I have been watching eastenders on and off since the 90's but only for the past 2 years have i been watching it every episode. I didn't see what the point of it was until i actually got quite gripped into the storyline and found that it actually makes sense once you start following the storyline.

The acting in Eastenders is very good. I did recognise many of the characters as soon as i started watching. For example, the characters Michael and Derek were both in the film Layer Cake which is one of my favourites to date. The characters have their own twisted sides as well as their nice sides.

There are never characters which just have their moment and then they're gone, all characters have their own individual storylines, lives and history. Even the characters that weren't around for long like Vanessa did have several episodes which almost entirely focused on them.

The storyline is gripping all be it a bit inaccurate. By this i mean there are some things which simply wouldn't happen in the real world like when Lola gave birth to a baby in a kebab shop and somehow managed it live on air, in 20 minutes with no pain killers. in and out, job done. (Yeah right)

Sometimes it can be a little hard to follow and I personally forget minor details which do hold some serious weight behind story lines. There are a few characters like pat and phil mitchell that have been in the series for ages and my memory of their past and history from 4, 5 and even more years ago, is a little checkered.

I often find that eastenders ends with some pretty compelling cliff hangers like deaths, realisations and such. there are some times when i think it's too over dramatic but sometimes it's just right, and keeps me waiting for the next episode to come. Things like the murder of heather trott which is currently a big thing at the moment in the story, will keep me interested in every episode.

Overall it seems like a pretty good soap opera. The show has won award and rightly so, it is good but in a few places it's just unbelievable, over the top etc. I think the acting is great and i hope they keep people like Phil and Dot in as long as they can. Seeing pat evans die was a big shock and a sad moment.