Yes, I was only 7 (was just about to turn 8 though) at the time and I quite enjoyed it! I can also remember me and my Dad being on the dogems at Pontefract fair and doing our own version of this storyline (involving chasing after others and then bumping into them of course!)
Grant Mitchell
Phil Mitchell
Sam Mitchell
Peggy Mitchell
Den Watts
Chrissie Watts
Sharon Watts
Chrissie Watts
Johnny Allen
Janine Butcher
Jake Moon
Stacey Slater
Kat Slater
Zoe Slater
Andy Hunter
The cast by this point was stand out and the story was so intertwining and I have to say I loved it. My only gripe is how Phil managed to not get killed off when messing with a so called gangster is ridiculous.
I thought 2006 was a really bad year for the show and the first few months felt really depressing after Dennis' death. Loads of big names quit in 2005 so in a very short space of time Kat, Alfie, Zoe, Sharon, Den, Dennis, Sam, Chrissie and others all left, but it was nice having Phil, Grant and Peggy back. Get Johnny Week was awesome, a real highlight during a difficult year. The aftermath was great too with Phil and Grant trying to help Jake Moon overcome his grief and guilt over Danny's death. At the time it seemed to get mixed reviews but I think it's looked back on a lot more fondly now and YouTube comments all say how great the show was back then compared to now. I wish the show would do something big and exciting like that again.
I quite enjoyed it, and it has been far better than many storylines since then, and I preferred watching Phil in-particular feud against Johnny Allen, than against Derek Branning, Carl White etc.
I enjoyed the 'return of the Mitchell brothers' in October-November 2005 (I think it was for around 3 weeks), although by 2006 the quality including when Grant returned again that year the quality was tailing off.
I do think that Johnny was a better character before the Mitchell brothers came back though. When the 'rivalry' started in late November, it was obvious that the Mitchells would ultimately prevail, and Johnny became less menacing. In terms of logistics, we knew that Nigel Harman was leaving while Steve McFadden was sticking around. Plot-wise it didn't make any sense that Johnny wanted Dennis dead and not Phil (before Dennis beat him up), given that Phil had paid someone to string Ruby along.
2006 got off to a rocky start because we had effectively just lost the entire central cast. I've always said that I regard Sharon's 2006 exit as the end of "Classic EastEnders" and I stand by that. We had also lost Chrissie, Dennis, Kat, Alfie, Johnny and Sam within a matter of weeks. As well as the pointless off screen death of Kathy Beale in Feb 06 - on the show's 21st anniversary no less.
It was a relatively weak year overall, however Get Johnny Week was one of the few highlights. I liked Johnny Allen and felt the show never used him to his full potential. Once the Mitchells returned to the Square, there was simply no room for another tough guy on their patch. Killing him off was also very short-sighted; with Ruby back in the show, Johnny could have returned as a nemesis for Phil and Sharon.
I wasn't a fan of Get Johnny Week as such, but I did like the aftermath with Jake's guilt over killing his brother. He was a great character they could have done so much more with in my opinion.
2006 was a transitional year - focusing largely on establishing newer characters such as the Brannings, Wicks' and Foxes - and I'd agree that it felt like the beginning of a new era for EE that really kicked into life the following year. It was also the year they completely trashed Pauline's character once and for all and for that alone I can never look back at that time particularly fondly.
I did think it was strange that such a big and long-standing gangster like Johnny only seemed to be able to call open the Moon brothers and that one guy who he sent after Peggy, while Jack Dalton on the other hand had a huge number heavies against his disposal.
The way he killed Andy Hunter so quickly and ruthlessly was great. Not retaliating after Phil paid Juley to string Ruby along was weak though, but Phil’s plot armour can always be a big issue.
Comments
Grant Mitchell
Phil Mitchell
Sam Mitchell
Peggy Mitchell
Den Watts
Chrissie Watts
Sharon Watts
Chrissie Watts
Johnny Allen
Janine Butcher
Jake Moon
Stacey Slater
Kat Slater
Zoe Slater
Andy Hunter
The cast by this point was stand out and the story was so intertwining and I have to say I loved it. My only gripe is how Phil managed to not get killed off when messing with a so called gangster is ridiculous.
I enjoyed the 'return of the Mitchell brothers' in October-November 2005 (I think it was for around 3 weeks), although by 2006 the quality including when Grant returned again that year the quality was tailing off.
I do think that Johnny was a better character before the Mitchell brothers came back though. When the 'rivalry' started in late November, it was obvious that the Mitchells would ultimately prevail, and Johnny became less menacing. In terms of logistics, we knew that Nigel Harman was leaving while Steve McFadden was sticking around. Plot-wise it didn't make any sense that Johnny wanted Dennis dead and not Phil (before Dennis beat him up), given that Phil had paid someone to string Ruby along.
It was a relatively weak year overall, however Get Johnny Week was one of the few highlights. I liked Johnny Allen and felt the show never used him to his full potential. Once the Mitchells returned to the Square, there was simply no room for another tough guy on their patch. Killing him off was also very short-sighted; with Ruby back in the show, Johnny could have returned as a nemesis for Phil and Sharon.
2006 was a transitional year - focusing largely on establishing newer characters such as the Brannings, Wicks' and Foxes - and I'd agree that it felt like the beginning of a new era for EE that really kicked into life the following year. It was also the year they completely trashed Pauline's character once and for all and for that alone I can never look back at that time particularly fondly.
The way he killed Andy Hunter so quickly and ruthlessly was great. Not retaliating after Phil paid Juley to string Ruby along was weak though, but Phil’s plot armour can always be a big issue.