Plus Sharon has said that she works at the Vic although I'm guessing she's working on an ad hoc basis

Given that most of the Pub staff are family, I think Sharon just steps in when it is a big event that they want to attend as guests rather than staff, like Lee's wedding.

I think that's probably right. But what do Sharon, Shirley and Ronnie actually do all day?

That is more like a cupboard than a flat! It's tiny!

I don't live in London & obviously rent there is silly money. But is their.flat realistic? Absolutely everything except the loo in 1 room. Esp if Jack just renovated them, they look so run down.

That's the going rate there are it would be in other less desirable parts of London such as Lewisham, Hounslow and Tottenham and they probably actually got a reasonable deal. Could be worse, may have had to go to Forest Gate or East Ham. At least this only about 20 mins to Walford.

Still can't get my head around how Mick who prides himself as being a man of the world thinks his son could afford to buy even an outdoor, reconditioned bog.

if reproduction for humans depended on large living spaces, we would have been extinct thousands of years ago, in our past it was common for large families to live in small cottages.

And if procreation was dependent on 12 tog duvets and a wearing kinky underwear we would have been extinct thousands of years ago. It's about comfort for the modern age which makes sexual activity more alluring and accessible isn't it?

It's realistic for a studio flat yes but then the definition of a studio flat us that it is just one room with everything in it, plus ensuite bathroom. It is the smallest, self contained accomodation on the market and it would alwAys be advertised/marketed as a Studio flat. For separate rooms, it would be marketed as 1 bed flat, 2 bed flat etc.

Just wish Lee would tell Whitney how he feels. Or Mick and Linda. I also wish they could see that he's not quite right.

I think the point is he has an acute illness where he feels undervalued, pushed into a corner, has very low self esteem and hasn't got an outlet for his emotions. He needs Buster to come back and it's a shame he's gone. Things will come to a head soon. I'd like to see him chin his supervisor and Oz join in as he looks handy with his fists.

I mean, me too. But it can be really, REALLY hard to open up about this stuff. Especially when there's nothing actually 'wrong'? Like, if you've had a death in the family or you've been made redundant, it makes sense if you go on to develop depression (and it's no less horrible, of course). But when you just feel absolutely miserable when your life is fine, you feel pathetic- like, there are people with cancer who manage their lives better than you and there's nothing actually wrong.

Except being depressed makes things go wrong- when you're not motivated, your work life suffers. If you can't be bothered to leave the house, your social life suffers. So even if you start off with nothing much wrong, it can end up that way because you expend all your energy just getting through the basics of the day- literally getting out of bed can feel like it takes the strength of ten. But that just makes things worse, so you can't talk to people, because everything that's gone wrong is your fault and they'll just hate you for being so weak. That's the mentality of it.

Also, it's really hard to explain to people who've never had it even if they're really sympathetic. I had no idea 'til I developed it, even though I was always very open-minded about mental illness. I still kind of thought you'd take pills for a while and go to therapy and you'd be fine. It's just not that straightforward at all.

People often DO notice something's wrong (ironically with me, it was co-workers I didn't have much to do with who both noticed I wasn't myself- it's so bizarre, my family thought I was fine. I guess those two saw it because they could see the contrast between my usual self and depressed self as they didn't see me often) but they just don't know what to do and often give 'advice' that's meant to be helpful and just isn't at all.

This is so close to my thoughts and experience I could almost have written it myself.

I pride myself on being a fairly empathetic and sympathetic person and always have been, even when a child. My mother suffered from clinical depression from before I was born so I grew up with it around me. My brother also developed it when we were in our teens. I always knew it was an illness, real and something they had no control over, short of taking the tablets and would hope was supportive and kind. But I can honestly say that I didn't truly understand until I got depression myself. I don't think anybody really can, no matter how hard they try.

So I do have sympathy for the Carters not really organising the signs or giving the kind of support he needs.

Sorry that you've been through it too.

I'm exactly the same. I've always wondered if being empathetic/sensitive makes you more susceptible to it. Idk. But, yeah, I just didn't realise how constant it is? How much it impacts on your every decision. I think I had it a long time before I recognised I did because I would rationalise everything. I've always had pretty low self-esteem so it was hard to differentiate between that and actual clinical illness. It got pretty bad because I just didn't know what depression/anxiety felt like and that how I felt wasn't normal.

My mother is really, really supportive and we're very close. But just this morning I was freaking out about something minor (because my anxiety makes react to everything as if it's a huge disaster) and she said 'I wish you'd think positively for once'. But I can't. Literally, my brain chemistry will not let me think positively when I'm having a bad spell.

I relate so much to Lee- how much one mistake leads to another to another because of the way you feel and it being hard to just communicate it. The fact that no one is recognising it even when to us viewers it's screaming out is so realistic. He doesn't want sex? He must be cheating, there's no way a young lad can't just not be in the mood! He's being moody and evasive? He's just stressed at work! etc.

I know how Lee feels, I feel so at the moment. No job, relationship trouble, no get up and go, and being German in the uk, lived here 20 years after brexit, it seems my world comes to an end. My relationship with Germany broke ages ago,