Who is switching off???

[owenlee4me]

[COLAOR="navy"]

According to Virgin Media, fans are leaving "Enders" in droves and are wondering why?
could it be, to many young people are in it and that really its housewives who watch it and they don't want to see drunken, tantrum nasty, bad kids (Lauren and Lucy, Ben spring to mind) when the day is over and it's time to switch on, please try to think of the ADULTS in the real world!

Think perhaps the question has to be asked who are the real viewerss?
Kids/Teens? families? women? men!!!
Find out who the real viewers are, then work out what is happening in the real world, so that the viewers can relate to it.
Whilst some of the story lines are in touch with reality, some are just to stupid for words.[/COLOR]

[Dazzle]

I've recently stopped watching EE for all the reasons you list, and just the fact that it was becoming more and more cringeworthy (in my opinion). The last straw for me was Michael's bullying of Jean - yet again, a vulnerable woman is targeted - and I switched off in disgust. I've read that currently Derek is bullying Lucy. She's not a favourite character of mine, by any means, but I don't find such scenes enjoyable to watch.

EE seems to me to be filled with Hollyoaks-type teenage "drama" (yawn), bullying men and screeching women. I realised that I've been watching for a while now out of habit, not enjoyment, and I haven't missed it at all since switching off. News of Kat's upcoming affair is another reason why I won't be turning on any time soon.

There are some really good actors in EE, but they aren't well served by appalling storylines. I may give it a whirl again when Sharon's scenes are aired, but I'm not holding my breath that I'll enjoy it.

Phew! That was the longest post I've written for a long time!

[owenlee4me]

HI DAzzle

Oh so relieved i'm not the only one who thinks this way, and yes you hit it on the head, with Hollyoaks-type teenage dramas, seems that is where EE has gone but is not what viewers want, yep time to think more of the "adult" viewers, after all it's us "adults" who would like to sit and enjoy some QUALITY tv, watching more and more and more young people who are so boring is not what I want to watch, yep yawn yawn!!

[Brucie]

You hit the nail right on the head Dazzle! Too many annoying and truly horrible teenagers - presumably because teenage viewers are the ones who text their votes for Eastenders to win awards they should never be close to winning. The bullying of the vulnerable has been an ongoing flaw in Eastenders, and Michael's bullying of Jean is, as you say, disgusting - a very lazy storyline. Write some adult storylines, not pathetic scripts where teenage lads propose to girls who look no more than 12 years old, and people might start watching again. One or two positive role models wouldn't go amiss either!

[sarah c]

I used to watch all of the big 3 but now I find the EE slot the time I go off and load the dishwasher and generally do all the bits I cant do because I cant miss Emmerdale or Corrie?

[Dazzle]

One or two positive role models wouldn't go amiss either!

Absolutely. And more likeable characters - the only truly nice person I can think of off the top of my head is Abi.

I find Corrie so much more watchable because I enjoy spending time with many of the characters.

[owenlee4me]

Lets have a massive wipe out story to get rid of these kids most of whom have no family that they live with, and are not really true to life, just so many strays, who arrive on Walford but never with their parents or real family?
Lets have a Good storyiline, say, a Disco explosiion blow up these teenage "strops" (Whitney, Lauren, Lola, Ben, dour Liam, precoscious Tiff.
guess thats most of the kids!!, but maybe leave a couple of bearable kids/young people, like Abi, Fat Boy and perhaps bring back Peter Beal he was "normal" and start afresh with some "normal" kids, I don't know anywhere that there are so many hopeless kids in one area!:p

Masood is a canny geezer, tries hard with his family and is welll liked :cheer:, and yea Abi is ok, if a bit wet:p and hate to say it, i quite like Janine, nice change to have a woman baddie thats not reallly evil,
Hmmm finding it hard to actually find many that i like:searchme:

[sarah c]

but maybe leave a couple of bearable kids/young people, like Abi,!:p

, i quite like Janine, nice change to have a woman baddie thats not reallly evil,
:

hmmmmm.

I remember Abi being a bit of a cow to Lauren though a while back? always stirring and dropping Lauren in it with a sanctimonious look on her face...

and Janine not evil...!! watching your husband die on a hillside whilst you sit and do nothing is fairly rotten?

[owenlee4me]

welll you may have a point, so does that make Zainab evil for letting Yusef go into a burning house? sometimes we do things that maybe we regret? did Janine know he was going to die? and Janine does have a soft side (thinking of Pat) Poor Janine, so needs counciiling and as for Abi, well, siblings do these awful things, and Lauren would drive an angel to dispair!

[Rain_]

I thought i'd stopped watching it because of my work hours (start at 11am and finish around 9pm) but even though I have the option of catch up or tivo, I'm finding myself not bothering because of the reasons mentioned above. I'm sad to say after many years...I don't miss it!! I'm more nissed off that my casualty is being interupted by the football!!!

[alan45]

I stopped watching it years ago. What for me used to be unmissable TV became unwatchable TV. They dumbed it down toaster for the tweenies and started employing people for their supposed good looks rather than any perceived acting ability. Then of course the dopey names the tweenies invented such as Shannis and Kalfie didn't help. Ridiculous storylines like the resurrection of Den Watts really superstar lengths the luvvies were prepared to go to. Bringing in Barbara Windsor as the panto dame just killed it. She thought Albert Square revolved round her and her huge mammarys.


Rant over

[Glen1]

Totally agree,,prime time viewing it ain't, for all your reasons . But heaven help me I still continue to watch it ,even record it if we're away on hols. I too worked shifts, earlies ,lates,nights still recorded it. Must need some de-tox treatment. I think for me is the false hope it can only improve of course it doesn't. Some of it akin to a ponced up version of The Jeremy Kyle Show . For me too many of these bullying storylines which are getting too much for family viewing .Needs more humour but as Parkerman once said you need really good actors to do humour , there are a few in EE that are capable imo. Maybe the Beeb need to consider pulling the plug,and introduce a new prog and get it back to realistic characters ,storylines and please some humour.

[parkerman]

did Janine know he was going to die?
Yes.

Just to give my take on this... Like, Glen I still watch Eastenders mostly so I can take part in these discussions! But I don't look forward to it any more like I used to many years ago. Although Coronation Street has its daft moments and its poor characters and actors, as a whole I find it much better written than Eastenders with more (well done) humour and some believable storylines. If I've been out and recorded the programmes I always go to Coronation Street first and then Eastenders, because I can then happily fall asleep if I've had a long day. I think another of the problems in Eastenders is they bring in some good characters and then completely ruin them. I think the Masood family fall into that category. They were good honest decent people when they came in with some humorous material, but they then made them bigots, wrecked Mas and Zainab's marriage and turned Tam into a quite unpleasant character. They need a complete rethink about the way they write their scripts and the stories they produce. So, I haven't quite turned off altogether yet, but it might not be long...