Very believable and rather good?

I Don't understand, i personally think its like a trend sometimes to hate certain soap actors.

and i agree, the scenes in the hospital made me feel sorry for him in seconds, and if a actor can change your perspective of something so fast then there good, and he was great!

Iv never thought he was bad. don't get the hatred either but sheep will be sheep and follow the crowd.

think he has been reaally good in the build up to and in tonights episode

I hate Alfie. Shane Ritchie is very OTT and crappy sometimes.

But yes, he's proven a few times he can pull it out of the bag.

But I see the character of Alfie Moon getting the most criticism on here, not Shane.

IMO, a very delayed reaction that he is a Del Boy rip off and people are fed up with it now. Why they didn't notice this back in 2003 or 4 when he first appeared in EE I don't know.

People were bowled over by him back then, the fashion shops were selling Alfie Moon type shirts too and they were the "in thing" for about a year or more! I never bought any!

Once someone has taken a dislike to a character/actor, it seems they can't do anything right. Shane's acting will be overlooked by the critics and it'll be all about how stupid Alfie was to start the fire in the first place.

I don't get it either I think he's a very good actor when he wants to be .

I love Alfie and Shane and he is brilliant at drama, I love his cheeky chappy persona as well and adore the wacky shirts!

The majority of this forum don't like Alfie but i'm not sure of the majority opinion of Shane.

Probably the same reason Phil and Sharon don't work anymore. Some things are "of their time".

At the time Kat and Alfie were entertaining. In recent years they've been anything but and trapped in adultery stories.

Well what has the character's actions got to do with the acting ability?

It doesn't matter how well acted something is, doesn't change that the character did something stupid.

Always liked Alfie, I don't see what other people see! I like Kat too!

He's always brilliant when given the opportunity.

Hmmm, I think Phil and Sharon can work, if they let them.

He was good tonight. He plays dark stuff better than the cheeky chappy routine.

I've always liked Kat and Alfie.

One minute I was thinking Alfie you moron and the next I wanted to cry for him. Which is the sign of a good performance really.

Some people are vile towards him, he's a fantastic actor, he plays a brilliant part on/in the show! I absolutely love the character because he can play a happy chirpy man but also a dark man at times, which is brilliant! Him and Kat work so well together, some people are just so ignorant on here and constantly slate popular and great characters like sharon, shirley, alfie etc... Yet worship the deadwood characters.

I think Shane's a great actor, no idea why so many people on here dislike him. Some say he has a big ego and is full of himself but I've never seen that. I thought his performance in tonight's episode was brilliant.

He's a perfectly decent actor, and always delivers when he's given big storylines/scenes. I don't understand the hate for Shane Richie or indeed for Alfie.

I think Alfie has run his course as a character and I would like to see this storyline as the beginning of the end for Alfie. I liked Alfie in his first stint as he had Nana around him but since he returned in 2010 I have not liked the character.

Shane Richie is a better Actor than some people give him credit for but essentially he has a huge ego and I can imagine he is not a very nice person behind closed doors, I would not be surprised if he has agreed to leave EastEnders and that the Fire storyline is his exit storyline.

^^^^ I agree ^^^^

I think Alfie's story lead up, and tonights performance have been really good. I think Shane's played it brilliantly.

I've never had a problem with Richie's acting ability and have long maintained that he is quite good at serious drama. His performance actually moved me more than Jessie Wallace's following Tommy's 'death'.

I just don't like the way Alfie's character has been over the last year or so and criticism that. I do also think thta Richie has a tendency to over egg the pudding re how brilliant the storylines he is involved with are going to be and how important Alfie and Kat are to the show but that is just my personal perception of how his comments in interviews.

So, in short, I personally think that Richie comes across as a little arrogant, think that Alfie is nowhere near as nice a guy as I think we are meant to think he is but think that Richie is a good dramatic actor. Possibly just not as good as He thinks he is!

I do think the lead up to Alfie getting to this point of desperation has been very good over the last few weeks - both in writing and performance.

Love Alfie always have always will 😏