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Neighbours: Why is it so boring?


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Old 13-08-2015, 15:43
FluffynpinK
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I have been watching Neighbours since I was a little girl and I'm 23 years old now.
I remember it having explosions, fires and affairs. Exciting storylines.

I stopped watching 2 years ago due to it just being completely boring. It's like a soap opera for beginners. They can't even say the word abortion!

I tried turning it on today and the main storyline was a bear that got thrown out accidentally and everyone acting like it was the worst possible thing that could have been done. It must be offensive for the actors to even act out scenes like that.

Was I just unlucky turning it on today or is it getting any better?
Is there anyone who is actually enjoying this as much as they did 10-15 years ago?
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Old 13-08-2015, 15:49
kitkat1971
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I'm enjoying it more than i was 10-15 years ago when i felt it got really stupid and over the top. I think it has got back to its roots, the kind of 'everyday' storylining it was so good at when it started about a wide range of characters in type and ages. But then I'm an old fogey who was a teenager when it began in 1986.

They do have more dramatic things, there has recently been a gangster type who forced Tyler and Paige into criminal activities and there was a 'sting' to bring him down. Matt was killed unexpectedly quite recently and there are plenty of affairs etc. It's not all toddlers losing their teddy bears which i admit was a bit silly with the memorial service but has a place in a show which is meant to be about ordinary families.
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Old 13-08-2015, 16:06
FluffynpinK
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I'm enjoying it more than i was 10-15 years ago when i felt it got really stupid and over the top. I think it has got back to its roots, the kind of 'everyday' storylining it was so good at when it started about a wide range of characters in type and ages. But then I'm an old fogey who was a teenager when it began in 1986.

They do have more dramatic things, there has recently been a gangster type who forced Tyler and Paige into criminal activities and there was a 'sting' to bring him down. Matt was killed unexpectedly quite recently and there are plenty of affairs etc. It's not all toddlers losing their teddy bears which i admit was a bit silly with the memorial service but has a place in a show which is meant to be about ordinary families.
Yes I guess it could go over the top sometimes several years ago.

That does sound promising actually. I should probably give it another chance.
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Old 13-08-2015, 16:19
vaslav37
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Neighbours is great right now.
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Old 13-08-2015, 17:25
ChipDouglas82
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I'm not sure what program you're watching as its far from boring at the moment, I would go as far to say its far superior to its UK counterparts. At least there isn't misery every week in Neighbours.
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Old 13-08-2015, 17:28
Mark_Washingto1
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I'm not sure what program you're watching as its far from boring at the moment, I would go as far to say its far superior to its UK counterparts. At least there isn't misery every week in Neighbours.
Seriously?!!! Neighbours can't even compare to Hollyoaks. The acting is awful and the story lines are juvenile. The only thing it has on the UK soaps is the opening, now that opening and theme song is one of the best I've ever seen.
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Old 13-08-2015, 17:55
danyell
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I agree about this stupid bear storyline. You know a soap is having problems when a toddler gets a storyline! That little girl seems to be in every episode. Really annoying. Most kids aren't seen in soaps. Their usually sleeping or playing in their rooms. Why do we have to see her all the time? They say she has a babysitter, but Nell is with Sonya and Toadie all the time. I'm surprised if she does go into day care. She won't be in every scene with Sonya or Toadie then which they've been obsessed with until now.
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Old 13-08-2015, 17:55
Brando_
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I have to laugh at the end of every episode when they show a sneak peak into the next episode it says "unmissable drama".

Yeah right.
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Old 13-08-2015, 18:02
Pete Callan
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I love Neighbours at the moment, it's just so enjoyable. Like today's episode with the teddy bear funeral. It's just so Neighbours, it's daft and sweet and they don't take themselves too seriously. I think the show should be so proud of finding original material for a young family.

It you want drama and car chases and guns and gangs, go to Home and Away, but I think Neighbours had struck the balance of drama and humour perfectly giving us a more classic family-friendly show.
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Old 13-08-2015, 18:17
Steve Soapbox
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I'm not sure what program you're watching as its far from boring at the moment, I would go as far to say its far superior to its UK counterparts. At least there isn't misery every week in Neighbours.
Totally agree. If you want a show that is commenting on the day to day trivia of life and celebrates humanity, Neighbours is for you.

If you want sensationalist sludge full of the most vile, implausible one dimensional cartoon characters ever invented, watch EastEnders.
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Old 13-08-2015, 18:25
kitkat1971
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I love Neighbours at the moment, it's just so enjoyable. Like today's episode with the teddy bear funeral. It's just so Neighbours, it's daft and sweet and they don't take themselves too seriously. I think the show should be so proud of finding original material for a young family.

It you want drama and car chases and guns and gangs, go to Home and Away, but I think Neighbours had struck the balance of drama and humour perfectly giving us a more classic family-friendly show.
True.

Neighbours always did feature young children more than most of the other soaps (Lucy Robinson and bradley were always around in the first year or so) and whilst they're not my favourite storylines i think there is a place for them in a family drama and it does help counterbalance the darker storylines.

Even today, you had the introduction of Russell Brennan and given what we've been told about him already, tyler's obvious discomfort, almost fear around him and his general demeanor, this promises to be quite hard viewing.

I'd also say the CDH storyline is hardly light and fluffy. Amber is annoying but if they follow it through, months of torment as to whether the baby will even survive the birth (i believe the mortality rate is 50 per cent) and then face operations, only to maybe die before reaching school age is hard hitting.

No, there is no longer an explosion or murder every other week but i for one am quite pleased about that.
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Old 13-08-2015, 18:41
Deschanel
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That does sound promising actually. I should probably give it another chance.
I think if you haven't watched for 2 years, you would be surprised to learn the show has changed a lot since 2013.

It really isn't all about missing teddy bears - which, FYI, wasn't the main story yesterday. The main story was Karl & Susan trying to find Ben, who had gone off with Tyler after his naked selfies had been posted online by his ex; Tyler was struggling to deal with his brother getting back with Paige, only to see his horrible father show up.

Neighbours now blends the dramatic storylines with the humorous and everyday, family stories. In addition to Matt being killed and the chop-shop/gangster story, we've seen Nick falsely diagnosing Paul with cancer so he could get funding for his cancer research centre; Madge returning as a figment of Harold's imagination; Amber getting pregnant by Josh and, learning the baby could have CDH; Josh selling illegal peptides, putting Kyle in hospital; Terese bringing down her attempted rapist...

I think you should give it a chance. They tend to build up storylines much more these days, which allows them to be more character driven. The show is much more mature and dark these days, with slap-stick homour to balance it all out.

Seriously?!!! Neighbours can't even compare to Hollyoaks. The acting is awful and the story lines are juvenile.
OK, now I know you're talking crazy! I think the acting in Neighbours far outweighs that in Hollyoaks, which can be truly awful. Neighbours has a lot of talented actors, with only a handful of weak actors. I'd also say HO is the more juvenile with their awful writing and insensitive handling of serious issues. At least Neighbours resembles some form of reality.

I agree about this stupid bear storyline. You know a soap is having problems when a toddler gets a storyline! That little girl seems to be in every episode. Really annoying.
I think you're the first person I've seen criticise Nell. Everyone else seems to think she's too cute for words. I think it's realistic that Toadie/Sonya's lives revolve around Nell, instead of her being shoved in the attic for years.
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Old 13-08-2015, 18:47
Mark_Washingto1
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I


OK, now I know you're talking crazy! I think the acting in Neighbours far outweighs that in Hollyoaks, which can be truly awful. Neighbours has a lot of talented actors, with only a handful of weak actors. I'd also say HO is the more juvenile with their awful writing and insensitive handling of serious issues. At least Neighbours resembles some form of reality.


.
Ok, no one is a worse actor than on Hollyoaks but other than that most of them can act better than the Neighbours cast. Now Hollyoaks has its issues but I doubt they'd show Grace and Trevor trying to cheer up Dylan with a puppet show, a run away bounce house or a funeral Rose' Teddy bear. Hollyoaks stories might not be well done but at least their adult in theri content, Neighbours is like Knots Landing written by Saved By the Bell's writers. I guess cuz I'm used to the US soaps blurring the lines or reality doesn't bother me as much as a soap that's written for the Nickelodeon crowd.
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Old 13-08-2015, 18:59
kitkat1971
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I think if you haven't watched for 2 years, you would be surprised to learn the show has changed a lot since 2013.

It really isn't all about missing teddy bears - which, FYI, wasn't the main story yesterday. The main story was Karl & Susan trying to find Ben, who had gone off with Tyler after his naked selfies had been posted online by his ex; Tyler was struggling to deal with his brother getting back with Paige, only to see his horrible father show up.

Neighbours now blends the dramatic storylines with the humorous and everyday, family stories. In addition to Matt being killed and the chop-shop/gangster story, we've seen Nick falsely diagnosing Paul with cancer so he could get funding for his cancer research centre; Madge returning as a figment of Harold's imagination; Amber getting pregnant by Josh and, learning the baby could have CDH; Josh selling illegal peptides, putting Kyle in hospital; Terese bringing down her attempted rapist...

I think you should give it a chance. They tend to build up storylines much more these days, which allows them to be more character driven. The show is much more mature and dark these days, with slap-stick homour to balance it all out.


OK, now I know you're talking crazy! I think the acting in Neighbours far outweighs that in Hollyoaks, which can be truly awful. Neighbours has a lot of talented actors, with only a handful of weak actors. I'd also say HO is the more juvenile with their awful writing and insensitive handling of serious issues. At least Neighbours resembles some form of reality.


I think you're the first person I've seen criticise Nell. Everyone else seems to think she's too cute for words. I think it's realistic that Toadie/Sonya's lives revolve around Nell, instead of her being shoved in the attic for years.
Yes, i nearly mentioned the false Cancer diagnosis of Paul which is one of the most wonderfully twisted and therefore compelling things i think I've ever seen in nearly 40 years of watching soaps.

I'm on the finding Nell cute band wagon. No, i don't want to see whole episodes centred around her but i find her very entertaining in small doses. Her facial reactions to what is going on around her are great. Also, to be fair, it isn't all Toadie and Sonya do. Toadie still acts as lawyer to every resident except Paul, has his hobbies with the men of the Street whilst Sonya interacts with the women and runs the Gardening Centre. Yes, Nell tends to be in any of their scenes at home but that is to be expected, kids are with their parents when at home and she is not the focus of their conversations usually - she is just there playing in the background. I prefer that to having babies and children always absent with no explanation as to who is minding them whilst their parents are off boozing or sleeping around constantly.
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Old 13-08-2015, 19:07
Deschanel
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Ok, no one is a worse actor than on Hollyoaks but other than that most of them can act better than the Neighbours cast. Now Hollyoaks has its issues but I doubt they'd show Grace and Trevor trying to cheer up Dylan with a puppet show, a run away bounce house or a funeral Rose' Teddy bear. Hollyoaks stories might not be well done but at least their adult in theri content, Neighbours is like Knots Landing written by Saved By the Bell's writers. I guess cuz I'm used to the US soaps blurring the lines or reality doesn't bother me as much as a soap that's written for the Nickelodeon crowd.
It really isn't just Freddie who is awful. Theresa, Nico and Scott are just as bad, if not worse; then there's the really mediocre actors like, Jason, Lockie, Cameron, Ziggy, Zack, Harry... I could go on. The only ones from Neighbours who are bad is: Brad, Amber, and Josh can be woeful at times; Aaron and Tyler are quite limited, but not terrible.

I would expect Trevor and Grace's idea of cheering someone up to be dealing drugs or blackmailing someone. The teddy memorial was intrinsically Neighbours, and something that is part of its charm - Kyle shedding a tear gave it its comedy edge; if you don't get that, then you've not watched for long. Neighbours can be dark, while HO deals with adult subject matter in a mostly farcical manner.

US soaps don't blur the lines of reality, they mostly reinvent them.
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Old 13-08-2015, 19:12
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Yes, i nearly mentioned the false Cancer diagnosis of Paul which is one of the most wonderfully twisted and therefore compelling things i think I've ever seen in nearly 40 years of watching soaps.

I'm on the finding Nell cute band wagon. No, i don't want to see whole episodes centred around her but i find her very entertaining in small doses. Her facial reactions to what is going on around her are great. Also, to be fair, it isn't all Toadie and Sonya do. Toadie still acts as lawyer to every resident except Paul, has his hobbies with the men of the Street whilst Sonya interacts with the women and runs the Gardening Centre. Yes, Nell tends to be in any of their scenes at home but that is to be expected, kids are with their parents when at home and she is not the focus of their conversations usually - she is just there playing in the background. I prefer that to having babies and children always absent with no explanation as to who is minding them whilst their parents are off boozing or sleeping around constantly.
Yes, the fake cancer story was original for soaps, I think, which is pretty rare these days. I thought it was very twisted and dark, which made Nick a compelling character. I even think they could have gone further with Nick's character if perhaps Georgia hadn't of left a few weeks later.

That's what I like about how they handle Nell - she's there, but not always the main focus. I just meant that Nell takes up a lot of T&S' home time, which is realistic for parents with a 2 year old. And, as you say, they have lives outside of Nell.
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Old 13-08-2015, 19:13
kitkat1971
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Ok, no one is a worse actor than on Hollyoaks but other than that most of them can act better than the Neighbours cast. Now Hollyoaks has its issues but I doubt they'd show Grace and Trevor trying to cheer up Dylan with a puppet show, a run away bounce house or a funeral Rose' Teddy bear. Hollyoaks stories might not be well done but at least their adult in theri content, Neighbours is like Knots Landing written by Saved By the Bell's writers. I guess cuz I'm used to the US soaps blurring the lines or reality doesn't bother me as much as a soap that's written for the Nickelodeon crowd.
I actually think the acting is pretty even between the two. There are some dreadful actors in Hollyoaks (Freddie as mentioned) but there are also some very, very good ones such as Patrick, Sienna, Nancy. Neighbours has some bland performances but nobody is really bad and actors such as stefan Dennis never dail to deliver.

Had they spent episodes on the missing Captain Fogglewoffin (or whatever his name is) I'd agree but as a minor storyline in one episode i don't really see any harm and to be fair, a child getting very upset over their teddy bear being lost, stolen, falling apart is something most parents have probably had to deal with at some point. I remember being devastated when i lost one of mine when i was about 5. We didn't have a memorial service for it though, in fact I think it would have upset me more!

I didn't mind the puppet show for Bailey either. It was silly and only a bandaid on his problems but it cheered him up for a little while and whilst now a teenager, he was still the youngest of the family so his older sisters doing it with their tongues firmly in their cheeks was okay I think.

No, Grace and Trevor wouldn't do it but they are very different types of characters and also didn't bring Dylan up. I can believe the Cunningham as they were before half of them were killed off would have done it to cheer Max up back in the day. Even that the Lomaxes might for Peri now.

ETA: Oh God, i forgot Scott. He is dreadful. Theresa is pretty appalling too. I don't think the others mentioned are that bad, I actually quite like Cameron.
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Old 13-08-2015, 19:31
Mark_Washingto1
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I actually think the acting is pretty even between the two. There are some dreadful actors in Hollyoaks (Freddie as mentioned) but there are also some very, very good ones such as Patrick, Sienna, Nancy. Neighbours has some bland performances but nobody is really bad and actors such as stefan Dennis never dail to deliver.

Had they spent episodes on the missing Captain Fogglewoffin (or whatever his name is) I'd agree but as a minor storyline in one episode i don't really see any harm and to be fair, a child getting very upset over their teddy bear being lost, stolen, falling apart is something most parents have probably had to deal with at some point. I remember being devastated when i lost one of mine when i was about 5. We didn't have a memorial service for it though, in fact I think it would have upset me more!

I didn't mind the puppet show for Bailey either. It was silly and only a bandaid on his problems but it cheered him up for a little while and whilst now a teenager, he was still the youngest of the family so his older sisters doing it with their tongues firmly in their cheeks was okay I think.

No, Grace and Trevor wouldn't do it but they are very different types of characters and also didn't bring Dylan up. I can believe the Cunningham as they were before half of them were killed off would have done it to cheer Max up back in the day. Even that the Lomaxes might for Peri now.

ETA: Oh God, i forgot Scott. He is dreadful. Theresa is pretty appalling too. I don't think the others mentioned are that bad, I actually quite like Cameron.
I don't think anyone would use a puppet show to cheer a teen up and it wouldn't have worked on any soap, if Leanne did that with Simon on Corrie people would be calling for Blackburn's head on a platter. That's why I can't see anyone saying Neighbours is better than any of the British soaps.....hell I'd go as far to say its not better than the US soaps either.
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Old 13-08-2015, 19:35
clever3000
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The only ones from Neighbours who are bad is: Brad, Amber, and Josh can be woeful at times; Aaron and Tyler are quite limited, but not terrible.
.
I would disagree regarding Jenna Rosenow being a bad actress, I felt that she was very strong during her heart to heart conversation with Lauren, she was also very good during the Robbo storyline, it is just a shame that her character is so dull. Josh isn't good and you probably all know what i think of Brad. Tyler is getting better as he goes on and Aaron hasnt been on long enough for a proper judgement. I am yet to be convinced that Kyle is a good actor, i know he is established but he can only act fed up of hyper, there is no emotion with him.

As far as best actors and actresses go, top of the pile would be Stefan Dennis who really is very good at conveying sympathy from the viewer even though Paul can do somethings that are somewhat disliked. Also very good IMO are Terese, Susan, Karl and Sonya when it comes to their acting ability.
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Old 13-08-2015, 19:39
kitkat1971
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I don't think anyone would use a puppet show to cheer a teen up and it wouldn't have worked on any soap, if Leanne did that with Simon on Corrie people would be calling for Blackburn's head on a platter. That's why I can't see anyone saying Neighbours is better than any of the British soaps.....hell I'd go as far to say its not better than the US soaps either.
Again i think they are very different situations re the family dynamics - i really do think it being Bailey's elder sisters that organised it rather than his parent is a crucial difference. Also, didn't they mention it was a family tradition and they used to do it when he was little?

Neighbours is a lighter soap than the kitchen sink style of the British ones or the ottness of the American ones. Itk4 not (or at least wasn't at the start) designed to be all serial killers and high octane melodrama. It was what appealed to British audiences in the first place, that it was normal, a bit mundane, overly simple and sentimental with an ethos that a family cuddle and laugh will cure everything, sometimes funny and very sunny and pretty.

I'm not saying I'm overly keen on that side of it, i quite like my melodrama and depressing stuff but scenes like that are Neighbours and have been right from the beginning. I don't think it makes it bad, it is just different strokes for different folks.
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Old 13-08-2015, 19:44
clever3000
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Again i think they are very different situations re the family dynamics - i really do think it being Bailey's elder sisters that organised it rather than his parent is a crucial difference. Also, didn't they mention it was a family tradition and they used to do it when he was little?
If i remember it rightly it was a tradition that Paige had with her adoptive parents
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Old 13-08-2015, 19:49
kitkat1971
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If i remember it rightly it was a tradition that Paige had with her adoptive parents
Oh right. Well that is a little odder then, that it was a Smith tradition rather than a Turner one.
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Old 13-08-2015, 19:56
Mark_Washingto1
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I'm not saying I'm overly keen on that side of it, i quite like my melodrama and depressing stuff but scenes like that are Neighbours and have been right from the beginning. I don't think it makes it bad, it is just different strokes for different folks.
Ok I get you, for me coming into it I was expecting something more along the lines of a British or US soap.
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Old 13-08-2015, 20:06
elliecat
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I think the teddy memorial was actually quite realistic, I can imagine lots if parents do something similar. I think Neighbours is nice because it does stick to normal everyday situations most of the time, not everyone is a murderer or a rapist or has a dark secret.
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Old 13-08-2015, 20:11
danyell
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I think if you haven't watched for 2 years, you would be surprised to learn the show has changed a lot since 2013.

It really isn't all about missing teddy bears - which, FYI, wasn't the main story yesterday. The main story was Karl & Susan trying to find Ben, who had gone off with Tyler after his naked selfies had been posted online by his ex; Tyler was struggling to deal with his brother getting back with Paige, only to see his horrible father show up.

Neighbours now blends the dramatic storylines with the humorous and everyday, family stories. In addition to Matt being killed and the chop-shop/gangster story, we've seen Nick falsely diagnosing Paul with cancer so he could get funding for his cancer research centre; Madge returning as a figment of Harold's imagination; Amber getting pregnant by Josh and, learning the baby could have CDH; Josh selling illegal peptides, putting Kyle in hospital; Terese bringing down her attempted rapist...

I think you should give it a chance. They tend to build up storylines much more these days, which allows them to be more character driven. The show is much more mature and dark these days, with slap-stick homour to balance it all out.


OK, now I know you're talking crazy! I think the acting in Neighbours far outweighs that in Hollyoaks, which can be truly awful. Neighbours has a lot of talented actors, with only a handful of weak actors. I'd also say HO is the more juvenile with their awful writing and insensitive handling of serious issues. At least Neighbours resembles some form of reality.


I think you're the first person I've seen criticise Nell. Everyone else seems to think she's too cute for words. I think it's realistic that Toadie/Sonya's lives revolve around Nell, instead of her being shoved in the attic for years.
It just annoys me how the actors obviously have to improvise because Nell says something that she wasn't meant to. It kind of distracting and annoying. Not to mention when they do talk to Nell and she doesn't speak or says the wrong thing. I just don't get why a toddler gets so much screen time, when she's too young to act.
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