EastEnders Gets It's Gay On Again

Okay, bit of a loaded headline there and in the first of a few LGBT themed blogs for the Month of Pride, it's time to have a look at the UK soaps and LGBT coverage over the last while, in particular with EastEnders.

You have to give Kate Oates her due. When she likes a storyline, she'll do it again and again and here she's only gone and done it on EastEnders. It was obviously that Ben Mitchell No 6 (Max Bowden) in between laughably stupid wannabe gangster storylines was going to get with an established male character on the show instead of a new one and the guy in question has turned out to be Callum 'Halfway' Highway (Tony Clay) and while I don't think this relationship will ever hit the social media popularity of Robron or Kana, it does manage to feel surprisingly believable. Halfway is probably the only male character currently on the show they could've done this with and while we're in the early stages of this particular pairing, including Halfway's own denial about his sexuality, it's off to an interesting enough start, story wise. Add to the fact that Halfway and Stuart's (Rick Champ) own father will be joining the show soon (and he seems like a right bastard, going by the summer trailer), not to mention a budding wedding with Whitney Dean (Shona McCarthy), this is going to get very peak soap fairly soon.

Halfway and Ben's budding relationship also comes around the same time that Walford managed to get itself a gay bar. Well, Ben's mother, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) came into some money, bought the Albert and renamed it the Prince Albert with Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) being appointed as manager, getting her out of the Queen Vic for good measure too. For Tina, this should be a good venture as the show's treatment of the character over the last few years has been rather appalling from time to time. It's also nice that Oates seems determined to try and modernise the show as she did with both Emmerdale and Coronation Street and it's good to see the BBC not try and stop her either.

In terms of LGBT characters and stories, it's nice to see in a short space of time, how much of a positive impact Oates has made. Yes, we have the Halfway/Ben pairing, the arrival of a new gay bar and purpose for Tina, the show due to celebrate Pride and even Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) getting a brief love interest with Brooke (Ria Lopez), even if she still has feelings for best mate, Tiffany (Maisie Smith). Aside from the increased prominence in LGBT storytelling, the writing overall has taken a turn for the better and the show feels as exciting as when Dominic Treadwell-Collins had the reigns from 2013-2016. Hopefully this renewed quality will be around for a while to come.

Of course, it's not just the Square that's been prominent with LGBT storytelling for the last while. Coronation Street has had a slew of LGBT characters, storylines and relationships and the current stories are a mixed bag. Earlier this year, we saw the death of Rana Habeeb (Bhavna Limbachia) and it seems her partner, Kate Connor (Faye Brookes) will be exiting the soap soon while Sophie (Brooke Vincent) has had her own relationship ups and downs with lawyer, Paula Martin (Stirling Gallacher), not to mention Billy (Daniel Brocklebank) getting together with former jailbird Paul Foreman (Peter Ash). Elsewhere Sean (Anthony Cotton) has had a brief storyline concerning homelessness that was a bit rushed while a new family arriving this month - the Baileys will have a gay footballer son, James (Nathan Graham) who befriends Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon). Either way, it's nice to have another new family on the cobbles and the issue of homophobia will also be explored with James.

Moving over to the most dangerous village in the land of soaps, there's still the power couple of Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) and Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller) in Emmerdale. Yeah, I've never been a fan of this pairing and while I'm more lukewarm on them nowadays, I do keep wishing the show would give us another gay/bi male character and for said guy not to be a plot device or spare part but I think I'll be waiting a while there. There's also Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) and Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick), who are enjoyable enough while the show has furthered explored Matty Barton's (Ash Palmisciano) transitioning in a respectful manner.

Last but by no means least, there's also Hollyoaks, who have always been varied with their LGBT characters and storylines. In recent months we've had departures from Kim Butterfield (Daisy Wood-Davis) and Farrah Maalik (Krupa Pattani) as the latter was also involved with Grace Black (Tamara Wall). The strongest characters aside from Farrah have been the show's school principal, Sally St. Claire (Annie Wallace), a transwoman whose relationship with Myra McQueen (Nicole Barber Lane) ended, even though they still have a son with John Paul (James Sutton). Sally has been one of the strongest characters on the show along with gay lawyer, James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) while Scott Drinkwell (Ross Adams) and Kyle Kelly (Adam Rickett) have had hit and miss storylines as well as Harry Thompson (Parry Glasspool) in recent times. Currently the show is exploring a far right storyline with long term regular Ste Hay (Kieron Richardson) being groomed by Jonny Baxter (Ray Quinn) and Staurt Sumner (Chris Simmons) that has definitely had the desired effect in being both compelling and uncomfortable viewing as we've seen them terrorise the Maalik family over the last few weeks to the disgust of everyone in the village.  Of all the UK soaps, this has always been the one with the most eclectic and diverse of storylines.

Well, that's a round up of the current soap goings on for LGBT storylines and characters. Any of these stories that you're enjoying/not enjoying? Anything you wish these soaps would cover or do less of too?

Soap Discussion - October 2013

Last blog of the month so here's a look at the month in soaps folks.

Coronation Street: A great month for the show. It was nice to see David get a bit of a comeuppance for nearly killing Nick and to finally have all of that stuff out in the open. Of course, Roy and Hayley were still the highlight of the month and their story continues to be poignant and heartbreaking to watch. As for the return of Liz and the rivalry between Tina and Tracey, not bad plot wise but not overly compelling to watch either if I'm being honest.

EastEnders: A dull month, except for Michael and Alice's ludicrous scheming to bump off Janine, which will thankfully be done with by tonight's episode. Aside from that, Jack left Ronnie, Roxy and Alfie continue to be unconvincing as a couple, Sharon's demon child Denny is annoying and to be honest, I just struggled to care about any real plot this month. I suppose David's return has been entertaining though.

Emmerdale: I think this was a great month for the show. With Cameron's whole siege at the Woolpack, it's no wonder that this show is beating other soaps in the ratings at the moment. Those episodes alone were the show at it's best and some of the other subplots came together nicely as well. The recent tribute to Alan Turner as well was another great moment for the soap that seems to be flying high at the moment.

Hollyoaks: I like a good death as much as the next person but between the week of the explosion and Hollyoaks Later itself, perhaps too many characters were killed off too quickly though. On the plus side, at least most of this month was great to watch. However I do feel the show needs to lay off the sensationalism just a tiny bit though. At the moment the show is awash with it.

Soap Discussion - September 2013

Penultimate blog of the month, so here goes ...

Coronation Street: The show is in a great place at the moment with it's storylines. Hayley's ongoing battle with cancer and her determination to complete a bucket list of things (including getting Roy to drive) has been both touching and amusing in parts. Other great storylines this month has included wrapping up Karl's general plot as he was finally exposed (September seemed to be a month for this in soaps) and David having to deal with the consequences of nearly trying to kill Nick. Overall, a great month for the show.

EastEnders: Not the worst month going but hardly the show at it's best either. Ronnie's return, Peggy's brief appearance and David Wicks showing up to interrupt both Carol and Masood were the highlights because honestly, everything else sucked here. I don't care about Alfie, it's hard to be bothered about Tamwar and Alice and Carl continues to be a rather unconvincing baddie as well. Maybe the critics are reveling a bit too much in taking the show down a notch but it's hard to deny that it's in need of an overall. Various axings and characters returns aren't enough - it's better writing/plotting that is overall needed here.

Emmerdale: I liked this month but mainly Cameron finally being exposed as a murderer and getting his comeuppance and as for Steve being exposed as a creep and having to leave the village after he caused devastation with Bernice, Nicola and Jimmy - good stuff, though I think they could've gotten a bit more mileage with the character. Also the fallout of Rhona's pill addiction and Amy reuniting with her son by deceiving his adopted grandmother had it's moments as well.

Hollyoaks: An okay month here - Will killing Anna, Fraser getting more prominent, the Darren reveal and Browning getting his comeuppance all had their hit and miss moments. The show is still great but there are too many moments where it can feel like whiplash at times, especially given the recent fire set by Freddie and the obvious connection made between Fraser and Clare as well. The Roscoes and the Osbournes did seem to be the dominating families of the month and there has been some good fallout with them as well.

Soap Discussion - August 2013

Coronation Street: A very strong month for this show. Trust David to take his vendetta towards Nick to extreme levels and put his brother in the hospital. It still made for some great drama as did Kylie giving birth during the week as well. Without a doubt the strongest storylines this month along with the bits we got with Hayley's condition and Karl's determination to keep Craig on side as well. Unfortunately we still had the race storyline with Paul and Lloyd, which was a complete dud to watch along with Anna vs. Sally as well. As soap rivalries go, it wasn't an interesting one to watch.

EastEnders: Um, a bit of a hit and miss month. Tyler's speedy exit, Lauren's speedy recovery, the brisk introductions of Jake, Sadie, Tara and Cindy Jr are all well and good but the Max/Kirsty/Carl scenes are enough to put audiences in a coma. Surely, the writers must realise by now that none of us care about these three individuals, right? Even the Janine/Michael/Danny stuff wasn't that particularly riveting this month and the camping trip with Lola, Peter (who had an interesting enough secret), Jay, Abi, Dexter and Cindy Jr has been a little hit and miss as well. At least next month looks more exciting.

Emmerdale: Rhona's addiction to prescription pills has definitely been the better handled compared to soap rivals Nancy Osbourne and Sharon Rickman but the subplot with her and Vanessa did seem a tad tacked on though, right? I'm all for Vanessa's sexuality being confirmed but I don't think I'm alone in wishing it had been done in far less dubious. Still the storyline was more enjoyable than the overextending of Cameron's murdering antics. Come on, show, it's time to expose him as the killer of Carl/Alex/Gennie and now. We've waited long enough at this rate.

Hollyoaks: What a crazy month. Even for this show, the twists kept coming a bit too fast, didn't they? We've had Browning trying and failing to kill both Myra and Cindy, Sienna successfully driving Nancy out of the Dog and into an institution, John Paul's boyfriend being Ste's dad (who also had to kill his mother), Trevor still being a general menace, Sandy bouncing between Dodger and Frazer, I'm surprised the writers haven't burned themselves out. Arguably too much happened this month and some of the plots have worked better than others but either the whole Six Weeks Of Summer has managed to mostly work in the show's favour for the time being.

Soap Discussion - July 2013

Last blog for the month and it's a soap one.

Coronation Street: It's been a mixed month for the show. With dreadful storylines including the badly handled race plotline with Lloyd and Paul and Tracy/Rob vs. Peter/Carla, it's a good job that David's growing vendetta towards Nick and the reveal of Hayley having cancer have been more prominent. The latter storyline is certainly poignant, showing the beginning of the end for easily the best partnership on the show and if watching the storyline is hard now, it's going to be worse as the months progress. I really am going to miss Hayley as a character.

EastEnders: Pretty boring month to be honest. On the plus, both Max and Lauren took themselves off screen and it's nice that Jean has been given a romance as well but aside from Ian scheming against his family, Carl continuing to pile on the pressure and Alfie and Roxy getting engaged, very little of interest happened. The fire at Scarletts seemed unnecessary and the Dexter/Ava/Sam plotlines were pretty boring as well. With the confirmed exit for Lorraine Newman, hopefully the show will get itself back in order and be a bit more interesting over the next few months.

Emmerdale: Oh Gennie - talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, eh? It's amazing that in nine months Cameron has now bumped off three characters but Gennie's death needs to be the one that becomes his undoing and preferably soon as well. As exits go, it was violent but not as violent as some people seem to be making out though. I liked Gennie but the actress wanted a good exit and the show gave her one here. Other than that this month we also had Brenda shaving her head and the hand fasting ritual with her and Bob and of course, Cameron and Debbie sleeping together again. Definitely one of the show's strongest months.

Hollyoaks: A pretty good month as long as you're Browning, Ste, Sinead, Trevor, Nancy/Darren/Sienna or a Roscoe. Other than that, underuse for everyone else but still a good month. Trevor is shaping up to be a better baddie than Browning ever could be and Sienna's tearing apart of Darren and Nancy has been pretty interesting as well to watch. A part of me also feels a bit bad for Ste and Sinead but given that most of their actions are self-inflicted, it's hard to sympathise that much to be honest though. In terms of the gay couples on the show - George and Vincent seem imminent (great storyline with the latter by the way), Esther/Tilly are nice and so are John Paul/Danny at the moment. Also, the sooner Will is uncovered as Texas's killer the better because Ash seems inches away from being bumped off by her psycho boyfriend.

Soap Discussion - June 2013

And it's been an interesting enough months in the main four soaps, hasn't it?

Coronation Street: Mainly it's been about the surrogacy plot gone predictably sour with Tina deciding to keep Izzy and Gary's baby and renaming the boy from Jake to Joe after her father. I'm glad that the show isn't trying to make us side with Tina because while I'm not liking the likes of Anna and Owen making her life a misery, I do think she's in the wrong here over the baby situation. Meanwhile, I'm loving the return of David's evil side even if he seems to be mostly venting rage towards Nick instead of Kylie but perhaps that isn't the worst thing to do. Well, aside from that recently upcoming spoiler but evil David is rather entertaining at the moment. And the plot with Roy beginning to lose it is another masterstroke for the show at the moment.

EastEnders: This has been the most talked about month the show has had in a while. In tonight's episode and after seven years, Tanya Branning/Cross/Jessop will leave the show and Lauren's spiral into alcoholism will play it's part in that. Lauren's been both frustrating and compelling enough to watch over the last fortnight and the arrival of Kirsty's volatile ex-boyfriend Carl and the exposure of her pregnancy lie has added a little to the story as well. Plus we've had the sixth incarnation of Peter Beale, a bizzare snake plot with Dot, Bianca and Alice both charmed by Carl, Michael spilling the beans about Tommy's parentage, Danny's returning and Janine being her usual scheming self and the opening of Scarlett's as well. The only real dull plot has been Sam and Ava to be honest.

Emmerdale: A solid enough month. I'm all for Debbie getting her comeuppances and all that (let's face it, she's been in need of a smackdown for a while now) but not at the advantage of someone like Robbie. That guy is one of the worst characters on the show and it's mystifying that he's still here at this rate. Can't Cameron y'know, just kill him off? I don't think anyone would hold it against him. Other than that, it's been storylines involving Belle being a bitch to her mates and necking dodgy vodka and Katie getting her own back on Declan by shagging Adam.

Hollyoaks: It might not have been a Red Wedding but Mercedes and Browning's special day was always going to be as volatile as those two combined and this month didn't disappoint, did it? I don't quite like the idea of Myra knowing that Browning killed Lynsey (when he wasn't attempting to rape the other Lindsay), mainly because her hammy acting really has become more and more off putting with each episode but I am liking Mercedes/Browning more and more as a couple and they've been one of the better storylines this month along with the reveal of Vincent's backstory, Anna's return (and the consequences it's had for Patrick, Sienna and Will) and Tony's battle with cancer. Better plotlines that Ste's drug dealing and Sinead taking up too much screentime as per usual. Or Sienna's creepy behaviour with the Osbournes. Oh and some nice John Paul/Doug and Esther/Tilly moments this month as well.

Soap Discussion - May 2013

Last blog of the month and it's a soap one, so here goes nothing ...

Coronation Street: Easily the show's strongest month and probably the most discussed soap this week, due to Stella getting the Rovers back and reopened, Karl continuing to get away with murder and of course, Tina finally giving birth to Izzy and Gary's baby with all hell breaking loose over a kiss as well. It's nice to see the show on good form and it's nice that this storyline has been better handled than expected (though we did not need Gary trying it on with Tina for tension with him and Izzy) and it's better viewing than Tracy and Rob's boring attempts to fleece money from Carla as well. Though I will admit as boring Rob/Tracy are as a couple, it's nice to see that Carla isn't the pushover they think she is and I could certainly do with some more drunk Sally, especially when she puts Norris in his place.

EastEnders: Not a brilliant month but probably not as bad as the bashing it's getting in the papers recently though. I guess the stories have been flat though - Lauren's continued downward spiral, Phil finally finding out about Sharon's pill addiction (marginally better done on Hollyoaks and Emmerdale) and dealing with it in his usual style along with a rather dull exit for Ray and the tedium of Kirsty pretending she's pregnant by Max as well as Sam/Ava/Dexter. Okay, thinking on it, it has been rather bad this month after all. Oh well, Janine vs. Michael was sort of fun and at least Lola finally got her baby back as well but at the moment, it does seem like the show is treading water.

Emmerdale: Another soap, another prescription pills addiction with an annoying character in the shape of Rhiona but on the plus side, at least her addiction is making Vanessa a more sympathetic character but that's only a slight thing. Other than that, there's still Debbie's tiresome behaviour to contend with (and will this show just get rid of Robbie already?) as well as Kerry endangering Andy's kids and being a thorn and his and Amy's side as well. Still, it's definitely been an interesting enough month, though how much longer can they stretch out Cameron being a murderer as well?

Hollyoaks: It's been nearly a week since all of the Roscoe lot have rocked up as the new family and I'm not sure if it's early to determine whether or not they'll be a success though. Robbie's been on the show for a month and already it feels like he's been exhausted of storylines with the latest one being his part in the Price Slice robbery but I suppose as a unit, there's potential there with them. It's certainly been a busy month with Will murdering Texas on their wedding day and framing Leanne, Theresa nearly shooting Dodger, Sinead giving birth, Tony concealing his cancer from Diane, Nancy's addiction to prescription pills, Mercedes and Browning scheming again. Basically, it's been pretty eventful. No wonder it's done so well at the last soap awards then.

Soap Discussion - April 2013

Coronation Street: An extremely solid month for the show. I never thought Karl and his worming back into Stella's good books would actually make for interesting TV but surprisingly enough it's managed to so far and that's good because Tommy and Gary's rivalry over Tina and Chesney/Katy/Ryan have been less interesting plotlines to watch as a result.

EastEnders: Does anyone care about Kirsty tricking Max into thinking she's with child? Yeah, didn't think so but on the plus side, at least Janine has return and the rivalry with her and Michael has been more engaging to watch. Also more engaging has been the fallout from Liam's gang activity, even if the actor playing Kane is still dire and Sharon and Jack predictably breaking up was surprisingly entertaining enough too. Bet he won't be happy when he finds out who she's living with now.

Emmerdale: And the award for most improve soap really should go to this one. Last year, most of the stories were enough to bore me rigid but here, things have genuinely gotten more interesting or entertaining such as Brenda's health deteriorating, the growing closeness with Moira and Cain, Debbie nearly getting trigger happy with Chastity and the whole fallout from Charity nearly catching Jai out over Archie's paternity and being blind sighted by Rishi's cover story.

Hollyoaks: So long Jacqui. Aside from John Paul, you were the best of the McQueen lot and I can't help feeling that your rushed exit and this show's insistence on Mercedes being kept means that we've been shortchanged. On the plus side, at least you've one dream even if you didn't get Tony in the end. As for the rest of the month, Will needs to die pretty swiftly instead of Texas, Robbie is annoying and Sinead is surprisingly tolerable, despite her penchant for getting into more lorry related accidents and Patrick truly is a nasty piece of work given his scenes with Anna. The less said about Clare's kidnapping schemes the better though.

Soap Discussion - March 2013

A rundown of some of the month's soap highlights as I might not be able to post tomorrow.

Coronation Street: A solid, even an engaging month both with the fire at the Rovers courtesy of Karl and the impending outcome of the whole Tyrone vs. Kirsty saga in general. 2013 so far has been a solid year for the soap with both of these stories generating the right amount of screen time and while it's looking likely that Kirsty will get her comeuppance, Karl has managed to shape up from a deathly dull character to an interesting villain almost overnight. The only downer of this month was the whole Ryan/Katy/Chesney plot but the less said on that one, the better.

EastEnders: It's been getting criticism in the papers for it's ratings slip and it's increasingly dull plots and this month was certainly not a marked improvement. The gang plot with Liam might remind us how good Patsy Palmer can be when the writers both giving her a storyline but the gang themselves are played by such bad actors, it often makes the entire plot difficult to take serious to be honest. Other stories of non interest including Tanya and Phil going on a date and the writers insistence on stretching the latter's custody of Lola's baby beyond credibility.

Emmerdale: And the award of most moronic henchman of the year goes to Robbie. Let's face it, it's been a year and the writers have struggled to do anything of real interest with him, so having Cameron nearly kill him in last night's episode would've been a godsend had Chas not interrupted him for once. Thankfully there were better plots this month with the fallout of Charity and Declan's one night stand with Jai and Brenda's storyline as well has been handled pretty well. Like it's other ITV stablemate, this show seems to getting it's groove back pretty nicely.

Hollyoaks: Finally, the neverending saga that is Brendan Brady finally came to an end and with it, the swift exits of Cheryl, Walker and Seamus (two of them thankfully being bumped off as well). I know there are some fans who act like Brendan was the saviour of the show but to be honest, I think it will survive well enough without him and the show dragged out his neverending cycle of violence and angst as it was anyways. Besides, they've already drafted in Clare once again (as part of a plot with Browning and Mercedes) and it seems that Patrick is actually a nasty piece of work if his number on poor Anna is something to go by, plus Trudy is also setting Jacqui up for a fall and there's Nancy's addiction to pill as well. Proof that the show can survive without Brendan Brady.

Soap Discussion - February 2013

Last post for the blog and it's a soap one ...

Coronation Street: While the show might have been in the papers for worse reasons this month, at least the quality of the programme seems to be in a decent place. Tyrone and Fiz's plan to run off mightn't have gone to plan but at least the outcome of the former's storyline with Kirsty will reach it's conclusion within the next month. More pressing was the show giving Gail yet another reason to get on her high horse of Nick and Kylie and while Gloria continues to be an unlikeable character, the brief appearance of Timothy West as her ill fated lover, Eric was fairly entertaining. The less said about bratty Faye though the better.

EastEnders: Is Alfie Moon really the sort of fella that two women like Kat and Roxy end up scrapping over? Are any of the men in Walford really worth fighting for? This seems to be a theme this month with Zainab and Ayesha over Masood (and both of them left) and Tanya and Kirsty over Max as well. Maybe I'm missing something here. On a creepier note, I knew Phil's attachment to Lexi would go and take a sinister turn and his attempts to sabotage Lola's attempts of being a mum are stretching my patience. I know this show and realism don't go hand in hand but every once in a while it would be nice if the writers at least attempted it.

Emmerdale: The show is getting better, especially given the Edna and Brenda storylines but it does seem like the writers are struggling a bit with Cain and Moira as a couple and I'm not sure if we really needed to have Charity sleeping with Declan but then again, soaps don't like to have couples actually communicate their problems and come up with solutions to both character's actual marriages to Jai and Katie. Still, it's better than Debbie's continuous obnoxious behaviour or Belle's timely teen rebellion.

Hollyoaks: I know I'm going to be unpopular for saying this but I can't actually wait for Brendan to leave. Although there were times this month where I felt bad for him (Kevin's recent claim being one of them), his stories in general have exhausted and tested my patience and when his relationship with Ste isn't going around in circles, then Walker's scheming and Seamus's skulking around has also continued to bore me. On the plus side, Mitzeee got a decent if rushed exit, the consequences of Esther's bullying saga have been dished out and the Osbournes financial woes haven't been too tiresome to watch and I kind of like John Paul and Doug as mates/friends with benefits. Now can we please find out what happened between Jacqui and Trudy before the former leaves next month?

Soap Discussion - January 2013

Last blog for January but enjoy nonetheless ...

Coronation Street: So it was the wedding from hell with Tyrone and Kirsty. I don't know why but the fact that now the street seem convinced that Tyrone is the abuser in their relationships doesn't seem that shocking. In fact, it's rather unfortunately predictable but it'll only be a matter of time before Kirsty gets her comeuppance though and this storyline (in spite of a needless affair subplot with Tyrone/Fiz) is still the best storyline on the show at the moment. Anything involving Gail's surprising gullibility surrounding Lewis or the bratty Faye just doesn't cut the mustard to be honest. Even the plotline with Sophie and Jenna could be a lot better to be honest.

EastEnders: Well, Dot came back, everyone seems to mostly know about Lauren and Joey, Denise snogged Ray and Ayesha seems to be hot for Masood while Alfie and Roxy are making a go of things despite Kat still being around the Square. Then there's also the Kirsty/Max/Tanya triangle which has been interesting enough and frustrating in equal measures. I actually don't mind Kirsty as a character but I still kind of wish she had been a character brought in who wasn't connected to the Brannings. Speaking of Brannings - how anticlimatic has the (lack of) fallout with Derek's demise been? I never liked the character but I thought killing him off would've made more of an impact. I guess not.

Emmerdale: Not exactly the most exciting of months, was it? Chas seems to be hated by everyone in the village, especially Carl's son who took to stalking her for about a week, Debbie is quickly morphing into her own father with her attitude, Charity and Jai's marital problems aren't exactly making either of them sympathetic and I couldn't be bothered with that whole Alicia/David/Priya triangle either. Overall, a pretty uneventful month for watching the show.

Hollyoaks: I've already covered the bullying plotline with Esther in a previous blog, so you all know that it was the most important plot in this show during this month but there were a few other gripping ones. I'll never like Ste and Brendan as a couple but with the returns of Seamus, Walker and Doug, at least the writers are setting up some interesting plot strands for Brendan's inevitable departure. That being said, I'll be sadder to see Mitzeee go than Brendan, although I've liked their friendship and their scenes together in the last few episodes have been better than Will/Dodger/Texas/Theresa, Bart and Joel's anticlimatic exits and the McQueens plots ranging from financial problems, Mercedes/Browning getting engaged and that embarrassing rubbish when Myra thought she had the 'shadow'.

Hollyoaks Bullying Storyline With Esther

I usually do one soap related blog a month but the current storyline on Hollyoaks with Esther Bloom being relentlessly bullied by her peers (one of whom she has the misfortune to actually live with) has certainly got me wanting to do one extra blog this month.

As viewers saw on Monday's episode on Channel 4 (or Friday, three days beforehand on E4), the bullying finally took it's toll on Esther and she made a suicide attempt, which at first didn't appear to be successful until the final five minutes of the episode where she had to be hospitalised after her overdose on booze and tablets. Now that we've seen the very worst thing to happen to Esther, does that mean things will finally get better?

I can congratulate this show on not really holding back when it comes to Esther's bullying, which for the last few months, courtesy of Sinead and Ruby has resulted in endless online abuse, nasty comments, isolation, some elements of physical assault and even getting the majority of the student body to even go as far as fire bottles of urine at Esther. On a frustrating note though the people who should have been supporting Esther such as her family, friends and teachers have either outright ignored her plight or been conveniently absent in order to further prolong Esther's general misery, resulting in her near suicide attempt, that is now rumoured to have lasting consequences on the character's general health.

Terrific performances from Jazmine Franks as Esther aside, I do think it's time we saw the proper consequences for Sinead and Ruby as well. Hollyoaks sometimes has a tendency to short change fallout for those deserving of it (Mercedes and Dr Browning being recent examples of this) but considering that this bullying storyline is being supported by a charity and that even a suicide attempt hasn't made either Sinead or Ruby (the main instigators of this storyline, along with Maddie, prior to her well deserved demise in November) take stock of their horrible actions, I think it would end up doing the storyline a massive disservice if somehow we don't see the bullies in question punished as well as proper fallout for the support systems that have generally failed Esther over the last few months.

Soap Discussion - December 2012

And here's a look at the events of December in soap land.

Coronation Street: So it wasn't really the soap wedding of the year with Nick and Leanne after all then? I think it's a bit unfair that when they start to be kind of enjoyable, we've got the likes of Peter, Carla, Eva and surprisingly even Kylie all being kind of deterrents in this relationship but then again, it is a soap after all and even this show needed something bigger than the ongoing triangle with Kirsty/Tyrone/Fiz as well or the growing attraction between Sophie and Jenna to contend with for the month.

EastEnders: Ding dong, Derek's dead and boy, in such an anticlimatic manner as well. I was expecting something a lot more dramatic after they spent his last week making sure half the square wanted to drop him from a great height. Christmas in Walford wasn't really that much really - Kat's tedious affair with Derek was revealed, Max seemingly forgot to tell Tanya that he had another wife (Kirsty could be interesting though), Bianca was skint once again and both Shirley and Lauren were their usual unpleasant selves as well. On the plus side, I bet the BBC were happy with the ratings though.

Emmerdale: Okay, another overly Dingle centred month where virtually any sympathy for Debbie and Charity has long been evaporated given the monstrous and entitled manner in which both of them are behaving. On the plus side, while Alex wasn't the most interesting of characters on the show, at least his death will actually facilitate Cameron's even more inevitable downfall.

Hollyoaks: A big month. Let's see - John Paul returned with a secret, Ste ditched Doug for Brendan while the latter's father made an unwelcome visit to Chester as Esther's bullying storyline continued and Jacqui found out about Rhys/Sinead/Cindy while Dodger's other father (Patrick) and sister (Sienna) are two potentially interesting characters and there was some lighthearted banter with Mitzeee and Maxine, which is not enough to make you forget the sheer implausible result in both Mercedes and Browning being back on the street.