I think at one point a while ago they were quite good mates and Mark, Garry , Lynne and Lisa all lived together for a bit.

OK. Well it obviously didn't make much of an impression on me! I guess we are supposed to remember stuff like that.

Ugh.. more upsetting than Mark's funeral.. Sonia and Martin. What an annoying couple.

Sonia and Martin!! It's so wrong. And stupid.

That'll be one soap wedding I'd be happy to miss.

She'll probably eat all the cake before the actual ceremony...

Okay that's harsh, but impossible not to really

Lmao!

Imagine how tricky the wedding speeches would be.

"Sonia and Martin.. go back a long way. He knocked her up then knocked her fiancee down! We all knew of course they were on the path to true love at this stage.."

Somehow I dont think its going the same way as Brookside as many have said. Theres one BIG difference, that was Channel 4. This is BBC, one of the greatest media organizations in the world. If they thought there was problems im sure they would do something

And all the corrie fans, I'd keep watching they cant keep it up much longer we are already seeing desperate and stupid storylines.

Sally singing for one...
Mike betraying Fred (he wouldnt...)
Janice lighting a fag in a store room (well suppose she is slightly thick)
Kidnapping dogs?

And the whole tracey thing? way to far fetched

Sally isn't singing, it's Rosie her daughter. She's just being the pushy mother.

Wouldn't put anything past Mike Baldwin. Since when is he Mr.Loyalty?

Janice didn't intend to get locked in or drop the fag. She had to go in there in order to have a sneaky light-up..

Yeah, fair enough.. Maya is a pathetic addition to the show.

Tracy had motivation, we were shown the slow build-up over time. Her vendetta with the Croppers arose from her own feelings of rejction and frustration after she did the right thing for once at Shelley's hen-party and was put down as a "boy who cried wolf" type person. Hayley said the worst possible thing at the worst possible time and paid an unreasonable price for it.

Well too be fair Night and Day and Eldorado NEVER had good patches YOU may have liked them (and im not having a go) but the viewing figures were to be frank pretty awful throughout their short runs.
As for Brookside and Crossroads. Well Brookside yes was popular for a long time BUT i dont think it could ever be lumped with EE or Corrie, it was never a show I thought "could never be axed" there was just something about it (prob because it was on Channel 4) that made me think it wouldnt last forever.
As for Crossroads well this is an example ppl on here have overlooked. In it's heyday in the 60's and 70's it could enjoy audiences of 17 - 20 million and that was in the early evenings. Crossroads was HUGE despite the mickey taking and yet that was axed, so yes theres a distant chance in many years EE may be axed.When Crossroads returned by the way it was a bigger joke than before and had a pretty small audience and too be honest was always on the cards for the axe!
I think comparing Eastenders to Eldorado or Night and Day isnt right, after all they were never big soaps!

Im a big Corrie fan (well bigger than Eastenders) but I have to agree with you lately it's been getting a bit stupid. However tfrom your examples I must say - The Janice story is something that could very well happen people do stupid things at work all the time thats why accidents happen.
Mike probably would betray Fred its not as if they are lifelong friends and Mike is not the most loyal man on earth!
As for Sally although it's a ludicrious story im enjoying it simply because I finally have something to agree with Kevin on after all these years .
Is Tracy really any more far fetched than Eastenders Janinne? I think not (and while we're on the subject would Janinne get permission to cremete Barry within hours of his death. He fell of a cliff hours after getting married, the coroner would never have allowed his body to be released like that! An example of poor EE scripts)
Maya is an awful character with ridiculious stories I do agree with you there. I dont care about Maya, Dev, Tyronne or Monica!
Yes Corrie isnt doing too well at the moment but come on Eastenders hasnt been doing well for a year now!

EastEnders going to be axed when it's the No 1 rated show on the BBC and regularly gets millions of viewers every week? Don't see it.

I think it has started to pick up the last few weeks. All soap go through bad patches, EE is no different. It will pick up and will be back on top where it belongs.

I've only caught one episode of Coronation St recently for the first time in years and quite frankly that one episode reinforced why I don't watch it, and don't intend to begin any time soon - watching paint dry would be more enjoyable.

Helen

What episode did you watch Helen? If it involved the terrible Maya, Dev, Monica and Tyrone story then I'd agree with you, but other stories like Todd dealing with his sexuality were really good (way better than Eastenders would have handled a similiar storyline. Corrie lets stories gradually build and build, while Eastenders just has them drawn out and out and out as much as they can). And Janice lit up in the store room as an act of defiance against Nick.

Eastenders getting axed currently is impossible though. It is the top rated show. Though I would just like to remind everyone that the original post said something about FIVE years, not next week. Don't over react, it is entirely possible in five years time just not now.

Eastenders really needs to stop relying on the past, when Den and Angie were the main characters. And the whole gangster feel is just plain idotic. Reminds me of a cheap version of a Guy Ritchie movie. Eastenders needs to stop relying on the same characters, namely Kat, Alfie, Den, Sharon and Dennis. Has there been one week in the last month when these characters haven't appeared in at least one episode a week?

I couldnt agree more....... Admittidly that since the xmas/New Years episodes I thought that EE was finding it difficult to keep up with the standard of writing/storylines that it had had for this period, (probably due to the fact that there were so many high profile and gripping storylines during this time) and so it went through a bad patch, but in the last few weeks, the quality of writing has improved again and the standard of the show has improved with it......... Eastenders will be back where it belongs at the top again soon, Because when EastEnders is good its Really Good and easily outshines other soaps (such as corrie, which I now rarely watch, after being a reguarlar viewer all my life)....... There is no way that Eastenders will be axed, it has been the best soap in the past and will be again, as Helen said before this is just a bad patch that all soaps go through, but Eastenders will get through it like all the others and will come back stronger than before with more gritty, and gripping storylines............xxx

Just to clarify I hated both Night and Day and Eldorado.

It was the christening episode. I found the scene of some woman been attacked and everyone just stood watching totally laughable. It just validated why I don't watch and left me wondering how anyone can watch that kind of tripe. As for the things you mentioned don't watch so can't comment on them.

I do agree however that EE should share the storylines and not focus on the popular characters. I like the characters you mention but I don't want them rammed down my throat. I am looking forward to see how the Kat/Alfie/Andy storyline pans out though.

Helen

Well had you watched the build up to that storyline you would have enjoyed it better and maybe understood. To call it tripe is rich coming from an EE fan Now that IS TRIPE

some people just don't understand comedy

THey would not be used to comedy on EE. Someone smiled once on it and got the sack

Well of course you wouldn't enjoy it - you probably had no idea of what the story was or who any of the people were.

Why is this thread turning into an Eastenders vs Coronation Street argument? Why is it assumed that people like one or the other? I used to like them both - before Eastenders became so CRAP!

Reading this thread has realised the only way to get them to improve EE or scrap it is to stop watching it so thats what I'll do. Marks funeral? It was ludicrous that anyone with a terminal illness would clear off and never want to see or even speak to his friends and family again. And how ridiculous that the actress who plays Michelle
couldnt come back 'from the USA' to her brothers funeral, and see her daughter and ex-lover!! Especially as she works on the programme. That might have been interesting. The Alfie characters has been cimpletely wasted, and while Andy is very good looking, his love for Kat of all people wasnt convinving in the first place. Laura was good at first and has been written into oblivion. What a load of cobblers.

In fairness all soaps go through bad patches. Corrie's was 1999-2000. then with Almas death, the introduction of Hilman the return of Tracey etc the show has been consistently good. I think the producers learned a valuable lesson at this time and ever since have been developing their stories with a long term eye.

Corrie has always done comedy much better than EE. the recent Sally storyline has had some gems such as "They don't give oscars for Kicking!" etc. I think what the writers are doing here is developing the next generation of Sarahs, Traceys and Marias etc. In 5 years time what the reckoning that Webster no1 will be snobby and a total primma donna, while no2 is a complete tearaway with major resentment issues.

The big difference I see in the Corrie Lul and the EE lul is that Corrie were simply not using their characters. Improved writing saved the day. EEs characters however have become ino laughable. The very idea that Sonai and martin would get together is insulting to the year of mourning that Sonai and all of us went through. The new plot of Kate and Ian is also silly. Would Ian ever have a relationship with someone who is/was married to Phil mitchell? I think not

EE Everyone is talking about it - for all the wrong reasons. Even leslie Grantham has said it's not up to much

that is the issue in a nut shell. EE being crap is not a result of Corrie being brilliant! EEs problems are nothing to do with the currently superioir Corrie. If and when both are on brill form they will be treated as such. People will always compare them and have a fav, but I deplore anyone to say that EE has squandered every storyline for the last year

How is someone terminally ill choosing to die alone ludicrous? Surely them not wanting their family to watch them deterioate is their choice - EE was just reflecting that this can happen & to call that ludicrous could be called ignorant!

Michelle Fowler is in America - Susan Tully works on EE!

I agree with you on Laura - lucky she's dead this time next week then eh

Yeah, in general the build-up made the whole fiasco almost inevitable. Tracy ruins the wedding (although technically it was Steve's fault really for not letting her talk to Roy beforehand as she'd wanted..) so Karen returns the favour. Liz being there and Steve dropping her at the church added fuel to fire. The only thing that was ridiculous was how when Karen had Tracy by the hair Ken stood there and did **** all! Hello? Daughter's being assaulted? Show some reaction already!