Doof-doofa! (Eastenders)

Member Name: Andyc

Product:	Eastenders
Date:	12/07/00 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent casting, wonderfully woeful it can't help but make you feel better about yourself!

Disadvantages: Sid Owen insists on singing

Good ol' Eastenders....... and that really sums it up. Where Eastenders suffers is from the fact that it's SO steeped in tradition.

Nothing demonstrates this more than when the shows producers tried to 'modernise' the classic theme tune. The audience were up in arms! And inside a week the old tune was back. It took a shoe-horn and a lot of elbow grease to get the title pictures changed to include the updated version of the London city-scape, Dome and all.

Don't get me wrong, I love Eastenders. If I didn't watch it regularly it'd be kinda pointless me writing an opinion on it.

The one thing I marvel at in Eastenders is the casting. From the delightful Patsy Palmer (Bianca) through to Leslie Grantham (Dirty Den) to Barbara Windsor. Now, I was dubious about our Babs, joining Eastenders. Could this 'Carry On' supremo make it in the Eastend? Yes! She could! She slotted in wonderfully and now the place wouldn't be the same without her, a credit to the casting. They even pulled off getting Mr.Kemp, from Spandau Ballet fame, in as Steve Owen. Neither of these two undoubted stars, overshadow the rest of the cast and it all blends seemlessly together.

But what has happened to Eastenders of late? Now without Grant Mitchell, (who unadvisedly has stared in numerous other AWFUL shows) but was unquestionably the modern day Dirty Den the show has floundered. With rumours of on-set bust-ups (probably about who got the most "Doof Doofa" endings) and the cast set for a mass clear-out things look set to change.

The show has a number of script-writers, which in my opinion vary greatly in quality. Some of the shows are great, little tongue in cheek comments, like the "extra money Ian recently gave his 'sleep-in' Nanny" are great, but one of my all time worst pieces of television EVER was the episode where Pat and Cath fixed the fuse-box. Yes, that was really ALL that happened
. They then proceeded to dance around each other singing "I am Super-woman, you are Wonder-woman." It would be funny if it weren't true.

Albert Square is set for a shake-up. The Di Marco's are off and a new familys on the way in. Hopefully this will return the show to it's past glories.

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