Yeah well it is crap now

None of you know what Coronation Street meant to me and I have to watch it get ruined by such a shite actor and character within an hour. The writing for him was awful as was the acting.

I've made my point like you say so I'll leave it there, this is an EastEnders thread after all.

I think axing the Friday episode, the Ferreira's, Juley and Spencer would make a huge difference.
And also if people started being more optimistic about the show

I know the character is to be 13 but does anyone know how old the actress is? I'm always a bit concerned about youngsters with a 'gritty' storyline.

She's 13 as well I think

Yeh I agree, EastEnders should lose the Friday episode. Last week was a good example, it finished on Thursday at the end of the Den/Dot two hander, we were left Friday, Saturday and Sunday to find out what happened next when Den called Chrissie and Dot told Jim. This to me gave me a reason to watch EastEnders tonight and I wasn't disappointed. Now this week I see Friday's episode an hour long epi, possibly to make up for the lost episode last week, there is a potentially good storyline with Martin an Sarah, but I think that kind of storyline has been done before and just doesn't require a four nights a week schedule. The fourth epi should be added to an existing episode when something big is happening, a storyline that has been building an building for a while. I know theres Dot's emergency surgery aswell in there, but still, three nights a week, ending with an end of week cliffhanger, like they used to do would benefit them much better.

If that is the case I think she is far too young for a storyline like that....in fact it angers me.Jeez......remember when kids were allowed to be kids?

I think instead of the fourth epi being introduced in times of big drama, an hour long episode on Thursday cliffhanger. Then the tension of 3 whole days of waiting would be great!

I think the Martin/Sarah thing will be good but Sarah is being brought in to mirror Corrie's Maya which is a bit cheap. I didn't want him to cheat but it may be good, I'm going to wait and see.
Off topic, why is the clock an hour behind on the forums? Or is it just me?

I'm not sure mate, yeh I agree about adding the extra half hour to the Thursday epi for the big dramatic storyline. Yeh I suppose you can't help but think but oh theres a character in another soap a bit like this new girl, but I'll wait til we see Sarah an the unfolding storyline before I draw comparisons with Corrie's Maya. If she's half as good EE will have done well.

Do you think there's a way we can suggest the new times to the BBC?

I too will wait and see, as I always do, then judge

I think the BBC should definitely consider axeing the Friday epi temporarily at least, I don't think they'll move it from the 7:30pm time slot as it's been there forever, plus it catches the audience who are just turning over after Corrie on the Mondays an Friday.

Well hmm I wish I could ask Louise Berridge her and now. Would be cool if she actually looked at these boards. Haha she might learn something.

I'm not doing the "let's slag off EE for the sake of it" thing, but why oh why must we have big senstional storylines for new characters when they've barely been in it five minutes? Why can't they let these things develop over time. The Slaters came in with a bundle of issues, but they weren't explored and revealed fully until a year later. It's going to be hard to care, they won't have been integrated into the show much before she gives birth and I think it takes off much of the drama the storyline could have had if we'd seen these characters lives unfold in the square for at LEAST a year, even better when it's for several years (like Sonia and her baby - if Sonia had been a new character at that point, would it have been as good? Not a chance).

Also, am I right in thinking this pregnant girl is played by the real-life sister of the actor who plays Mickey? I hope she's a better actor than him if so!

This is also another thing, most actors need time to settle, from the sounds of things this girl is going to have to pull off some bloody great acting and at such an early stage in her career on the show. I mean the idea is so big you have to wonder whether she'll ever have a storyline that matches up to it in shocking and dramatic terms ever again!

Since she is only 13,is any of this a wise move for the actress? I very much doubt it.

Yes, she is.

I looked forward to EE last night for the first time in ages. I don't give a toss about Dirty Den - he's a rubbishy actor and I'm gad to see to see the back of him - but I was really interested in the Dot and Jim conversation. And it didn't let me down. THAT was Eastenders at its best. I want more of THAT, not some character I barely know coming in with some shock storyline. OK, give us something to make us interested in the new characters, but save the shocks for when we give a damn and can get INVOLVED in the storyline.

I'm not trying to judge the plot/writing beforehand, but I still feel that 7.30 in a popular soap opera is not the time or place to try and tackle this sort of thing. I'm not blinkered, this does happen, I spent enough years working for the police to know, I just don't think dumping a heavily pregnant, very young looking 13 year old in the middle of a soap is the way to go about exploring this issue.

I don't see anything wrong with it. when she arrives, she's already months pregnant so we won't see anything graphic or harrowing. We may never meet the 'nonce' in the show so that is nothing to worry of and she certainly isn't pregnant in real life so that's one bridge Eastenders would never cross. If anything, the story will be handled sensitively but still be hard hitting enough for evening viewing. It will be a great way to see a younger character blossom into a mature character and there is also the high drama factor of how Mickey will react when his friends find out that he has kept this from them.

I think part of the issue is the actress is so young herself and the sort of emotional burden her character has to deal with, would hopefully be far outside her realm of experience as a "real" person. Although I'm sure eastenders would have researched it carefully and thoroughly, at 13 i'm hoping the actress would have no idea of the emotional implications of sex and it seems a lot to ask of a seasoned actresss let alone one so young. I'm interested to see how the storyline is handled and how it unfolds in the coming weeks but right now i have doubts of the realism of it being conveyed to the viewers.

I'm wary of starting up more Corrie v Eastenders debates, but I think Coronation Street did the right thing 4 years ago when they changed Sarah Lou to a 16 year old actress. Aside from the fact the old Sarah Lou was pants, i think it showed real sensitivity and thought from corrie, especially as they were explicit about not wanting someone underage to handle the storyline.

I know eastenders is coming in from a different angle so hopefully we won't have quite so many "how did this happen?" conversations. could be interesting viewing

I just think teenage pregnancy shouldn't be touched in Eastenders for atleast a decade more. We've had Sonia give birth and give it up, Vicki's mum having had Vicki and then Vicki having an abortion - maybe it'd be interesting to see a young girl cope with a baby - but the father being around too who's the same age, yet the two are seperated. I think that would be far better.

Yeh that would make a good "normal" angle for a change, an there are a lot of young teens who do try an bring up kids together. There is potential for a good storyline there.

Sorry if I sound really stupid but who is Demi Miller? I've watched every episode of Eastenders to date. Or, is it an up and coming new storyline with new family, etc?

Demi Miller is part of Mickey Miller's family arriving in Eastenders in the coming episodes.See here . Her twin brother, parents and dog will be moving in next to the Brannings.

As for whether this story is true or not I do not know but the father of the baby will not be revealed straight away as it is supposed to be secret so perhaps it is true and I did he hear that it was a 33 yr old.

Who is Demi Miller?

see above post, with link.
She is mickey's (squeak voice) little sister!

Go back just one post and you'll find out!