Classic Eastenders on the Drama channel

[dingdongdigeridoo]

So, classic Eastenders starts airing on the UKTV Drama channel from tomorrow! Two episodes from noon, and they’ll also be on UKTV catchup.

Use this thread to talk about Den, Angie, Arthur, poodle perms, poor fashion choices and Ethel’s Willy.

Arfurrrr annoys me a bit too. He’s quite drippy. He’s only early 40s but acts like an old man. However, I know times were tough back then. I was only a kid, but remember two of my uncles who were long term unemployed and depressed. They had sort of given up on finding jobs as there just wasn’t anything about. There didn’t seem to be as much stigma about being on the dole as there is now towards people on benefits.

Caught the episode today where Michelle has her baby. Quite a sad episode. I liked the one with the knicker party! My mum’s friend used to throw those in the days before Ann Summers etc. Most of the undies look like granny nighties but in sheer nylon fabrics. The 80s were not an attractive decade.

I know, I watched that episode. Very sad. Den was such a complex character!!

Those nighties were awful!! When Michelle chose that pale blue thing as a treat!!

I know can you imagine a man Arthurs age dressing like that now irs like he was born old and michelle. was bornnmiddle aged

I think girls' had very middle aged taste then. I'm about eight years younger than Michelle, but I remember being very keen on peach nighties a few years later!!

Sorry about rogue apostrophe!

Just watched the one where Michelle has the baby. I loved the scene between her and Den at the end

The real love triangle was Angie/Den/Michelle not Angie/Den/Jan which I never really found totally believable. I think they made Jan "posh" for shock effect.

They cut that bit when Simon and Pete gate crash the underwear party. I'm sure I remember they messed around a lot and the women were annoyed and they went off with tail between legs.

They didn't have such obvious "doof dogs" in those days. But they did with Pauline and Sharon skiddaling

I agree, I don't find Jan believable with Den. Den didn't love Michelle at all though.

Agree AamdC. Most men I know in their 40s are either really into designer clothes, or look like they’re on the way to the gym. Imagine if Arfurrr got into the atheleisure trend! Michelle’s nightie was truly hideous. Like a slutty grandma. Maybe she watched a lot of Golden Girls.

Jan is such a weird choice for Den. There’s zero chemistry and she looks like a scary headmistress. There’s no way a blokey pub owner type would fancy her. It made me laugh how they were going on about how posh and glam she was.

According to the Radio Times this isnt on next week.

Oh no!! I hope they aren't ending the run

Golden girls😂yes it was like something Blanche or more likely Dorothy would wear for their midnight chats , the fowlers living room looks really umcomfprtable to sit and watch tv though could they not have eaten in the kitchen?

According to the Radio Times this isnt on next week.

Both showings?

Ignore that I just checked, it's only the late repeat they are not showing.

The lunchtime episodes will still be shown

oh i just noticed the late ones were gone from next weeks schedules. Apologies.

Just watched today's.

Does anyone else think they glamourised alcoholism?! Angie's a pretty attractive drunk!

the fowlers living room looks really umcomfprtable to sit and watch tv though could they not have eaten in the kitchen?

I always thought that too. Those tiny old people chairs. It looked pretty cramped at dinner time too. I find it confusing that it became Ian’s house which seems much more spacious.

Finally the screen ratio has changed to 16:9 and the picture fits my TV 

Haven't time to RTFT but is anybody else seeing Den and Michelle in a different light now they are older and wiser?

Roy Quick makes my skin crawl

"Arfurrrr annoys me a bit too. He’s quite drippy. He’s only early 40s but acts like an old man"

watch some of the old sitcoms from the 70s and 80s and you will see this replicated several times over.

Yes it seems far. more sleazy now stressed , i was 11 or 12 thr forst tome i watched these episodes , im 45 next week it seems far more shocking somehow , why was michelle in hospital for so long , i know you were kept in longer after having a baby but she was young and had, had a pretty straightforward. Birth would she really have needed to sir exams in hospital?

AamdC at the time I thought Michelle was so sophisticated. Now as the 47 year old mother of two teenage Dd's I see it in a very different light. But then I was such an Naive teenager.

Andy has gone really horrible, I don't remember that either, his character wasn't like that initially!

Michelle seems old for 16, but not as old as I thought when I watched first time round!

I do think Den cared about her though, there is something about their scenes together, don't know what, but definitely something.