EastEnders is a Uk based soap that exploded on the air in February 1985. The show was created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland and is about the people of Walford East London who live on Albert Square.

 

What I find so intriguing about EastEnders is their capacity to make their viewers jaws drop one moment , then they make you cry  or make you laugh the next.

 

EastEnders came into my radar in 2005 , I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but when I started watching full stop I began to embrace the crazy people of Walford.  The core families that were on the show when I first started watching were the Slaters, The Beales, The Mitchells, The Truemans, and the Fowlers along with the Brannings and the Watts.

 

The storylines much like Coronation Street centre around the Walford commumity and the families on the show, but since I started watching I`ve seen some storylines, which were shocking at best and tear worthy.

 

Kat Slater`s reveal to Zoe that she was her mum not her sister is one that always sticks out in my mind, the accident at the fair where the ferris wheel broke and several people were injured including Ian and Peter Beale, the killing of Dennis Rickman, Laura Beale`s breaking her neck falling down the stairs, the killing of Barry Evans at the hands of Janine Butcher, and Dirty Den Watts being murdered by his wife Chrissie.

 

I think the saddest storyline was when Ronnie Mitchell found out her baby girl that she gave up didn`t die was actually the young girl Danielle who was trying so hard to get her to pay attention to her . On the very night  Ronnie found out the truth  Danielle  was killed by Janine Butcher who hit her with her car and most recently in the episodes airing in Canada the death of Archie Mitchell.

 

EastEnders focuses on not just the teens and their parents but its a show that has the vetrans of the show front and centre on a daily basis, the older generation can be seen puttering around their kitchens, having a bit of a gossip with their friends and families, doting on their grandkids, having the occasional fight with the neighbours and going to the pub to unwind, but the things that stick out in my mind are the times the oldsters on the show strike out at the younger ones telling them what's what and giving them a slap across the face for good measure

 

 The deaths of  Pauline Fowler ( Wendy Richard) and Pat Evans  (Pam St Clemnets) are just two of the oldsters who have died over the years on  the show , these women were my favourites out of the older women on the show because they didn't take any crap from anyone. And most recently in 2010 we saw Peggy Mitchell ( Barbara Windsort )leave the show leaving her family behind for parts uknown. I really wish that Peggy would return to the show , she was funny, and mean all at the same time and she was a breath of fresh air.

 

EastEnders also has centred around the minorities of the show  in the shape of  Patrick Trueman a Trinadadian, dashing older man with smooth moves and a gentles nature, he likes to flirt with the ladies drink a little and he has a kind heart towards those he cares about.

 

And the Masood's a muselim family who practice their muselim faith and it has been shown on screen, which I find fantastic, they even had Nitin Ganatra who plays Masood Ahmed speak in his native tongue. 

 

EastEnders paying attention to the muselim community for me was a respectuful thing and made those of us who knew nothing learn a bit more about the faith of the people in the muselim community.

 

For me though my favourite families on the show are the ones that are the most dysfunctional ones of the lot. The Mitchell`s have their one spin on taking care of your own , and that means belittling and making fun of each other, but at the end of the day they stick by each other. 

 

The Slaters are the same way except that being a tart runs in the family , the slater girls are known for their promiscious ways particularly Kat and Stacey,  Stacey's and her mum Jeans's bipolar episodes  coupled with the girls  bad behaviour leaves Kat`s father who is also Stacey`s uncle pulling the hair out of his head, poor Charlie also has his mother in law to contend with whose always running scams and selling stuff that fell of the back of a truck.

 

The Brannings are just as bad , Max Branning has cheated on his wife Tanya more than once and with  Stacey Slater no less who married his son. Jack Branning Max's brother is no better he has slept with  Ronnie , Roxy and their cousin Sam and that makes him look like a complete and utter scum bag. Plus you have  Derek Branning their older brother who is a thug and apparently he's proud of of it, he doesn't have an ounce of compassion or  empathy for anyone. Their sisters Susie and  Carol on the other hand are terrible as well Susie stole money off the Mitchells and  Carol was a horrible mother to her kids, poor Bianca doesn't deserve a mother who makes a fool of herself at every turn and whom treats her like crap.

 

In my eyes they are funny to watch because lets face it , can any of us say we ACTUALLY  know people like this? I mean come on seriously, families fight and argue at the best of times but the Mitchells Brannings  and Slaters solve their problems by making vile , nasty comments to each other and others and think throwing a punch will solve all your problems which it doesn't in the long run , it just makes you look like a bully.

 

For me EastEnders is a little piece of heaven when I settle down to watch it every night, it makes me laugh when stupid things happen, makes me cry bucket loads when something sad happens and makes me angry when the characters do or say things that are so inappropriate it makes you want to reach through

 the tv and slap them.

 

With that being said  I'm an EastEnders fan for life baby and I don't care who knows it