On the whole, I've been enjoying it a lot more recently. Kathy is an iconic character played by a weak actress so my jury's out as to whether her return is a good thing. But I think it has given Sharon a new lease of life so that's a good thing. I hope the Bobby/Lucy plot is wrapped up soon as it is getting a bit ridiculous that everybody who finds out and threatens to go to the police immediately changes their minds in the wake of Jane's tears. And the block storytelling is annoying as I was so emotionally invested in the Masoods and now they're taking a back seat again.

But, there are characters I care about and storylines I want to see progress and that's not happened for a while.

Yes, this is how I feel about it at the moment. Monday's episode was the best thing about EE in ages for me.

Like I u said your not a regular viewer so you opinion don't matter, had you watch it like the rest of us do then your opinion would hold more ground as you can't judge a thing on something you only watch every now and then, perhaps you caught it when it wasn't a fantastic episode and your judging it in that. Not fair at all.

[quote=Evilredzebra;79655199]On the whole, I've been enjoying it a lot more recently. Kathy is an iconic character played by a weak actress so my jury's out as to whether her return is a good thing. But I think it has given Sharon a new lease of life so that's a good thing. I hope the Bobby/Lucy plot is wrapped up soon as it is getting a bit ridiculous that everybody who finds out and threatens to go to the police immediately changes their minds in the wake of Jane's tears. And the block storytelling is annoying as I was so emotionally invested in the Masoods and now they're taking a back seat again.

But, there are characters I care about and storylines I want to see progress and that's not happened for a while.[/

Personally I think she's a good actress and is doing a fab job, it's her voice that probably ruins it for most but apart from that she's great

Great post. The Carters are fine in small doses. I didn't mind their recent storyline about Stan's ashes for instance. It's just when they're constantly on screen it gets boring because they're just not that interesting. They do work very well in lighter storylines so I think they should mainly stick to that. The rape storyline has done a lot of damage to them as well as the continued presence of Dean. I like most of them but Tina (and Sonia) get right on my tits and Babe is vile. The rest can be irritating but they have their moments.

The Masoods just don't work without Zainab. Shabnam's recent storyline was well written and acted by the family just don't have the same appeal without Zainab around to react to them in my opinion. I'm not a fan of Kush either.

The Cokers and Hubbard are deplorable. I really can't find anything appealing about them at all. I hate to say it but Stacey and Martin are worse than watching paint dry. A massive mistake to put those 2 together and an even bigger one to recast Martin in the first place. Should have just left him offscreen. I feel no attachment to this new actor in the role.

The Mitchells and Beales keep on delivering. I've loved and hated all of them in the past but when they're at the forefront EastEnders is usually fantastic and it reminds me why I've stuck with it all these years. As for the Brannings, I too have grown to like Carol and Max recently due to their involvement in these storylines. Lauren has come along leaps and bounds in recent times also.

It does feel like 2 different shows when the Beales/Mitchells/Brannings are off screen and the other families are on. I find I just don't really care about the latter if I'm honest.

Everyone's opinion matters.

The show needs new characters to come in. Where would EastEnders be without Phil or Pat for instance? I just don't think most of the new characters lately are anything to write home about. It's all very well supporting new additions but I can't force myself to enjoy their storylines if they bore me. Gavin is a good example of a new character who is instantly important to the show because of his backstory. Whatever he does is going to matter long term. Once the Cokers, Hubbards, Carters and, dare I say it, the Masoods and Foxes leave they'll fade into oblivion along with all their storylines. They just don't have the reach and gravitas of the classic families.

They need to get the balance right of characters each week.

I agree. Also don't really rate the storylines for Stacey since she returned but Lacey does the upset/crying scenes really well like when Bradley died in the live ep.

It's definitely on form right now (IMO!) but others are right in that the consistency needs to be there. Right now with Sharon and Kathy taking centre stage it's brilliant, and the side stuff is all good too (perhaps a bit debatable with Ronnie/Charlie stuff)

I completely agree that it's like watching 2 different shows, but I'm really enjoying it ATM. Lately, it's felt like proper old school EastEnders in parts.

The mixture of characters is also really good ATM. Hope they keep it up, but the show has been so inconsistent since summer 2014, so I don't expect it to stay consistent.

Only if you are a viewer who is wedded to the past/history of show. The only characters who are any good are those who are decade or more old. There is so much of this from EE fans on here. Don't know why. Perhaps you are accepted as more of a fan if you hanker after the past and idolise originals. Other soaps don't seem to have fans who do this to such an extent.

No offence but, EastEnders 2/3 years ago was in absolute mess after the departures of Pat, Peggy, Stacey and Ronnie at one time. The show lost some sense of its identity, when it decided to put teenagers at the forefront of the show long term fans had no connection to it and it was rightly getting dissed by the media for losing its way. What did the show do next? Brought back some old faces because the show was on shaky ground it needed some familiar faces amongst the gripping drama to bring back the audience it was losing to Emmerdale and Coronation Street. So yes there will always be an appreciation for the golden oldies in EastEnders especially because they haven't managed to create as many great characters and families since a certain period. EastEnders more than any of the soaps, seem to need to bring back old faces because they are not as good as creating new 'greats' if you like.

Probably because most of the characters introduced in the last decade are completely forgettable when compared with those from the 80s, 90s and early 00s.

I have nothing against new characters, indeed during the dark days of 2011-13 I was consistently calling for an injection of new faces to revitalise the show. The problem is that the ones we got just weren't up to scratch. While the Carters/Cokers/Hubbards aren't as bad as some of the other recent additions (remember the Hartmans? ) they haven't lived up to the hype.

With the exception of Mick and Linda, I genuinely don't think any characters introduced in this era will be remembered in five years, let alone ten.

If they put some effort into developing newer character then we would not have this problem. Denise and Masood, despite being excellent actors, have spent years in the wilderness. The potential of Charlie and Aleks was wasted and they eventually got dumped. After months on screen still know next to nothing about Donna, Claudette and Vincent, who could be a great family unit. Then you get second rate characters, Pam and Les, who do get lots of airtime, boring the socks off us. They've made no effort to flesh out Lee and Nancy. And we have no young friendship group, a staple of the show since Michelle, Ian, Sharon and Kelvin. The Mitchells, Slaters and Brannings were brought in with a bang, but now new characters float around in the backround for months. They've even managed to make Stacey boring, quite an achievement for such a loved character and superb actress.

I don't think it's in the form of its life, but it's the most interesting it's been under DTC and I love how Sharon has been revitalised. I hope DTC has realised the Carters just aren't interesting enough to occupy the role of the central family and their dramas range from okay, to absolutely tedious. Since the Mitchells and Beales have taken centre stage the unmissable drama quotient has shot through the roof. I'm not averse to new families or characters in main roles, I thought the Slaters were a breath of fresh air and they provided some fantastic drama, acting and storylines. I even liked the Brannings before they ran them into the ground but DTC's families mostly bore me.

As much as I understand new faces are needed, I also agree with this... The ones who have been in the show longer are mainly the best characters... If you had to choose out of Max, Phil, Ian, Mick, Kat, Sharon, Dot & Kathy or Vincent, Buster, Nancy, Lee, Kush & Paul, I know straight away I would pick the first bunch. That's the same with most TV shows. A lot of people just don't like change, and I can be one of those people. EastEnders has changed A LOT in the last 5 years and there's been lots of new faces, that's why when the focus is on the newer characters, I find it hard to connect with the show... We don't get new characters like Phil & Grant anymore, which is a shame.

There's a reason I think Coronation Street remains the most viewed British soap. It without a doubt has the longest serving cast of any soap in the country, and I'd go so far as to say out of any TV show in the world. Characters have been in it since the 60's/70's/80's, etc... You're following the lives of the characters and it's almost asif you know their whole story.