Bad Girls wasn't as good after Yvonne died, she was one of the biggest characters in the show, and one of the most popular. The show died along with Yvonne and Fenner, imo. They left too much of a gap that it just felt like they were trying to imitate them with the new characters but the new characters never really matched up. Series 5 saw the loss of Betts, Shell and Denny too.
As an actress Linda Henry is underrated in terms of awards and nominations. She gets a lot of praise on Twitter and I think many posters on here agree that she is a brilliant actress. I agree that she is one of the best in the show.
I like that they have developed Shirley with the Carters, she was popular last year and has been recently again. It's just supporting Dean that is causing a problem. I'm hoping she finds out soon, I want the Carters to be a family again and I would like to see Shirley and Buster as a couple without the shadow of Dean/rape.