‘The worst storyline of all time!’ rage EastEnders fans as they slam writers for ‘wrecking’ character’s history together
EASTENDERS fans have raged over the ‘worst storyline of all time’ which wrecked two character’s history together.
The BBC soap has a huge following, but it’s safe to say that fans don’t always like the storylines they see on screen.
Over the last few months, Ian Beale’s return to Walford has triggered a memory of one storyline that many EastEnders fans had hoped to forget.
It had all started in 2020, when Sharon’s son Dennis drowned after the river boat sinking which was part of the show’s 35th anniversary.
Sharon held Ian responsible after discovering he had locked Dennis in a room below deck in revenge for his son Bobby, who had been a victim of an Islamophobic attack after Dennis had posted information about him online.
In a bid to get her own revenge, Sharon started poisoning Ian, who had been her friend for decades, having grown up together on Albert Square.
He eventually realised what was happening after she served him a poisoned carbonara, and soon after, he left Walford.
When Ian returned last year, he finally came face to face with Sharon, who said she didn’t want their friendship to be ruined.
He pointed out that she had tried to kill him, but considering he had returned with ex-wife Cindy Beale, Sharon replied: “So did Cindy, but you seemed to find a way to get past that…”
Despite the exchange, the former friends have had little interaction in recent months, and it’s left fans sad and in some cases, mad.
Writing on a soap fan forum, one EastEnders viewer said: “It does feel like Ian and Sharon’s friendship is broken now.”
Another replied: “It was bizarre how Ian suddenly decided in 2020 he’d always fancied her, and that’s before we get to the gross sexual harassment stuff and the poisoned carbonara.
“I always got the impression the poisoning story was originally planned for Mel but they copy and pasted Sharon into it after Tamzin [Outhwaite] quit the show.
“Anyway it was literally the worst EE storyline of all time.”
A fellow viewer agreed, writing: “t was an awful storyline that has wrecked their relationship and [former producer] Jon Sen should hang his head in shame because of it.
“Ian and Sharon grew up together and were always close.”
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Meanwhile another added: “Yes they were close in the 80s as teenagers and I imagine they are meant to have spent a lot of time together as children. After all Den and Pete were best friends as were Angie and Kathy.
“Sharon was always much closer to the Fowlers than the Beales though. Michelle being her best friend, Pauline a surrogate mother to her and Mark a surrogate big brother.
“Sharon and Ian drifted apart in the 90s and 2000s and weren’t close at all, although they did have close family in common (ie Pauline, Mark etc).
“It wasn’t until Sharon returned in 2012 that she and Ian really bonded and became very close. They’d both lost Pauline and Mark by this point and it bonded them. They became as close as brother and sister.”
They concluded: “Its such a shame the 2020 writers completely trashed that though, i don’t think they’ll ever get that back again.”
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.