Neighbours: Mothers and Daughters

(Wednesday 5^th – Wednesday 12^th August 2020)

Jane’s daughter, Nicolette Stone turned up in Erinsborough, almost tragically eager to see her mother and hoping that she had asked Terese to contact her. Of course, Jane is still in Perth and hasn’t done anything of the sort. So, the story goes that their relationship is pretty fractured. When Nicolette came out as gay, although Jane was supportive, she kept her deep in the closet as far as Mrs Mangel was concerned, which I totally get was hurtful to Nicolette. It made her feel like Jane wasn’t supportive at all. And it drove a huge wedge between them, especially knowing the relationship we know that Jane and Mrs Mangel had. But thinking that Jane had asked for her, Nicolette came rushing and was crestfallen to realise her mother wasn’t even there.

Terese pointed out that if Jane knew that Nicolette wanted to sort things out, she would undoubtedly be delighted but Nicolette was doubtful and also unconcerned about her mother getting her heart broken for the millionth time. In the meantime, she bonded with Chloe and became quite smitten, assuming she was gay and not realising that she would flirt with a post. When she made the bold move of asking her out, Chloe awkwardly explained that she was married – to Pierce. Later, she explained that she was bisexual and she had really enjoyed spending time with her.

Nicolette is smitten with Chloe
(photo credit: Yahoo)

Unhappy Nic accidentally bumped into Paul, letting the cat out of the bag regarding Terese’s communications with Jane. Paul was horrified to hear of the breakup but even more upset to realise that he has been left completely in the dark. He is possibly the biggest busy body soap has ever seen! Terese had no choice but to contact Jane and admit that she contacted her daughter and just as Nicolette is all set to leave town, Terese informed her that Jane was on her way, desperate to repair their relationship. Unfortunately, things didn’t go terribly well as while Jane apologised for throwing her out of the house after Nicolette told her and Des exactly what she thought of their relationship (which prompted the breakup), Nicolette was unrepentant and clearly carrying a lot of hurt from the past. While Nicolette prepared to pack up and say goodbye, Jane asked newly returned Karl and Susan for a place to stay.

Nicolette and Jane have a tense reunion…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Well, I have to say, I am thrilled that Jane has returned as a regular cast member at last and Nicolette definitely has the potential to be a good character, I think. Her first scene with Jane was brilliant. Their relationship will be a very interesting story to tell. And now that Elly is gone and we can see serious cracks in Chloe and Pierce’s relationship, Nicolette could very easily be the answer!

Across the Street, Aaron and David have had all kinds of trouble with Emmett and his brother, Brent but their compassion won out when they realised what it was like for Brent in residential care. They agreed to take Brent on for a week’s trial and to look after the two of them. The first day seemed to be going well with lots of fun, games and doughnuts. However, when Aaron was busy, Brent persuaded reluctant Emmett to climb onto the roof with him. When they were getting down, Emmett struggled and fell! Ouchy.

Sheila finally broke and admitted the truth about what happened to Levi. She had popped out for some milk when some thugs broke in and attacked him as a child, causing a head injury that also caused seizures. She admitted that the thugs had been the lads that Kyle hung around with; she had sent him away to turn his life around and get him away from them. She never told the police, meaning Levi never got justice and so suffered with nightmares for many years. Instead, she sorted things out quietly with the boys’ parents. Kyle was horrified, having had no idea he was responsible for what happened and Levi was devastated that Sheila essentially chose Kyle over him.

Kyle is devastated to be partly responsible for what happened to Levi
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Storming out, Levi turned to Bea for support. There is definitely a romance brewing there, I think. And quite frankly, Bea deserves someone nice for a change. Kyle turned to Roxy over his guilt. He attempted to plead Sheila’s case to Levi but the boys nearly ended up fighting instead. While Levi decided to move out, Roxy persuaded Ned to help her cheer Kyle up with some ‘classy’ nude pictures. And she and Sheila finally made amends. Hooray! Sheila admitted to Kyle that she loves him like a son because she raised him like one; essentially she does love him more than her other grandchildren.

Dipi was becoming more confused and frustrated by Shane’s erratic moods. One minute he is pulling and all-nighter and not even calling, the next he is sleeping like the dead, then he can’t concentrate, then he is very grumpy… Alongside the drugs Harlow and Hendrix have now found in the school and Yashvi is investigating rather well for a rookie, plus that weird conversation he and Ritchie had the other day, I’m assuming… well, drugs.

Monday – Friday, Channel 5 @ 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Coronation Street: I’m Coming Out!

(Monday 17^th – Friday 21^st February 2020)

Ray is determined to make Abi pay for torching his car. Scared, Abi asks Sally for an alibi, which of course she refuses to provide. Paula acts as Abi’s lawyer but she is clearly frustrated with her during the interview. Kevin then steps up as Abi’s alibi but when his car is spotted on CCTV, he is found out to be a liar, getting him into legal trouble himself. Sally is furious. Kevin tells Abi how much he likes her.

James and Danny end up in bed and are almost caught out by Ed but manage to distract him. Over breakfast the next morning, James blurts out to Ed that he is gay. Ed is shocked but tells his son that he loves him no matter what. James later tells his family about Danny. To his face, Ed does his best to be supportive but he later confronts Danny, telling him exactly what he thinks and accusing him of corrupting his son. James overhears everything and is devastated to learn what his Dad really thinks. Ed tries to explain, pulling out that awful line that LGBTQ folk get bashed over the head with at least once in their lives: ‘hate the sin, love the sinner’. Aggie is angry with her husband for letting James down.

Ali feigns congratulations when Maria and Gary announce their engagement. Ryan stops Ali from telling Gary about his one night stand with Maria.

Fiz is left completely shut out of the craft session with Jade and Hope when Hope draws a picture just of her and Jade. Jade persuades the little girl to add in the whole family but Fiz is certain that Jade enjoys her being excluded. She makes excuses as to why Jade can’t see Hope again at the weekend.

The Frescos launch does not go well. First, they refuse to delay so that Chesney and Gemma can take Aled to a hospital appointment about his hearing. The appointment is a bust anyway as the baby needs to be asleep. They make the launch but Gemma and Chesney are made to stand at the back while the babies are displayed at the front. They watch themselves on the TV screen, telling the audience how amazing Frescos is and aren’t allowed to tend to their babies, including Aled who is struggling. Frustrated, Chesney rushes forward and tends to his child, telling the gathered audience the truth about Frescos and the campaign. They lose all their money.

Harassed and busy the next morning, trying to juggle work, the babies and attending a last minute hearing appointment for Aled, Chesney fails to take Joseph right to the door of his football club. He is horrified later to realise that football club isn’t actually on and races back to collect him. He finds his son, sitting sadly on a bench, having had his trainers stolen by some older kids. Joseph accuses his Dad of only caring about the babies. Chesney is full of regret, although he still lets him get on with his day and rushes to Aled’s appointment, where he and Gemma learn that their little boy is indeed profoundly deaf. Gemma tries and fails to win the Frescos campaign back. She is left feeling like a bad Mum for not realising her son was deaf.

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

Emmerdale: The Flowers

(Monday 17^th – Friday 21^st February 2020)

Mandy continues to campaign for Marlon in some somewhat questionable ways, including a rather gross egg eating competition. Some of the Dingles mark what would have been Lisa’s birthday. RIP.

Charity is bereft without Vanessa, believing that she has gone off on their honeymoon without her. Unfortunately, Vanessa is not off sunning herself somewhere, she is locked up in Laurel’s house at the mercy of Pierce who is keeping her from her son who is being kept upstairs under sedation. And that’s not even the worst of the poor woman’s week. Pierce listens to a voicemail from the hospital, prompting him to delve into her bag to find a letter from them, confirming that she has just been diagnosed with bowel cancer! What??? No!!! This is just unacceptable, Emmerdale. My only hope is that as Michelle Hardwick is married to one of the producers, her job is secure. My only issue really is that she seems to be tied to a drawer. Drawers are flimsy at best. Sure she could pull it out? I don’t know. Maybe it’s one of those false drawers? But to her credit, she never gives in to him or stops standing up for herself.

Pierce opens up to Vanessa about his Dad dying of cancer but it ends up in a row. He’s vile, pretty much telling her that she’s going to die and leave her son behind. It’s pretty horrific, uncomfortable viewing. He agrees to let her see Johnny if she helps persuade Rhona to see him. He steps away from Kim and Jamie, claiming to have got a job down South.

Torn up with guilt, Ryan brings the stolen money to Rhona and tells her the truth about what he and Charity got up to on the night that Graham died. Rhona confronts Charity, who feels less guilty but Rhona is persuaded that if they were stealing from Graham, they couldn’t have killed him. Charity admits that Vanessa found out and that’s why she has left her. Rhona tells the police that she found the stolen money in the house and believes it’s motive for Kim to have hired Al to kill Graham. The police head straight round to Kim who struggles to talk her way out of it. Charity texts Vanessa to say she has done the right thing and that ‘Rhona knows’ but Vanessa refuses to enlighten Pierce as to what it means.

At home, Rhona finally finds the card that dropped out of Pierce’s flowers! Panicked, she contacts the police and discovers that her ex-husband was released from prison weeks ago but she never got the message (thanks to Graham). It doesn’t take long for her to twig that he is responsible for Graham’s death and she reports her theory immediately. Pierce overhears the police sending out a search for him.

Dawn has what she believes to be a successful weekend visit with Lucas, despite a momentary panic when a den that Billy has built for him collapses on top of him. She shouts at Billy, scaring Lucas but everything is resolved and they all have fun together as a family, including Harriet and Will. They have a Nerf type gun fight (I’m not sure what brand it was supposed to be!) When Dawn pops out for hot chocolates, Harriet, Will and Billy are shocked to find themselves facing Lucas holding a real gun! Billy talks him down and they hide the gun in time for Dawn to take her son out for a playdate with Priya and Amber. Will has a lot of explaining to do… Apparently, since embarking on a relationship with Harriet, he has been scared of his old ‘colleagues’ coming after him. Harriet is understandably livid. The trio keep the incident from Dawn. Against Will’s wishes, Harriet asks Cain to get rid of the gun.

Moira and Cain have signed their divorce papers but it’s clearly not the end of their relationship, despite their claims. Tracey and Nate briefly fall out when well intentioned, she sends him off to try and help Moira with the rustlers, only to be rejected. Nate advocates for Moira, prompting Cain to threaten him, just as Cara returns to the Village. However, taking Nate’s words on board, Cain helps to look out for Moira on the farm, still denying that he has any residual feelings for her. Taking Will’s gun, Cain guards the farm but things go wrong when he spots an intruder and fires. He has shot Nate! Oh well. Never mind.

Nate is rushed into surgery with Cain, Moira and Cara all waiting anxiously at the hospital where sadly, he will be just fine. When the police conclude that rustlers wouldn’t have used a handgun, Cara is certain that Cain is responsible for the shooting, although of course, he denies it. Nate claims not to know what happened and lies for Cain even after he confesses to truth to him. Moira looks on as father and son finally begin to bond.

In the continuing boring story of Liam and Leyla, the new couple continue to try and keep their boring relationship from Leanna. Marlon refuses to be Eve’s Godfather. Also, Brenda does some weird, awkward flirting with Nate. It’s uncomfortable for everyone, including the viewers.

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

Hollyoaks: Bye Bye Baby (Baby Goodbye)

(Monday 17^th – Friday 21^st February 2020)

Cindy gets carried away with the opening of the Bazaar. On opening day, Cindy and Luke are dressed in weird matching outfits and Tom is dressed as an anxious magician. For the most part, the day goes well. They have some brilliant names for different parts of the market, bringing back Mobs Juice Bar as a tribute to Max and OB and a vintage clothes stall called Sweater Thunberg! The only thing that goes wrong is Luke messing up the burger stand due to his illness but Darren rescues him and takes him to an appointment (which of course he gets within moments, not like in real life when you’d have to wait months to see a Consultant). Luke is told that his condition is potentially hereditary and could be passed down to his children.

Ollie is over the moon when Luke agrees to help him raise his baby. However, as the stress of the situation begins to get to him, Luke’s symptoms increase and while his son is busy making plans, Luke has to come to terms with letting him down. Nancy, Kyle and Ollie are on hand to support Brooke when she goes into labour. In one pretty excellent scene, Brooke gives one of the nurses a dressing down when she doesn’t speak directly to her due to her autism. Well done, Brooke! Brooke spends a brief moment with the baby before handing him over, explaining that she desperately wants him to have a better life than she can offer.

Ollie is heartbroken to overhear Darren and Luke discussing Luke’s condition and that he is dying. Darren has to break the news that Luke won’t be able to raise the baby with him and it’s time to say goodbye. Later, they share the news that the condition is potentially hereditary and Ollie, DJ and the new baby could end up with it. This makes Ollie even keener to look after his boy but he is forced to accept it’s not possible without the right support. He and Brooke pass the baby onto his new parents along with a memory book Ollie has made. He is devastated when they leave the book behind.

Feeling utterly broken by the loss of his son and the news of his father’s illness, not to mention, rejected by Brooke, Ollie dismisses Imran’s friendship in favour of a night out with Sid. He gets drunk, leaving him vulnerable to Jordan who offers him ketamine at The Loft, which he accepts. And so Ollie’s ‘flashforward’ storyline begins…

Kyle is keen to try for another baby but Nancy shuts the idea down. He buys more weed from Jordan and is caught out by Nancy when he falls asleep on the couch as he stinks. He lies that it’s the first time in years and was just to manage his MS pain. She accepts it but warns him not to smoke in the house. She also sees it as proof that they should not be thinking about kids.

Maxine is excited about becoming the manager of the salon and reluctantly gives Lisa a job. But her new income isn’t enough to keep her menacing landlady away and she arrives to take away all her belongings and demand payment of rent arrears. She is then caught out in another illness lie in front of Damon, severing the friendship they have only just started to rebuild. With nowhere left to turn, Maxine agrees to let Liam pimp her out to Clayton but again, Damon catches her out, thinking that he has been left to look after Minnie so she can go on a date. Broken, she tells him the truth but between the lies to her landlady and disbelieving that she didn’t see the demand letters, he doesn’t believe the awful mess her life is in.

Liberty and Brody continue to grow closer as they prepare to become parents to their baby, unaware that Sienna has been watching them on a camera from the doll’s house. They pledge to forget about her and become a family and remain oblivious when she sends them flowers.

Mercedes and Warren are the new couple of the moment, although Joel and Goldie give them a run for their money when Marnie catches them at it at the café. Yas is delighted to get her hearing aids fitted, allowing her to hear for the first time since the explosion. Romeo and Juliet agree to take Nightingale as their surname.

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

These reviews are based on the E4 episodes

Neighbours: Memories…

(Monday 17^th – Friday 21^st February 2020)

When Ned suspects that Yashvi is working for Zenin, he foolishly interferes and takes her place, once more messing up the whole thing. Of course Yashvi isn’t working for Zenin; it’s a sting operation and she’s working undercover for the police. Yashvi manages to put in some damage limitation and Zenin is at least caught out but unfortunately, Ned is caught too. It’s funny really. When these two first got together, she was the young, immature one who was absolutely besotted with him. Recently, Yashvi has really grown up and he just seems to make mistake after mistake. I think she’s outgrown him.

Ned interferes with bringing Zenin down…

Things get worse for Ned as, in the dog house with Yashvi, he also finds himself in trouble with the law. The case is much bigger than with just the local police and who is the Detective covering their area? Detective Mark Brennan! Newly promoted, just in time for Neighbours 35^th birthday! Toadie is furious to learn that Ned sent Zenin a forged letter from him on letter headed paper, which prompted his offices to be broken in to. Therefore he can’t represent him. And while Terese and Paul tell Ned off for blaming Yashvi for keeping secrets, Mark advises Yashvi to rethink her choice of relationship while she has a promising career ahead of her.

Mark’s friends and family are thrilled to see him back in Erinsborough. Ned apologises to Toadie but Shane is determined to see him out of Yashvi’s life. Roxy is oddly familiar with Mark considering how badly he treated her before his departure. Mark agrees to give a talk to the Buddy Club.

Another returnee to Erinsborough is Lucy Robinson. Chloe is surprised although apparently she was copied in on emails. Evidently she has been flooded with emails with Paul in a bid to overwhelm her and make her miss Lucy’s arrival. She is immediately under pressure from Lucy, although Pierce stands up for her. Terese does her best to encourage Lucy to support Chloe who is having an absolute nightmare back at the hotel but nothing Chloe does is good enough.

It’s the last straw when Chloe is let down over the royal wedding dress but while Lucy is at least willing to listen to her other ideas, Paul tears a strip off of her. Encouraged by Pierce to stand up for herself, Chloe goes too far and loses it with him, getting extremely personal as she attempts to put him in his place. Having witnessed the argument, Lucy decides to let Chloe go. She also asks Terese to resume her role at the hotel in her place. Despite her guilt over Chloe and her love of the Buddy Club, Terese takes the job. Well, what has Lassiters been without Terese at the helm? Terese immediately has ideas about the wedding expo, looking at infamous weddings from Erinsborough past. She asks Toadie about displaying Sonya’s wedding dress as part of the expo. She accidentally offends Chloe by asking to resume her previous role as her Executive Assistant. She was only trying to be nice…

Meanwhile, Elly’s family and friends gather for Aster’s Naming Day Ceremony, conducted by Susan. Finn and Bea are named as Godparents and Shaun is mentioned a lot. There is no way this guy isn’t coming back from the dead at some point. His ‘death’ was way too odd. No grandparents on either side bother to show up and Elly’s so called best friend, who was at one time going to be the kid’s step-mother is too busy with her own life to attend either. Mark and Elly come face to face for the first time since the baby has been born. It’s awkward. She kind of thrusts the baby at him. It’s more awkward. Aaron also backs out of the ceremony and goes for drinks with Mark. Chloe and Pierce join them, with Chloe having just been fired.

Having enjoyed such a lovely family day together, Susan and Karl invite Elly and Aster to stay the night. However, things go bump in the night when everyone else is asleep and it’s just Elly and Finn awake. Finn is under pressure from Trent constantly trying to contact him and Elly is emotional from the day just gone. Of course an emotional conversation leads to a kiss. And during the kiss, Finn has a flashback to kissing Elly during the life he has forgotten. They both panic, Elly because she has cheated on her sister and Finn because a) he has cheated on his girlfriend and b) because of what a flashback could mean. She goes home and neither of them gets any sleep. He considers telling David the truth but backs out when he imagines his Doctor’s response. He retreats further when Susan reiterates that he is very much part of their family now.

Jane just about manages to talk her way out of trouble with Susan for rooting through her files. She goes through various suspects including Mr Muggleton who has just jetted off on an expensive holiday during term time and out of the blue and then Ritchie who we know from Erinsborough High, has completely reformed and is now dating Mackenzie. So, with those two ruled out, it’s back to the drawing board but one thing I am finding annoying is that Jane is supposed to be exceptionally intelligent. I’m not saying clever people wouldn’t fall for a catfish, especially someone lonely and vulnerable like Jane but would she really be charging around the way she is, trying to find out who tricked her?

Harlow and Hendrix argue over Clementine again. But then, what don’t they argue over? When Mark finds the cat at home, he throws her out, not knowing that they have shared custody. Outside, Harlow accidentally reverses over her with the car! No! That’s horrible! Poor little cat. At least she had caviar for her last meal, I suppose. But seriously, this is unnecessary trauma, killing off the cat…

Hendrix is devastated and blames Harlow, believing that she did it on purpose because she hated her and hates him. Harlow, Hendrix, Ned, Terese and Roxy gather for Clementine’s funeral (Piper sends her thoughts and a book, being that she was originally her cat). Terese says a few words, including the fact that Clementine was the first person she told about her cancer. Hendrix is genuinely emotional, explaining that Clementine was the only person who really gave him a chance on the Street, no questions asked. He finally realises that her death was an accident when Harlow expresses her regret and appreciates how much love and joy she brought to people’s lives. When Harlow gives Hendrix one of the cat’s toys, she also offers her friendship. They are about to kiss when Harlow sneezes, allergic to the toy. It ruins the moment and I still don’t think it’s acceptable to kill the cat just to bring these two together. There were other ways! But I guess I’m pleased that they’re heading in the right direction.

Hendrix is devastated over Clementine’s death…

Hendrix is furious when he learns that Mark put the cat out, prior to her death, prompting him to apologise to Terese and the family for his role in her death. I am reminded why I am probably the only viewer who never really liked Mark.

Two other things to note: a very random story about Naked Roxy hosting a naked brunch, attended by Naked Kyle, Naked Aaron, Naked Toadie and Naked Karl. Also, so much love to Neighbours for their tribute to Eastenders’ 35^th birthday. They had a fab shot of Eastenders themed cocktails outside The Waterhole. One birthday soap to another. I’d just love it if Eastenders, who are famous for slipping in an extra scene here and there, would return the gesture in a few weeks when it’s Neighbours’ birthday.

Happy birthday, Eastenders – love Neighbours!

Channel 5, 1:45pm and 5:30pm

Doctors: The Glory of Love

(Monday 17^th – Friday 21^st February 2020)

Emma bites the bullet and goes to lunch with Lena and the pair finally discuss the end of their relationship. Emma confronts her own sexuality and is regretful that she missed the chance to be with Lena now that she has moved on from her husband and into a relationship with another woman.

Enter: Jasmine, a police officer working on a hit and run case with Rob and Emma who is quick to flirt with Emma and is bold enough to ask her out on a date. My favourite line of the week is after she leaves a cream horn on her desk as a gift.

“Did you get the horn?”
Excellent, Doctors. Excellent.

Emma is a bag of nerves when she goes for dinner with Jasmine and the date mostly goes well, aside from some awkwardness over their age gap (Jasmine is only a little older than Emma’s son, Chris). There is definitely a kiss at the end of the night and the fledgling couple continue to spend time together through the week. Emma eagerly reports back to Zara.

Zara somehow watches Daniel’s video diaries…

Zara secretly watches Daniel’s video diaries, although I’m not entirely sure how. The link between Joe’s iPad allowed him to see their phones and that was severed. How can Zara see Daniel’s phone? But anyway, Zara is absorbed by Daniel’s diaries and how he truly feels about her but she’s left disappointed when he eventually concludes that they work better as friends and he tells her as much himself. I like that they’re not rushing their reunion, even though it’s clearly going to happen. Once upon a time, I was of the opinion that Zara was too good for Daniel but actually, I feel like he has grown a lot over the past few months and earned his way back into her life.

Daniel continues to support Jimmi and other prisoners at the prison, including a murderer with a serious eye condition trying to reconnect with his daughter. However, things are halted rather abruptly as a complaint is made against Daniel and he is removed from the prison without much explanation. Feeling a lot of empathy for Daniel since watching his diaries, Zara goes into bat for Daniel at the prison and gets his job back, asking the Governor to keep her interference quiet.

After receiving the expensive bracelet, Ayesha becomes suspicious of Bear and follows him to a lockup where he sorts out a load of boxes and talks to a contact on the phone. I’m sure there will turn out to be some sort of reasonable explanation but I am still convinced that he is dodgy. I don’t like him. I don’t like him at all.

Sid gets caught up with a severely OCD man who has cut himself by accident and locks himself in his flat, terrified that his equally OCD mother will come home. Sadly, his mother died months previously and he needs a lot of mental health support. Al is left devastated when he delivers a homeless girl’s baby, only for the young woman to die during labour. Rob and Karen take on a new foster child.

Doctors is on BBC1, weekdays at 1:45pm

Home and Away: Wake Up, It’s a Beautiful Morning…

(Monday 17^th – Friday 21^st February 2020)

Dean spots a text on Ziggy’s phone, revealing the truth about the job. He mentions to Ben that Ziggy is acting strangely. When Ben finds out about the job, he urges Ziggy to be honest with her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Ziggy seeks Willow’s advice about Dean and the two women quickly realise they both have secrets they’re too scared to tell them. Willow gives her best advice – be honest and then get him into bed!

Alex isn’t concerned about Bella but tells Colby to monitor her; he cancels his shift to look after her. Colby is clumsy around Alex but is genuinely happy for her and Willow. Colby also can’t resist teasing Willow about Alex. When Dean nearly catches them kissing, Willow makes an idiot out of herself trying to clumsily explain in front of Alex, not that Dean even actually notices; he’s too consumed with his own problems.

Willow frets to Alex about Dean, now that she knows Ziggy also has bad news for him. Alex points out that their news isn’t actually bad. Dean is annoyed when he realises that Ziggy has been talking to everyone but him. He is hurt that she doesn’t feel that can just be honest with him. When he tells Willow that, she feels it’s the right time to be honest with him herself and she comes out to him about her relationship with Alex. He doesn’t take it well, especially when he realises that other people already know and that they all went for drinks together without her telling him that they were an item. He storms off. Such a grown up. Meanwhile, Ziggy prepares a special meal for Dean who is ignoring her messages.

Maggie wants to get started on Bella’s school work to get her into Year Twelve. If they don’t start now, she will have to repeat Year Eleven, which she refuses to do. Colby and Bella then propose the idea of home schooling instead. Maggie agrees but doesn’t think it’s a good idea. She and Roo offer to teach Bella over the holidays as a favour. Colby and Bella are discussing the plan when Dean bursts in, in a bad mood about Willow. Colby and Bella both tell him off for not being supportive. Dean finally answers Ziggy’s call. All is not well. He admits to Colby that Ziggy has accepted the pit crew job and not bothered to tell him.

Willow frets to Alex about Dean’s reaction to her news. Out for a walk on the beach, Willow wants to escape in Alex who notes that her girlfriend hardly slept for fretting about Dean. Just then, Dean approaches them, wanting to sort things out. Alex leaves them to it and Dean and Willow apologise to each other. He is completely supportive of her new relationship. He also thinks Alex is hot. Well, he has a point. Thrilled, Willow reports back to Alex who finally admits how scared she was that it was all going to go wrong. Willow thinks it’s adorable that Alex pretended to be in control when she was so worried. Alex admits how important it is to her that Willow’s friends like and accept her. Then she congratulates Willow on coming out for the first time. Then, on the wharf where ten years ago, Charlie and Joey, Home and Away’s first attempt at a lesbian couple said goodbye, Alex and Willow kiss, full of happiness.

Ben hassles Ziggy over the way she is treating Dean, shutting him out and avoiding the problem when she is about to leave the Bay for her new job. She is terrified of losing him. When he points out that she will lose him anyway, Ziggy finally goes to speak to Dean. He is hurt that she didn’t bother to tell him and that she is leaving so soon. They break up. Broken, Ziggy says goodbye to her parents and sets off for her new career. She and Dean are both full of regret. Dean opts to get drunk. Colby takes his car keys.

As Dean’s mood plummets and news of the breakup spreads, Ben and Mac tell him off for messing up his surf school bookings in favour of drinking and dwelling on his personal problems. Between them, Mac and Ben do their best to sort him out.

Jade is unimpressed when Ryder brings her flowers and brushes him off when he is keen to spend more time with her. Undeterred, he is still full of the joys of spring, convinced that he has met the girl of his dreams. I am pretty sure he has actually met the girl of his nightmares. Things take a turn when he catches her stealing $50 from the till. She makes excuses but when the till is down by $50, rather than ratting her out, he pays it back and makes an excuse about making a mistake himself. The odd couple end up in bed together again but things go south when he continues to question her about the theft. At first, she loses her temper but then she spins him a sob story, accompanied by the world’s smallest violin. Getting sucked in, he gets her an extension on her rent and forgets the $50 he paid for her. She continues stealing from Salt. Ryder is the most gullible guy on earth.

Tori is finally moved to Northern Districts where Justin has his heart set on her being taken off the ventilator and waking up, convinced this is the answer. Mason, however, is losing hope that his sister will ever be the person she once was. Justin also accuses Robbo of objecting in case it messes up his plans to move away with Jasmine and Grace. At first, Super Doc Alex’s attempts to get Tori breathing on her own don’t work but eventually, when Robbo and Jasmine bring Grace to see her, she begins to breathe on her own and wakes up. What is it? That magical healing of a baby? She is largely unresponsive but her eyes are open. It’s a start. I mean, I’m pleased. I like Tori. Also, Justin whinging is very annoying. But I’m not happy. Tori wakes up, she starts back at the hospital and… Alex leaves. And I like Alex. Much more than Tori.

But anyway… it’s Marilyn and John’s fifth wedding anniversary so Martha invites them, Leah and Irene round for lunch with her and Alf. At lunch, Leah tells Irene how much she loves Justin. Like, even more than Vinnie (RIP)! But she then takes a weird phone call from an unknown number…

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

Eastenders: The Boat Party Episode Four

(Friday 21^st February 2020)

Everything comes to a head at the boat party as Ben makes it clear he would have no qualms in shooting his father for the sake of his boyfriend. Phil releases Keanu who attempts to make his escape, only to be collared by Ben. The two men fight and fall off the boat. Both survive but by the end of the episode, still not clear as to where Callum is, Ben appears to have seriously damaged his hearing.

Below deck, Ian does the right thing and desperately breaks Dennis free of his prison and together, they fight their way through the flooded corridor. Unfortunately, it’s too late and it looks like both of them are about to drown…

Back on the Square, Martin, who has been bizarrely absent from the big week and the big Keanu storyline, being that he has been so involved up to now, returns home from drinks with his mates from football, to find Sonia in a right old state. Not only has she not been able to get hold of Bex to warn her about the drugs she bought, there’s a dead man on her kitchen floor.

As the rescue takes place, the partygoers gather on lifeboats, desperately seeking their loved ones. Kat and Kush have done a good job of looking after Bex, who is desperately regretful of her actions. Mick manages to rescue Linda at the last minute and Stuart and the others on their lifeboat, drag the couple to safety.

Kathy turns into a midwife and safely delivers Sharon’s baby, who arrives just in time for the paramedics to arrive. Apart from Doctors, obviously, these soaps do not celebrate the wonderful NHS at all. Sharon is rushed to Walford General and weirdly, so are all the casualties of the boat party, despite it not being possible that that could be the most local hospital to them. But Sharon’s joy turns to heartbreak when Keanu breaks the news to her that Dennis has drowned. Ian too is destroyed by the news, broken by his own guilt. Well, a lot of people need to feel guilty, really. If Sharon hadn’t lied to him, he wouldn’t have got on the boat. Phil, Ben and Keanu caused the boat to crash in the first place. And of course, Ian locked him down there in the first place. But let’s not forget why he locked him down there. Because he was a bully and a thug and his behaviour nearly killed Bobby. So let’s not shed too many tears for him, eh? All in all, if someone had to die, he was probably the best candidate!

By the end of the episode, Sharon is broken, Ian is wracked with guilt, Ben appears to have lost his hearing, Bex has seen to error of her rebellious ways, Whitney has handed herself into the police for Leo’s death, Linda and Mick are back together and she is ready to seek help for her alcohol addiction, Callum is still missing, Denny and Leo are both dead and Keanu has skipped the country. Happy 35^th birthday, Eastenders. You gave us a good ‘un!

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

Eastenders: The Boat Party Episode Three

(Thursday 20^th February 2020)

The partygoers are clinging to help in the water as the boat begins to sink in the Thames. The bust of the Queen Victoria sinks. Nooooo!

Seven Hours Earlier…

Ben is going out of his mind trying to save Callum. Meanwhile, Sharon lies to Denny, confirming that Phil and Ben killed Keanu. She then pledges a future to him, just them and the baby. I’m not sure I could think of anything worse! While she packs up, ready to leave, Ben drags her to the funeral home, holding her hostage in a bid to exchange her for Callum. Sharon is horrified to learn what Keanu has done and insists to Ben that she has changed her mind about leaving with Keanu – it’s just her and Denny now. She then goes into labour.

Phil is laying low with a gun in the cellar of the Queen Vic with Shirley, having set her on the case of locating Callum while he tracks Keanu down. He breaks into Karen’s house, where she is excitedly getting ready for the boat party, threatening her and demanding to know where her son is.

Ignoring calls from Karen while he attempts to track Sharon down, Keanu bumps into Denny who realises that Sharon has lied to him. The angry teenager then heads off to the boat party. Sharon breaks up with Keanu on the phone and begs him to let Callum go. Keanu mentions that Denny went to the boat party and is determined to fight for Sharon and the baby. Sharon begs Ben for help, prompting him to call Kathy before heading to the boat himself. Things get tense between Karen and Phil. Billy arrives and knocks Phil out but not for long. He overhears them mentioning Keanu heading for the boat. He’s off!

Alone, Callum manages to release himself from his ties (he couldn’t have done that days ago?) but he falls during his escape and ends up in more danger. When Shirley comes to rescue him, she can’t find him. You know… I’m starting to doubt his credibility when it comes to being a copper…

On the boat, at least a few people are having a good time but out on deck, Phil lays into Keanu who can only apologise for his behaviour. It’s genuinely sad to see the breakdown of their relationship. Phil saw Keanu as a son and more than angry, he is hurt by his betrayal. And Keanu, who never had a Dad, saw Phil as the only father figure he’d ever known.

Phil and Keanu finally come face to face…

Phil almost takes pity on him but then Shirley rings to say that she can’t find Callum anywhere. Believing that Keanu has lied to him again, he loses it and they fight. The Captain tries to break it up but gets knocked out, putting the whole boat in danger! A shot rings out but just hits the glass. Unfortunately, the brawling men knock the wheel, veering the boat off course and they hit a nearby ferry.

We see the devastation on board as everyone is thrown about, including Denny, locked up downstairs and Linda, getting her foot trapped as she reaches for a bottle of wine in the kitchen. Phil is ready to shoot Keanu but Ben turns his own gun on his father, refusing to let him kill Keanu; he is still the only person who knows where Callum is…

(Also, as an aside, separate to the episode, we’ve all now heard the news that the legendary Jude Brown has left Eastenders. Such a shame that she didn’t depart with a storyline befitting an incredible character as Dot Branning and a wonderful actress as June Brown. But many well wishes to June and thank you for all the memories.)

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

Eastenders: The Boat Party Episode Two

(Tuesday 18^th February 2020)

At the beginning of this episode, there is chaos as the boat party comes to a close and emergency services are on site, getting people to the life boats. Ian is struggling in the water.

Seven hours earlier…

Sharon refuses to let Denny attend the boat party. Dottie is horrified to discover that Denny is behind the online posts about Bobby. I mean, if Dottie is judging you, mate, you’ve done something really bad! She’s the spawn of Nick Cotton!

Kathy and Ian argue over how he has treated Bobby, who has had a brick thrown through his window and is being abused online. Meanwhile, Bobby is walking through the Square with Habiba and Iqra when they are jumped by some racist thugs. They shout abuse and there’s one particularly vile moment when one lad grabs his crotch and tells the girls it’s Halal. I mean, they’re disgusting. It’s uncomfortable viewing to say the least. Bobby does his best to protect the girls but he gets severely beaten. I actually couldn’t watch most of it; it was too upsetting.

Bex witnesses the whole thing and attempts to frighten them away by calling the police. She has just come back from buying pills from the dealer Dottie hooked her up with. She tells Dottie about the attack, prompting Dottie to reveal that Denny is behind the online abuse. Against Dottie’s wishes, Bex texts Ian to tell him what she knows.

Ian and Kathy rush to the hospital to be with Bobby, who is critically ill and has been taken into surgery. However, when Ian gets Bex’s text, he rushes to the boat party to confront Denny. He locks him in the changing room in the downstairs of the boat, which we know from Monday’s episode, gets flooded. Ooh… will Denny die? Finger’s crossed!

Max and Jack end up in a fight when Jack reveals that Lauren and Peter have broken up. Jack has been helping Lauren and sending her money. A lot of cruel words are spoken and fists fly. But it’s a good way of throwing out a lot of Eastenders history (Abi’s death, Jack’s daughter Penny being in a wheelchair, not to mention actually existing). Soon after, we hear what sounds like a gunshot, which is presumably connection to Ben/Phil/Keanu.

At the hospital, Kathy gets an urgent call from Ben, needing help. She then calls a mystery friend for help. And who is it that shows up at the hospital? Peter Beale! With a new but genuinely similar face for a change, not like the usual recasts. Kathy meets Ben to find that Sharon is in labour! Ben leaves but Kathy is genuinely amazing to Sharon and supports her through her labour, reminding her that they are both from a line of strong women. In the sweetest moment of the week so far, Sharon tells Kathy that she misses her Mum.

“Me too,” Kathy says.

They hug. Then Kathy notices that Sharon is bleeding.

Kathy looks after Sharon in her time of need…

Meanwhile, Sonia is on edge at the arrival of the police. Well, there is a dead man in her kitchen and evidently, that’s not what the coppers are there for. They are investigating a dealer selling dodgy pills and Bex’s number was one of the last people to call her. Bex isn’t in trouble but they are concerned for her welfare. No wonder she is feeling rough on the boat! Luckily, Kush and Kat on hand to look after her. For now.

When the boat hits, Ian panics and rushes below deck to rescue Denny but he can’t find the key. Then the second shudder happens and more alarms go off. He drops the keys and his glasses (it’s all very Titanic). Denny is panicking and begging for help. In a very un-Kate-Winslet-like move, Ian backs away. Will he really let Denny die?