Well there was Raine's brief return, and then she took in Lauren and Abi when they fell out with their dad. It's not a lot, but more than Pam and Les or Masood.

Good character played by good actress is why.

One of the best Actors in the show with a long and varied career, one of the few real EastEnders in the show.

Like it or not Cora haters it's true.

Shirley's a character the viewers liked though
People WANTED her to be used more, so when they brought in her family people were happy to see them

No one really cares enough about Cora for her whole family to be brought in, just look at the Hartmans
Cora's never had a successful SL, therefore I wouldn't call her a successful character

Vaslav everyone accepts she's a talented actress and has had a logn career
Speaking for myself, it's the character I don't like

Which viewers? I certainly don't like Shirley I always thought it was a bad idea making The Carters her family and I've yet to be convinced it was a good one.

I can accept Shirley is more notable than Cora and likely has more fans but you can't say no one cares about Cora because she does have fans too. I wouldn't call Cora a raging success story but I don't see her as an abject failure either. Look no further than Dexter for an example of that

Fair enough if Cora is axed it's not going to make any waves but that doesn't mean she isn't liked by anyone. DTC did give her some character development this year so we'd understand her better so he must value her a bit.

This is a very good point. Just because a character is played by a good actor it doesn't mean everyone is automatically expected to like that character. It gets touted around on here like the manta of the forum. There are a lot of good actors in EastEnders who play characters I'm either not fussed about or I downright hate. Being a good actor isn't going to make anyone like a character they have no interest in.

I don't think Ann Mitchell's acting skills can be used as a reason to force people to accept Cora. You either like a character or you don't. It's as simple as that.

I am not denying Ann is a good actress, however it's not really relevant for Cora to remain. Her daughters have all gone, two of her grandchildren will be leaving, her closest friend Patrick is no longer close to her and the love of her life is terminally ill.

She is becoming more and more isolated as a character. That needs to change if she is to remain.

Maybe he likes her? As do some of us viewers.

None of the attempts to make Cora likeable or interesting over the past few years have worked. Not one of the family crawling out of the woodwork worked either on their own merits, or as a character study into Cora's life. No explorations of the Tanya/Cora backstory proved interesting. The character just has absolutely nothing about her. That's the difference between Shirley and Cora.

She absolutely reeks of Kirkwood and Newman, and its time the BBC cut their losses before signing off on another years salary.

Being a 'true East-ender' or a 'highly regarded actress' aren't the benchmarks for a successful character, and I'd argue that neither of those qualities have contributed to the best characters Eastenders have created.

What if Cora was played by someone other than Ann Mitchell? I get the impression that you constantly defend Cora because you are a fan of Ann. If she was played by someone else I have little doubt you'd be calling her deadwood and wanting her axed (like you did with Mo (Laila Morse), character that has far more keeping her in the Square than Cora).

Ann is such a good actress though, so I don't know why Cora is being kept in isolation, she does have two granddaughters on the Square after all.

More like Pats bunions!

Just kidding!

She's a very cold character, and completely pointless now Tanya and Rainie have gone.

God knows. Awful, vile character. Ann Mitchell is indeed wonderful, it's a terrible waste of her talents. Cora is just horrendous.

It looks like Cora is leaving with Dexter. I think both characters, Cora especially, have come to a dead end and this is the only outcome. Ann Mitchell fans like Vaslav will be disappointed she's leaving Walford but she will likely turn up in something else unless she's retiring from acting altogether.

I loved how she announced she was leaving and not a soul gave a damn, apart from Murderous Abi