Love the old Ben too. He was cast excellently for the character he was supposed to be, i.e. sensitive, kind natured, leanings towards the theatrical life etc. His acting during the Stella goings-on was totally believable and his cheeky charm with the ladies was adorable. If Charlie had to leave because of schooling commitments, its a shame they didn`t put his part on hold until he could resume his acting career.
The recast was one of the biggest flops ever. It was an absolute insult to viewers intelligence to introduce a totally unrecognisable Ben who was so far removed from the real Ben that it just never clicked into place. And what`s more - they have wasted all the potentially good storylines which would have involved Ben developing into an adult that would totally grate on Phil`s idea of a `man`. It would have been wonderful to see Phil`s face as his son developed into an all singing, all dancing successful career (without necessarily having to be gay).
