They just wanted Phil's exit to be as dranatic as possible and didnt think about the logic of how he could come back. Im thinking it might have something to do with Den though - His contract is for another year, so if he decides he wants to leave then they might find some way of pinning it all on him, including Dalton's murder. I hope he doesnt though, he's the best thing in it by miles at the moment

I agree I'd rather Den stayed in it and Phil stayed on the run for the rest of his life. However Leslie G is in danger of camping it up a bit too much, he seems so bored with it he's phoning in his performances nowadays!

They could do like a relay type on the run thing ... Phil shops Dennis who goes on the run until he realises he can shop his dad Den so Dennis rerturns, grasses his Dad up who goes on the run perhaps to Spain and then we are back where we started !

I've said else where on these forums that bringing back Phil is going to be a huge problem for the EE scriptwriters. He has been charged with armed robbery and he's now escaped custody. Is there any way he can get out of this? I have a feeling the security guard that helped set Phil up with Den & Dennis might come clean but then that would drop Den & Dennis in it. Hmmmmm i dont think the scriptwriters hace a clue, they only seem to look as far as next week nowadays! They knew Steve Mcfadden just wanted a year off so why they ever wrote this stroy I dont know. Also as he is on the run why arent the police making occasional checks on the square to see if he's about, he's just been totally forgotten about.

Scriptwriters just forget things. I believe that Peggy owns half the pub. She sold it to Sharon & Steve Owen, Phil then bought Steves share and finally Peggy bought back Sharon's share so they had half each. Yet a few months ago Phil was considering an offer for the pub from Den without any thought to Peggy at all, and who holds the licence? It can't be Alfie (He has a criminal record) and Peggy & Phil cant hold the licence as they aren't on the premises anymore. Just a minor rant there but the ownership and licencing of the pub gets to me on EE - Sad arent I??

There was a floral tribut from Peggy as well.

No you are not sad. That is a very good point and I had totally missed that one.

It does not count if you abscond.

I also wonder if Peggy knows about Phil yet. I remember Phil telling Sam not to tell her "Cos she'll only worry", but as shes clearly still in contact with the square (she knew about Mark) surley by now someone would have told her, or let it slip. It was nice that they acknowledged the fact the Peggy would care about Mark's death though. The annoying thing about Peggy is that it's very hard to believe she would stay away for this long, even if she is with Grant & Courtney. The way she used to act it was as if the pub & the Eastend was her whole life, still suppose shes back soon.

Hello,
My first time on this forum. Can anyone tell me if Barbara Windsor is returning to Eastenders? If so when?

I agree. It is rediculous that Michelle didn't come to her own brother's funeral. OK, she'd just given birth was the excuse for Arthur's funeral [though if Michelle was that close to delivering she wouldn't of been able to travel anyway], but the excuse this time was totally lame. They should kill off the character or recast.

With respect to Phil, I don't particularly care if they never bring him back. But, yeah, they are going to have major problems writing him back in.

Helen

She was due back sometime this year, but apparently it's going to be early next year now.

Helen

how can phil come back when he's been on the run after being caught dead-to -rights for armed robbery?

Peggy will be returning in about 4 months. I think pc Marsden will go on a badly written holiday to spain where she will break down in the middle of nowhere, and almost be raped - but a dark shaodow emerges from the trees in the background - next to the ice cream stall - which turns out to be...Phil Mitchell! He rescues Marsden on the promise that all charges against him will be dropped. Marsden agrees. While they are waiting on help they exchange some bad dialog, which makes them end up kissing. They will then return to the square. By this time Ian and Kate will own half the pub and Peggy and Phil will own the other half, so we will get some comedy storylines as Alfie plays referee to the feuding familys.

Forget Eastenders - Everyone is watching it (cos they ain't!).

Try Eastenders - Anything is possible.

Whatever happened to Laura pursuing Ian for maintenance for Bobby? One minute she's getting her solicitor to write a letter, and the next it's just forgotten.

and where the hells lynn?

>It's this sort of thing that I believe is wrong with EastEnders.

I'll tell you whats wrong with eastenders, and in fact all soaps, most of which HOLLYOAKS, There is no such thing as character, and when there is an attempt, it sticks out like a sore thumb, or a queen vic extra with more then one line. Every little story, every little scene just serves up little storylines, which then help other storylines fall into place and seem more believable, which in turn help the bigger ones fall into place which only ever intend to do 2 things:
1. win ratings on those special occasions (ie christmas day episodes) and
2. satisfy the actors needs. as soon as you know an actor is leaving, or their profile has risen/fallen, you can hear the scriptwriters changing their minds, and the 'character' changes once again. not one of them is a realistic person with needs, wants or desires, but just a set of situations, designed to facilitate more and more extreme storylines. ie. what is gary hobbs character? yes he says west ham occasionally, but otherwise he is Mechanic, Husband, Father. the rest doesnt matter, as anything too defined makes it harder for the audiance to swallow when it inevitably changes. another thing. I am a real person. I have character. I live my life. I work, I do a degree, I work part time in a pub. I use all the amenities local to my house, with one difference to those in a soap. I dont know the names, situations, or relationships of any single person who works or frequents in them. even the boss of the pub i work in. of course i know his name, but my time i prefer to spend with my peers. like most people. Soap characters will suddenly be friends with someone completely off their own demographic, without even having shared a scene with them before! id love to believe there were scenes happening that we didnt see (unless of course its with an actor now out of contract) but its not the cases as we get subjected to every mundane conversation people have except for those that a real, ie have no outcome. Id like to see a soap where real things happen. where some neighbours dont know who lives next door to them. where people drink in a pub to get pissed. and where people say f*ck.

But i still watch eastenders.

and the whole thing with that gay in coronation street. Theres never storylines that represent gays as normal people, only gays with problems and realising their sexuality and coming to terms with it. the only gay ive ever seen on tv who was realistic was that alex on As If.

You could say the same about most people. When do you see a 'normal' teenager, who isn't pregnant, on drugs, a criminal or going through some major crisis. Or a happily married couple.

I don't think most characters in soaps represent 'normal' people. I suppose It would be boring to watch.

Ang

Many years ago I read a book by W Somerset Maughan and he talked about how if someone isn't in a scene (room, pub or whatever) they cease to exist. Therefore, if Lynne or Little Mo or anyone else isn't in EE for a while, they have ceased to exist. When they do come back they are often very different but the other characters don't notice because they haven't existed for a while and they have forgotten what they were like in the first place Interesting eh?