Sharon should enter Eurovision representing the UK, the gays of Europe would love her.

She should, tragedy, melodrama, horrible blokes. Shes got it all.

Indeed she could, I see a big power ballad with big hair.

A friend of mine has an Italian flatmate who moved to the UK a few years ago, he has started to watch EastEnders and he loves Sharon. Gay love for our Shazza transcends culture and nationality it seems.

She's deffo a gay icon. Would you say Ronnie and Kat were too?

Yup totally, fiesty, strong women who have overcome tragedy- they totally have the gay icon factor.

I'd love to see an episode where they're all stuck in a lift.

I wonder what they'd talk about?

Men and their history I suppose.

That and Kats take on quantum physics.

Roflmao!

"Did you know the Higgs boson....." with Ronnie and Sharon looking on in amazement.

"Wossat Kat? Who's bosom?"

I think Ronnie is one of the more articulate women on the Square, Sharon ain't dumb either. Roxy and Tina on the other hand...

Yes! Instead of Book Club lets have Physics Club!

Kat quoting Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, oh the laughs we could have.

What's next, Tina quoting Aristotle?

They need to have a wise old patriarch called Harry Stottle!

I don't think that "Harry" would go down well with Kat.....

Good point! I need to sleep as I have a 6 am start so will bid you goodnight!

Night night 0...0

Nighty night.

I would love it if Aunt Babe wasn't actually living with anyone. She's just mad.

Anette plays those type of characters amazingly well. See her episode of Bad Girls.

Angela Robbins!! "Can't hear you! Can't HEAR YOU!".


"You wanna know what's stupid you dried up old slag, pissing me off! You need a good seeing to if any man could get it up for you!"

The bizarre thing about the Carter's and this is perhaps what I'm struggling with most currently is that they were all estranged for years yet within the space of 7 months have become this really tight nit close unit. I think its too much of a stretch because elements of Shirley's back story that we knew of now make zero sense. I was always against saying this before but it seems they have retconned her and as a viewer I find this insulting.

The main problem for this lays within the fact Shirley never had any character development within the 6 years previous to 2014. I'm not convinced putting her in The Vic was the right move afterall.

This is my problem with them too - Shirley was always depicted as a loner. She abandoned her kids, went through a series of dead-end jobs and was always on the drink. Now suddenly we are expected to believe she has a huge family living just a short bus ride away? I don't buy it.

I think Mick, Linda and their children should have been introduced as en entirely new family with no connection to Shirley. I wouldn't have minded if they introduced Tina and brought Dean back for Shirley - but the connection to Mick and Linda makes no sense; Shirley adds nothing to that dynamic, they are are a great family unit in their own right.

I actually really like Shirley's interaction with her family. I think all of them work really well together and it's so natural between them. I also like them (yes, including Shirley and Babe) in the Vic.

That would be better.

I think Shirley still comes over as very much the outsider of the family, ever Stan is more integrated as the 'granddad' ( only he's not). We often see her standing off to the side looking in at them, wanting to be part of it all but knowing that most of them just tolerate her at best. Linda, Dean, Tosh and Stan would all rather she wasn't there.