It was news to me, but apparently the rumour was confirmed a while ago. EastEnders is to have its very own spin off – called E20 – hosted only on the web. The plan is for the 13 part show to last until January before three of the four characters join the soap proper. Not sure what’s happening to the other one.
DigitalSpy report on the major characters in this forthcoming drama blockbuster here, and the show will revolve around the lives of Mercy, Fatboy, Leon and Zsa Zsa as they attempt to squat in an abandoned flat in the Square – so they’ll presumably bump into the more recognisable locals occasionally.
It’s about time EastEnders had its own spin-off, but I’m not sure this is the right one. Personally, I was hoping for something more along the lines of Pat’s Pets, where the old timer played by Pam St. Clement inherits a functioning domestic animal retail outlet and gets into all kinds of scrapes trying to run it, having poached Patrick from the MiniMart to help her flog her wares.
Or how about Give Us a Butchers! in which Janine and Ricky fight for the custody of the triplets – Butch, Betty and Barney – they never knew their father Frank had sired just before Mike Reid popped his clogs.
Or how about new sitcom I’m Your Man – a late night, saucy giggle-fest in which new mother Heather auditions a number of potential lovers and possible Father Figures for her little lad, George Michael?
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I enjoyed that Frank Butcher spin-off where he was running a hotel at the seaside. It was shit, like, but nice to see Frank doing what he did best all the same.
Da Doo Ron Ron
Samantha Janus features as Ronnie Mitchell in this bitter-sweet tale of a condom-piercing, empty-nest psychopath.
Underneath the Arches
All the dead cast members come back as zombies feasting on the flesh of anyone with a B in their surname.
Chill Winston!
Market-stall holder Winston slowly becomes infuriated through each 22 minute episode of this candid-camera alike show, as fellow cast members disguised with beards put him through his paces and test his patience.
Morning Nappers, Flotsky.
Uable to Join in
because I haven’t watched Easties since the heyday of Ethel and Little Willie.
Good Morning
The Beale Deal
Ian Beale is airlifted in as the surprise new boss of an ailing chain store, tasked with “lighting a fire under the business”.
But that’s all from me – because if the week acquires another Friday, I’ll be in serious trouble.
Sorry – I didn’t mean to start a pitching frenzy. Are we all well?
Also, can anybody tell me if this is supposed to rival the late night Hollyoaks ones?
It’s just some online marketing, Mel… I don’t think it’s even built to last.
Oh yes, I didn’t read the line ”hosted only on the web’
Must Try Harder, sorry Swines.
MORNING!
Wasn’t the nightclub called E20 at one time as well? Back when I used to have to have this tripe on for most of Sunday when I lived with two girls. Tsk.
Second time you’ve apologised to me this week, Mel – and neither was necessary.
*bows*
MORNINHSG
It was indeed, Fourstar. It’s also been called Angie’s Den and is currently known as R&R.
Harry Hill’s Knitted Character’s in the background of The Wright Stuff.
Knitted Charater’s what Nappers?
*runs away*
Idiot.
Nappers – I’m doing a NewsGush on that little character as we speak… something weird is happening.
Eastenders spinoffs would make a good FQ. Mustn’t start to think of any, and definitely shouldn’t tell the wife.
Phil ‘er up
New series. Sexy adventures as Phil Mitchell leaves the pub game to run a petrol station that is situated next door to a branch of Ann Summers.
Damn!
Actually, going back to the article, I have some questions:
Is this web released stuff going to become a way to test new characters in a long-runing soap, in much the same way that a pilot would do for a new programme? In which case, will only the popular ones get in? Does that make it a bit like a cheap talent show, along the lines of How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria, for characters?
Or is this a way to test the popularity of releasing all kinds of programmes onto the internet?
Either way, it sounds a bit like one of those choose your own adventure books, off of the 80s, but for Directors.
I love Phil ‘er Up – maybe should involve dogging though.
Mel – I think it’s purely marketing really, trying to create a buzz. No doubt the trailers will be Bebo embeddable and all over mystonedeadspace.
But you could be right. At least this way we wouldn’t ever have been subject to that Ferrari family they shoehorned in to the Square years ago.
It sounds like a lot of bluesky thinking with regards to new media and how it can enable the mainstream delivery of the product to the audience.
Why not have a radio spin off eh…eh? It would just be a lot of screaming.
Frank Butcher hosts a childrens programme where the little sods have to choose the correct answer to a question by leaping to the correct spot in the studio. Call it….Leap Around or something…
Good morning one and all.
I’m still alive, good eh?
Mercy, Fatboy, Leon and Zsa Zsa sound like characters from Battle Of The Planets.
Or a graphic novel spinoff..or a weekly comic for themes not explored on the TV!
DINLT – I would definitely tune in to Eastenders on the radio. If for nothing else than the fight scenes, which would be hilarious
*remembers comedy fight between Kenton and conman/ theif that was sponsored for GA by Alistair*
Why might you have been dead Nick?
Runaround Nick..you buffoon..is your radio show up on one of your websites yet?
No, tonight DINLT. I’ll have to put it on my blog as Mrs Nick is on a business trip, or so she says….
I fell asleep on the way home last night Mel. Unfortunately, I was driving on the M3 at the time. Woke up, slammed on brakes, big skid, adrenaline rush like you wouldn’t believe but no harm done. Haven’t done that since I was a 20 year old …
Spooning eh?
Jesus, Nick. You want to watch out for that.
Glad you are ok then.
Good Morning. I thought Mercy, Fatboy, Leon and Zsa Zsa were the names of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
Mad Max Branning
In a post-apocalyptic Walford, one hero emerges to lead the scarred mutants to a new home. Preyed upon by biker gangs, tortured by their own radiation-induced deformities, they look to one man for leadership…Mad Max Branning.
OK, I’m done now, I promise.
Christ nick, that sounds like it was a close one, glad you are ok.
Jesus, Nick – you need to be more careful. If you die at the wheel we’ll be missing the essential musical component of the WWM podcast. Do you want the fans to go hungry??
Am I the only one finding it hard to reconcile the idea of a web series with Eastenders? It’s not exactly a show that has embraced all the trappings of modern technology. I think I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of characters that have been seen using a computer.
Speaking of technology, what happened to the BBC last night? They go to all the trouble of making fake bottles of beer, rum etc (because they don’t want to advertise) and then Ben comes down the stairs carrying a mobile phone with a very noticeable LG logo on it!
I feel like I’ve been given a second chance.
Drinks lunchtime to celebrate, I’ll drive….
Sorry, mobile phone *box*, not the mobile itself.
I’ll second that, Nick. It’d be nice if you could refrain from breaking your neck while we work on these songs.
Your behaviour’s bordering on selfish, quite frankly.
Anyone watch Paradox? If you didn’t, lucky, lucky you.
Last time I did that was driving back from a David Bowie concert in Milton Keynes Bowl 1984, so every 26 years…
The review in this morning’s otherwise dreadful METRO was ace:
“Paradox would love to be FlashForward but it’s really The Bill set in a branch of PC World.”
Is that the one with Tamsin Outhwaite in NC?
In which case, no, even the trailers looked shit.
Superb, Fourstar.
It contained the most intense Scotch performances I’ve seen since the lead shouting regional policeman in Holby Blue. Hopefully next week the two Scotch leads will have an intense Scotch-off. The one who comes off as less intensely Scotch will either burst into flames or turn into a Welshman.
On a separate subject, Potsie from Happy Days used to make my flesh creep.
Why’s that Nappers?
II had to google him, but he looks fairly innocuous
Ralph Malph (?) was the worst of the Happy Days offenders. Definitely a sex pest.
Happy Days lost it when the audience would cheer when a character would make their first appearance in the episode.
Agreed on the Malph….errrrrr
Once Arnold left…it was the beginning of the slide.
Happy Days lost it when it jumped the shark – FACT.
CONCLUSIVE PROOF
Ralph wasn’t half as bad as Potsie. Potsie always struck me as the sort of character who would a.) steal your missus and b.) swindle you out of your savings.
He always came across like butter wouldn’t melt, but underneath you could tell he was a bit of a slippery customer.
They had a band didn’t they? They would always perform Splish Splash….
Also the potential date and “making out” with Laura Beth would signal a chorus “I’ve found my thrill….”
“Joni loves Chachi” don’t make em like that anymore, thank christ
Laverne and Shirl was a spinoff weren’t it?
***googles
They were but I never remembered them from Happy Days
Potsie was alright, but that Mr Cunningham was a bad ‘un. Behind closed doors, he was a holy terror. It’s established fact* that they based Trevor on Eastenders off him. They even filmed the episode of Happy Days where Mrs C lamped him with the steam iron, but it never got aired.
*By which I mean, of course, not established fact at all, but just conjecture on my part.
Laverne & Shirley was a spinoff, as was Mork & Mindy. That said, Happy Days itself was a spinoff.
Mr Cunningham went on to appear in Charlies Angels…
Someone went to all the trouble of working out that if the final episode of “St. Elsewhere” revealed the show to be the imagination of an autistic child, then all other shows connected to it must also be that same child’s imagination. Turned into quite a complicated list, when they got to the end of it.
FawnDoo, I would look at that list, but I value my sanity – or ’sania’, to quote latterday philsopher Petre Andreus
I think that the big diagram is pretty impressive, but I agree that the list (and some of the convoluted reasoning behind it) could possibly cause a headache if looked at too long. Never much liked Andreus, more of a Socratie Price fan myself.