Josie just upped and left!!

[Ashirr-Leigh]

In a way, I guess I'm kind of glad I missed her 'exit' then. I would have been more annoyed if I'd seen it. At least now I can forget about the way she left and just remember her character.

[buffygirl]

Firstly i'm truley dissapointed in her exit.

I've read that DB said there was no where left for her to go, so ok if thats the case then why leave with a quick few letters and her loving smile to jesse, she said be happy.

[Ryan]

I don't know, she's probably moving 30 minutes along the road back to Sydney, she's not too far away.

[claire_louise]

^That's true. I mean, in real life when somone moves half an hour away they don't make a big song and dance about it. But in a tv show we know we're never going to see that person again (or that it's unlikely, at least) so it would be nice if they'd given her a proper send off or a better storyline to go out on.

[James Martin]

It's funny how during Bevan's tenure, it really seemed like the Osbournes/Russells could become a core family on the show. But in fact, DB's downplayed exit for Josie doesn't do Tasha justice either.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here's a very interesting theory on that from when this storyline aired in Australia. Ladies and Gentlemen, former Script Producer Coral Drouyn...

I have another take on this (Obviously) I created Angie as a six month character to get the show back on top of the ratings and to cause controversy and get people watching again.. It worked - and the storyline ran its full conclusion and Angie died. I resisted attempts by Bevan to bring her back as her twin....there was no question of bringing her back in my mind while I was running the department - it would have been a colossal cheat. Daniel was my assistant at that time and he agreed about not bringing her back. But Bevan has a way of getting what he wants. And when he took over, Robbie and Tasha changed totally and he brought Angie back as Josie. After six months Bevan went off to work on Headland/Campus ( I hope they have all the problems with those scripts ironed out now.... not a happy place to be the writers tell me) and heir apparent Daniel inherited some things he clearly would not have wanted. That's the nature of the beast.

A Script Producer MUST put their own stamp on the show. I did - with Kit, Robbie and Tasha, Angie, Kirsty and Kane's wedding and the Dani problems...I also had my disasters. Bevan put his stamp on and had his disasters too - unfortunately some of my triumphs became his disasters.

Daniel is finding his own way to the character meld he wants. I don't watch the show but I still have many friends among the writers. All are complimentary about Dan's vision and committment to the show.

Daniel would have learned from me that a character like Angie/Josie - disruptive and extremely charasmatic can be a great catalyst with limited run material - but un-balances the show as a long term character. Essentially these characters are loners - totally different in "Bitch" appeal to someone like Morag. We can absolutely LOVE them as writers - but still have to get rid of them. That's also the nature of the beast.

Cheers

Coral Drouyn

[Sunny Girl]

Hmmm . . . Interesting . . .

It's good that Coral still has an interest and opinion in the show.

[lucaspatrick]

Lots of stuff would go on behind the scenes of the show that we're not privy too. Given that this exit felt so rushed - and, as others have said, given that Josie was becoming more integrated in to the Bay - there must be some specific reason why she was written out in such a hurry. My guess is there's more to this story than meets the eye. As I've always said: I trust that decisions are being made for the right reasons, so I'm not going to have a negative opinion towards the people who make them.

[gryphons_halo]

You mean that the writers may have been completely caught off guard by Laurie Foels departure, and had to quickly rewrite/change things in order to write the character of Josie out? Its possible I guess. It was VERY rushed, almost as if they simply didnt have time to write anything better, and surely they would have if they were allowed. It didnt sound from Lauries interview that she dropped a bombshell and quit the show herself, ala Rebecca Cartwright, but someone at a higher level of command on the show could have had reason to want her out I guess. We know from things Coral said in the past that just because she was the script producer, it didnt mean she had complete control over the characters and who stayed or went. If the call came down from above, all she could do was take it on board and do what she was told. I know she argued about certain decisions a few times and probably had her years of experience and clout on her side, things which Dan Bennett maybe wouldnt have yet. So maybe lucaspatrick is right and Dan isnt the one to be blamed for this - he might have been as pissed off by it as the rest of us, especially if hed planned to explore Josies unfinished stories a little more and continue to integrate her into the community, something which had certainly started by the time she left.

Shame that. I really miss Josie on the show and shes only been gone a couple of weeks.

[ste]

It's interesting that Coral thinks characters like Angie and Josie only have a limited run on a show because they are charismatic and disruptive. Watch any of the top UK soaps (I'm thinking Emmerdale in particular) and most of the main characters are Josies and Angies, some of whom have been in the show for years and get better and better.

It's hard to tell where Daniel Bennett stands on all of this. Maybe he did like Josie - he wrote some wicked stuff for Josie in the first half of 2005. But then she rapidly went downhill - long before her exit. If only we were told the truth it would be good to have closure one way or the other. One thing is for sure - I don't think anyone believes the "character had run her course" crap.

[Ryan]

To have a succseful bad character

i]They can't be hated by everyone, if they're hated by everyone you get nothing, but people constantly spitting in their tea. JR in Dallas was pretty dislikable, but you always knew that his mother still loved him despite everything that went on. If they're hated by everyone, you have two relationships, Them v People, People v Them.

ii]They need to be in a position of power, bitches in Emmerdale have a big house, JR had an oil company, bad with no power doesn't work.