Sharon the gold digger was at large in this evenings episode.

Jazz hands has had a stroke!



Dots scenes were ever so sad, everyone thinking she would be busy and essentially forgetting her.

Max cyber stalking staceys facebook!

Michelle and Max will be together before valentines day.

Sorry but Sharon looked at her like she didnt recognise her not like someone she had seen a few months ago. I am going to give it a chance but they should just have brought a new character in

Without turning this into EE v CS thread, I saw the CS episode I recorded and it was too fake and schmlatzy with the snow - ffs, be REAL!

I got the feeling that the surprised reaction wasn't 'is that Michelle?' but 'Michelle? In Walford? After all this time'.

I wonder how mad DS would have been had they managed to keep it a secret. SOC's first casting announcement: Michelle Fowler

Some good, some bad, some... okay I guess?

A recast Michelle? Seems everyone's getting recast these days. Suppose it's a character half of the usual audience won't even remember, but it still feels off to me. First Martin, recast from a bloke who grew up playing him, and now Michelle. Pretty much fair game for any character now. What next? A new Grant?

What purpose is she back to serve? Guess we'll find out. This would have made a bit more sense if she'd come back during that God awful Grant meets his son storyline in the Summer. I just have a bit of a bad feeling what purpose she's about to serve involves Max Branning.

God, I hope his return is good.

The Dot storyline was really touching. She really is always losing things is Dot. Nice little mix tape from Heav and Shirl from way back - I spent half the time trying to think which Christmas that could have been. 2011? 2010?

Wow does Phil look bad. They've really put him through the ringer haven't they? No way he's dying of course. We have an unresolved baby plot he's involved with. Yay?

Everything else...

Well, Stacey. You left the window open and a stray cat licked your turkey. So, of course, it's all Martin's fault. Can someone please tell me why this awful human being is so well loved? What purpose does she even serve now? I have a horrible feeling that purpose involves Max Branning.

Looks like Linda has her mat leave excuse - Elaine's had a stroke. Least she won't be annoying us on screen any time soon.

So many things that bugged me, but not bad. Just... look, in an alternate Universe where I managed to actually have a career that wasn't getting spoken to like a piece of crap by sales reps all day, and ran a show like this, Max's return for me would be something very exciting. I'd put my whole Christmas revolving round it. Max comes back for revenge. It should be huge. And... it doesn't really seem to be anything.

Ah well.

Hope so 00, its been a nice set of episodes but their always the chance is can go back into the mundane, hopefully the R&R exit will take EE into a new direction and build it up stronger.


I know their not too everyone taste, I found last few months boring but the xmas epsodes just had a nice feel to them.


It shows so badly, I think they need to give Johnny some decent material or let him go cause nothing happen with his character at all.

Current recasts:

Lauren
Martin
Johnny
Ben
Michelle
Louise

in the past:
Mark
Lucy
Peter (multiple times)
Sam
Belinda


It seems to me that any character is now free game to recast. It shows a lack of original character creation.

Children are almost always recast in soaps for a variety of reasons so the only ones worth mentioning are Sam ,Peggy, Mark and Michelle

You mean, reincatnated

I'll see myself out..

But... you already knew that this was Michelle from reading the spoilers right? So how on earth do you know whether the impact was lost on the viewers who didn't know who she was? Let's hear from one...

Who didn't know??

Me!

And I have to say - Impact completely not lost. The SECOND she was sitting on Arthur's bench looking at Pauline's house (as I've already posted in another thread) it was blatantly obvious it was Michelle. Yes I didn't know she was returning or that she was recast, but I'm sitting here watching a soap that has recast countless characters in recent years (some more than once!) so it's not beyond the realms of possibility for me to sit there and think "Oh wow, that's Michelle. Awesome." Which is exactly what I did.

The only thing I didn't get was the "impact" of Michelle getting out of the taxi. Which I am really happy about actually because I can't stand "shot of feet getting out of taxi and then panning up to reveal face of returnee" cliche. The writers used the fact this was a recast to add a bit of mystery to the scene, which was - again - awesome, and turned a boring cliche into something new.

I am not against recasts where it is beneficial for the family to have that character there but the only reason they aren't is because the actor/actress quit. Continuity with kids also helps

However, the fowlers have coped 21yrs without michelles presence and so I personally think its pointless to now recast. It should have been done 15years or more ago or not at all.

I agree about the lack of original character creations esp since half the time they bring in a new actor they use it to change the character, prime example of this is Johnny Carter v2.0

It does depend on the stories, in my opinion. In Michelle's case, she is Martin's sister, Ian's cousin, and Sharon's best friend. If they brought in a new character, those existing bonds would not exist and would not always be able to be replicated.

I think recasting and bringing back characters can work and no actor is bigger than the show (at least not in the sense they are immune to their role being recast).

i would not have said that before tonight, but now Michelle has been recast i think this pretty much means anybody can be recast.
Nothing would surprise me now.

I am still not sure i understand the point of the Martin recast and that was a couple of years ago!

And to think people were bemoaning SOC saying Christmas would be a damp squib. As much as I have been on board with him from the beginning December is proving to be his best month yet and we could be looking at a Classic EE Christmas to remember for years to come.

Dot's Story - the best part of today's episode - June once again showing what a great actress she is - I really felt for her and the loneliness she is going through - everyone else forgetting about her was hard to see but actually very close to what many elderly are going through at this time of ear as we all get caught up in our of petty lives - the DJ Hev mix tape was a nice and surprising touch (was this new material?) - plus nice flashbacks with Jim, Lou, Ethel (and Willie) and Pauline wo are now no longer with us both on the Square and in real life - plus ending on the Pauline v/o neatley led into the...

Michelle Recast - Loved that they tied our first shot ho NuChelle with Pauline's voice over - neatly indicated to viewers who she was without giving the game away allowing some people who didn't get spoiled by people wanting to break the embargo - whilst allowing for the surprise reunion with Sharon for those who didn't - lovely scene at the end - you really believed that Jenna and Letitia as Michelle and Sharon were lifelong friends even though this was the actresses first scene together.

Phil's Story - loved his scene with Shirley and like Dot's scene with Phil last night avoided going for the sympathy and instead went for the reality of what he was doing to others - not sure about the Denise/Phil scenes - as much as Denise has grown on me I still find her one of the weaker characters and felt there could have been more substance to the scene.

A Christmas Carol - Loved the play over the last few weeks and great to see a sense of community - most of the cast were terrible but it takes skill for a good actor to be able to play a terrible one - did like how it juxtaposed Scrooge's story with Phil's.

The Carter's - probably the weakest section of tonight but only because the other elements were so exceptional.

So overall I'm more pumped for Xmas than I was before.

Did they bring back Cheryl Fergison (the Heather actress) to just record those lines? Did Heather ever act as a DJ jokingly on the square? It was convenient how Dot found the mix tape containing Christmas songs on Christmas Eve

or a respect for the past

in the past addendum:

Bobby Beale
Derek Branning
Suzy Branning
Janine Butcher
Billie Jackson
Shabnam Masood
Sam Mitchell
Peggy Mitchell

Unlike James, Anna, Gretchen and Wendy (Jim, Lou, Ethel and Pauline) Cheryl did receive a credit for Heather so I would guess it was new material.

Ah true! And I just checked on Twitter and Cheryl said she recorded the scenes with Linda Henry (Shirley) last month

I think so, nice touch that, though I think Dot preferred George Michael in his Faith phase.

And Peggy and Belinda were only minor characters in their original incarnations. Along with kids, it's pretty standard to recast those.

The original Mark wasn't in many episodes either.

According to Cheryl Fergison on Twitter it was.

That's lovely! So glad Cheryl got to work with EE again.

Birkwood was a dimwit for what he did. I loved Hev's friendships with Shirley. They were an amazing duo. Also liked her closeness to Dot.

If she wasn't killed off I could've seen a return during DTC's time. She'd have got on well with the Carters.

I'm always happy to do one :P It's always an honour when you ask

Rather on screen just to be sure she can never return.

That's not how he regards him.

It was so good you would think they were all real actors


Let's not go OTT


NO. Was it is love match were they hoped to have a child ? Or a sordid one night stand


She was Spotless.


Of course, if she hadn't faffed about and just gone straight to her brothers, this would not have been necessary.




Stacey Slater OTT. Just cut of the skin


That was the idea



Big Sharon was gutted that he had come back

Will he claim their bodies ?


A job on the market I assume


I agree

Martin has never shown her a photo of his sister


Better but too pretty


Nice one

I'm sorry but of all of SOC's critics can do one. This is what we've been waiting for. It's all going to kick off now. I'm not just talking about Michelle, I'm talking about all the different stories he's planted and they're all going to explode. I love this show. I love what he's doing with it. Just my opinion, but he's going to do wonders with EastEnders - I just know it.

Merry Christmas everyone!