IAN HYLAND
on last night’s telly
‘‘ Linda’s troubles certainly confirmed one thing: Being Queen Vic landlady is a curse
WEastEnders, BBC1 ★★★ ith its 35th anniversary coming up next month, I guess the writers could claim they are simply paying tribute to a classic EastEnders storyline.
However, some viewers might suggest that current Queen Vic landlady Linda Carter following so closely in the footsteps of our first
Queen Vic landlady Angie Watts is a sign that the BBC’s flagship soap is showing its age.
I know soaps recycle storylines all the time, and that alcoholism is an issue that has been tackled regularly.
This one feels too much of a carbon copy though. Linda even got nicked for drink-driving, just like Angie did back in 1985.
Last night Mick Carter revisited a
conundrum that befuddled not only Angie’s friends and family but also, in later years, Phil Mitchell’s: How do you stop someone drinking when they live and work in a pub?
At this stage it might be worth putting some money on this year ending with Linda faking terminal illness for sympathy and Mick issuing divorce papers behind the bar on Christmas Day.
Linda’s troubles have certainly confirmed one
thing: Being Queen Vic landlady is a curse. Look at the list of names and recall how their lives turned out: Angie, Pat Butcher, Sharon Mitchell, Kat Moon, Sam Mitchell, Chrissie Watts, Peggy Mitchell and Roxy Mitchell.
I’m just glad Martine McCutcheon’s Tiffany was never officially made landlady when Grant was landlord.
I mean, you can only imagine how badly things might have gone for her if she had been.