this though. Agree 100%

^ I can't understand why anyone would want Charlie back full time. He was dull the first time around, I agree about Mo though.

Yup, we now have Les and Stan who are much more interesting characters.

Plus when I say something like Charlie's arse looked nice tonight I don't want people thinking I meant Charlie Slater

bib:

Charlie Slater has the best builders ass ever. Would be excellent to look at with a nice strong cup of tea.

It's mostly all very good for me. Even when small problems arise, something else comes along to drive it off in a different direction.

Good

The Carter's although I am concerned they may well be taking over - the only ones I don't like are Tosh & Lee, bringing in Timothy West & Annette Badland was a real coup.

Carol's storyline has been great it has given Lindsey Coulson the chance to shine

Sharon's long overdue revival - she is the Queen of Walford and I look forward to the revenge storyline over Phil.

The Beale's taking centre stage, Adam Woodyatt had been great.

Les & Pam's introduction- I would like to know more about them.

Ronnie - Sam Womack is great Actress and I hope we see more of her.

Bad

The Spraggans- glad they are leaving

David Wicks- really disappointed that Michael French left again

The Masoods- lack of any storylines this year, where is Masood & Shabnam's big storylines?

Alfie- is he really needed anymore?

I know I talk about the dominance of white characters but I still feel there is a lack of ethnic characters which is a double edged sword for me as I think Dexter, FatBoy, Kim & Tosh are all poor but I am sure other ethnic characters can be brought in.

I agree with Scrabbler regarding Donna - I hope she is not just a token character, I would like to find more about her background and I am glad that Janet is now in the show- Grace is a little star.

The past eight months, for me, have been at a very good standard, but I can't help but feel ever so slightly underwhelmed and maybe writing down my views will help me figure out why.

I have been a die hard fan of EastEnders for sixteen years. The first episodes I ever watched was the Fowlers in Ireland, so you know with me even when it's pretty bad I stick with it. The defining moment of the show for me growing up was Tiffany's death on New Year's Eve. I remember it so clearly, and I was heartbroken. Then Saskia's death enthralled me, Who Shot Phil? had me hooked, and Dirty Den's return made me excited to delve into a character I'd only ever heard of, but never seen. Those moments - the moments the whole country discusses the next day - made EastEnders almost event television. The last time I felt that way fairly strongly was the Live episode in 2010.

Everything that DTC does excites me; he surprises me with shock returns, he introduces intriguing and fairly likeable characters (the Cokers, Aleks, Charlie) and he does this I'd never expect (like killing off the daughter of the only original character). He's got balls, and in that sense the show is in very, very good hands. Through everything, when EastEnders is at its best, that's because it has balls.

My highlights. Carol's cancer. Beautifully handled. A chance to give Lindsey Coulson an opportunity to shine. A different angle too, which breaks the trend. It's affected so many people in her family and I love the Butcher/Jackson clan... The Carter's arrival. They are a breath of fresh air, aren't they? Danny Dyer doing something different - genius. Nancy is my favourite. She reminds me of my sister. She's human, and I want her to be utilised (every other member has so far). Timothy West and Annette Badland in EastEnders? Ace. It' also brought Shirley to the forefront, which has pleased me... Sharon is back. Finally! It's been too long. I see the old Sharon, and that's the one I love. Denny is a brat, but she was never gonna have a quiet kid was she? ... The mystery of Charlie Cotton. Dot's swansong? It seems Nick is being brought back for a final stint, and it'd be fitting for him to come back for her exit. He has too really, hasn't he? Intriguing, exciting, watchable.

Right. Who killed Lucy? Not sure. But I can't fathom who would genuinely want her dead. I mean, she was a bitch, and I imagine the killer didn't actually intend to kill her but lashed out and panicked. It's a web of lies and it's a different kind of whodunnit. We literally know nothing. It's exciting but I really need a major plot twist in the next month for it to be enough to keep me hooked. Another murder? A confession?

I watch EastEnders to be envigorated and for pure escapism. I have been shocked but what EastEnders does best is those big reveals, and there's usually hype surrounding them. With the shocks, we don't get that - and viewing figures aren't high enough to warrant event television, IMO.

What DTC has done brilliantly is utilise virtually everyone - everyone's been 'Hamlet' as he promised, even if for a short while. That's such an achievement.

Keep shocking me DTC. Keep that history alive as you are doing. Bring back Sarah Phelps. Bring back Grant Mitchell.

8/10 for me, if I had to rate his tenure. Not sure what conclusion I've come to. I'm thoroughly enjoying being a viewer and I don't miss an episode, but I need something HUGE to happen again now

The Masood's have had stuff this year. Their big story is in Autumn, the actor said he will be very busy around that time.

I think someone mentioned a new character cast to play someone linked with the Masood's and relating to Shabnam's secret.

Your obsession with old people is worrying.

THE GOOD
- The Carters, obviously. They're a brilliant force and have utterly revitalised the show.
- Slowly fixing Sharon's wet blanket era.
- Who Killed Lucy
- The new Walford additions, making it feel like a community again.
- Carol's cancer story.
- The feeling that the show could go anywhere these days. Surprises have spiced things up.

THE BAD
- Stacey's return allowing her to be arrested was a good move. I'm not sure if it'll hold up.
- The Massod's slowly becoming extras rather than characters. Shabnam's return was brilliant and Mas's downward spiral was great. But it was over too quickly, Shabnam has gone from a character with great potential to a Marie/Tracey in the Minute Mart. Crap.

I really struggle to believe why a lot of people on this forum are being negative about stacey? She is actually one of the best characters to have ever walked soap, she has a family waiting for her back on the square, she has a daughter, will probably soon have a job, and has rich history with a lot of characters on the square: Max, Dot, Lauren, Ronnie, etc... Her return was pretty bad there's no denying that, but that's only because of her exit storyline, they couldn't bring stacey back doing somersaults out of a rocket, bombing Albert square, her return was very realistic and made a lot of sense, lacey turner is a great actress, and will tackle almost any storyline, people should b e grateful she is back IMO!

Anyway...

The good!!!

The Carters, of course... Wow what a fantastic family! Very well written, lovely scenes, great characters, apart from Lee, he does nothing for me, I'm sorry...

Shirley... I don't think she pops up to much at all, and who cares if she does, she's been criminally underused before, she's played by an amazing actress, and why they have done with her character these last 8 months has been very imaginative, creative, and intriguing!

Tina... A new character with so much potential, a character I can see staying in the show for a very long time, and being relevant to a lot of people!

Linda... Wow, just wow, linda carter is a name I will most likely always remember, a very great creation!

Carols cancer... It has made me realise what a great actress Lindsey is, I hope there's lots waiting for her in the future of her EastEnders career! Just a shame david left!

Denise... A character viewers enjoy and more than likely will tune in to see, I'm glad she's being used more! If she breaks up with ian I hope there's still lots for her character! A Libby and Chelsea return needs to happen!

Patricks stroke... Rudolph Walker is wonderful, I am looking forward to watching this storyline play out! So happy he has a storyline!

Stacey's return, well how is that not good? She's the queen of soap...

Older characters being used more, and new older characters, just what the show needs! Characters they need to keep, and characters who become the most famous soap stars tbf!

Surprise returns and fantastic writing... Scripts are a lot better now, storylines are a lot more interesting! Jane coming back was very good! I can't wait for her full time return! Rainie was also great!

Brilliant episodes and revelations... Lucy's funeral followed by the mick and shirley reveal was superb!

Charlie/dot/nick, dot cotton and June brown are national treasures, her getting a storyline like this, is right!

Families... The beales and the Mitchell's... The beales are doing great! I can honestly say I don't think the the beales have had a big storyline since I started watching in 2007, and they're a very great family to watch! I also can't wait for ronnies return! The Mitchell's are great! Phil has been brilliant in scenes aswell! And I love they're giving billy more to do now!

Sharon WATTS - wow...

The old with the new... A new chapter for the show has started, with a lot of new characters and plots, but this has also been merged with old and returning characters, which puts the show in a very good direction! I love how the past is being brought up a lot in the show! It makes perfect sense!!!

The bad!!!

Tina and tosh... Why, just why? Start a domestic abuse storyline or just get rid of tosh, end of...

Sonia... A very popular character, rich with eastenders history, who is now unrecognisable, and boring, apart from her gene storyline, Sonia hasn't had much to do at all, she needs to move to Albert square now, and get some storylines!

Bianca's exit... It sounds like it's going to be low key... Why? Bianca's a VERY important character, her exit should be explosive IMO!

Whitney... Why isn't this star getting more storylines? She's a joy to watch!

Kat and alfie... Dreadful! Have hardly been used at all this year, I know kats been on a break but still? The twins are like the first proper thing they've done since the short stacey return back in feb/march... I hope the producers use them more now!

Masoods... I don't like them much, but Masood is a very good character, where even is he?

The brannings... Ok so they were overused for like 2 years, but now they disappear for about a month, and are brought back for like a week, wtf?

Peter Beale, not dtc's but played by a terrible actor, painful to watch!

The way storylines are dropped... Nick/dot/charlie! Great storyline but it's had about 3 weeks onscreen time since it started in march...

Donna... Why is she even there?

Terry... I can't wait for him to leave, the spraggans were DRY!

Cindy... Not one mention about her pregnancy in months, she's probably had the baby now!

I could think of more good and bad, and I know I have written a lot and I could write more, but I am very passionate for the show and want to see it do well!

Yes I thought they had actual plans in mind for Donna but we have barely seen her which is a shame.

Eastenders is better now than the last four years however it's not exciting at the moment. The Carters are very good but they are shoehorned into every storyline. There's also too many of them. Nancy needs her own storyline. She's the most underused out of the carters despite being the one with the most potential. I would axe Tina and Tosh. They are very boring. Lee would be bettere if he was with Shabnam instead of Whitney otherwise he's not really needed. I guess they are waiting for Ben to come back so that Johnny does something worthwhile. I like Mick but he's too nice sometimes. He needs more of an edge. Linda is cool but she she need tell Dean where to go. I want to like Dean but he's doing nothing for me at the moment. He's just good looking with no charisma or edge to the character. He is too downtrodden and self absorbed. He has got a long way to go before he gets to the level of Sean and Dennis.

Also, I know the Masoods are featuring prominently at the moment but that will change in Autumn time but why do we have to wait that long. It's annoying. Shabnam is my favouriite new character yet she jus stuck in the minute mart and with her family. Let have a great love story and stick her with Lee. I hope her secret is good. A Zainab return will be great. Tamwar is also very watchable with Nancy.

I am not really enjoying Carol Cancer storyline. I find it boring. They should have given Max the SL, It would be different to the recycled cheating storyline he gets. I am glad most of the Butchers and Spraggans are leaving. I would also like Sonia to go. No one was anticipating her return. Whitney is an interesting character but they don't utilise the character well, she should be much stronger now. Dean and Whitney would make a great couple than Lee and Whitney.

Patrick gets airtime for at least two weeks and disappears again. The Stroke SL is also boring. I've noticed that Patrick get a SL each summer where is injured and then disappears. It's not exciting. He deserves better. Perhaps Anthony should come back. with his new family.

The Lucy SL was great for the week of the build up and the two weeks of aftermath. However it's dragging now. This is what happens when a stoyline is going on for ten months, I am bored of Ian and Peter greiving. I have no sympathy for Ian anymore as he is spineless and a coward. I just hope the SL speeds up as of now it doesn't hold up to Who Shot Phil and Den second death. Heck, i prefer Heather's death aftermath storyline as of now.

Sharon's revival would be a success if she took Phil for everything he's got. She need to get him where it hurts and live happily and independently again. He deserves it. He gets away with everything.

I would axe Fatboy, Dexter, Kat and Alfie (there's no place for them in the show, they've run their course), Billy, Stacey (no need for her, her story has been told, let Lola get some shine), Lauren (I think she should have died instead of Lucy, she is an irritating character) and the Latvian guy Aleks.

We are in need of good Alpha male characters. I miss Grant, Dennis, Steve, Andy, David and Sean. There's no one that fit that quota now. Maybe the Coker's sons could be the alpha males the show needs.

I am looking forward to Autumn and Winter because that's when things pick up and get going. It's better that the last three year but I am not enjoying the day to day episode. This last few months, it's stagnated and you get one good week in the space of six weeks. It's not gripping right now and characters are stale. It's just OK. I prefer watching Hollyoaks right now.

Good

The Lucy story
The Carters
Sharon for the last month
Lindsay's acting in the cancer story
Jane's return
Charlie storyline
Dean's return

The bad
Shabnams return - pointless
Stacey's first return
Sonia returning without Martin (even as a temp return)
Ian & Rainie - I don't get why Ian would go & do that

The issues still remaining...
Dexter/Fatboy/Tamwar - pointless, get rid
The Masoods in general - if there's no Zainab return close then it might be time to axe them but that would lead to anti-asian accusations, maybe bring in a younger asian couple
The young group - They need to mould the Dean/Lauren/Whitney/Lee/Johnny/Nancy into a group that could compare to the Simon/Tony/Tiff/Bianca/Ricky group
Billy/Lola - bit pointless now
Lola/Peter - End it now, doesn't work
Kim - What to do when she's back