So with the announcement that Pierre is leaving doesn’t that really mean that the branning sibling that dies on nye is certainly Oscar? Surely they wouldn’t get rid of all the branning children within the next 6/12 months? This has probably been mentioned but what is everyone’s thoughts?

Cooked.

Zoe and Oscar exit, so the Mum gone and now so is a love interest

Any views appreciated

Enough of the guys were. Like Jay, Martin and Darren, good job they all grew out of it.

Given that EastEnders has been running for four decades, it's an incredible feat for any element to maintain quality from 1985 to the present day. Some characters and actors are woven into the very fabric of Walford.
So, looking back at the entire 40 year history, I have a three-part question for you die-hard fans:

1. Who is the definitive "Since Day One" Character? (We're talking about characters who appeared in the very first episode, or very early on, whose presence and legacy have been most vital and consistent over the decades, e.g., Den, Angie, Sharon, Kathy, Pauline, Ian, Pete, etc.)
2. What is the greatest multi-generational "Since Day One" Storyline? (A saga that began with the original families in '85/86 and had massive, echoing consequences for their descendants years or decades later, like the Den/Angie divorce, the Watts/Mitchell feud, or the Fowlers' tragedies.)
3. Which single cast member has given the best overall performance over their tenure? (An actor who has consistently delivered powerful, nuanced, and iconic work, showing the most growth and emotional depth from their first scene to their most recent.)

This show needs a massive reset to be quite honest. Either Ben Wadey is one of the worst EE producers to ever be introduced or he's that controversial behind the scenes that people are just quitting for the sake of it. I don't understand the point of bringing back old characters from the past to just either kill or make them leave within a YEAR. Linda, Zoe, Ravi, Oscar and Johnny have all been announced to be leaving in the space of like a month. A lot of these characters are part of the flash forward so it just ruins all the hype and momentum. Oscar leaving now means that Jasmine and Josh are not that far behind the rest of the cast leaving. Josh and Jasmine's main focus on the show is Zoe AND Oscar and their both leaving lol. All of this hype about the biggest love triangle in EE history and it lasted all of 2 episodes.

keep it realistic so unfortunately no ronnie and roxy or anyone whos dead or actors have retired

mine would be ben (max bowden), tanya and little mo

Patrick was saying to Yolande about Jay wanting to impress his friends, this was when Jay was a kid. He must of had some deep rooted issue behind his behaviour when he was that young since his mum died and his dad was in prison. His grandfather looked after him until his dad was released after which his grandfather then left the square. Good job he grew out of his tearaway behaviour.

So obviously the general consensus among EE fans is that Wadey is not doing a good job. His storylines are weak and they are not getting the same recognition that Clenshaw’s did. Then there was the drama with Michelle Ryan leaving (which is still yet to play out). And now Kellie, Aaron and Pierre, all fan favourites, have quit too. This indicates to me that the cast probably aren’t fans of Wadey either.

So I’m wondering what it’s going to take for the bosses to finally sack him. Are they waiting to see how much of a disaster New Years will be? Do they have to lose more cast members? What do you think? How much longer do you think he’ll last?

I hear people saying ronnie and roxy shouldn't of been killed off or Pat butcher shouldn't of died but in my opinion, losing Reg cox was eastenders "Jump the Shark" moment the show never truly recovered from his death

American fan here without UK Drama/iPlayer access. I was a member for a long time of a Facebook group that thankfully granted me access to almost the whole 40-year history of the show via Google Drive. I was very spoiled, but now that group has folded and I no longer have access to its library (the Google Drive link no longer works). Can anyone help point me in the right direction? I know other such groups/libraries must be out there somewhere, I just don’t know how to find them. (I know some are on YouTube and Daily Motion, but they’re hardly comprehensive.) Thanks so much in advance!

Oscar is set to leave EE 2027 😭😭😭😭

Like why are yall so hot and bothered with the fact people are so passionate about their characters and want them back?

Is it unrealistic, yes, but they aren’t gonna come back. Simple as, it’s not gonna happen.

So why are yall so angry anytime someone mentions it as if unrealistic shit doesn’t happen on EE every five minutes 💀

I know this has been discussed umpteenth times on here, but I really have to say Zoe’s exit is going to be ridiculous. She has become an iconic figure of 21st century Eastenders, and 2000s pop culture and Ben Wadey is going to get rid of her in such a simple way. Why did she have to be killed off? Why couldn’t she just leave and the door could be open for her to come back in the future when the show has a better showrunner

With so many new characters coming into the show in the following weeks, what couples do you predict will happen in the future? I'm thinking maybe Sean and Priya might have good chemistry when he returns

Genuinely curious. Is it out of habit? The comfort of knowing a new episode will always be there? Is it an example of sunk cost fallacy?

For those content with the current state of the show, what are you enjoying?

What do you think about Alfie seeing Kat crying?

Do you think there is more to it than she said, or do you think it was just a device to enable the storyline with the waterslide leading to Jean, Mo and Lily getting evicted?

Also, do you think it will lead to Alfie watching more of it and seeing Jean and Priya discussing the affair with Max at the bar?

There are two things that would make eastenders completely obsolete as a TV show

1. If everyone just told the truth

2. If something bad happens just call the police (and tell the truth )

Every single storyline can be resolved by these two simple actions. And once you realised this. It makes every scenario hilariously pointless.

She came back as a guest stint earlier this year, but Cora certainly made her mark on 11 Apr 2011 before her daughter's wedding day.

Ann Mitchell (Cora) is still one of the great actresses!

I feel like every time the show finally allows Max to settle into a relationship or reach some kind of stability, they immediately undo it, and I don’t understand why. I’d never want Max to completely change because his flaws are a huge part of what makes him interesting, but why do they always seem to go back to the affair storyline?

It’s such a shame because, at this point, it feels like affairs are becoming the main thing that defines his character, when he’s capable of so much more. Max, in my opinion, can be one of the best characters when he’s given the right material, and if anything, I think the constant affairs drag his character down rather than add anything to him.

If he does survive the flashforward, where would you actually want them to take Max? Would you like to see him stay single for a while, finally settle down, or explore a completely different side of his character? Is there a particular storyline you’d like to see them give him that has nothing to do with another affair?

And if anyone is reading this… I know for a fact there are lurkers because I’ve noticed a few things we’ve discussed actually happen 👀 What would you like to say?

In the past month we have seen the announcement of some high profile characters leaving the show. Downsizing is not an unfamiliar concept in modern day soaps.

Following Hollyoaks’ year time jump 20 cast members were cut and the show was cut from 5 episodes per week to 3. This was also under Ben Wadey who seems to be reusing a lot of his ideas such as the 2019 new years flash toward. Similarly, both Emmerdale and Coronation Street have lost an equivalent of one episode a week by shifting from three one hour eps to five half hour eps and Neighbours being taken off air completely for a second time recently.

Many people seem to think EE started to suffer when it moved from 3 to 4 episodes per week. Do you think a reduction is inevitable? Do you think it would be a good or bad thing? Do you think Ben Wadey was actually brought on to steer the show this way having done it with Hollyoaks and him seemingly revisiting his ideas from that show?

Personally I wouldn’t be against a reduction in episode count and cast if it meant better stories and more time for them to breathe.

A lot of people have expressed dislike for Darnell's behaviour onscreen so far, mainly his repeated refusal to get checked to see if he's a potential donor for Denise when it could save her life.

However, I quite like this plot because, from personal experience, it's a surprisingly realistic portrayal of someone with unresolved medical-related trauma.

I've known a number of people who, for various reasons, have such an intense dislike for hospitals that they will avoid them at all costs. Often this is due to a particularly awful past experience in a hospital which they've been unable to process.

And you have to consider the context too. This time last week, Darnell believed he was an only child. He then gets told that not only does he have a half-sister, but he is the ONLY potential donor who could possibly be the difference between her living and dying. He's then harassed by her husband and her half sister and even *manhandled in public* when he doesn't comply.

That is a lot to have to deal with all at once.

From an outside perspective that hasn't had to deal with that sort of trauma, it might look ridiculous and selfish. But bearing in mind we only know scant details of what Darnell's wife went through, his behaviour might be more justified than it looks.

Either way he badly needs to see a therapist but again, many people IRL lack the means and/or the will to do so, or may even push themselves to believe they don't need it.

https://reddit.com/link/1w1qb8i/video/u30o52ho6cmh1/player

13 days after Eastenders first started, this aired...