claire_louise

I'm looking forward to Tanya getting her revenge, and to seeing her without Max. I've always liked her but felt that her character was hampered by having such a crappy husband.

I thought that was ridiculous and OTT. If that had really happened, Ian would have been well within his rights to ring the police. As for the Max/Stacey thing, I have to agree that Max is more to blame. Stacey was a stupid, naive girl who was looking to get even with the guy who broke her heart. It was an awful thing to do, but in the end she genuinely fell in love with Max (why is another question).

Don't get me wrong, Gary is lovely, but surely not in the same league as Dawn?? Although this is a world where Honey married Billy Mitchell, so anything's possible! I liked Gary with Lynne...it's a real shame they haven't found another decent match for him.

Dawn and Gary?! Are you all serious? The thought of it makes me feel slightly queasy. I know she should be a bit nicer to him, but if you were an attractive woman in your early twenties and a not-so-attractive guy who must be knocking on 40 keeps following you around like a lost puppy, I doubt you'd take too kindly to it either.

Am I the only one who likes Jase and Dawn?

Yuck, in a word. The most annoying thing is I just bought some Ugg boots and I'm dying to wear them, but it keeps raining every flippin' day!

^ Well, that was just what I read in a couple of magazines. They said it was the first time it had been done. I really hope John Bardon returns at some point, although it will probably be a long time before he's up to it, if ever. I do wonder how people in the entertainment industry manage to carry on working for so long - most people John's age would have retired long ago. June Brown (Dot) is in her 80s! And there was the actress who played Nana Moon, who actually had dementia in real life and still carried on. I suppose that's what you get for doing a job with no pension...

That would be because one of them is extremely attractive and the other...isn't. And yet the unattractive one seems to get some very beautiful women...one of whom is half his age! The mind boggles. Apparently they're planning the first ever one-person episode, with Dot waiting for Jim to come home from hospital and reminiscing about the past. It's a good idea, but I can't say I'm looking forward to it, particularly as . Too sad.

If any of you talented people out there are feeling generous, I'd really love a nice av of Sam. Pretty please?

The death itself was terrible, yes (actually it was non-existant, but let's not get technical), but the whole storyline was far from unemotional IMO. I thought it was very well handled and had Beth been killed on-screen, it would have been one of the best exit storylines for a long time. Indiana and Jon in particular did an amazing job, and I like the fact that Beth's demise is still having an effect on many people's lives months down the line. Soaps are so fast paced nowadays that even big events like deaths are usually forgotten about after a couple of weeks.

I didn't even realise he'd gone! As far as I know he's a regular, so most likely he'll be back any day now.

Nawww, the baby didn't die. I'm going all gooey.

This is actually the first time I've really enjoyed Eastenders since the eps where Rob and May kidnapped Dawn. I only wish they could keep it up - having to watch a lot of average eps for the sake of one or two really good ones is a lot to ask. But yeah, surely the writers won't kill the baby? Enough baby trauma for Honey and Billy already! The woman will have enough baby issues to fill a book.

To be honest, it didn't even occur to me that Ian's comment might be offensive. I just assumed he was talking about Phil. I seriously doubt it was intended to include Janet - a one year old is about the only person Ian can't have any issues with! They probably should have put it more tactfully and I expect they got a couple of complaints, but there is such a thing as political correctness gone mad.

I wonder what they're going to do with David's character in the long run though? I read an interview with the actor and he said he's happy to stay as long as they're writing good storylines for him, but I can see the writers backing themselves into a corner soon. He can't carry on being 'evil' indefinitely - there are only so many awful things a person can do before they either a) die or b) get locked up. But I hope they don't send him off to a psychiatric unit and bring him back two weeks later back to his old self. I just hope they know what they're doing!

Would you forgive your husband for sleeping with your mum?! I can't see it happening. To be honest Bradley and Stacey have lost their sparkle for me. They really grew on me when they were first together but now it's obvious she's settling for second best (not that Max is 'best'! But she clearly doesn't love Bradley like she should). Hate to say it, but they didn't deserve the NTA. It's ridiculous how they seem to win these things automatically, when the last few years have actually been some of their worst ever. Coronation Street is much more consistent and even Emmerdale gets higher ratings nowadays. I think they should look at what the shows have been like for the past year, as they're supposed to do, rather than just giving the award to Eastenders because it always used to be the best.

It's a great storyline, but so sad that Sarah and Jason aren't going to last. Looks like David is going to ruin their marriage as well as their wedding. I can see it now - the truth will eventually come out and Sarah will leave Jason because he didn't believe her. The fact that they're a couple off-screen makes it even more sad somehow. The actor who plays David is brilliant though. In fact, all the acting has been great recently.

I'm not sure...she gets some funny lines but the character is so unrealistic. I'd like to see her develop and mature a bit, as it's kind of creepy that she's meant to be 40 but looks and acts like she's about 12. I do quite like the budding friendship with Hazel (who I love). I think they seem more natural as friends than Heather and Shirley.

Went to see Ratatouille today. It was lovely!

I was quite interested to hear about Bianca returning, but I'm disappointed that Ricky is joining her. One of them would be ok but as a couple I can't see what else the writers can do with them. They've been through pretty much everything already, more than once! Plus I think the reason why people loved Ricky and Bianca as a couple was because of their sense of fun, which was completely gone by the end. In fact, the special episode where they said goodbye for the last time was just about the most depressing ep of Eastenders ever - and that's saying something!

I don't think she's quite that old! I'm sure when she and Kim were arguing about having kids she said she was 26...but yeah, they'd make a great couple. They have similar personalities and both seem to get hurt a lot - it would be nice to see them not getting walked all over for a change!

The idea of John as a love rat and Rosie as a femme fatale is just ridiculous.

^ I read an interview with him and got the impression he'd be sticking around, but I'm not sure. I'm guessing he won't be around so much while he's in hospital. It will annoy me though if he comes back in a couple of months completely 'cured'.

I'm still hoping that Rodger Corser (Hugh) will honour us with his presence again before too long, but that's wishful thinking on my part! I can totally see Tony and Rachel as a couple though. I think they have quite similar personalities - strong, sensible, caring, and a bit put-upon sometimes. And the age difference isn't that much, especially when you consider that Tony and Martha have quite a big following, and she's barely 20! Speaking of Martha, I'm sick to the back teeth of her and Jack. I'm really glad Sam's back and I hope to goodness he sticks with her so we can finally put all the JM rubbish to bed. I know that isn't going to happen as apparently they're 'meant to be', but isn't it obvious that their relationship will never work? It would have been so easy for them to give things another go, yet it still didn't work out. There are reasons for that!

Tiana Benjamin isn't leaving though, as far as I know. My guess is that both actors will have a nice long holiday! Probably followed by an excuse about Chelsea and Deano getting early release. The Wicks family all leave together, so that won't be the last we see of Deano.