A fictionalised account of London life that may have existed 30 or 40 years ago. Walford in 2017 is largely white in population, like a home counties town not an inner London district. People work locally on low wage jobs whilst living in rented properties that would require top dollar rents. And if you're gay whoopydo you'll find yourself hooked up to what is the only gay in the village. An unrealistic portrayal of London life that's addictive for some

As a former fan of this show, it's rather sad for me to admit that this show has definitely gone downhill with lazier writing.Before, EastEnders use to tackle a variety of things but made sure that it was built up instead of just popping out of nowhere. The cast also seemed more believable at the time and they've always managed to keep their viewers interested and entertained by clever pacing, twists, characters, performances and overall pacing.Unfortunately, even EastEnders cannot stand on it's two feet for that long anymore. It has gotten to be pretty lazy with repetitive affair plots, pregnancy plots etc. For how repetitive the writing can be, it can also make it pretty unrealistic and that applies to he newer cast as well which is a shame because some characters like Vincent are really good.Do I think this show can still improve? It depends on whether they can cook up something fresh or new because otherwise I'd say they need to take a break.

How can people be addicted to this rubbish. It's the same old story lines, just mixed up, repeated and revolved, over and over again. I bet the producers have a list that goes something like this . . . argument, divorce, fight, name calling, awkward moment, bankruptcy, pub standoff, family feud, an affair, a car accident, an unwanted person from the past turning up, a troublemaker, a mafia type guy, a bad boy thing happening, a faulty toaster etc . . . I think that The Sun red-top newspaper lovers or The Daily Sport readers in England would probably argue otherwise - but I would guess that they just cycle through a list of tragedies and film a few weeks in advance, because there is redundant cinematography, dogmatic camera angles and filming techniques, plus just the same old list of tragedies cycling week in, week out, with the odd awkward happy moment being used as contrast between the 10 odd tragedies being thrust at us in blocks. I have been forced to watch Eastenders on many a Christmas meal visiting relatives in England. Everybody sits on the sofa at the time of the airing, where electricity is drawn from France as the show is so popular, then in the meantime I am subjected to what is like reading through the Daily Sport's past year back issues whilst witnessing a kind of public execution in originality and taste. It is torture much more arduous than physical forms of torture. It is like watching a chef making instant noodles and everyone clapping and saying "Yay, what a great meal that was!" If I had to sum this show up in a sentence, I'd say that it is 'predictable Daily Sport (red tabloid shock headline) material translated into video'. It has become a parody of Britain's view on negative events as being somehow more 'realistic' than positive events. Other shows are following suit on the revolving tragedy storyline method, and who can blame them as it works, because there are enough people addicted to drama not to see the monotony in it all, such as coronation street and Emmerdale farm have. Again, who can blame them. But really, can't people see the commercial spin of weaving these same old dramatic situations week in, week out? Or is it just me - is it wrong for me to feel bored watching the 127th affair, or 245th family argument or the 1245th shouting match?

Coarse, vulgar, repetitive, clichéd, unimaginative, tawdry, aggressive, nasty, this feeble excuse for entertainment seeks out the worst aspects of human nature and magnifies them across a community, never contrasting them in any meaningful way with any of the characteristics that make living in human society tolerable, let alone joyous. New writers seem to buy into the milieu immediately (yes that word, I don't apologise for erudition) by recycling plots, adultery, rape, murder, gangsters, family betrayal, sexual abuse, etc. etc. etc. in this supposedly ordinary London square. In the UK they used to call these 'continuing drama serials', but this truly is 'soap' in the American sense, trite observations on supposedly current societal shifts, hypocritical public defences of 'shocking' and 'offensive' material broadcast in the early evening on a public channel, the constant refrain that 'we merely reflect society' as if that is any defence to the constant depiction of ever coarsening human relations. If I make the mistake of being on this channel as the theme music starts up, my mouth dries and my mood sinks as I reach to turn the TV over, or at least change channels! Save yourselves from this opiate for the foolish, run, run fast, run far and keep on running!