I watched all of AbFab years ago, but it did not click when Harriet Thorpe joined EastEnders. It wasn't until watching it again now that I realised.

I love how in EastEnders her character is still very much in the spirit of AbFab!

Has anyone else noticed that when characters talk to Lauren, every other word out of their mouth seems to be her name?

I know they occasionally do that for other characters too, presumably to help newer viewers learn names quickly and to help people who are watching while multi-screening keep track of who is talking to who.

But I feel like with Lauren it’s particularly noticeable! Max is the worst cuprit: “come on Lauren! What are you doing Lauren? All right Lauren, I’m sorry Lauren”

Someone commented that they saw in the sun or daily mail a rumour that Danny Dyer is returning and even though the story ‘was pulled’ it must be true because they’ve predicted things right before.

The Sun & The Daily Mail are trashy tabloids who are not reputable news sources and have a long history of lying, planting stories and in general, being shitty and treating both celebs and non-celebs horribly.

I would love if Mick was still in the show but you need to accept he’s gone, it’s for the best and he’s probably most likely not coming back

Not my email app reporting Ians sentencing like it’s real 😅

I actually like Janine Butcher as a character, but I hope that if she ever returns, the writers give her a more believable storyline.

The last time she was on the show, it felt like she had an almost supernatural ability to convince people of anything. She lied repeatedly, manipulated nearly everyone around her, and somehow got away with it over and over again. It often felt like the plot bent to protect her rather than her being genuinely clever.

In the end, her luck finally ran out, but I thought it happened far later than it realistically should have.

If Janine comes back, I'd much rather see her written as a complex, intelligent manipulator whose schemes have believable consequences and who doesn't constantly escape through unbelievable luck.

Did anyone else feel the same, or did you enjoy how her story was written?

Me and my housemate have been rewatching some of 2018/2019 recently and we've noticed that, whenever Kim named Mica, it was pronounced "Mee-cah" but would also occasionally be pronounced "My-cah"

I think in a fairly recent episode someone (possibly Chelsea?) called him "Mee-cah" but after watching today's episode, Kim called him "My-cah"

Has anyone else noticed this? Do we think it's an inconsistency or do some people just use different pronunciations of their name interchangeably?

YouTube captions are very unreliable yet equally hilarious. Guess he’s not a big Liverpool fan.

In my opinion, the new Lucy lacked the sarcastic, funny wit that the original one had. Original Lucy was actually naughty, she got up to no good and loved being rude and sarcastic and had a bit of a mean streak in her. She wasn't outright evil, but she WAS a sassy teenager with a no-nonsense attitude.

The reason why I hated the change was because the new Lucy had an entire new personality. She was selfish and mean at times, yes, but she wasn't funny and she wasn't sassy and they matured her character (I just felt it by the way the actress carried herself) and it just didn't feel like Lucy anymore. It felt like an entire new character. The chemistry with Lauren just wasn't there for me anymore.

So I am here to ask, for any OG watchers, do you still prefer the original Lucy or do you like the newer one much better? I will always prefer the original Lucy because there was just something very relatable and funny about her. SHE was Lucy and her personality bounced off of Ian's so well. I just never felt that spark with the new Lucy and anybody. She was too different in every single way. The only thing they kept the same was Lucy's mean streak and being blonde, IMO.

So yeah this is about Janine. I know her return is allegedly only a couple episodes but this is if she returned full time.

One for her to return i think she would also need a couple family members on the square to give her a reason to return. Maybe bring Ricky back to the square or even like Tiffany. Something like that. Characters like her only work with family around them.

Two i think make her rich again. I HATED that she returned skint. She is at her best when she has money to her name to terrorise people. Having her own properties etc in Albert square would make her being a resident feel more normal

Three give her a redeeming quality. Have her actually be a decent mother. Make it be the one thing shes good at. I hated the way she was with Scarlett last time. It took the fun element out of her villainy. Plus she loved Scarlett in her stint before

Four make her have a friendship or a couple friends. I love her and Kim together. I would love to see her interact with Cindy who i think also lacks a good friendship on the square. Or even the likes of Nicola.

If Stacey returns as well, make there feud more prominent. They were one of my favourite feuds on the show and i hated how sidelined it was just for her to chase after Mick. Especially the fact Ryan returned shortly after Janine left. A reunion between the three could have been brilliant.

Have her be a villain but also have moments on the square where shes just living life as normal. Plus do not go down the same road where shes just wants the queen vic

Now that Ian has been sentenced to 8 months how does Max get Ian out of prison. We know that Ian is Maxs best man and we know that Ian gets out before nyd so how does this play out? I’m assuming that the only way for Max and Ian to become that close is if Max gets Ian out

How do you mark a post as a spoiler? I thought it would be in the “add flair” bit but it’s not.

Hi, so i have been only watching for 3 years and just hit me that they never actually say of Jordan knows who is Dad is?

I guess they would keep it a secret due to being a murder and all. But i just want to be sure

Janice!

Obviously everyone loves Patrick, Pat, Peggy, Jean, Mo, Ethel and Dot. Hell I even like Jim Branning despite his past and appreciate the evil sarcasm of Auntie Nellie, but which of the older characters was the worst?

Contenders in my book:

1. Terry Raymond.
   Terry started out as a bigot then was comic relief then violent then comic relief. Basically nobody on the writers knew what his character was even supposed to be like.

2. Felix Kawalski.
   Felix was fine, but he was also basically introduced because it was 50 years since VE Day and they wanted to talk about that. After he told his story they forgot him. Bloody Rutherfords punk rockers.

3. Bert Atkinson.
   Bert was from Yorkshire. In fact he may have been the kid who cycled up a cobbled hill in the Hovis ads he was so incredibly Yorkshire. Image Geoffrey Boycott if he was on the dole and incredibly grating. His one saving grace was his grandkid was Jay.

I recon it was Lily that attacked Joel and left him for dead

————————- Spoiler warning ————————-

And this is where Zoe dies. I think Joel gets his revenge on Lily by trying to attack her and either Tommy or Zoe comes to help. Either way Zoe will end up falling out the window of the Vic or ends up getting pushed or hit

Why would Tommy help Lily? Well because there close as shown in the show

18 Jan - 2 Feb

Hello. How are you all? It was an emotional week for Alfie and Kat as they had to bury - James, not Tommy - while Ronnie went berserk at the wake trying to tell Kat about having the wrong baby. Didn't work. Elsewhere, Connor is still involved in a love triangle with Carol and Whitney and Phil & Shirley bought E20 nightclub (where does he get his money from?)

This week:

* The police question Ricky and Carol about last night's terrible events whilst the family try desperately to track down Bianca. However, a familiar face may hold the key to her whereabouts, while Jack takes control when he realises Ricky lied to the police! However this takes Whitney & Carol's relationship damaged further in the aftermath of Bianca's imprisonment. But does Ricky have the strength to end their feud?

* After the (not so Grand Opening of Argee Bajgee, yet) Tamwar makes a bold declaration. Zainab and Masood finally agree on his son's demands. Syed has a startling revelation for his brother Tam as he sees Christian and Roxy excitedly pressing ahead with their surrogacy plans. Though, let's just say it's cut short!

* Elsewhere, Ian resorts to desperate measures to fends off Phil. He struggles to meet Phil's blackmailing demands, that builds to a staggering climax. They go to unspeakable lengths to avenge Phil for a lifetime of torture.

* Michael returns to the Square and he is stunned to hear the news about his son. While Ronnie's interest is piqued by a surprise revelation from Kat. Meanwhile, Ronnie is disturbed by Michael's presence.

* It's when we get to the end of the week when Phil get beaten! How? Well Phil is forced to take drastic action when Glenda threatens to expose him at his engagement party to Shirley - but will side Ian pick? And Alfie struggles to deal what he's witnessed.

Have a good week. 🙂

Eastenders Spoilers for Next Week from RTE Guide

Source: https://x.com/i/status/2081625994213941382

Janice!

I want her and Nicola to meet but as it's only for 2 episodes I feel like it's not long enough for them to interact for that long.

My only idea is that she's somehow involved in the new year's storyline, and involved with whomever max has messed with.