I knew the sinking of the titanic kicked it off but couldn't remember if it was the immediate aftermath or a few months later. Thanks for the confirmation.

Oh I know that about the funeral episodes, was just trying to give the OP a little more context. I thought the nods to the first episode were very well done.

I'd like to add I think the casting dept have done a good job finding a new Robert.
The new one has that sumg, smarmy look down to a tee.

Yes, I can believe the last one has morphed into this one but he seems a decent actor as well - they haven't just gone on the physical resemblance and hoped for the best otherwise.

He's very punchable

Well it's a very one sided banter and it being good natured unfortunately sounds like the kind of defense Jim Davidson and the like give to their heavily sexist material.

I don't think there'd be any disagreement if it was a 2 way street but it clearly isn't. I've just seen a post describing Katie as a bike in reference to her and Robert possibly getting back together but Robert who clearly did his own version of sleeping his way through the Dales isn't called anything

There's a very big difference between what the boorish Davidson does and what is said on here about fictional characters.
If it's perfectly acceptable to say you'd like to see a character flattened by a steamroller then what is so wrong about calling Katie a bike

I do like Katie, but I have enough of a sense of humour to see the funny side of the abuse she gets. I honestly see it as perfectly harmless and mostly good natured.

I do think it's a very good point that someone made on one of the ED threads recently, that the English language doesn't seem to have a male equivalent of the words 'slapper', 'slag', 'slut', 'bike' or words of similar ilk.

Why is that in this supposedly post-feminist era? All I can think of is 'stud', which is generally a complimentary term.

I may have to start a thread in GD to find or invent such a name.

Presumably whoever is professing an interest in a character getting flattened by a steamroller isn't aiming that at only one gender. However, as is central to my point, only females get called bikes and men that behave similarly get called 'stud' as OJ has pointed out in her post.

Yes that is what I was saying a couple of days ago. The English language is inherently sexist. Stud, playboy, sowing his wild oats are seen as compliments. Slag, slapper, slut! Being loose or a bike etc most certainly are not even though they are essentially describing the same thing - a human being that has sex with a lot of different people.

Yes, sorry kitkat, I should have remembered it was you.

I have now (very unusually for me) started a thread in GD to see what others think.

Maybe you guys should invent a name for male slags and start using it

The question was asked why Katie is called names while Robert got away with it?
Well, Robert wasn't the one who was getting married and slept with the brother of the man she was getting married to the night before the wedding.
Robert wasn't cheating on his partner.

Some might say that sleeping with your brother's fiancee is equally as morally suspect as the fiancee sleeping with her prospective brother in law. Anyway the names we are talking about are hardly reserved for just this particular situation they are negative names leveled at females who have copious partners whereas it's more likely positive names are leveled at males in similar circumstances.

Having said all of that I have seen male characters called 'slapper' occassionally on here but rather than equalising things that way I'd prefer no one was called anything derogatory for merely having sex however many times

Oh no problem. I rarely venture into GD but might make a field trip to partake in that discussion.

I've seen the term 'man slag' used quite a few times on various soap threads.

I'll bet it's never been directed at Cain. He's very much an 'untouchable' on these shores.

Yes, well that's different, obviously.

Meantime, GD have already come up with one I really like that sort of says it all :

'meat puppet'.

Well I rather like Robert ! I like the new family. It's very reminiscent of the classic Dallas series with Bobby and JR as the warring brothers! All that's missing is a 'Miss Ellie' character! (Diane??)

Slugs?


Miss Diane! Oh wait a minute, that's the one from Crossroads!

How is it possible to take sexism too seriously? I watch videos on Youtube and the comments are full of sexism. I read posts on Imdb and they're also full of sexism. I watch TV and I see women being dragged for being "slags" when the men don't. I come here and post after post about Katie is about her not "keeping her knickers on" or her inability to "keep her legs shut". Victoria was called a slag for having a one nighter and someone even claimed he didn't think she was "like that". Ross though, has had several one nighters and do you remember all the posts about him being a slag or some male equivalent? Nope, because men get away with it. Just because something is suppose to be funny, doesn't mean it's not sexist. What about the Leyla/Jai/Megan situation? Leyla is being blamed and she nearly had to give up her business, but Jai is basically forgiven. No sexism there from the writers.

ED is absolutely disgusting when it comes to sexism. Yes, Katie cheated on Robert, but Robert cheated on her after being engaged and he cheated on Donna. He did his fair share of sleeping around, but like Adam, he's allowed to call the women vile names for doing exactly what he did.

I've not seen any Emmy for a couple of week, so I'm dismayed to come back on here and read that Katie has yet again been ridiculed by the writers.
Do they think this constant ridicule and abuse is amusing?
It's neither funny or clever!
Sort it out Emmerdale!

You just said everything that annoys me about sexism on the internet/tv. Every time I browse various places on the internet about tv/books/movies/celebrities there's always loads of sexism - some obvious, some not, some 'jokey' and some not. It's disgusting to me however it's put across.

Then there's all the 'slut shaming' in various programmes/movies - it's not just banter or a bit of fun, it's pure sexism. If it doesn't change on tv or other media consumed by millions, then it further normalises women being called sluts and slags for having sex/relationships. It needs to change somewhere, and I very much doubt society as a whole will suddenly be enlightened al by its self.

If used right TV could be a powerful tool to teach youngsters, the impressionable and the unenlightened about sexism, misogyny and loads of other things. Sadly, all it seems is to do is promote sexism by having women being called all sorts as if that's the right and normal reaction to them having a sex life. No, Katie and other female characters need to stick up for themselves,, shut down that kind of attitude, and call the sexist people out on their outdated, backward views.

I doubt Robert said it because he genuinely thought Katie is the "village bike", he said it to get a reaction from Andy, which he did.

That doesn't make him 'slut shaming' Katie okay.

Old Robert was a tool and it looks like nothing has changed

I have a feeling Laila will get off with Robert or even Lawrence.