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Do you think Soap producers regret certain storylines?


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Old 30-12-2011, 11:38
Sharona68
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Emmerdale - Andy Sugden being a wife-beater.
Eastenders - Ben being deaf.
Coronation Street - Hayley being a man.

These are just a few examples of what I think to be now defunct storylines as they just don't fit in with the way the characters turned out.
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Old 30-12-2011, 11:52
Scot_JJ
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Eastenders: Callum Monks in general.
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Old 30-12-2011, 11:56
malpasc
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Emmerdale - Andy Sugden being a wife-beater.
Eastenders - Ben being deaf.
Coronation Street - Hayley being a man.

These are just a few examples of what I think to be now defunct storylines as they just don't fit in with the way the characters turned out.
I think it can possibly quite limiting for storyliners if a character has a permanent "thing" that you can't just explain away.

Still doesn't stop some soap writers from completely changing a character's personality completely for the convenience of the plot sometimes!!
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Old 30-12-2011, 12:26
Charley1
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I only follow Enders-

1. Baby Swap Rubbish.
2. Sonia Goes Gay.
3.Killing Mark
4. Killing Pauline
5. Killing Kathy (off screen!!)
6. Killing Angie (off screen!!!)
7. Killing Roy (Why?!!)
8. Killing Pat.
9. Bringing Back Dead Den
10. Bringing back Kat and Alfie
11. Bringing Back Carol (wasted)
12. Sending Robbie to India
13. The Fererras- all of them.
14. The De Marcos- all of them.
15. Setting fire to any building in the square (yawn).
16. Killing Cindy (so she'd be saved from The Rovers)
17. Zoe Lucker (She should be in The Rovers not The Vic- obviously)
18.Sacking Yolande.
19. Sacking Nick Cotton (several times)
20. Bringing Nick Cotton Back (see above)
21. Resorting to Sharon as a last- er resort (see above).
22. Wasting Peggy since Frank left.
23. Any plot involving current Beale/Mitchell children (if anyone can recognise them).
24. Killing Billy.
25. Losing Charlie's cab (iconic)
26. Losing Alfie's humour.
27. Losing Kat's warmth.

etc...!
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Old 30-12-2011, 12:40
Malik24
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Emmerdale - Andy Sugden being a wife-beater.
Eastenders - Ben being deaf.
Coronation Street - Hayley being a man.

These are just a few examples of what I think to be now defunct storylines as they just don't fit in with the way the characters turned out.
The Hayley transgenderism has gone down very well; it's been a resounding success in soap terms. It still gets references now and again, and people like the continuity. I doubt that's a regret or even defunct storyline.

Andy Sugden's aggression was forgotten about, but that was probably more out of convenience rather than anything else. People just don't like wife-beaters, and it was probably easier to gloss over those aspects than keep them on the surface. (ED is very plot driven lately too, which may factor into things as well).

I don't remember Ben (EE) being deaf, but medical issues are glossed over heavily in soaps. Same with money.

I imagine EE would have regretted the way they did in Pauline. I don't think it got much positive feedback at all. But, soap producers rarely admit when a storyline should have gone in another direction, so it would always be speculation to some degree.
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Old 30-12-2011, 13:17
rayofsunshine
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I would suggest storylines that are quickly forgotten about and never mentioned by later producers might be regretted. The main one that springs to mind is the Michelle Connor's son swap with Alex and Ryan which was rather dismal.

I think actors tend to have more disapproval over storylines than producers
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Old 30-12-2011, 13:19
CPW4EVER
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The baby swap storyline in EE as for one, it caused massive viewer backlash and secondly, regardless to what was said afterwards, it surely contributed to Samantha Womacks decision to leave the show meaning they lost both viewers and one of the shows biggest stars.

These ones are going back years but both shows are currently being rerun on CBS Drama. In the early years of Dallas, Lucy Ewing and Ray Krebbs were lovers then a few years later when producers couldn't think of any other storylines for Ray, they wrote it in that Ray was the illegitimate son of Jock Ewing meaning he had been having an incestuous affair with his niece. Any references to the previous affair had to be dropped and I think were even cut out of some episodes when they were rerun. For most of the way through the run of Dynasty, the main couple Blake and Krystle were portrayed as being the ideal couple, eternally in love with each other yet in season one of the show (pre Joan Collins), Blake raped Krystle, a storyline that was also quickly forgotten about as the years progressed.
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Old 30-12-2011, 13:23
MsWilder11
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I would suggest storylines that are quickly forgotten about and never mentioned by later producers might be regretted. The main one that springs to mind is the Michelle Connor's son swap with Alex and Ryan which was rather dismal.

I think actors tend to have more disapproval over storylines than producers
Completely agree. Corrie's always good for causing a huge fuss over a storyline and then just stopping it without any conclusion. No conclusion to the Ryan/Alex thing has always annoyed me. Another one was David Platt being diagnosed with epilepsy - that's never ever been referred to again
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Old 30-12-2011, 14:45
Sharona68
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I don't remember Ben (EE) being deaf, but medical issues are glossed over heavily in soaps.
It was a huge issue for Phil, if I remember correctly. Does he even wear a hearing aid anymore?


I would suggest storylines that are quickly forgotten about and never mentioned by later producers might be regretted. The main one that springs to mind is the Michelle Connor's son swap with Alex and Ryan which was rather dismal.

I think actors tend to have more disapproval over storylines than producers
I knew there was another major one I couldn't think of!!!
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Old 30-12-2011, 14:50
KornerKabin
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Making Tracy Barlow a murderer in Coronation Street. One step too far.

Whether you love her or hate her, she's a character that was born and raised on television for the past 30+ years, which, for me at least, makes her far too important to turn into a murderer for a quick-fix 'explosive' plot.

I can overlook the murder storyline and continue to enjoy Tracy, but I know that many, many others can't. Unfortunately, this ridiculous story choice is a big black mark that will loom heavy over Tracy, Deirdre and the Barlows forever.
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Old 30-12-2011, 15:00
Sharona68
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Making Tracy Barlow a murderer in Coronation Street. One step too far.

Whether you love her or hate her, she's a character that was born and raised on television for the past 30+ years, which, for me at least, makes her far too important to turn into a murderer for a quick-fix 'explosive' plot.

I can overlook the murder storyline and continue to enjoy Tracy, but I know that many, many others can't. Unfortunately, this ridiculous story choice is a big black mark that will loom heavy over Tracy, Deirdre and the Barlows forever.
True, another one I hadn't thought about.

Similar to Tanya trying to bury alive her husband Max in the Epping Forest.

I also never quite understood the Emmerdale storyline of Victoria not being able to speak and communicating via a dummy!!!!
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Old 30-12-2011, 15:09
los.kav
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Whatever happened to Billy's mail? *sigh* I understand why they cancelled the storyline, but to just drop it with no mention of it again was a bit rubbish.
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Old 30-12-2011, 15:24
jagged_death
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I hate to say this but I think the Corrie producers of the future (not necessarily PC) will regret making Sophie gay - it closes up alot of teenage/young adult romance/sleeping around possibilities for them, considering the way the young-un's seem to swap around boyfriends/girlfriends. They won't be able to do that with Sophie.
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Old 30-12-2011, 15:26
thejoyof_pat
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I think from EE LB regretted Little Mo's second rape, for an interview it wasn't so much the story but the aftermath which soaps NEVER do well with IMHO, they always get over any kind of abuse so quickly or if they don't it becomes the thing which taints the whole of their lives. I would like to see a bit of healing being done slowly and then characters having some what of a happy life where it isn't blamed for everything.
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Old 30-12-2011, 16:01
Sharona68
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I hate to say this but I think the Corrie producers of the future (not necessarily PC) will regret making Sophie gay - it closes up alot of teenage/young adult romance/sleeping around possibilities for them, considering the way the young-un's seem to swap around boyfriends/girlfriends. They won't be able to do that with Sophie.
Sophie will probably realise she's made a mistake and is actually straight, as often happens in soapland.
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Old 30-12-2011, 16:08
NathanT
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CS making Deirdre Barlow a councillor in the 80s - the producer even said it was a mistake and unfitting to the character some years later.
Incidenatally this phase of Deirdre's life hasn't been alluded to for a very long time now.
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Old 30-12-2011, 16:10
girlwednesday
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I really hope Hollyoaks regret Bart choosing Sinead over Jason
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Old 30-12-2011, 16:24
jagged_death
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Sophie will probably realise she's made a mistake and is actually straight, as often happens in soapland.
Depends on how long she stays, so she might at some point. Or they leave her to be a Kirk type background character.
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Old 30-12-2011, 16:34
dazza89
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Eastenders- I'm sure Santer and Kirkwood and whoever is next in line as the EP will hate that they cant ever bring Kathy back. Im certain she would have returned as would of Cindy perhaps. Big loss!
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Old 30-12-2011, 17:18
IanMandy
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It was a huge issue for Phil, if I remember correctly. Does he even wear a hearing aid anymore?
I think so if you look carefully in his ear
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Old 30-12-2011, 17:20
IanMandy
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Bet they regret bringing the Moons in, they don't do a thing,

And Grace Olubunmi vanished without a mention- maybe BK regretted her?
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Old 30-12-2011, 17:31
soapmania
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Eastenders: Killing Danielle off.
Corrie: Killing Liam off.
Emmerdale: Killing Jackson off, then dragging it on, and on with Aaron's miserable face.
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Old 30-12-2011, 17:42
VoodooChic
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CS making Deirdre Barlow a councillor in the 80s - the producer even said it was a mistake and unfitting to the character some years later.
Incidenatally this phase of Deirdre's life hasn't been alluded to for a very long time now.
Yeah she beat Alf and was a councillor for a year or 2 (including the Christmas 87 siege when a bloke she was helping held her hostage) - also loved how Percy called Deirdre Councillor Barlow the minute she became one...and then referred to Alf as Ex-Councillor Roberts haha
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Old 30-12-2011, 17:45
rayofsunshine
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Eastenders: Killing Danielle off.
Corrie: Killing Liam off.
Emmerdale: Killing Jackson off, then dragging it on, and on with Aaron's miserable face.
With Liam, the actor had decided to leave, and being killed was the only way he could go, since his love for Carla was so strong, and he had Maria too, and both the actresses weren't leaving.

I've always wondered what would have happened had the actor not handed in his notice, and whether him and Carla only got together when they did, because the writers already knew the outcome of the storyline.
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