I'm going to watch this instead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUPfrsUJdJg

Minnie Caldwell remembered

Great post!

Those characters above have formed the foundations for the 'next generation' on the show, look how many of the above after still around today and hopefully will keep the fabric of the show together.

Sarah Lou's internet stalker storyline was terrifying at the time.

Also the Fresco's siege which at the time aired in a post-watershed slot (10pm I think) was shocking for the time.

With EastEnders who can forget Steve Owen and Tiffany Mitchell's deaths? Also Matthew with the 'petrol' Such a good time for EE back then.

Waterloo Road used to be so good, and in my opinion, went downhill when Eva Pope left her role as Rachel. Series four, I think, was the strongest series, although up until that point it had been very strong. I just loved Rachel though, she was a cracking headteacher. Amanda Burton stepped in afterwards, I think, and I didn't feel it really worked even though she's a good actress. I felt they wanted to emulate what Rachel was, and it never quite worked.

Waterloo Road was amazing in its prime. I agree it wasn't the same after Rachel left as head. The cast up to that point was superb and there were some absolutely corking episodes.

For anyone who is interested, that clip of 'Minnie Caldwell Remembered' has an interview with Eileen Derbyshire (Emily) which is the first time I can remember seeing her interviewed for anything.

Margot Bryant (Minnie) was the best crier in soap. Gets me EVERY time.

Ton waterloo road i liked it when 2 schools merged and the pupils didnt gel, i liked sambucas brain tumour plot

I agree! Sam's cancer was brilliantly done. Sadly, I think the show got more and more sensationalist from series 6 ish onwards, and lost it's way a bit. The earlier series' were the best in my opinion.

Waterloo Road lost it after Maxine's death.

Shed Productions have a history of ruining their own shows. Look at Bad Girls, completely gripping and realistic for the first two series then it slowly got more and more soapy until it ended with Bodybag being visited by the ghost of a prisoner. You would never have predicted the show to head in that direction if you had watched from its 1999 launch.

The move of Waterloo Road to Scotland was just silly.

For me, there wasn't a pivotal moment that marked the decline of the show. I felt like it was gradual, and became particularly noticeable in Series 5/ 6 with the return to sensationalist plots as opposed to the focus on ordinary stories of a particular student each week in the earlier series. There were still some good moments in the series' I mentioned, but it definitely lost something around that time in my opinion.

Interesting, Ben. There was definitely a pivotal moment for me, as I've already explained. Maxine died in S4 and by S5 I found the show unwatchable. I don't know what it was but I just lost my connection to any of the characters and switched off. I didn't watch another single episode of Waterloo Road after that!

Maxine's death was, in itself, sensationalist and a bit of an OTT ending to the story with Earl Kelly. The Kelly family breathed life into the show but the culmination of Earl shooting Maxine was too much for me.

Series 4 was fab. I remember the opening episode as a 90 minute special and really very good.

Series 4 was great James, my favourite by far! I think they blended the 'normal' school stuff with some gritty drama and a couple of more sensationalist plots. It was a good mix.

By S5 though ... oh dear

I loved series 1 - 4, the show as great. I loved the original characters; the likes of Tom, Izzie, Brett, Mika, Donte etc. Rachel was definitely the best HT, but Declan Macey wasn't bad either

Ooh good thread. Here are my selection of most prominent memories from each soap.

Brookside
As well as the big storylines everyone remembers such as the Jordache storyline I also remember....
- Bev and Jackie Corkhill fighting over Ron Dixon.
- Peter Harrison being accused of date raping Diane Corkhill
- Katie Rogers developing an eating disorder in her bid to become a dancer

Eastenders
- Tiffany Mitchell originally wanting to call Courtney 'Janis' after Janis Joplin, but eventually opting for Courtney after Courtney Love.
- Joe Wicks calling Grant the devil during Christmas lunch
- Pauline whacking Arthur with a frying pan for his affair with Christine Hewitt
- Binnie and Della the hairdressers causing a stir when people discovered they were a couple.
- Felix the jewish barber and his shop
- Billy Mitchell giving everyone in the pub a mouthful because they were trying to work out how to get Janine out of town. Billy had just returned from the hospital where Janine was after trying to kill herself.

Emmerdale
- Home Farm being the office base from where Alan Turner ran NY Estates.
- Kathy Merrick losing her baby after catching something from the sheep or sheep dip. It was then she was told she would never fall pregnant.
- Jack Sugden having an affair with Rachel Hughes
- Jackie Merrick's death

Coronation Street
- Kevin meeting Sally after splashing her with his van.
- Alec and Bet's wedding
- Steve McDonald being a ruthless piece of work, not the gormless git he is now
- The building of the houses Gail, Nazirs, Metcalfes live in

I got all nostalgic the other day when I saw a mother and daughter fighting in the street 'cause it reminded me of Kat and Zoe's famous mother-daughter reveal. The daughter even shouted, "You're not my real mother anyway!" . I was tempted to butt in and say, "YES I AMMM!" in the middle of their argument.

Such a shame

Completely agree ndd, great post Corrie had a good selection of younger characters in the early 00's, the writing seemed better for them then as well.

Ena Sharples was the best; a holier than thou, religious individual who was the battleaxe of coronation street. There was nothing she wouldnt do to wangle a free pint of stout- usually after steaming in and berating someone over the cobbles lol she really was an icon

Watch and learn ! 😨😨😃😃😃😃

https://youtu.be/-a2Q5ECYqZg

The Richard Hillman saga was still one of the greatest storylines Corrie ever did. The best of the 21st century anyway.

Don't think they played this ad here, but the nostalgia it brings! Very Hitchcock-esque
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpqeIA7T35w

I would have to disagree here.

I do think Series 3 and 4 were both pretty much the shows peak, but I enjoyed Series 5 aswell. Max was particularly evil and I enjoyed the whole Lindsay James storyline, played beautifully by Jenna Coleman.

Series 6 saw a return to the more gritty foundations the show was built in, with the introduction of the Fosher family, but it would be hard for Karen to be as successful with the viewers as Rachel was.

Series 7 was also good, but Michael Byrne was an awful headteacher!

It was when the show moved to Scotland, things started going downhill and fast. As soon as Grantly and Tom left, it was unwatchable!

AMAZING advert. They just don't do em like that anymore (storylines or ads).

I'll to add some points if I may

I thought Hollyoaks between 2003 - 2009 was the best in the show's entire history to date. From the arrival of the McQueens as it's original stable, Justin and Becca, Warren's first run on the show, Claire, even Ellie and Toby. IMO, it will never reach those heights again unfortunately

Coronation Street in a similar sense, didn't like it in the 90s but I hear it was one of the show's better periods. However, from 2004 - 2010 the show for me had great moments. Peter's two timing, Charlie and Shelley, Mad Maya etc. Again for me, the show all but for moments hasn't recaptured that consistent quality since.

EastEnders brilliant in the 90s and most of the 2000s, for me it started to lose its way after the baby swap plot. For me EastEnders had great characters and gripping plots. The characters were just more interesting than now, which is why I think some people are not all that satisfied with the current character driven stuff. The writing too seemed better, everything from Mark's HIV to Peggy's breast cancer. Characters like Frank Butcher, Cindy, Pauline, Den etc. If only it could get anywhere near that again, perhaps wishful thinking

For me, any many others, 2004 was Corrie's last consistently good year, when the show was firing on all cylinders and the cast was pretty much perfect. It's never managed to match the material it produced in that single year, not at all.