4th Episode: Good or Bad... (Eastenders)

Member Name: FurtherReading

Product:	Eastenders
Date:	09/08/01 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: More Eastenders

Disadvantages: Drop in Quality?

Now four times a week? Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday. You must have seen the constant adverts for Eastenders on BBC 1. The rumours have been going round for ages that there may be a 4th episode of Eastenders, and now its reality. When I first heard these rumours I was pleased, but the more I think about it, the more uncertain I become.

First of all, I really hoped for one thing – that the new episode would be on a Wednesday, not a Friday. The reason for this is simple, what is on British TV on a Wednesday? Apart from the odd Bond film and the usual rubbish such as animal hospital and the national lottery, there’s nothing. On Friday, I would much prefer to go out with friends and do things as I can have a lie in the next morning. If I don’t go out, there is always something on TV, most of which is better than Eastenders.

There is one reason for BBC showing the fourth episode on Friday and not Wednesday. They want to win the ratings war against Coronation Street on itv. Can you BBC not see beyond ratings? Everyone knows that Eastenders is creaming Corrie at the moment. I’m sure that if the show were aired on a Wednesday they would get higher viewing figures. Can the BBC not give the viewers what they want – a decent show for Wednesdays?

To celebrate a 4th episode per week, the BBC are showing two programs called, “Eastenders: It’s Your Party” and, “Alistair McGowan’s Big ‘Enders’”. I’m not really a big fan of McGowan and I don’t know how anybody could sit and watch an hour of Jonathon Ross presenting an ‘Eastenders party’. Eastenders is normally a good show, but if the BBC expects me to sit and watch a ‘build-up’ to an episode then they are greatly mistaken. I think they have promoted this Friday night episode far too much. Will it live up to expectations? Maybe for one night, but can they continue to pum
p out interesting storylines?

I think the thing that will determine whether the new episode is top or a flop is whether they: a) get more storylines or b) explore each storyline more deeply. If they go with the latter, I think they will be in big trouble. They can’t really show sorry-looking Charlie Slater try his best to ‘comfort’ Peggy; while his brother tries to woo her over four nights a week!

I think there will be a fine line between having too little storylines and too many. At the moment they have got it just right, but with the addition of a new episode every week they will have to adjust the number of storylines. Will they pull it off? I guess we’ll have to wait and see…

FurtherReading
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/ - Official Eastenders Site

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