Traditionally its always been flagged up that EastEnders has much more younger fans,but is this still true?
Its thought although I dont know if its true that under 25s are more likely to be the soap fans who are active on social media and to vote in various soap awards etc.If EastEnders is now appealing less than it used to to under 25s is it now going to struggle more at awards ceremonies than it used too?

I'd say thank god to a degree. When eastenders started buggering around with E20 rubbish that's when it started sliding down the pan. Thank god it's gone back to how it was.

I agree with the user above and I love it and know high school kids and even primary kids love it, everyone knows Phil Mitchell for example lol

Good!

Leading it for the teens leads to disaster. Let it be everyone and watch the ratings soar

Appealing to this demographic is fine but specifically targetting or rather overtargetting them is foolhardy.I also think that many under 25s are savvier than we think hence the possible falling viewership amongst them?They wont all be impressed with good looking youth overload.

The ratings aren't soaring though

It still can't get the balance right either

If it features too many older characters it gains older fans but loss younger ones.

It it features too many younger characters it gains younger fans but loses older ones.

This is why I feel the viewing figures are still fairly static

Its not gained the viewers she lost under Newman

Im not so sure?Do younger viewers mainly prefer younger characters or is that just what some soap bosses assume?Is this the reason their tuning in less?

When I was young, I preferred watching older people. I'm glad EE doesn't focus too much on younger characters as there should be a balance. Bryan Kirkwood/Lorraine Newman overused the younger characters and lots of people didn't like it.

I agree. I am under 25 and I love it, having said that all my friends who watch are over 25. I prefer EE to focus on the older characters, otherwise id be watching hollyoaks haha. Newman and Kirkwood definitely overused the younger characters and even I tuned out for some of last year after having my finger glued to the FF button. The balance is much better now imo.

DTC has turned the show around in 6months the show is amazing at the minute the thing is EastEnders went so bad for so long that its going to take a couple of years to get people watching again the viewing figures have gone up 2-3 million tho since Kirkwood days so people are tuning in again bit it will take time and the wat corrie and emmerdale are going ATM it looks like people might start tuning in to EastEnders again

I think there was two issues under Kirkwood Newman regarding this.Overuse of young characters and the dumbing down of most young characters into one dimensional caricatures who were often hard to like or relate too.To this day Ive never fathomed what Anthony Moon and Poppy Meadows integral personalities were

Couldn't have said it better myself. You are absolutely right.

Thank you

I hope we never see such an era again.

You're welcome.
I hope not either, those were dark days for EE, dark, dark days.
There has been a huge improvement since christmas, long may it continue.

Completely agree my partners sister stopped watching when the the new Lucy beale returned back in 2012

I don't care what demographic EE aim themselves towards. Its always had a younger following, at least in the 80s, 90s and 00s as along with Brookside it was seen as the trendy and cool soap while Corrie and Edale were full of old women. Corrie didn't reinvent itself until Brian Park in 1997.

If the characters are well thought out and played by decent actors they will interest anyone. Regardless of age. Casting dodgy actors is not a new thing. Michelle Collins was pretty crap and monotone for her entire EE stint. She got very lucky with storylines. That's what saved her. Cindy isn't actually iconic. Its her storylines that are. So that is just one example.

I was a kid when I got into EE and it had the perfect mix of ages then. Angie/Den and Pauline were way older than me but I loved to watch them.

I wasn't I still liked some of the youngsters though, particularly Michelle and Punk Mary.

I don't think age comes into it if they hit on a good character.....I love Stan and Shirley but also Nancy, Whitney, Charlie and Dean. then there's Billy

Yes I like all those, apart from Billy. I'm sulking with you because you compared Sharon to Peggy.

Aw

Well, I'm glad it dosen't appeal to my generation, because it tried that & look where that went. Besides, we've got Hollyoaks for that.

I'm in my teens & love it, a couple of my friends at school love EE, but most of the boys at school don't watch it, because it will ruin their so called 'reputation' if they admit to watching soaps. The girls used to watch EE because it had Joey Branning in it, so they could then gossip about how fit he was. But since he left they don't bother anymore.

My sister is 24 & loves it & my brother in Australia dosen't miss an episode.

Do we have stats on viewer demograhics?

I think most teens watch soaps, but don't admit to it in public (at a push they'll admit to the ones that are socially perceived as cool). I also think soaps in general don't get discussed that much in school anyway. When I was in school during the late-90s/early 2000s, no-one ever talked about soaps. The only soap that ever got mentioned was Sunset Beach, and that's b/c I brought it up. It didn't take long for a few more guys in my social circle to start talking about it covertly.

Whenever soaps try to appeal to the under 18's, it always ends badly. I think some of the bad patches soaps go through can be associated to an increase in teen characters and their dominating storylines - EE and Neighbours are prime examples.

I'm 20, and I prefer older characters, except Dot, she is bores me!