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.

Were David and Simon ever on screen togerher?

Just caught up to today, great to tie that in with the comments on here! Angie’s been in hospital for about a month now, thank god she’s home at last!

I can’t work out what Mary’s dad Chris is doing, he wants to open a haulage business on the square - does his wife know? Where is he living at the moment? He keeps phoning/visiting her, what is he telling her?

Had to laugh at Den’s line, “Ang, we’ve had more fresh starts than British Leyland!” Lots recently about how exploitative Den is, how he doesn't give a toss about anyone else.

Poor Arthur, finally working but Lou/Kenny/Pete don’t reckon it’s a proper "man’s job".

And poor Mary, also finally working, and Rod’s bored with her.

Really don’t buy into the idea of Ian & Elizabeth’s budding romance – yuk. And is Barry really thinking that he can somehow stop being gay if he tries hard enough? Thought the fight with Rod might end up as a homo-erotic encounter!

Sue looks ready to pop!

Not seen today's episodes yet I usually watch tem with a glass of wine when the kids have gone to bed is Mary's Dad living in a B&B? Anyone notice he always has a fag in his hand ? Even when they were talking to te Dr,s at Xmas about Annie he had a fag ! Why do Mary,s parents call her Teresa/Terri did she change her name? And why?

Don't think David and Simon were ever on screen together. Simon came back for about 30 seconds at the very end of the credits in 2012 when Pat died.

Mary's real name is Theresa and she changed it, presumably to try and break away and make a fresh start. Given she seems so down on her Catholic background it seems odd to have chosen Mary!

Den doesn't seem to have any strategy at all. How can he think he can genuinely run a partnership with Ange when she's madly in love with him??

Yes that's what I thought regarding the name Mary!

I haven't seen today,s yet but what was all that about between Mags and Den yesterday? He's a properly unpleasant charchter isn't he?

I think just revenge from him because she gave him the elbow, as he put it. Wanted to humiliate her. What a charmer!!
He is awful, but I'm ashamed to say I think he was also gorgeous!!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder gower although compared to the other men of the same age,he's the best looking!

I know, I know!! I think by this stage he was losing his looks, though. In the earlier Den/Angie/Jan triangle he was gorgeous!!! Although even nastier

Angie's look has changed quite a lot as well since the early days. Is it my eyesight, or did her hair morph into a completely different colour?

Yeah I think I remember her hair being red ish ?

Jet black at the start though

I think Den looks great in his jacket and tie (that he always wears to serve behind the bar). In his crappy 80s sweatshirts he isn't so handsome!

Love the idea of Chris capitalising on all the new business that will arrive following the building of the Channel Tunnel! He's got a good business head - pity he drinks too much.

Kath actually said today what all us viewers have been thinking, that Elizabeth is Ian’s cousin and they shouldn't be in a relationship. Needed saying, especially now Elizabeth is actually living with them.

Interesting bit of social commentary with Arthur set to lose all his benefits overnight due to having a job – well before the days of tax credits.

Den looked good in the navy jumper he used to wear. Agree, some of the other sweaters are dodgy.

Ange off on holiday with the never-seen Sonny and Ree, setting up her somewhat rubbish departure.

Have they honestly only just noticed the cousins are snogging???

I was in love with Den Watts for years!!

The worst thing EastEnders ever did was bring back Den, totally ruined his character. The original Den was something really special, the comeback? Awful.

@Dramatical I totally agree! He was absolutely brilliant first time around. He was actually still a brilliant actor second time around but the writing and the scrips were so much poorer.

I was in love with him the first time as well. Which I actually find quite worrying now

There's going a few characters leaving in the next few weeks!

@x2boys yes, quite a few. I really went off it once Angie left. She basically doesn't really come back in to it properly now.

Yeah you can kind of tell can’t you as Lofty and Angie are hardly seen, more drama for Mary leading up to her exit... 😕

I know wages were low then but thought at least £1-2 an hour in shop for Arthur. Him saying it wasn’t worth him working 30h? How much was he getting on dole? it’s only £74 now!

I got my first shop job in 1991 on £1 an hour, so maybe it was even less?

Would they not have got housing benefit and supplementary benefit as well as a jsa (or whatever it was in 1988)?I remember friends getting £25 /week early 90,s as single people .

Surely they’d need to be paying rent to get any housing benefit – and the house is Lou’s Or is it? IIRC claimants got unemployment benefit if they'd made sufficient contributions, if not they got supplementary benefit.

That strip show – yeuch.

The Karims were very quick to agree to stop paying Arthur cash-in-hand!

I hope Elizabeth buggers off back to New Zealand soon, she irritates me immensely.

Why were Sue & baby taken into hospital when she’d had a successful delivery at home? Nice of her to ask Lofty to be godfather. I’ve been racking my brains recently to remember the new baby’s name – aha, of course! Little Ali!

Liked the final scene today with Michelle holding the baby and Lofty seeing what might have been. Poor Lofty!

Lou said the other day shouting the council.to.Put in a downstairs bathroom so.it must be council ?birthday they keep referring to.it's a Lou,s house so who knows

Back then they would have kept you in for a few days so you could rest and stuff. It used to be a week!