Options
All Change At The Big 3!
For the first time I think, possibly ever for the soaps, Corrie, Emmerdale and EastEnders are all seeing a change of Producer roughly around the same time or within months of each other.
Ian McLeod joined Emmerdale from Hollyoaks back in January, after Kate Oates's very succesful stint came to an end, in which she departed to sprinkle her magic (hopefully) on the ailing soap Coronation Street.
Meanwhile, down South, Dominic Treadwell Collins announced he 'ad enough and was stepping down from his role as Executive Producer of EastEnders, after an all in all very strong period for the show. He is to be replaced by Sean O Connor, currently the outgoing producer of long running radio drama, The Archers.
I was thinking earlier, that I'd never known the big three soaps to get a change in Producer in close succession to each other. Coronation Street and Emmerdale have often had changes around the same time, as their Producers often move from one to the other. But EastEnders too getting a change was a surprise, even though Dominic has been in charge the past two and a half years.
So who do you reckon stands to gain the most? Kate Oates's time at Emmerdale has been eventful. She has shown a great talent in weaving stories, particularly for cast members who up until she took over, weren't particularly going anywhere. Rather than come and sweep the boards with the proverbial axe, she worked with what she had. Emmerdale is one of the finest soaps on tv and it's often a shame it's overlooked, particularly when it's older sister soap, Coronation Street, has been far from stellar for a worrying long time.
I remember noticing the change in tone, direction and the plummeting of quality in Coronation Street, very soon after Stuart Blackburn began appearing on the closing credits. The loss of comedy, the stale writing, stories that went nowhere and he even managed to make a dogs dinner of Deirdre Barlow's funeral in my opinion. Not to mention he utterly destroyed Gail Platt/Rodwell. Once one of the Street's strong women, she's nothing short of an old dithering buffoon. Even her mother Audrey appears younger and more together than Gail does these days. The writing for her has been atrocious.
EastEnders endured a torrid time shortly before Dominic Treadwell Collins arrived. He hasn't been afraid to make big decisions, often controversial. What I admired about him was his fearless approach to storytelling. The arrival of The Carters were like a breath of fresh air to the show, however even by Dom's admission, they were overused in that first year. That said, Linda's rape, Johnny's coming out, Stan's cancer and their mother Sylvie were some of the richest stories the show has told in years, with some fantastic cast members to boot. Timothy West is still missed.
Killing off Lucy Beale was a shocker. I remember reading the story being broken on Digital Spy that she was to be murdered and I thought wow. And I must say what a story it was, the murder, leading to the investigation, to the suspects, the fantastic Anna Acton as Summerhayes leading up to the amazing 30th anniversary. They haven't all been perfect, but there's been some big moments in EastEnders history the past two and a half years. I think Sean O Connor is inheriting a very strong show and I look forward to seeing what the former EastEnders writer does in his new role as Executive Producer.
Ian McLeod joined Emmerdale from Hollyoaks back in January, after Kate Oates's very succesful stint came to an end, in which she departed to sprinkle her magic (hopefully) on the ailing soap Coronation Street.
Meanwhile, down South, Dominic Treadwell Collins announced he 'ad enough and was stepping down from his role as Executive Producer of EastEnders, after an all in all very strong period for the show. He is to be replaced by Sean O Connor, currently the outgoing producer of long running radio drama, The Archers.
I was thinking earlier, that I'd never known the big three soaps to get a change in Producer in close succession to each other. Coronation Street and Emmerdale have often had changes around the same time, as their Producers often move from one to the other. But EastEnders too getting a change was a surprise, even though Dominic has been in charge the past two and a half years.
So who do you reckon stands to gain the most? Kate Oates's time at Emmerdale has been eventful. She has shown a great talent in weaving stories, particularly for cast members who up until she took over, weren't particularly going anywhere. Rather than come and sweep the boards with the proverbial axe, she worked with what she had. Emmerdale is one of the finest soaps on tv and it's often a shame it's overlooked, particularly when it's older sister soap, Coronation Street, has been far from stellar for a worrying long time.
I remember noticing the change in tone, direction and the plummeting of quality in Coronation Street, very soon after Stuart Blackburn began appearing on the closing credits. The loss of comedy, the stale writing, stories that went nowhere and he even managed to make a dogs dinner of Deirdre Barlow's funeral in my opinion. Not to mention he utterly destroyed Gail Platt/Rodwell. Once one of the Street's strong women, she's nothing short of an old dithering buffoon. Even her mother Audrey appears younger and more together than Gail does these days. The writing for her has been atrocious.
EastEnders endured a torrid time shortly before Dominic Treadwell Collins arrived. He hasn't been afraid to make big decisions, often controversial. What I admired about him was his fearless approach to storytelling. The arrival of The Carters were like a breath of fresh air to the show, however even by Dom's admission, they were overused in that first year. That said, Linda's rape, Johnny's coming out, Stan's cancer and their mother Sylvie were some of the richest stories the show has told in years, with some fantastic cast members to boot. Timothy West is still missed.
Killing off Lucy Beale was a shocker. I remember reading the story being broken on Digital Spy that she was to be murdered and I thought wow. And I must say what a story it was, the murder, leading to the investigation, to the suspects, the fantastic Anna Acton as Summerhayes leading up to the amazing 30th anniversary. They haven't all been perfect, but there's been some big moments in EastEnders history the past two and a half years. I think Sean O Connor is inheriting a very strong show and I look forward to seeing what the former EastEnders writer does in his new role as Executive Producer.
0
Comments