was the perfect daughter. I was so moved by the exchange between mother and daughter and actresses Harvey Virdi and Haiesha Mistry should be so proud of their work.

This for me is Hollyoaks at its finest. It’s such a challenging and topical story – historical rape – and will affect many, many people. Putting such a strong woman at its helm is a really wonderful thing to do as well. Mizbah has always been a leader, both in her family and as Doctor at the hospital. She is also one of the kindest characters on the show; other characters look to her for support and guidance. To take her to this place and to think back along her timeline in this way is so interesting. To see her in such a vulnerable position is so heartbreaking. And to see her learn to heal, when she has been suffering in silence for all these long years will be so important for a great many people.

I am so interested to see where this story takes us and how Mizbah’s loved ones will respond. We have already seen a misguided attempt to forge evidence against Ali to give the CPS a reason to charge him and go to trial and now it looks like someone (Imran, perhaps?) has assaulted him. In everyone’s desperation to protect their Mum, are they just making things worse for her?

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