'Heather Trott Should Be Made Queen'

So Emmerdale and EastEnders went head-to-head last night for the first of their Tuesday-night tussles, and in terms of viewers Emmerdale edged ahead. But the victory was hardly resounding. It was a pretty good episode too, with a moving performance from Roxanne Pallett (who’s turned into quite a good little actress) with a genuine shock when Andy was sent to prison. But can the writers come up with great stories to drag out for an hour each week?

Emmerdale has a gift for keeping plot twists secret that EastEnders could learn a lot from. And while in terms of plot, last night’s Enders was a repetitive as ever, there are real signs that it’s on the road to recovery. The new characters are all pretty good: Shirley rocks, Jack and Ronnie have a good Moonlighting thing going on, crazy Rainie’s back and Heather Trott should be made queen. But the storylines are just so repetitive – affairs with your partner’s relatives, deaths that someone else is the Square is responsible for, a vengeful long-lost son plot ripped straight off Neighbours, anything to do with that rubbish car lot.

EastEnders looks great while Emmerdale’s feeling a little tired. Though the Yorkshire soap has more heart, better writing and the ability to surprise, it is in risk of getting a little stale. Hopefully the new producer will be willing to take a few risks and axe some of the cast to make way for a fresh new family. A spring clean is needed if Emmerdale is going to keep winning its war with the Square.