It's probably sacrilege asking this question on a nostalgia forum. But please everyone, hear me out!
It seems to me these days that a soaps such as Eastenders and Neighbours just keep bringing back former characters instead of bringing in fresh, exciting new characters. Everyone seems to be going crazy over the returns of Chrissy Watts and David Wicks in Eastenders this autumn. I'm sure for most people, seeing a character you are familiar with from years ago might be quite exciting. But I think for me, I find it a bit boring because I'm not very familiar with these characters, especially those who appeared in the show before I was born! Furthermore the fact that I spent most of my life in a country where such shows weren't really broadcast means that I don't have the same connection that a lot of others do.
I've also seen comments on social media from people who feel that some returnees, the lovely Cindy Beale for one, should never have returned, so I know I'm not the only one.
Thoughts please!
I dip in and out of soaps as much as anyone does nowadays. But I must admit it does pique my interest when I hear an old character is making a return to a soap, especially if it's been a very long time since they were last in the soap.
On the whole I think it's better when characters make a short visit back rather than something a lot longer because I often find that they don't always make such a good fit in a current day setting. But that's just my own opinion.
I don't watch soaps the way I did in the past so I don't know if all these returning faces are a good thing or not. Kylie's return to Neighbours was a complete and utter let down. Her fans deserved better and she should feel ashamed of the poor performance she gave. Jason and Guy Pearce on the other hand were far better.
So yeah, it depends.
As Nostalgia Pie's founder, I can tell you that you can ask anything you want to ask - providing you're not being mean. And you're not!
Well as someone who's a bit of an oldie, I enjoy these returns. I was so excited to hear that Chrissie Watts was returning to EastEnders. I even wrote about I hoped that would happen in a post five years ago. I've only just started catching up with EastEnders after having been on holiday and I've just seen Chrissie's reappearance. Obviously she's not the same Chrissie but then after what she's been through she wouldn't be.
It's always nice to hear that former characters are returning but I admit some returns can be disappointing or underwhelming.
I didn't really get to watch the popular soaps on British TV until the late nineties. So a lot of the time when a character returns, I really don't know much about them unlike someone who's been watching these shows since the beginning. So I suppose I'm looking at the character through fresher eyes than most other people and can accept them as they are because I don't know any different. But maybe for people who are more familiar with these characters, they'd be aware of change s and differences more than I am.
I am however looking forward to Chrissie Watts returning. She was a brilliant character so this will be a real treat!
I loved it when Neighbours brought back a whole ton of famous faces for the final week - when we thought it was the final week. The only disappointment I'm sorry to say was Kylie who acted as though she were too good to be there. But for the most part it's great. Many people don't watch soaps today, and I too am not a regular watcher any more. But whenever it's announced that a past character is returning back to the show, even if it's for a little while, that gets us all watching again, which might explain why writers prefer to bring in old characters rather than fresh, young talent as you say.
Take Jenny Bradly in Corrie. Her comeback has been quite a success.
I must say I'm one of those who gets excited when I hear there's an 'oldie' coming back. Hehe! But I have to admit these comebacks don't always work and some of these characters really ought to be left in the past. Bianca Jackson is an example of this. We all thought she was great in 90s Easties. But she doesn't seem to work well now.