gillian wright

Plus Chucky Venn on Ray Dixon’s “dark side” and David Witts on kissing Hetti Bywater

We’ll start our look at Walford news with a report that fans of the show are unhappy with how bi-polar disorder is portrayed in the character Jean Slater, who’s played by Gillian Wright…

Which comes as something of a surprise since in 2010, the show won an award for the accuracy of its depiction of the mental illness.

However, the Sun reports that around 100 people have complained to the BBC that Jean is being portrayed as “crazy”.

One Twitter fan said, “Seriously disgusted and p****d off at the way EastEnders is portraying Jean as a crazy person when she is just bipolar.”

A spokesman for the show said, “We have received a total of 107 complaints from more than 16 episodes.”

He added, “As every EastEnders viewer will know, this storyline has been running for more than a month with the climax reaching more than eight million viewers.

“This story was never about Jean’s bipolar disorder but about how Michael has manipulated her… Continue reading »

Plus, EastEnders star Gillian Wright says “Jean will fight back,” and Corrie’s Chris wants Leanne and Peter to reunite!

We’ll begin today’s soapy news round up at Hollyoaks, where Emmett Scanlan has revealed that in forthcoming episodes of Hollyoaks Later, his character Brendan Brady is going to a “new level of darkness.”

Of how much more dangerous Brendan’s set to get in Later – which will be back on E4 in the autumn – Emmett said, “It builds very, very nicely throughout all five episodes.

“Come episode four and five it takes the storyline to a new level of darkness and black comedy.

“There’s some very daring stuff, very ballsy stuff that I don’t think has ever been done on Hollyoaks before, so for that reason alone I’m excited as hell.”

Over to Corrie now, where Chris Gascoyne has revealed that he’d like to see his character, Peter Barlow, reuniting with his estranged wife Leanne at some point in the future.

As fans of the show will probably know, Peter is about to give custody of his son Simon to Leanne, after the little boys ends up in hospital after downing a bottle of wine.

You can read about that storyline here, but on to what Chris said, and while speaking to TV Times, he remarked, “I think [Peter and Leanne should get back together]… Continue reading »

Plus, Steve John Shepherd and Gillian Wright on the Michael and Jean storyline

85 year old June Brown, who plays iconic EastEnders character Dot Cotton, is to be the face of a new campaign that’s designed to improve the lives of the elderly.

Airing on BBC1 in the summer, the new show – which is entitled When I’m 65 – is also keen to encourage youngsters to be respectful of Britain’s pensioners.

Of it, June told What’s On TV, “I want to find out why older people are undervalued and ignored and what can be done to change the lives of millions.

“My own belief is that we must try and somehow reconnect the young and old before the gap between them grows so wide that it’s impossible to fix.”

June will be joined on the show by The Apprentice advisors Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford who’ll investigate how pensioners are coping with the recession, which for many has meant they’ve had to come out of retirement to work again.

June is currently on a break from EastEnders, but it’s expected that she’ll return later this year.

In other Walford news, Steve John Shepherd has told Soaplife that Michael Moon’s prepared to do anything to marry Janine, but his motivation isn’t love! Continue reading »