To be fair all the characters have become wet blankets over the past few months. Just Shirley hasn't been featured as much.

So you did, Sorch - I thought Geraldine overacted a bit but I liked her giving out a bit of grief.

It's the excitement of having you back, oh and congrats on becoming Sir Mo

Welcome back Mo.

Thank you. Delighted to be here.

Is Mo a forum legend?

Yes. The first mouse to join ds

I think it's ok for her to be quiet. Since 2014 we saw her move to the Vic with her family, reconcile with Dean, reveal mick to be her secret son, feud with her Dad up until his death, shoot Phil Mitchell, fall out with her whole family over the Dean plot (which was a major storyline), get together with Buster, deal with the return of her mother, try to drown Dean and then end up in the lake of a Hotel on New Year day.

I think the break has done her some good, and I'm sure she will be prominent again soon.

Best to have the conversation in the middle of the factory.

Sorry, thought this was the episode thread !

Unless you're referring to just the period (Lorraine Newman) immediately before he joined that's not true.

I agree she needs a new best friend. Carmel has done wondwrs for Denise in that department and Shirl needs that now. Shirley is becoming very dull these days and needs bew mifenor sent for a break.

Does SOC actually like Shirley as a character?

Just to expand on this as it’s an irritating claim that keeps cropping up: Shirley was neither conceived as a background character or treated as such upon her arrival in the series.

Perhaps, like many others, she wasn’t pushed as much as the main families under Santer i.e. the Brannings and Mitchells were but she was still involved in a fair amount of storylines.

Early storylines include feuding with Pat (and Kevin/Denise); struggling to bond with her kids in particular Carly; her on/off relationships with Phil and Vinnie, and her breast cancer scare. As well as general character developing things such as her friendship with Heather and the comedy it spawned (Linda Henry has always excelled at delivering one liners); getting a job in the Vic; and various 'make ends meet' storylines. There was also her fling with the polish builder who she stuck up for Dean against and her involvement in Dean going to prison.

So, contrary to the beliefs of her detractors, she maintained a strong presence in 2007 and 2008. 2009 she found herself stuck with Garry, Minty, Dawn and that lot and appeared in fewer episodes but still featured in meaningful storylines like Phil’s alcoholism; Heather’s baby daddy whodunit; and the start of Who Killed Archie? feeding into her full-time relationship with Phil.

Then of course there was Bryan Kirkwood who loved her. Probably more than DTC. BK called Phil and Shirley ‘the King and Queen of the Square’ and focused a lot on their relationship/unit throughout his tenure with stories of Phil cheating on Shirley; their abandoned wedding; their petty crime and throwing their weight about the square; Phil’s ups and downs with Ben including the stalker storyline, and of course Hev’s murder. There was a lot of focus on Shirley’s place in the Mitchell family in preparation of the reveal that Ben had killed Heather and Phil had known the truth.

I would say 2013 and 2016 are the only years where she hasn’t had had much of a presence/stories that have made an impact but in both cases those years followed the most full on periods for the character in her history.

It was DTC who lessened Shirley’s screentime before he left. It happened way back in the summer of 2015 as well. I presume Linda H was happy with this after the heavy material she'd had in 2014 and early 2015.

Well there's nothing to suggest he doesn't. Unless you know something we don't...

It was DTC who eased off on Shirley but she did need a break after all that stuff with Dean. I think the break has gone on too long but for all we know Linda could be happy with it.

Her non performance in the 12th night performance was totally pathetic.

I like Shirley. She can have more impact with a one liner than others can with a whole scene.

I wonder if Shirley has run her course now as a character?

Shirley could do well With an Illness storyline Maybe MS , Linda Henry would be great

I agree, Linda Henry along with the departing Annette Badland is still the best Actor within the Carter Family.

Bar Sharon and Cora you wonder that about everyone.

In most cases 'the character has run its course' is just an excuse for lazy writers.

Linda just needs a killer storyline

One of the best characters and actors in the show, so nope.

It's the same haircut in the advert for the new Mitchell sisters in 2006

I agree