EastEnders review: Zoe's past resurfaced in a violent showdown
Die Hard with a butter knife
This week’s EastEnders review comes in the wake of a dramatic showdown at The Queen Vic, wherein Zoe Slater‘s murky past resurfaced. This, in turn, had terrifying consequences for Kat, Tommy and the Slater family as they were caught in the crossfire.
After deciding to get answers for themselves, Stacey and Zoe tracked down Greg Dolan, only for him to turn the tables and come looking for revenge. Meanwhile, Jack and Ravi found a solution to all of their problems.
Join us as we take a look back at last week’s EastEnders.
EastEnders review: Zoe was tormented by faces from her past
As the week began, Zoe was released from the hospital, with assurances from the police that her shooting was but a chance accident. The police were correct, of course, but Zoe was convinced that Greg Dolan, the man she’d attacked, had been responsible.
After getting an overenthusiastic welcome home from the Slaters, Zoe took herself to the café where she ran into someone else with a vendetta. Still furious at Zoe for her part in dad Dirty Den’s death, Vicki began screaming and shouting, and the pair had to be separated by Kathy, Zack and Anthony.
Poor Zoe’s day went from bad to worse when she rejoined her family at The Vic. Opening the paper, she was horrified to find that her ordeal had become front page news. She blamed Freddie and Mo, although it’s hard to imagine a world in which a woman’s shooting wouldn’t be front page news, even in fictional London.
After sharing her fears with Stacey, the pair decided to go prod the bear by looking for Greg Dolan themselves. Confirming that Dolan was still alive, Stacey then proceeded to make the situation a hundred times worse by confronting Dolan herself – waving the promise of money in his face before fleeing in the most calamitous way possible.
Naturally, he returned.
EastEnders review: A hostage situation at The Vic
Later that evening, Stacey and Zoe were shocked to find Dolan holding Kat hostage in The Vic. As a terrified Tommy ran to get help, a vicious fight broke out. This scored the soap its best line of the week (just behind Kat’s earlier ‘amoeba’ insult), as Kat whacked Dolan over the head with a cricket bat, exclaiming: “that ain’t a butter knife!” John McClane, eat your heart out.
As the two stories converged again, Jack spotted an opportunity. With Dolan unconscious, he planted the gun.
A gun that, only moments earlier, Ravi had been pointing in Jack’s face. Absurd way of handing over a gun aside, Ravi’d had a change of heart and was ready to put aside his vendetta with Jack. Never mind the fact that the story didn’t really make sense, DS Spencer seemed to buy it.
All of which put an end to both storylines. Still, there’s plenty more demons lurking in Zoe’s past. And with Kat and Stacey now in the know about her twins, more questions to be asked. Namely, when is Max Branning coming back? Will Dolan deny shooting Zoe? And will Zoe finally stop threatening to run away from Walford all the time now?
The Room in the Tower: Inside the BBC adaptation of the classic story, including, cast, location, and plot
This is the Bookish star's eighth ghost mystery for the festive season on the BBC and it's a chilling tale by E.F. Benson.
The Room in the Tower promises to be a gem of the BBC’s Christmas TV line-up. Moreover, it features a fantastic cast, including one of the most popular stars around.
Benson is well known for his satirical Mapp and Lucia series, but he's also famous for his spooky stories.
Mark Gatiss, writer and director, says: "I've always wanted to adapt the great E.F. Benson's ghost stories and this is one of his chilling best. I'm also very grateful to have been able to continue the most Christmassy of Christmas traditions."
Here's everything you need to know about The Room in the Tower, including plot, cast, location and how to watch.
What is the plot of The Room in the Tower on BBC Two?
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Tobias Menzies as Roger (Credit: BBC)[/caption]
The TV version of The Room in the Tower takes us to England in the inter-war years. The book was first published in 1912, so Mark Gatiss has slightly altered the period setting. But beyond that the plot sounds similar to the horror of the book.
The BBC synopsis tells us: "For 15 years, Roger Winstanley has been haunted by an unsettling, recurring dream: an invitation to spend the night in the house of an acquaintance, where an unseen terror lurks and the figures who populate the dream seem to age in real time. Nightmare and waking life seem to finally collide when an invitation to the dreaded 'room in the tower' becomes all too real…"
Meanwhile, talking about why he was keen to adapt the book, Mark says: "I've always wanted to adapt this story as I read it lots as a kid. A recurring dream is such a creepy idea."
Who plays Roger Winstanley in The Room in the Tower?
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Tobias Menzies takes centre stage in the atmospheric story [Credit: BBC][/caption]
Tobias Menzies plays the central character. The original book doesn't name the haunted man, but Mark calls him Roger.
Teasing the start of the story, Tobias says: "Roger is hiding out in a bomb shelter during World War Two. There, Roger confides in a stranger, Verity, that he's long had this recurring dream where he arrives at a big house and is greeted by its owner, Mrs Stone, who always sends him to the same room - the room in the tower."
So, Tobias Menzies is best known for playing Prince Philip in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown. Plus, he starred in Outlander as Frank Randall and the villain Captain Jack Randall.
Who stars as Mrs Stone in the cast?
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Joanna Lumley as Mrs Stone with Tobias Menzies as Roger (Credit: BBC)[/caption]
Dame Joanna Lumley plays Mrs Stone and she is a very sinister sounding character!
Joanna Lumley is one of Britain's most-loved stars. Joanna made her film debut in the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. She's also famous for playing Purdey in The New Avengers, Sapphire in Sapphire & Steel and Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous.
She will also be turning up this Christmas in the Amandaland festive special.
Who else is in the cast of The Room in the Tower?
Among the rest of the cast is Polly Walker. She recently starred alongside Mark Gatiss in his cosy crime drama Bookish.
Also featuring in The Room in The Tower are Nancy Carroll (The Crown; Father Brown) and Ben Mansfield (Endeavour; Sister Boniface Mysteries).
It's a fabulous cast for what promises to be a real Christmas TV treat. "These ghosts stories are wintry and weirdly cosy," says Mark.
The Room in the Tower filming locations
The Room in the Tower takes place in a sinister house, but the exact location is never revealed in the book.
Doubling up for the house is Cobham Hall in Kent. The majority of the filming took place there. The Crown used Cobham Hall in series 5, and the BBC shot its 2005 adaptation of Bleak House starring Gillian Anderson there.
Cobham Hall is an historic house and it's open to the public on certain days of the year.
When is The Room in the Tower on?
The one-off 90-minute drama will air on Christmas Eve on BBC Two at 10pm. If you can't catch the episode on Christmas Eve, it will be also be available on BBC iPlayer.
There's also lots of other great shows on Christmas Eve including a special of All Creatures Great and Small on 5 and a special of The Great British Sewing Bee on BBC One.
But if you're into spooky ghosts stories, then The Room in the Tower is your must watch on Christmas Eve.
Which other ghost stories adapted by Mark Gatiss are on BBC iPlayer?
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Woman of Stone is available to watch now on iPlayer [Credit: BBC][/caption]
Mark Gatiss has adapted seven spooky works previously for the BBC.
Unfortunately, the only one currently available to watch is last year's ghost story, Woman of Stone. It's described as the chilling tale of newlywed Victorians Jack and Laura. Woman of Stone was written by E. Nesbit, who wrote The Railway Children. You need to be quick though as Woman of Stone will leave BBC iPlayer towards the end of December.
Read More: The best shows on over Christmas
