Firstly, DO NOT MENTION THE T WORD.

 

 

50 (-)

Bushra Abbasi

4.21

 

http://i45.tinypic.com/166bors.jpg

 

Hopefully the last controversial inclusion, fiftieth place in this countdown is snapped up by Zainab's on/off best friend. Like Sal and Rachel, Bushra is quite unusual in that it's not often characters from outside of the square make recurring appearances, but this of course brings a nice level of reality to the show.

 

Bushra is something of the campy, villainous thorn in Zainab's side, a constant reminder her that she's not as wealthy or popular as her friend, but all the same she's a likeable woman who, not unlike Zainab, seems to spend her time gossiping, playing match-maker and keeping up with the Joneses. In a typically frothy midweek filler sort of storyline we saw her and Zainab attempt to force their offspring into a relationship - cue lots of middle-aged giggling and fun, the sort of thing I absolutely do not condone. In truth Bushra is not a particularly distinctive character because she works solely as a catalyst to stress out Zainab, without whom there'd be no point to her existance, but as minor characters go I find her to be reasonably enjoyable.

 

 

 

49 (45)

Billy Mitchell

4.25 (3.88)

 

http://i46.tinypic.com/v5wyv5.jpg

 

Now we ease into the plethora of ever-present characters who hover around in the background without ever making much of a mark. Billy is in every sense the forgotten Mitchell; left off the invite list when Peggy has one of her frequent, often unsuccessful dinners - despite the likes of Jack getting asked. When the inexplicably beige Honey finally dragged herself off our screens it looked like Billy might be left to lag even further, but thankfully his involvement in Jay's upbring seems to have given him a new lease of life. It's quite nice to see him attempting to be a father figure rather than trying desperately to be a satisfying boyfriend. Know yourself Bill.

 

It's hard to imagine Billy going down in Eastenders history despite him having spent a decade there but nonetheless he's a likeable character and if Perry Fenwick is content with being a punch-happy background face - and let's face it, he's never going to find a meatier role - then I can see him hanging around for a few years to come, emerging from his hole in the ground every now and then to beg Roxy for money or shed a few more scraps of dignity.

 

 

 

48 (37)

Charlie Slater

4.50 (4.24)

 

http://i49.tinypic.com/35mm8w6.jpg

 

I hear 2010 is to be a record year for Charlie. Not only does he

embark on a game of darts

, he also

has his real-life knee operation written into the show!

I'm certain that these story arcs will go down in history. In reality though, you have to pity the fat pig. Constantly trampled on by everybody from his batty sister-in-law (or whatever she is - Eastenders family trees are more damningly complex and incestual than anything else this side of Emmerdale) to his batty great-neice and her string of batty friends who invariably end up dead (it's THE CURSE OF STACEY), Charlie has practically nothing to show for his life. Perhaps the perfect advert for contraception.

I dont enjoy Billy anymore he is to whining for me and is kinda pointless these days, for me his charactor has been more or less for ages now, i like charlie he does play his own role in the slater house providing some sense and calmness.

Bushra. Forget she was in this over

 

TRACEY :(

 

Billie and Charlie. Meh. I look forward to Kat's return for Charlie. He needs his girls :)

I dont enjoy Billy anymore he is to whining for me and is kinda pointless these days, for me his charactor has been more or less for ages now, i like charlie he does play his own role in the slater house providing some sense and calmness.

 

The problem with Billy is that people are expected to like him and find pity for him ... whilst forgetting that he beat up a young kid for most of his life and only became 'decent' - for want of a better word - when Phil Mitchell gave him a kicking. The same goes for Minty ... people are expected to see him as a decent bloke ... whilst forgetting that he was orginally written in as a slum-landlord who either pimped or took sexual favours from Janine Butcher in exchange for rent. Totally mind-boggling! People like this do not change their spots! In fact ... lined up to a load of characters ... Janine Butcher is the only one that is actually decent.

 

Charlie Slater is just a waste of space. Mind you ... have you seen this guy in his other roles ... he is one crappy actor.

 

Norma

I think Big Mo is actually Charlie's mother in law! :lol:

Oh I know (absurd since Laila Morse isn't as old as the guy who plays Charlie!) but I actually meant Jean. She was Viv's sister right? Wikipedia let me down I'm afraid.

People like this do not change their spots!

 

 

Really? I've often found that soap opera characters do change their spots. They start off as rough ones but somehow find a heart of gold in a sort of epiphany type story line.

Edited February 28, 201015 yr by tonyttt31

No, Jean is Charlie's sister.

 

- Bushra - tbh I don't find her likable, she's a bitchy old mare. Her scenes with Zainab do make me laugh though, in a Keeping Up Appearances way.

- Billy - I don't agree with the low position. He's the first proper full-time character we've had so far, and I certainly don't think he's the worst! Perry Fenwick can actually be quite a touching actor when he needs, and I agree that him taking on Jay was a good move. I also agree with Norma that the character transformation wasn't totally realistic, but at least they made some token attempt to explain it (was it not his involvement with Little Mo that saw him soften up)? That's more than they did with Minty - his was literally an overnight re-write!

The only thing with Billy I'd complain about is that they REALLY missed a trick when they took Honey and the kids off - the daughter with the Downs syndrome could have provided many a touching plotline if handled properly - I think EE really chickened out there!

- Charlie - poor Derek Martin isn't the best actor there, I can kind of understand why he's never been pushed out into the limelight. He's pretty much only on the Square still so that the writers can ensure a permanent Slater presence and have a good reason to bring back any of the Slater sisters as and when they like! BRING BACK BRENDA BOYLE

Really? I've often found that soap opera characters do change their spots. They start off as rough ones but somehow find a heart of gold in a sort of epiphany type story line.

 

Exactly! With a few exceptions, they most often do! EE isn't the only soap guilty of this - Hollyoaks has Steph Dean and Myra McQueen, Emmerdale has Jimmy King and Edna (who I recall was nicknamed Evil Edna when she first appeared due to her incredibly vicious tongue!), and Corrie with Fiz.

The only thing with Billy I'd complain about is that they REALLY missed a trick when they took Honey and the kids off - the daughter with the Downs syndrome could have provided many a touching plotline if handled properly - I think EE really chickened out there!

 

Eastenders brought a Downs Syndrome child into it just to 'tick the box' ... 'there ... we've done that, people have bought the tee shirt' now we can move on' ... 'oh ... get rid of child off the payroll and we can move on to something else'. The ONLY soap that has ever handled realistic, down-to-earth, situations was Brookside in its first 15 or so years. They handled the Down's Syndrome very well with Max & Patricia Farnham. Brookside is also the ONLY soap that has ever been realistic in another way ... the PUB! It didn't have one. If a pub scene was called for ... the did very rare shootings in a real pub ... which for the sake of the series was called 'The Swan' I believe. In its entire lifetime ... I doubt whether they did more than 10 scenes in it.

 

Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoakes, all of them seem to believe that the 'hub' of real people's lives is centred around the pub and it is total bollocks! I don't even go to my local pub for a drink ... on the two occasions I have been in there ... I've NEVER met anyone who lives in my street.

 

I agree that Brookside went downhill drastically in its later years ... thanks to dreadful acting by the likes of Jennifer Ellison and Philip Oliver. If I'm honest ... it went downhill after the departure of its last remaining fine actors Sue Johnstone and John McCardle ... but in its prime ... it was to quote Louis Walsh "200% better than the rest".

 

Norma

Edited February 28, 201015 yr by Norma_Snockers

Eastenders brought a Downs Syndrome child into it just to 'tick the box' ... 'there ... we've done that, people have bought the tee shirt' now we can move on' ... 'oh ... get rid of child off the payroll and we can move on to something else'. The ONLY soap that has ever handled realistic, down-to-earth, situations was Brookside in its first 15 or so years. They handled the Down's Syndrome very well with Max & Patricia Farnham. Brookside is also the ONLY soap that has ever been realistic in another way ... the PUB! It didn't have one. If a pub scene was called for ... the did very rare shootings in a real pub ... which for the sake of the series was called 'The Swan' I believe. In its entire lifetime ... I doubt whether they did more than 10 scenes in it.

 

Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoakes, all of them seem to believe that the 'hub' of real people's lives is centred around the pub and it is total bollocks! I don't even go to my local pub for a drink ... on the two occasions I have been in there ... I've NEVER met anyone who lives in my street.

 

Norma

 

Your point about the pub is VERY true. I don't venture into any of my locals, and I don't know any who do. They're strictly reserved for the old men hand-rolling their own cigars!

EE and Corrie would have you believe entire neighbourhoods live their life in the pub; old men hand-rolling their cigars, middle-class yuppies, chavvy teens, old grannies, businessmen, even tee-total Moslems!

Your point about the pub is VERY true. I don't venture into any of my locals, and I don't know any who do. They're strictly reserved for the old men hand-rolling their own cigars!

EE and Corrie would have you believe entire neighbourhoods live their life in the pub; old men hand-rolling their cigars, middle-class yuppies, chavvy teens, old grannies, businessmen, even tee-total Moslems!

 

Its just an easy way for scriptwriters to get 'all the standard stereotypes' into one place ... in this way ... you can make certain economic cuts. Eastenders isn't the only offender ... Corrie does it, Emmerdale, I believe even the Australian soaps do it. This is where Brookside broke the mold and truly handled 'realism'. Brookside did have a few 'inconsistencies' even in its prime but they were minor compared to the 'big' soaps.

 

Besides ... for characters to whom 'drinking alcohol' is taboo ... the Muslim characters EE has had in it over the years don't half spend a lot of their time in the pub. (Oops ... just spotted - Shoat ... you already had that base covered! :lol: )

 

Norma

Edited February 28, 201015 yr by Norma_Snockers

Ya the big soaps always rely on the local pub for everything to come out, i know for me personnely the pub would be the last place i would want my dirty laundry aired and another thing that the big soaps always do and it annoys me is when a big revelavtion is coming out in the pub the music just magically stops, emmerdale corrie and eastenders are all culprits of this.

another thing that the big soaps always do and it annoys me is when a big revelavtion is coming out in the pub the music just magically stops, emmerdale corrie and eastenders are all culprits of this.

 

Thoughtful bar stuff cutting the jukebox off!

Billy's low posistioning isnt deserved imo. He's a likeable enough character who just suffers from not having that much to do these days. I agree though that axing Honey & Kids was a big mistake, there's so much potential storylines to go with Janet alone.

Even though im not a huge billy fan i do agree it was a huge mistake axing honey and the kids as they could have done so many storylines from the family point of view, i also liked honey aswell.

They can still bring Janet back in some capacity but Honey went at the right time. She'd become a miserable cow.

 

I agree, I absolutely hate how the music cuts out during a dramatic scene or how every stallholder stops and stares when somebody involved in a scandal dares to walk down Bridge Street. And yes, I was thinking only today about how unrealistic the pub being the hub of the community is, but where else can they get half of the cast together? It would be a bore otherwise.

Honey was in the same boat as Yolande; great bubble character to begin with, but the writers did the inevitable and ground them down into moaning old harpies. And then they wonder why characters stop "working", and why EE has such a reputation for being miserable.

I must admit EE is the worst for the "stop & stare" rubbish. It always ruins a great scene for me when the music stop and people we've never seen before stop breathing and give a dirty look! :lol:

EastEnders has a reputation for being miserable but that comes from people who dont see the lighter side of the soap, the comedy side of eastenders lies in wit and is subtle its not the stand out laugh out loud comedy, the masoodds do it very well and that why they won best comedy scenes at last years soap awards.

 

I agree about Honey and Yolande they start start of very bubbly charactord but the script writers changed them too much i wish they had stayed in the path as they were when they joined. Heather and Shirley still provide some brilliant comedy lines as does Denise so its nice having them around for that side of things plus denise is very good at doing drama aswell.

 

I think the scriptwriters should pair off christian and roxy more often again as they had many a good giggle when together id like that side o ftheir charactors to start shing again.

 

I also miss Jim's and Patricks scenes when jim would be up to mischeif and patrick would have to cover for jim when dot is around.

 

Tiffany though at the moment is where i get my best laugh from she just lights up the screen for me and comes out with some fantastic one liners.