I totally agree- the fact that there is no news on the horizon about new characters is frustrating.

It is probably the worst I have ever known it.

Absolutely no decent storylines worth tuning in for.
No casting news.
Dozens of characters leaving.
No information, or anything from SOC (Though I suppose this COULD be argued as a good thing).
Awful camera angles.

Kirkwood and DTC might have damaged EastEnders with their sensational approach, but it was never this bad.

I feel like SOC has totally misinterpreted a modern audience, and his nostalgia for 80's simple soap operas is seriously damaging a 2016 TV show.

Yes, a few characters are nicer to eachover now, but what's it all worth? It doesn't help that for the first time in over a decade, the show doesn't seem to have any big storylines lined up (most notably for the Christmas period).

I doubt he's out to ruin EE, but my god it's awful lately. It has allowed Coronation Street to regain its title as the top soap, with Emmerdale a very comfortable second.

But would that really achieve much? As much as I agree with you, fixing EastEnders stretches so far beyond that Vas.

It needs a big injection of life once again. Big storylines that interweave with eachover and spiral off in fun, fast paced directions. A stronger sense of family and unity to convey the shows roots (Though this has been slightly improving lately). New characatwrs and families, a change of scenery in The Vic. Bringing back the likes of Kat, Janine, David Wicks or any other iconic characaters that could sprinkle a bit of life back into the show. Promotion, on location filming, etc, etc. There is so much more and it almost feels like the production team are doing the opposite.

I understand they might want to start off with a bit of a more grounded approach to try and start off fresh, but they are literally stripping the show bare, it seems.

I would say Emmerdale is the top soap at the moment not Corrie.

I know that SOC doesn't do Social Media but the fact that he is at the helm of one of the BBC's flagship show's and he has said nothing to the media about his vision for the show at all is very puzzling to me.

The ratings don't seem to agree with you by all accounts. A modern audience doesn't always equal an audience who like sensationalist nonsense or constant drama. The show is being brought in a completely different direction and it's all the better for it. The direction it was on mostly didn't work.


They're could be something lined up, but we won't know as spoilers aren't been given out (which is actually a good thing) . We have become too used to spoilers for our own good, we will now actually have to watch the show and find out what will happen when it happens.

This forum is hilarious.

DTC is ruining EE!! omg like so unrealistic. Oh my gaaaawwwd the Lucy story is sooooooo booooring!

New Producer comes:

Omg Sean O Connor is ruining EE! it's sooooo boring. Nothing is happening. They're being nice to each other!!! blow something up, omg bring back DTC

In short, EastEnders will never win whatever direction it goes in, not on here anyways.

In a nutshell.

In a nutshell

I've really enjoyed the last two episodes, I must be watching the show in a different way.

I doubt he's out to ruin the show. I think every episode is a 5/10 episode at the moment. NOt getting worse but not getting better. Just average. He has improved scripts with characters becoming more human but there isn't much drama so they are relying on people just tuning in like they will do anyway.

I like the Dot storyline its very real. BUt they also need a few big storylines playing out. The Lee story is meant to fill that void but because of his poor acting skills it is not really relating to much of the audience. He's not good enough to carry the show.

We know that Phil will survive. Moving on.

I am glad DTC has gone. Some of what he did was OK and better than Birkwood and Newman but still not quality and kept shoving the Carters down our throats.

SOC needs to deliver at Xmas and New Year. Otherwise it'll continue to be a 5/10 show every episode.

But who for? A few die-hards on a forum? Of the 6-7m people who watch EE, how many know that the show has changed hands, or who Sean O'Conner is for that matter? I'd rather nothing than have the empty promises and big statements made by DTC.

The SOC ongoing drama does highlight to me that there's a reason DS isn't taken seriously by people in power, because reactions are so irrational and extreme. "OMG DTC is killing the show" and now "OMG SOC is killing the show"

i don't think the show is perfect, but I think people underestimate the damage done to EE in the last few years. Pre-SOC Stacey, Ben, Ronnie, Claudette, Pam were all killers living in the same community. The Beales, the Mitchells and the Branning girls had all been ruined my the immorality of the Lucy Beale aftermath. Even Babe the comedy-villain was blackmailing her neighbours. Patrick was happy to cover up the death of Claudette. Vincent tried to kill Phil. Shirley tried to kill Phil. Ronnie tried to kill Dean. Shirley tried to kill Dean. And then we had Gavin (where do I start)?! EE rich history was being re-written to suit sub-par characters like Gavin and Claudette. And apparently Kat had twins.

The new Executive Producer has his work cut out, and he basically has to rebuild the show from the ground up. For years the cracks have been papered over, but if the show wants to survive it needs to be rebuilt from the foundations up, which is what I believe SOC is doing.

I didn't say it did? The point I am making is TV has changed and so has TV audience. Also, the ratings really are not that great. It's just scraping over 6 million most nights which is pitiful for this time of year.

As for your second point, I agree to an extent, but can you really see anything big coming up lately given the way things are going? The pace of the show is far too slow compared to the other soaps.

Has TV really changed that much? 15m people watched a few people making cakes in a tent!

What I do like about EastEnders since he took over is that every single character has something going on. We're not seeing the majority of the cast shelved for months at a time whilst one or two families take centre stage ad nauseum. Fair enough many of their stories are 'small', but then our lives are made up of the 'small' things much of the time. Phil, Lee and Whitney and Dot have the big s/ls but we still know what's going on in everyone else's life. What I'm not keen on is that all the big s/ls are health related which makes it feel more like Doctors than EE.

its getting that many viewers?? i was expecting it to be below 5 mil by now.
i stopped watching this week, i did think i could last till christmas atleast to see the mitchell sisters demise, but i really do not have time to spend 2 hours a week on it unless i am getting some sort of entertainment or excitement

That doesn't mean anything in terms of e though. They're is plenty of "changed tv" for the "changed audience" all ready, so eastenders throwing out more of the same as it had been doing won't work. It wasn't working hence the new direction. The new direction may not work either, but we aren't long into a new producer so people need to give it reasonable time to build up.


I don't know, nor am i really very bothered. If they're is a story line for christmas and it takes my interest, even if it isn't huge drama, i will watch. If it boars me i will turn off. either way i'm willing to watch to find out, rather then whining because the new producer won't tell us everything. People need to realise on here that SOC, or any producer for that matter, don't have to tell us anything. They are under no obligation to give interviews, give spoilers, be on social media, etc.


Maybe that is a good thing. The show needs a complete rebuild from the nonsense we were getting during the second part of DTC'S time. It may work out, it may not. Time will tell.

Kate Oates is doing a great job on corrie and has reestablished the Barlow family.
I wish she had gone to EastEnders instead Instead we have someone who has come in and decided to tear apart the Mitchell family, with zero characters returning and a mass axing.
Think she could do a far FAR better job of it.

I don't think he's ruining the show and there have been some nicer characters moments but we're yet to have something really explosive and exciting really happen to get audiences truly invested. Right now, we have some nice smaller stories and a few dreadful subplots that no-one really cares about (the bins being the obvious example here).

I do think characters like Les, Pam and Kyle could've been kept on and given more to do. Same with Belinda as well.

I just hope he gets Ronnie and Roxy's exits right and it doesn't backfire on him.

The second I heard they were being killed off, I knew it was going to be one of those mistakes regretted in years to come by whoever takes over the show. Much like Cindy, Kathy, Pat (maybe not quite on the same level) but still regretted.
I am astonished, in light of this, that he has been allowed to kill off the characters, especially looking at the story of how they go, it just seems all rather odd.

Anyway aside from the fact the shows poo at the moment, I am struggling to focus on the screen due to this dodgy camera work which has been adopted!

There's always been a rather large reactionary element to this forum.

I'm drawing a blank on this one?

Perhaps there is no vision

I'm not whining Nor am I asking SOC to address every detail, but it would be nice to know a little of what's coming up. The main reason I am contributing to the thread is nwvause not a lot is happening on the show and that has been the case for a while.

As someone who actually watched EastEnders in the 80's and 90's, let me assure you it was never this dull and uneventful. The first 50 or so episodes are on EastEnders' Youtube channel if you want to check for yourself. Don't believe the people who say SOC is taking it back to basics. This is not EastEnders returning to its roots.

That said, the Santer era bored me senseless but seems to be lauded on here. Santer must have put out about 30 enjoyable episodes in his time and the rest were as boring as SOC's output.