SOAPS fans have begged the programmes to maintain character continuity for weddings and funerals.
An EastEnders viewer pointed out a glaring absence at the funeral of Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell – played by Samantha Womack and Rita Simons – in 2017.
The sisters departed the BBC soap on New Year’s Day after drowning in a hotel swimming pool.
Their tragic deaths followed Ronnie tying the knot once again with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) after their previous marriage from 2010 to 2012 ended in divorce.
Taking to Reddit, the fan questioned why Christian Clarke (John Partridge), Roxy’s best friend, wasn’t at the funeral.
The brother of Jane Beale (Laurie Brett), Christian took centre stage during his affair with Syed Masood (Marc Elliot) – which was very controversial due to Syed’s religious beliefs and engagement to Amira (Preeya Kalidas).
Yet despite Christian’s close bond with Roxy, he was nowhere to be found during her funeral.
The viewer wrote: “Please for the love of God can the soap stop having funerals and weddings for characters and completely forget about their relatives or friends who have left the soap in the past?
“For example, Christian not attending the R&R funeral which was an absolute disgrace.
“I know that it is almost impossible to get all of the old actors back.
“This is why I believe that they should instead have other characters mention their presence at the wedding/funeral and that us viewers don’t actually get to see them on screen.
“In the case of Christian at the R&R funeral, you could have had a character who was there say ‘Oh Christian just left, should we make our way to the Vic now for drinks?’ or something along those lines.”
EastEnders facts and figures
THE beloved British soap has been captivating audiences for decades.
EastEnders follows the lives of the residents of Walford as they navigate love, loss, family drama, and community struggles.
Here’s the latest on:
- EastEnders spoilers
- New, leaving and returning cast members
- Where is EastEnders filmed and can you visit the set?
- Inside EastEnders abandoned original set
- The history of EastEnders iconic pub The Queen Victoria
- The biggest ever ‘duff duff’ moments
- Longest serving cast members
- Shocking Albert Square serial killers
- The soap’s most iconic episodes
They added: “It just doesn’t make sense when characters who have major relations with a character who is the subject of a wedding or funeral are just absent without a mention, and it is just so easy to add them into the dialogue so that it actually makes sense.”
A fellow viewer highlighted a similar situation with show icons Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement) and Peggy Mitchell (Dame Barbara Windor), writing: “I’ve just finished watching 2012 and it bugged me so much that there was no sight or sound of Peggy at Pat’s funeral.
“The bond those two had was amazing so it’s just not feasible. I’d move heaven and earth to be at the funeral of someone I loved.”
Meanwhile, a third fan made an observation regarding rival soap Coronation Street.
In 2021, the ITV soap bid farewell to businessman Johnny Connor (Richard Hawley).
He died tragically due to hypothermia and drowning after climbing into a sinkhole to save his wife, Jenny (Sally Anne Matthews).
With son Aidan (Shayne Ward) and first wife Louisa dying before him, fans had expected to see daughter Kate (Faye Brookes) return for his funeral.
However, they were to be left disappointed when Kate was nowhere to be seen.
Agreeing with the original post, a fan wrote: “It always irked me. I’m with you. Just get the actor back for one bloody day to film.”
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
Coronation Street airs on ITV and is available on ITVX.