In all honesty, with the diabolical storylines and crap situations that are going on in Eastenders can you see it lasting for another five years? I don't, not unless they get their act together fast!.

Lately they have been loseing viewing figures and at some point last week, even Hollyoaks had more viewing figures than EE did (I read it somewhere)....

So does anyone see it lasting for much longer before it gets axed?

about the viewing figures, it's in NZ ( where Eastenders has been cancelled).
I would love to see eastenders replaced with Shortland St.
Sadly Eastenders will never get the axe even if they have "null viewers" left .

oh it was in NZ, I didn't know that. Thanks for clarifying things for me.

Yes unfortunately thats true because the trendy luvvies in the beeb cannot admit the program is crap.

Of course once upon a time they said they would never axe el dorado

so we can live in hope

Unfortunately I think it will always have a sizeable audience, because it's one of those programmes you get into the habit of watching - and there's usually not much on offer on the other side. There will always be the die-hard brigade who sit and watch it week after week while complaining about what a load of cack it is.

Absolutely agree. In its present form it cannot last and let's not forget that the supposed high viewing figures include the omnibus as well. The sad thing is, I don't think there's any way to go other than scrapping most of the current characters (especially Vicki) and starting again. This would mean a whole new host of characters with whom we would have to get used to and interested in. Either that or bring back oldies like Tamzin Outhwaite (who wasn't even that good anyway but got the totty vote).

The trouble with EastEnders is that it has always had to sensationalise everything, they have done so many storylines in such a short space of time they have now run out of decent storylines and have to resort to pseudo gangsterism, old characters dying and the excessively dull and badly acted Sharon/Dennis combo. What Eastenders has always failed to do is successfully mix comedy with pathos and to sustain decent characters (with the exception of Ian Beale). Corrie manages to do this brilliantly. They (eastenders)bring in characters like Derek and Shirely, fail to build them up properly and suddenly they are centre stage with boring plotlines (i.e Shirley's neighbour problems), when we don't even care about them. They've always tried with comedy (ie. Robbie, Barry, Jim/Patrick) but it always comes across as contrived and over the top. They need a radical overhaul to sustain the show or they'll all be doing panto by the end of the year.

I think Eastenders is excellent. I have the full Sky package, but given the crap you get on most channels, 'stenders is one of the few things I watch religiously.

Jim Branning and Patrick Trueman have me in stitches, Dot brought a tear to my eye when she told Dennis that she was taking him home following the fight. Great to have Den back on the square. Could go on, but you guys obviously don't appreciate the finer side of the beeb... ;o)

I agree with all you have said ...

Ok so there have been a few dodgy storylines but it is a soap they all have dodgy storylines !

It's time to replace it with a real soap like Shortland St or Sons & Daughters.

Shortland St? Never seen it.

Sons & Daughters? I hope you're joking... I really really do...

Well given headlines this week the Beeb are aware that the programme is in dire straits. To be honest bringing back old characters will not really work (they're never as good as they used to be), so the only option is to look after the few good characters they have, axe the bad ones and be more careful with new ones.

If the show really lost viewing figures over time the Beeb would have to scrap it. Remember it costs a lot to make and it is paid for with public money. In that way they don't have the space to manoeuvre that ITV have with their shows.

While Corrie had a bad patch in 2000/2001 it has bounced back with it's best 2 years yet, but I think where EE is now is way lower than where Corrie was. The fact is people don't care anymore. Sensational stories will not save the show. Look at how unpopular the Sharon/Dennis story was and look what happened Brookside.

EE is a long way from being axed, but if it continues on it's slide the show will eventually be totally re-vamped and if that doesn't work it will be pulled.

With the current quality that would be no bad thing!

Well yes based on the Sky channels EE would be excellent but based on most terrestrial channels it is complete GUFF. 2nd rate acting by people who are so much up their own a***s that they think everyone should be so grateful to them. The storylines are far fetched and some of the characters wouldnt even get a job in a school play

i think eastenders is brilliant, but at the moment is just going through a bad patch with storylines, like every other soap has in the past.
with the arrival of the ferriers on the square and taking up tooo much viewing time, it has become pointless.
I think their biggest mistake was the Den storyline and bringing him back and letting peggy and phil go for a year long break.
once it gets through the next couple of months and over the rubbish storylines going on at the moment, it will be back with good storylines.

EE is going through a dodgy spell yes. And I wouldn't mind if a bomb fell of Sharon and Vicky. But axed? Yeah right. It's still the most watched show on BBC1 and often the country. I'll always choose Enders over Corrie!

i see absolutely no reason why 'stenders would be axed. OK so it's not briliant atm, but the beeb are aware of the problems and will try to solve them rather than pull the plug. Can you imagine the outcry if it were axed? i'd be outside the beeb with my placard!

Its generally accepted that EE high viewing figures are based on its omnibus editions as well

Oh please - as if EE would be axed! Sorry I can't believe that some of you feel that it might. It is BBC1's top prog and despite including the ominbus addition, it still has pretty high viewing figures.

It's just going through a lull, as does Corrie and all other soaps. Granted it has gone on a little too long, but it'll be back in full force soon I expect and there's no denying that some recent episodes have shown that.

And those of Corrie/Emmerdale/Hollyoaks etc aren't? The ratings EE gets are still massive regardless of whether this includes the omnibus or not. They'd have to start dropping hugley before the BBC dropped one of their biggest brands.

I agree absolutely that it is not going to happen today or tommorrow, but if the show doesn't pick up it will continue to loose viewers. Ultimately unlike ITV, the Beeb are answerable to us in how they spend their funds

As for the omnibus issue. EEs ratings are often aarticially infalted because it includes the networkes omnibus. The Corrie omnibus is not networked so the audience is fragmented

Honestly the people in this forum are sooo fickle!

This same thing has been said for every soap from Coronation Street to Neighbours!

If Eastenders is going through a dodgy patch it can take weeks/months for the producers/writers to write and record new episodes that will be more popular. Its happened before and it will happen again.

Even if every character and every story line in Eastenders was utter tripe they could STILL turn it around and get it back because the premise of watching the lives of 'average folk' leaving in the east end of London is a good formula.

If you don't like it stop watching it until something you want to see happens, like when Phil comes back etc...

It seems it is un PC to criticise EE I suppose we should be eternally grateful to the beeb for bringing it into our middle class homes. So thank you BBC and so sorry for saying it is CRAP

Neighbours and Coronation Street were never as bad a Eastenders is now.
And more importantly they're not as up themselves as the makers of Eastenders are (and the Beeb).
Remember the "Everyone is talking about it" campain ?

And Corrie's "The nations favourite" sponsorship bumbers aren't up themselves no?

And alan45 - how strange to think that criticising EE is seen as un PC.

No one is disagreeing that EE is poor right now, but what people are saying is that to suggest there is no future for the show or that it is facing the axe is ludicrous!

I saw an "Everyone's talking about it" Eastenders ad the other day...hilarious! Maybe it's the BBC being ironic, because let's face it, the most talk surrounding it these days is about how crap it's become lately.


It IS going through a bad patch...I imagine it'll pull through eventually, but I don't know. I think they should get rid of Louise Berridge...if not, it might remain awful for years to come. Kill the source problem if you like, although I suppose you can't blame her entirely, but surely a new excutive producer would be good...unless they turn out to be even worse.

Personally I think the bad patch has been going on since late 2002.

Erm, wasn't that referring to the chocolate that sponsored the show...or something?

Emmerdale also had "The Great British Soap" thing a couple of years back.

There's no doubt the "Everyone's talking about it" slogan was a lot more up itself than the rest, though.