30th-39th: 2010 Most Popular Character

So, here we are. We've sorted the wheat from the chaff in terms of points, though in my opinion, we've got rid of a lot of wheat and there's still some chaff to come. All these characters have scored double figures and not that many are sharing a position.

30=. Amanda Vale (15 points)

There was a great period in Dan Bennett's time at the show where everything became ever so slightly soaptastic to quote someone from that period. You know, when it all became ever so slightly barmy with ridiculous developments, scheming wives etc. A bit like small-town Australian Dallas and Amanda was central to that. Then came the ridiculous Kelli storyline which wasn't as good, more Knots Landing.

30=. Romeo Smith (15 points)

Part of the problem I have is that I wear rose-tinted sunglasses (I'll have you know that there's nothing wrong with my sight) and that everything was better back in the days of Chris de Burgh, four TV channels and when Scotland actually had a decent football team and that everything about the current show is rubbish. But there's just so many characters I don't get. Romeo appears to have done little in 6 months, I still can't get what his personality or anything is. It appears that they've tried to make him interesting by giving him a ridiculous name.

32=. Sam Tolhurst (14 points)

One of the mysterious visitors to the bay, briefly married to Jack, before committing suicide and destorying Sally's final episode with her stupid promos. Without watching back there seems to have been so many lies that I can't remember the truth. She didn't look old enough to have had that dead daughter, but had that daughter really existed. Then by some twist of plot contrivance, she appeared to owe Johnny who had just stabbed Sally a favour.

32=. Donald Fisher (14 points)

A solid performance from old Don some seven years after he left the show. As one of those characters that defined the first ten or so years of the show, it's quite hard to actually say anything interesting about him here. I liked him as character, but did not love him. Norman Coburn seems a nice enough man, the jobbing actor who got a big role late on. Perhaps most interesting was who he seemed to mellow as the years went on, but in some ways that made him less interesting.

32=. Flynn Saunders (14 points)

Sally's magical appearance changing husband. Went from a long-haired wakeboard storyline-wanting Martin Dingle-Wall, to a slighly rounder, short-haired Joel McIlroy. However if MDW wanted to leave, it would have been a shame to waste 2 years worth of building a good relationship for Sally. Then 3 years later Flynn died in one of the better cancer storylines of recent times.

32=. Ailsa Stewart (14 points)

I didn't mention this was a death-laden bunch and the 3rd of the lot to go here was Ailsa after the excitment of Don's book launch at the end of 2000 was all too much for her and she collapsed and died. Actually, the suddeness of Ailsa's death wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't put in that stupid hereditary heart condition. Ailsa might have a dodgy ticker, but she's missed her appointment. After 12 years in which she has had a prevalence for mental breakdown, but nothing with her heart, I wonder what could happen now. Then the funeral happened. And half an episode later only the Stewart's remembered she ever existed. We can't miss out on any Sutherland drama.

32=. Kane Phillips (14 points)

At the height of KK-mania, Kane made it into the top 3. Now he has been relegated back tenfold almost. It almost signifiies a certain group of posters. You have those that tend to like an era and once that era they drift away and are probably posting on 90210 boards or something now. Without giving too much away, the same seems to be happening to Jack Holden.

37. Selina Roberts (13 points)

Another from that golden era, but one that's actually done surprisingly well because I always thought she was the least popular. Still, she did better than her perhaps fiancee. One of those great mysteries, what is up with her and Stevo? 

38. Bobby Simpson (12 points)

I did wonder what effect the Early Years would have on Bobby and I was starting to write a page on how at actually eroded her support. With a week to go she had no points and all in all it was quite an embarrassing performance from Miss Simpson-Morgan-Marshall. Still the first 100 episodes weren't here high point and with the storylines over the next few years, I wonder how she'll do in 2012.

39. Noah Lawson (11 points)

And coming in at the bottom of this pile is the likeable, but overall, not particularly interesting Noah Lawson, with his magical disappearing computer knowledge. Oh, and also dead, like a lot of this list.