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.

A house like that would've been far more than a fruit & veg stall owner could have afforded, even in the 40s. I guess Lou & Albert could have inherited it from one of their parents. It looks Victorian in age. But I just can't believe Lou is supposed to own it now in 1987 - because the Fowlers are so poor? Today's episode with the estate agent was making the point of how much the local properties are increasing in value! Maybe it's one of those soap "truths" that's conveniently bent to fit a new storyline when the plot demands!

I'm so bored of Mary shouting at poor Carmel.

And I wish Colin would give Barry the elbow! I love Colin and I hate Barry!

The current episodes I can't remember at all, I think I must've missed a whole chunk back in 1987. It's great to watch and not know what's going to happen! Will Mary get Annie back (I hope not because I can't stand her shouting). Will Colin ditch Barry (I hope so because he deserves far better).

That's why it's so unrealistic though, Irl even in 80,s your health visitor wouldn't be one of your neighbours there is much blurring of professional and personal life!Would Carmel really choose to live in such close proximity to her clients especially considering it is a deprived area and I expect she would have a high number of "Problem" clients

I remember Uncle from when it was on before. My mum had to explain what it meant I think.

My dad's side of the family came from the east end. There was lots of anti semitism around. "Jews taking over" kind of stuff. This was probably in the 1920s.

Anti semitism before and after as well of course

Much the same now but different nationalities? My Dad and his family moved to Manchester in the 50,s from Ireland they faced a lot of prejudice too and of course it wasent a great time to have an Irish name and accent in the 70,s with all the IRA bombings

Feel really sorry for Mary. Surely they not let that happen theses days? Wouldn’t local police turn up? Mary has parental reaponbilitu no one else.

Agree Akire but it was ent such a long time Divorced Dads etc had little say so maybe if a child was being looked after with their Grandparents the social services were not that bothered about parental responsibility?

Christmas next Friday! So this Friday for us

Does Charlie do another moonlit flit this Christmas? I hope so.

Glad Arthur paid back his loan shark.

Pat desperate for a man - so Frank will be returning pretty soon I deduce

Can't believe all the burglaries, if Nick's not behind them all, is Darren?

Xmas again doesn't seem five minutes since last xmas I think there will be some drama between Lofty and Michelle soon.....,Charlie is vile isn't he ?

Was there a lot of interested like a year later to get them back together? It seems long to me and we are speeding along. Like Kat Alfie on a loop.

Wonder why they don’t give Arthur a job on the fruit stall? Pete always in and out pub he could easily do 4h a day and be paid. Now they have Cathy and Ian also running own business not like need every penny. I’m looking forward how Ian makes all his money given he starts with nothing.

I didn't think Lofty stays in the soap for much longer?I know if Pauline and Pete have equal shares in the stall why is it only that Pete and Kathy benefit?

I don’t understand how the economics of the stall works at all, if Lou owns it does she get the proceeds and pay Pete a wage?

Yes, Charlie is vile, and hopefully he’ll be off soon now that poor Dot can’t afford to subsidise him.

Excellent Christmas episodes today!

Why did Simon bring what looked like a really small fresh turkey in a carrier bag round to Kath, when last week he told Mags he’d bought the two of them an 18lb one and it was in Kath’s freezer?

I love seeing Ethel in her special occasion wig!

What was Mary’s dad doing with Annie in the car? Where was he taking her? Or was that just the means to have a Christmas disaster?

Liked the final scene today, Den, Michelle & Vicky sharing a public moment while Pauline looked on very disapprovingly!

I love the old Christmas episodes. Remember watching them first time around as a kid!

Shame not to have Angie around on Christmas Day though. I remember willing them to get back together.

Leslie Grantham's looks really went downhill over the course of a year 😆

I didn’t get why he wanted take Annie back to visit grandma when last week he had brought her back and had split up with her. He stole her from cafe Xmas party and tried run off but crashed the car.

Pete must give his mum either a fixed sum or percentage as she never seems short of cash. I’m not sure if she had full state pension at the time or what. She never seems to pay towards rent food or other bills either.

You know the house Dot and Charlie live in? Who lives in that now?

Dot i think?At one point Carol.Jackson And Family lived in it but she got it back when she married Jim?

Angie somehow left the Dagmar with a random binbag of stuff, wandered around for 2 days, then ended up at Ethel’s and somehow spruced herself up to the nines ready to confront Den.

Poor Lofty. And poor Michelle, but she really didn’t want another baby, why did she get pregnant? She isn’t happy that Angie’s back, is she? And Pauline’s told Den that she knows… some good plotlines coming up I think!

Sue’s baby’s due in April, but she doesn’t look at all pregnant, did she forget to stuff the prop cushion under her pinny?

Sharon’s snow-wash denim jacket is so 1988

Delighted that Charlie’s gone, does he ever return?

I think Charlie does come back again at some stage.

Poor Angie! She'll be leaving soon. I think EastEnders went into a really weird phase after that, with Den and the mob etc. That's probably when it started down the path of being unrealistic.

Michelle is so in love with Den! That scene where she basically begged him to be with her was excruciating!

Indeed Gower, when the new shop owners were telling Arthur, the needed staff why didn't he said he needed a job? He's pissing me off he does Jack shit whilst Pauline does her many jobs and looks after the house and Lou.

Can anyone remember whether Sharon had a major relationship between Duncan and Grant? I remember a weird phase where Michelle and Sharon share a flat quite soon, but can't remember Sharon going out with anyone?

I thought the same about Arthur, part time job across the road perfect. But he dosnt even try but happy for wife to scrub floors and look after kids same time.

If Michelle didn’t want another baby why wasn’t she on the pill? Not like it wasn’t around then unless she would have needed her husbands permission !

What lots sexist rubbish!! Offering job to Arthur as manager because he worked few weeks in laundrette and cafe. Whilst sitting next to Pauline who’s worked for years for others. No love I know how much you love cleaning neighbours loo for £1 an hour I take the much better job!! Arghhhhhh

I think Michelle did agree to have a baby with Lofty a few months ago, for some unknown reason (except the obvious point of creating drama!!)

She did agree to have a baby with him, bit daft though when the relationship.was hardly stable, the whole situation is just sad and miserable this must have been when forgot a reputation as being dreary?

Watching after 30 years has made me realise how the episodes are ridiculously fast-moving, with various “issues” that pop up without warning and are then completely forgotten about a couple of weeks later!

At the time Eastenders was the BBC response to Coronation Street, and the BBC wanted to have a soap that wasn’t just Corrie in London, so although they had a few comedy/feelgood moments, they deliberately wanted it to be grittier and more real-life than Corrie, addressing current issues. Not sure how well that worked tbh, most soap-watchers just want a bit of escapism, if you want real-life issues just watch the news!

Agree that there's no way would Arthur have been asked to be shop manager – with his zero experience and criminal record!

I think they’ve done the whole Michelle storyline very well though, her gradually dawning realisation that after doing the wrong thing of becoming a single teenage mum, doing the right thing of finding a husband and having his baby isn’t going to make her happy either, especially while she’s still in love with Den. Susan Tully is such a superb actor.