I have always disliked the character of Shirley Carter but Linda Henry is an amazing actress. Do you think Linda Henry is sometimes annoyed with Shirley for her actions? I think Shirley has gotten worse since the rape reveal. I hate Shirley so much but I know she has her fans. I think she needs to hit rock bottom so she can be popular again. I always wondered what Linda Henry thinks of Shirley's reckless decisions? It must be fun for her to play Shirley as she's nothing like her in real life.

At the moment, lots of fans are hating on Shirley on FB and twitter but what can they do with Shirley to redeem her in future?

Shirley is spoiling EE for me at the moment . I find her and Dean so awful that its quite stressful watching it

I agree, Dean & Shirley need to pay for their sins & soon because its ruining the program.

Linda'a portrayal of Shirley is wonderful and she's phenomenal in the role. However Shirley is beyond awful at the moment. I thought her treatment of her was bad but the way she is now is worse.

Linda Henry - good actress. But Shirley is vile. She's dragging down the Carters.

Its all down to DTC and his obcession with her.

Linda Henry portrayal as Shirley is incredible, she is a wonderful actress and I hear that Shirley couldn't be further away from her in real life! I reckon it must be fun to play her, she is so reckless and abrasive but gets cracking one liners!

However Shirley's association with Dean has caused a great deal of backlash and I kind of hope that they are doing an Alfie type thing with Shirley where she will hit bottom and rise up again, DTC said that it would be a new era for Shirley.

I would be interested to know what Linda Henry thinks of Shirley's actions, I wouldn't have minded being a fly on the wall when she read tonight's script. I wonder if she reads some of them and just goes to her hubby 'oh gee, look what they are making me do now!'

I wouldn't want her to ever leave, it would be criminal to lose Linda Henry but I am aware that in the eyes of many viewers, Shirley needs redeeming - they have pushed her over the edge with this rape story, I am surprised with where they have taken Shirley with this as she was so popular last year - swings and roundabouts though.

If he was obsessed with her, I doubt he would keep making her do these things. I love that Shirley is abrasive but they need to strike the right balance between her abrasiveness, comedic side and her softer, vulnerable side.

Brilliant Actress

She certainly is! The fact that she's an amazing actress makes me gets angry with Shirley. I was a big Yvonne fan in Bad Girls

She's a great actress. I can sympathise with Shirley in some cases though, but she was pretty dreadful tonight. Expecting Mick and Linda to just sell their share of the Vic!

It just goes to show how good an actress she is to divide such opinion on Shirley. She plays all these different facets of Shirley so well.

Loved Yvonne! I keep saying it but I would love to see her and Jack Ellis work together again on EastEnders.

Mick is also really bad. I find Dean interesting although his crime is disgusting but Matt has proven himself in the storyline.
I partly get Shirley as she's in denial and doesn't want to believe it.
Would anyone want to believe their child is a rapist? But I find this forcing mock orratong now.

But mick wrecked Linda's chance to get a confession and has made it all about him.
That is also disgusting as well
As how he treated Nancy earlier in the year. Everything revolves
Around him and his takes it
Out on everyone even if they haven't done anything. Linda and Nancy are the only ones talking sense recently and Tina but she seems
To be trying to keep out of it. As
Much as Shirley and co are out of order so is mick. Lee
Is atleast keeping his distance from Dean as
To not make or
Worse
But that's what mock is doing.

I'm in the minority but I love Shirley and Dean both great characters to watch.

I have to admit that Mick is really grating on me. His sarky little 'bye bye then' and 'off you trott' ect
..really irritate me. I hate that!

No character is pushed to the front more then Shirley.

She's been given a new son, mother, father, eldest son, boyfriend, poisonous aunt,- I would say she dominates..

I have to ask though, and I am not usually one to pick up on or question these things, but what are the hair dept doing at the moment? Outside of the show Linda Henry's hair is always styled nicely - from what I have seen and often onscreen it is but sometimes the hair dept put so much gel in, why? It's the same with Tina - sometimes her hair is glued to her head and don't even start me on Sharon's curls? Nothing against the actors but some of the stylists - what are they doing?

Not strictly true, most characters have some kind of family development in their first few years on the show - as Shirley was attached to the Mitchell's for so long, she never got that development - other characters have their families on the square or all move to the square together, so why not Shirley? I think it just feels more because they all came in at once. It Tina had arrived and then say Mick and co later, then Babe/Stan later and then Buster/Sylvie, it wouldn't feel like such a huge jump, it is only because they all came in together, imo. (aside from Buster and Slyvie who were later additions).

Mick and Linda didn't need three kids - I think they could have easily brought in Mick/Linda/one kid after Tina and then given it 6 months and then brought Stan and Babe in...and so on, it may have felt more balanced.

I reckon Shirley will find out in July/August or it could be Xmas 2015

I can understand why Shirley is torn but I'm getting a bit impatient with her. She needs to find out pronto.

Shirley's characterisation was perfect from January-June 2014. She regressed when she became a love sick puppy to Phil and she was still pining over Phil in September-October 2014. When Shirley returned in November 2014, she had a new fella called Buster and I was looking forward for her future post Phil. But the rape storyline has done Shirley no favours. I cannot wait for her to find out, make amends with her family, form a proper relationship with Buster. It doesn't sound like they're committed to Buster and Shirley's relationship.

I agree Ell_Ren, what are the hair stylists doing?!? Linda Henry's hair is much nicer in real life. Same as Letita Dean. Sharon's curls is so bad . Sort it out hair stylists lol

Oh gee, don't say that! I think i'll have switched off before Christmas if it doesn't get resolved soon. I can't believe Matt DA is still filming. I do wonder how Shirley will find out, will Dean admit it? Will she just suddenly realise...

I agree from her return in Nov 2013 up until I would say July 2014 - her characterisation was spot on, and then they suddenly decided that she would do a 360 and fawn over Phil just to add drama to Phil and Sharon's wedding -but that was resolved when she came back fighting in Nov, with Buster in tow and throughout Nov/Dec - Shirley was at her best, abrasive but funny with an air of softer vulnerability when her mum was introduced (I had hope we would find out more about Shirley and Sylvie's relationship as part of Shirley being how she is is because of what a terrible parent Sylvie was) and I was looking forward to where she was heading - esp with the Mick reveal - which got swept up under the carpet pretty sharpish - I was quite disappointed about that. The ep where she explained what happened was also good and I liked the Carters rebuilding their lives up until Shirley finding out about Dean/Mick in the cellar - from then it all just went pearshaped. When Shirley wavered prior to the anniversary - that should have been the moment that it clicked for her.

I have enjoyed the little snippets we have had with Shirley and Buster alone, the story he told Dean about Stan and Shirley when he and her were kids and when they were talking about that kid who stole Busters bike - I would like to see more of this, find out more about them as a couple. They seem to understand each other and Buster knows how to handle Shirley, it is natural and believable but like you say, they don't seem all that invested in the relationship behind the scenes - Shirley and Buster are currently being defined by their association with Dean and not as characters in their own right.

The rape story hasn't done Shirley any favours - I understand her being torn but she wanted to be a mum to Mick, yet she keeps choosing Dean? It doesn't make sense to me and in all honesty, I just want Shirley to hurry up and realise so the Carter rift can begin to heal. I'm fed up of Dean being on the show now! In the eyes of many viewers, Shirley is going to need a lot of redeeming. It will be interesting to see her reaction when she does find out.

In the future, I would like to see a heart to heart between her and Linda, reconciliation with Mick and more exploration of her and Buster - should Buster not just be a plot device for Dean - which I am beginning to think he is. I also like Phil and Shirley's frenemieship and am happy to see that carry on, and I hope they don't forget Shirley's friendship with Denise - I imagine there is a big story for Denise coming up - perhaps revisiting her alcoholism and it would nice to see Shirley's softer side supporting Denise.

Definitely, both Linda Henry and Letitia Dean have better hair in real life - sometimes this is reflected on screen but other times, you can't help but wonder how the stylist even got the job!