[NathanT]

Originally Posted by lotty27

Ashley isn't a villain is he?He's a man of principle. As I've said many times before, he is entitled to his opinion. He didn't officiate at Alice's funeral for the same reason so why are the villagers (and viewers) so surprised? Short memory syndrome? What people don't seem to realise is that he's not unsympathetic but that he can't be seen to condone the terrible trio's actions.

What annoyed me most of all though is that he treated Hazel with respect, informed her kindly and in private but it was a respect that wasn't reciprocated with both Aaron and Chas yelling at him in public while he was trying to eat his dinner (where was Diane to tell Chas off about treating long term customers this way? She's usually got her nose firmly in other people's business as she seems to have no life of her own nowadays.) If they thought I was going to be saying 'go on you tell him!' then they completely missed the mark with this viewer. If Ashley had stood on the street screaming his opinion at Hazel then fair enough but he didn't and he did NOT deserve that public tirade and the resulting embarrassment. Bad form but I don't know why I expected anything else from Aaron and Chas.

No he sure isn't. The thing with Hazel is she's a blamer - as several posters have already pointed out, the only time she ever set foot in the village church was to trash the Christmas service, looking for someone to blame for Jackson's predicament. Now in the aftermath of his death she's facing off at anyone who dares disagree with her actions rather than reflecting on the ampleur of what she's done. And so far the two people who've been frank enough to not openly condone her actions - Ashley and Edna, two of the most moral and principled villagers - have done so in a sensitive, non-judgmental way, only to be treated to a mouthful of abuse.

When this gets to court and the ethics of Hazel and Aaron's choice are examined - two people putting their lives on hold to be cooped up in a small cottage looking after a paralysed man for several long months (Hazel in particular), choosing to help this man to end his life without seeking any professional psychiatric help - the prosecution are going to put it that they were unburdening themselves just as much as Jackson. And if the best defence they can muster is to screech "It's what he wanted" (albeit backed up by video evidence), any prosecution lawyer worth his salts is going to tear them to pieces.

The only way the Hazel charcter could now be redeemed in my eyes is for her to have a "OMG What have I done???" moment of truth and realise that she's been irresponsible. She's the oldest and wisest and she's let herself be emotionally blackmailed. Worse still she's dished out her own brand of emotional blackmail on Aaron - and this goes as far back as to when Aaron was trying to move on with Flynn (which was also "what Jackson wanted" - though Hazel didn't seem as willing to oblige then) and Hazel was dragging Jackson down to the pub, tutting and pouting during Aaron and Flynn's date and making sure Aaron couldn't forget about Jackson - thus preventing Aaron from any potential detachment from the situation.

I suspect that

Spoiler

as Hazel is apparently leaving and Aaron staying, she will ultimately be vindicated and Aaron get off on the grounds of youth and emotional blackmail.

Back to Ashley, his moral reaction when a member of his own family - Jasmine - was on the run from the police and aided and abetted at different stages by Sandy and Laurel, was exactly the same; he refused to condone his wife and father's actions. He wasn't subject to such public abuse then - mainly because those closer to him were adult and sensible enough to respect his opinion.

[NathanT]

Originally Posted by bhvictory

sounds to me like there's 2 types of soap fan then, avid and part-time....... I believe some people (not all) only go on forums like this to moan about something, but if there isn't anything to moan about they won't come on........ as I said before maybe the reason I enjoy a soap is because I sit back and watch it and I don't analyse it all the time....... nitpicking I believe it's called......

The big wonder is how people would react if all soaps were to end tomorrow......... people would complain like hell.....

If you only sit down and watch a soap without actually engaging your brain and thinking about what's on screen, you might just as well sit down in front of your washing machine and watch your clothes swilling around - that would no doubt prove invariably fascinating viewing too. And I bet if you forgot to put the detergent in and your clothes came out as mucky as they started, you'd fail to see any difference in quality.

It's not in the producers' interests - nor ITV's for that matter - to put out programmes for people to just daze in front of. If it were the case they could save a lot of money by resurrecting the old test card. The rule of thumb for a good soap story is how much public reaction - negative or positive - it generates. The stories which are regarded as unsuccessful are those which leave viewers indifferent.

You must have a real hard job when the party political broadcasts come around.

[Aida]

Oooh, two new posts from Nathan T!

I'm not going to skim read now, I'm going to have my lunch and come back with a cuppa tea and a biccie so that I can enjoy them properly!

[NathanT]

Originally Posted by Soapybubble

Brenda's character development has always irked me. It's not because of the way the character is per se, but because she wasn't stupid or completely without tact when she first arrived - and then suddenly she was. What was the deal with that?! Because of that, it really grates on me when she says something that is (now) typically stupid or insensitive.

Here's my take on Brenda: when she first came into the show, her husband had died some time ago - and it was said on several occasions that he was the only man she'd "known", her daughter Gennie had grown up and was moving on with life (and away from Brenda), and I don't think she worked. As a result she was quite sharp and bitter - especially towards the Dingles, who she saw as taking her role as Gennie's family away.

I think the change came when she got together with Terry and had someone to confide it, softening her. At the same time, she had moved on with her life and was living close to her daughter, plus running the shop and café which involved her in village life. So the previous bitterness wore down into a sort of insensitiveness - the same inappropriate comments but with less of a sharp edge.

This would explain her hysterical reaction at losing Terry who, although she'd only been with him for a relatively short time, had obviously changed her life considerably for the better. Terry's death did leave it open for a further reassesment of the character - and possible romance with Rodney - but this has been in limbo for quite a while so I'm not sure if it will go anywhere.

Two things remain a mystery to be - at one point she was heavily in debt because she'd foolishly borrowed money to bail Bob out - and was getting harassed by debt collectors - I don't remember how that was resolved and how she paid the debt back - did Terry bail her out? Secondly, what happened to "The Explorers", the kids club she and Doug were running? Maybe Doug's kept it going somewhere off screen and is currently minding all the MIA children

Overall I like Lesley Dunlop as an actress and have liked her in a lot of previous roles, but find Brenda as a character quite grating and unsympathetic. I guess I am slightly biased as she came in when Deena Payne was off for a year, and very quickly filled Viv's shoes in the café and shop, so I judged her as a sort of low rent replacement for Viv rather than a character in her own right. However, I do think that Brenda has a role to play as Gennie's adoptive mother and her frequent put-downs help us to understand Gennie's lack of self-confidence. I also like that the worm is starting to turn and Gennie is proving to be the responsible one in that relationship - advising her Mum to err on the cautious side when she was after Bob and being silly getting into debt, and more recently taking control and handling things when Brenda was a mess after Terry's death.

[Seshat199]

Originally Posted by bhvictory

Sometimes people just do negative comments for the sake of it though.......... I'm not talking about anyone in particular here, but some people will go to such lengths as to try and pick out faults when there aren't any....... The producers and the writing team carefully plan storylines and scenes thoroughly before putting them to work to ensure accuracy.... I think they know what they're doing........... There.... not just praise for the show, but the behind the scenes team too.......

Originally Posted by mr. mustard

If these negative types aren't present on the thread I don't really get why we've had posts about them here Personally I much prefer discussing Emmerdale to judging other FMs.

But as the issue of 'finding fault' keeps cropping up, here's my take on it. I think it's a big mistake to portray criticism as 'complaining' or 'negativity'. Negativity suggests that the viewer starts out with a downer on the subject to begin with. In 99.9% of criticism I don't believe that's the case. I think it's simply a matter of taste and if someone perceives a deterioration in quality it's not making a complaint or moaning to say so - it's just being honest.

It's those who blindly worship things, disregarding obvious flaws who are the truly negative ones. They often put down others who they disagree with in a very intolerant way. Their tunnel-vision outlook means they can never grasp what a forum's actual purpose is - to be a place where strong criticism should be tolerated just as much as high praise, without being called 'negativity'.

Okay, I have a slightly different take on all of this.

Putting my business head on here, I think what we, as forum participants, are effectively doing is providing feedback about what we are seeing and more importantly feeling about what we are seeing. In basic business terms, all soaps are written to entertain and develop a fan-base which will keep them on air. However, in order to develop a loyal fan-base, they need to capture viewer's imaginations and entice them to develop some form of emotional attachment to the characters. TPTB want and need us to care about what we are viewing and for that reason it is important for them to keep a temperature check on audience reactions which is why there will be someone at Emmerdale who will be monitoring all forms of online forums and other channels providing feedback. Therefore any feedback we give them, negative or positive, should actually be considered constructive.

Now, I'm not suggesting for a moment that TPTB at Emmerdale will change every storyline to suit specific forums, threads or comments but they will use it as a gauge to check on how specific storylines are progressing and audience engagement. Indeed, Stuart Blackburn did mention recently that they had considered making changes to the Aaron/Jackson storyline on account of audience feedback. (Sorry, can't remember the exact specifics here but he mentioned it on the This Morning interview).

So, in effect, this thread is actually providing a valuable service to Emmerdale! Hurrah!

On a personal note, I am a long-term fan of Emmerdale. From time to time I've had to miss it due to working away but I have come back to it time after time because of the warm familiarity with the characters.

So, here comes some Emmerdale feedback from me...

I agree with previous posters, (sorry there are a few of you who have posted this and I can't remember specific names) that Emmerdale works best when storylines are character-driven rather than plot-driven. My emotional attachment with Emmerdale is to the characters not the plots. IMO over the last year or two there have been some cracking character-driven storylines.

Like a lot of people I loved the Wylde storyline because of the interaction and, in some cases manipulation of the key characters. Some vulnerable, like Maisie and Will, and others villainous and dastardly like Nathan and Natasha.

I also loved the Diane-Charlie-Doug triangle (with input from the indomitable Val). I liked the way that Diane's vulnerabilities were exposed and Doug's feelings of isolation and loss regarding his relationship with Diane were portrayed. Down to great acting yes, but also a cracking storyline which was IMO very well written. That Charlie really was a snake wasn't he? And so plausible. But I must say, part of me didn't feel too sorry for Diane as she was horrible to Doug, who I happen to have a soft spot for. I do hope he comes back to the show.

The Lisa rape storyline was beautifully done with excellent acting from all actors involved including disturbing Derek. So much has already been said about this - I'll say no more.

As for Aaron's coming out storyline what can I say? A great storyline, brilliantly written and beautifully acted by Danny Miller and Dominic Brunt in particular. And then it all started to go a little awry for me. The spell of this wonderful character-driven storyline was, for me, completely broken by the transformation into a plot-driven storyline starting with the crash followed by the most ridiculous tetraplegia storyline which was for me, a complete disconnection from reality. I'm all for a bit of artistic licence when it comes to soap storylines but this was so far-fetched that I just couldn't get into it. IMO despite great acting from Marc Silcock and Pauline Quirke this storyline was completely absurd! I won't go into all the nonsense about absence of professionals etc that would and, even in soap-life should, have been around to provide support to Jackson et al. I won't even mention the missed opportunity this storyline could have provided with regard to a character living with such a severe disability. I will say however, that where I started to give up on this storyline was when Jackson was allowed home for Christmas - just two and a half months after the accident. Jesus wept! Even by soap-standards this was stretching it! If this were RL he would probably still be in a specialist spinal unit. On a side-note, anyone who reads Melanie Reid's 'Spinal Column' in The Times magazine on Saturdays will appreciate how far-fetched this storyline is.

Anyway, rant over. Well, almost. I have to admit I have been struggling a little bit with Emmerdale recently although it is picking up a little now. And, to be fair, it hasn't all been down to the tetraplegia storyline. For me, it's down to two things.

First, the loss of some established and well-loved characters and the introduction of too many new characters all at once. The result being that, IMO, there is currently little character definition or depth for the new characers. I'm hoping this will change with time. I think that with introducing new characters and giving them storylines very quickly Emmerdale are missing opportunities. An example of this is the recent storyline regarding Orangina. We have really just been given a pen-portrait of her life in and out of foster homes so far. I don't really know what makes her tick. While I can appreciate her crush on David and her subsequent feelings of rejection, I don't feel any empathy or even sympathy with her. I think this storyline occurred too soon. There is a lot of potential to explore Amy's backstory - as well as providing some insightful social commentary or discussion regarding the care system today and if I knew more about her, I feel it would also make me care a little bit more about her and understand her drivers a little more.

Second, I don't understand the lack of storylines or input from the older characters. Given that there is currently an influx of new and IMO loud, brash, young characters there is an ideal opportunity to provide some balance with input from the older, more experienced cast and to introduce them into some of their storylines. I really don't like the way the older characters seem to be used as fillers for other storylines. Pearl and Edna are particular favourites of mine and I would like to see more of them.

Finally some feedback about this thread...

I have been lurking on this thread for quite some time now. I lurk because I find the majority of comments and points of view to be thoughtful and often highly entertaining. I don't always agree with what I read but I don't expect to and I certainly wouldn't expect everyone to agree with me. I'm continually impressed with the way in which povs are not only articulately and eloquently expressed but also respected. And for that reason, I shall continue to lurk - which may come as a relief to many as I have just realised how long this post is! Sorry got a bit carried away - what can I say, once I started, I couldn't stop!

[mr. mustard]

Originally Posted by NathanT

If you only sit down and watch a soap without actually engaging your brain and thinking about what's on screen, you might just as well sit down in front of your washing machine and watch your clothes swilling around - that would no doubt prove invariably fascinating viewing too.

Great point Nathan

Originally Posted by Seshat199

An example of this is the recent storyline regarding Orangina. We have really just been given a pen-portrait of her life in and out of foster homes so far. I don't really know what makes her tick. While I can appreciate her crush on David and her subsequent feelings of rejection, I don't feel any empathy or even sympathy with her.

Brilliant post Seshat I agreed with all of it and the disaster that the writers made of Orangina's character is a perfect example of putting sensation before sense. I was hoping she'd bring out the more human side of Val & Pollard. But every chance of becoming better 'parents' second time round was squandered as Orangina was turned overnight into a monster. A devious, selfish liar who felt nothing for those trying to help her. If having twits like Diane sticking up for her was meant to garner some sympathy, it failed miserably.

Just one example of the unbelievable way characters are being turned into pawns to be moved about whenever some new act of selfishness calls for it.

[bhvictory]

Originally Posted by Melephunk2010

I do agree, i have seen a few people like that recently. Of course everyone's got as much right to express what they think could have done better, but i do think some can read FAR too much into things.

Exactly, nice to know there is some people on my side......

[Lady Minuette]

Is there room for another lurker? I have been enjoying the povs and humour on here for some time and particularly enjoyed Nathan's long post earlier. I am absolutely sure that TPTB will access this forum for at least a flavour of how the plots and characters are perceived. It has been a real relief to see the end of the focus on the assisted suicide plot - enough has been said on here to say why it has grated so much. I'd like to see more use being made of:

Gennie and Nikhil - romance?
Diane (and Doug if he comes back) - what a believable pair!
Pearl and Edna - something from the past coming back to haunt them
Chas and Carl - def. need to be together
Nico and Jimmy - reconciliation and sweeter Nico please!

and less of

Orangina and Scouse farm boy ( I can see a pairing looming for these two horrors)
Charity and Jai - boring now especially with Cain stalking them
Moana and Marlon - Please go and live happily together - elsewhere!
Ella,Mia and Grandad Macey - Just go back to Hong Kong or Singapore or wherever you turned up from and let Declan get back to being Mr Nice Guy!

Shall I retreat to my lurking corner now or am I OK to stay around?

[Angela Channing]

Originally Posted by Aida

Buon giorno, Madama!

Have you been away to Lourdes yet, or were you just kidding?

Kidding,oh good heavens no,but not yet.Walsingham first in August & Lourdes in late September like last year.

I'm hoping to invite that dishy vet for 'spiritual reasons'

[Angela Channing]

Originally Posted by Lady Minuette

Is there room for another lurker? I have been enjoying the povs and humour on here for some time and particularly enjoyed Nathan's long post earlier. I am absolutely sure that TPTB will access this forum for at least a flavour of how the plots and characters are perceived. It has been a real relief to see the end of the focus on the assisted suicide plot - enough has been said on here to say why it has grated so much. I'd like to see more use being made of:

Gennie and Nikhil - romance?
Diane (and Doug if he comes back) - what a believable pair!
Pearl and Edna - something from the past coming back to haunt them
Chas and Carl - def. need to be together
Nico and Jimmy - reconciliation and sweeter Nico please!

and less of

Orangina and Scouse farm boy ( I can see a pairing looming for these two horrors)
Charity and Jai - boring now especially with Cain stalking them
Moana and Marlon - Please go and live happily together - elsewhere!
Ella,Mia and Grandad Macey - Just go back to Hong Kong or Singapore or wherever you turned up from and let Declan get back to being Mr Nice Guy!

Shall I retreat to my lurking corner now or am I OK to stay around?

Hello Lady M & welcome to the thread.

I like & agree with your post .

Dame Angela G.Channing

[Angela Channing]

Originally Posted by Aida

Oooh, two new posts from Nathan T!

I'm not going to skim read now, I'm going to have my lunch and come back with a cuppa tea and a biccie so that I can enjoy them properly!

Mr Channing just made a pot of coffee,had I known you were around I'd have taken out the china

[Aida]

What a treat - those posts are excellent and a proper three cuppa and two biccie read!

Seshat 199 and Lady Minuette - welcome to the thread and please don't go back to lurking - the more folk who delurk and express their individual views and feelings about our favourite soap, the more quality debate and discussion is generated!

Without going through each post bit by bit, it would seem that there are many points on which we agree, most notably the influx of new characters who, without any backstory at all, instantly occupy centre-screen and cause the established cast to retreat to the sidelines, or, even worse, adopt brand-new personality traits to enable them to be shoe-horned into the action.

For most of them, it's only a line or two here and there and the ludicrous transformation of 'Hazel' from cheeky, chirpy, 'never say die' free spirit into maudlin martyr has already been well discussed and marvelled at - but my particular bugbear is the way 'Val' and (particularly) 'Eric' have been reduced to the mere acolytes worshipping at the shrine of the fell Orangina.

I know, I know - Eric is a reluctant worshipper, but at one time he was the epitome of a Machiavellian villain who would have disposed of the irritant in his life quickly and without compunction and it infuriates me to see him pussyfooting around both 'Val' and her orange clone.

Ah well, like most of us here, I've stuck with Emmerdale through thick and thin over many years, and I always live in hope that it will improve - it's difficult, though, when all the future seems to hold is hastily hatched and despatched peripheral storylines orbiting around the central sun of Danny 'Weepy' Miller!

[Aida]

Originally Posted by Angela Channing

Mr Channing just made a pot of coffee,had I known you were around I'd have taken out the china

I should hope so, Dame Ange - after all - as a Princess I outrank even Duchess Kitty!

[sheepiefarm]

Loving the posts on here lately

Not posted so much myself - because I've said most of it already - but also, others are saying it much better than me

Nathan T - love reading your posts.

Seshatt 199 - what a brilliant post - you summed it up very articulately.

[ArtyAttack]

Bar the initial week of the assisted suicide the aftermath storyline has been in the background this last week whilst other ongoing storylines take precedence. Looking at spoilers for the next few weeks there are only a few episodes where this storyline takes centre-stage so I am not sure where the comments from some about the show being centred around Aaron are coming from in reality when Aaron has actually only featured as a supporting player in the aftermath so far. We have seen far more of Hazel, Chas and Paddy in the last few episodes. I actually think the last few episodes have been quite drab now that the focus has shifted away from the assisted suicide storyline which was extremely well done for me - but each to their own.
I think the show is suffering however from not having a strong family at Home Farm. The Maceys have not worked at all and as a viewer I am just not invested in them as characters. The Tates, Kings and Wyldes were far more interesting. Hopefully this will be rectified soon.
Just my opinion though.

[Aida]

Originally Posted by sheepiefarm

Loving the posts on here lately

Not posted so much myself - because I've said most of it already - but also, others are saying it much better than me

Nathan T - love reading your posts.

Seshatt 199 - what a brilliant post - you summed it up very articulately.

Oh, but you won't stop altogether, will you, Sheepie? I love reading your and Lotty's 'multis'!

Originally Posted by ArtyAttack

Bar the initial week of the assisted suicide the aftermath storyline has been in the background this last week whilst other ongoing storylines take precedence. Looking at spoilers for the next few weeks there are only a few episodes where this storyline takes centre-stage so I am not sure where the comments from some about the show being centred around Aaron are coming from in reality when Aaron has actually only featured as a supporting player in the aftermath so far. We have seen far more of Hazel, Chas and Paddy in the last few episodes. I actually think the last few episodes have been quite drab now that the focus has shifted away from the assisted suicide storyline which was extremely well done for me - but each to their own.
I think the show is suffering however from not having a strong family at Home Farm. The Maceys have not worked at all and as a viewer I am just not invested in them as characters. The Tates, Kings and Wyldes were far more interesting. Hopefully this will be rectified soon.
Just my opinion though.

I can only speak for myself, but I was sick of the sight of the three conspirators , Arty - and fed-up to the back teeth with the entire 'assisted-sucide' storyline which was so hell-bent on being sensational and controversial, it never touched 'reality-base' even once, much to the dismay of the charity 'Aspire' which was sucked into supplying advice which was subsequently ignored.

I got the impression that 'Aaron' was still firmly fixed at centre-stage from the comments Steve Blackburn made - to me, he really didn't seem to be planning much for anyone else.

I agree that the last few episodes haven't been wonderful - perhaps they've seemed slightly better because I'm just glad to have been spared 'Hazel'?

Anyway, as you rightly say, we all have different opinions - and I can certainly relate to all you have to say about the Maceys!

[Angela Channing]

Originally Posted by Aida

I should hope so, Dame Ange - after all - as a Princess I outrank even Duchess Kitty!

Well that warrants the Royal Doulton & the antique silver coffee set.

Ps I'm the Queen,so I outrank you all

[mr. mustard]

Originally Posted by Lady Minuette

Is there room for another lurker?

Welcome Lady M

Originally Posted by ArtyAttack

Bar the initial week of the assisted suicide the aftermath storyline has been in the background this last week whilst other ongoing storylines take precedence.

Arty, I think I remember you posting before but welcome anyway

[Lady Minuette]

Thanks for the welcome Queen Angela and also from Princess Aida - I have delurked now and feel much better for it. Pondering, as one does on how to get some continuity going - which seems a bit lacking at times - I think it would be great if Charlie could reappear - maybe not in body but perhaps being arrested, charged and sent down.News of this happy event percolating down, after a visit from the boys in blue to update Diane,who would finally see him pay for his conman antics. Doubtful if she would get any money back but it would tie up what I always felt was a bit of a loose ending showing that crime does pay,in that storyline. If Doug could be brought back at the same time we could see a lovely soppy happy ending! Aaaah! I do like a bit of normality to balance all the extreme soap dramas!

[mr. mustard]

Originally Posted by Lady Minuette

If Doug could be brought back at the same time we could see a lovely soppy happy ending! Aaaah! I do like a bit of normality to balance all the extreme soap dramas!

I miss Doug a lot. Emmerdale's now quite thin on the ground for what I loosely term 'normal' characters. Terry was another average sort of bloke. These are the type of locals you can imagine bumping into in a village pub like the Woolie, rather than scuzzballs and loudmouths like Cain and Alicia. Emmy's definitely lost the balance it used be so good at keeping between everyday life and high drama.

[lotty27]

WOW! Loving all the newbies And a big hellooooooo and welcome from me.

I now insist in the regal spirit of the thread that I be addressed as Lady Lotty, the Duchess of Geordieville from now on thank you

Back laters, must to go and boss my serfs and peasants about now

[tinkie]

There has been some great posts that has taken me ages to read, so babes, I have just caught up with Thurs & Fridays episodes, babe, I think if I heard the gormless Adam say it once more I might well have screamed, that saga involving Ella & Mia is dreadful neither actress can act, Ella has only one facial expression, bored, Orangina made me physically want to smack her and I am not a violent person, she looks so much older than the poor poor foster girl she is meant to portray, I did like, yes, there is a positive in here was that moaner wasn't wearing make-up, as like many a new mother that is the last thing to consider

[Angela Channing]

Originally Posted by Lady Minuette

Thanks for the welcome Queen Angela and also from Princess Aida - I have delurked now and feel much better for it. Pondering, as one does on how to get some continuity going - which seems a bit lacking at times - I think it would be great if Charlie could reappear - maybe not in body but perhaps being arrested, charged and sent down.News of this happy event percolating down, after a visit from the boys in blue to update Diane,who would finally see him pay for his conman antics. Doubtful if she would get any money back but it would tie up what I always felt was a bit of a loose ending showing that crime does pay,in that storyline. If Doug could be brought back at the same time we could see a lovely soppy happy ending! Aaaah! I do like a bit of normality to balance all the extreme soap dramas!

I like Doug too,I wonder when he's coming back.

I'd much prefer him as co-owner of the Woolpack over Chas!

[Flukie]

I was looking through some old DVD's before which had old Emmerdale episodes on - from 2005/2006, a time I really enjoyed. This included the wonderfully entertaining and comedic leading up to Bob and Viv getting married again (intended to be a double wedding with Marlon and Donna) so Bob's son Josh turned up for the wedding.

It was so funny seeing Jackson in his previous incarnation as Bob's son! lol And of course, you wonder why Bob (or Paddy, or Marlon or Zak or Cain or Val or Eric - all those who were there when Josh was ....) didn't recognise him when he came back masquarading as someone called Jackson! lol

[Seshat199]

Just popped on to say thank you for the lovely, warm welcomes and comments regarding my humongous post earlier today. I could promise to make my posts more succinct in future but I've already had 2 glasses of prosecco this evening and I learnt a long time ago never to make promises when alcohol is taken.