Racy Stacey went for bust

CHANNEL HOPPING:

SO it was Stacey what dunnit, Bradley who snuffed it . . . and “EastEnders” that cracked it . . . finally, after 25 years, with that stunning live show which, as it turned out, was well worth all the hype.

Office sweepstakes, straw polls and gut feelings finally bit the dust when the who-banged-Archie-on-his-bonce-with-the-Queen-Vic-bust plot was revealed in a history-making half-hour on Friday.

Some compelling performances from Lacey Turner as Stace, Charlie Clements (Bradders), Jake Wood (Max) and Scott Maslen (Jack) ensured British TV’s best-kept secret stayed that way right up until the very last minute. Even the murderer herself didn’t know until the duff-duffs.

Save for some shaky camera work towards the end, it pretty much went without a glitch and will go down in Albert Square folklore. Pure theatre.



SPEAKING of theatre, “Popstar to Operastar” — the final — followed Enders a bit later over on ITV — and was left sadly flailing in Walford’s wake. Glasgow’s King Darius took the crown. He certainly warbled his way from the Gorbals, but when all he had for competition was Bernie Nolan, the odds were always stacked in the “Pop Idol” failure’s favour.


FOLLOWING “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?”, “Any Dream Will Do” and “I’d Do Anything”, “Over The Rainbow” is coming soon to the BBC. This is Andrew Lloyd Webber and Graham Norton’s search for the next Dorothy. Wouldn’t have thought they needed to look that far from home.


Soap roar: “EastEnders” live may have gone without a glitch, but there was a hitch. Two in fact — the night earlier. It was tie-the-knot-time-again for Bianca and Rickaay and the soon-to-be-late Bradley and Stacey. But the returning Natalie Cassidy as bridesmaid Sonia was right all along when she said to little Tiff: “Cor, you look gorgeous — all the boys will be looking at you and not me.”


Soap bore: Jesse’s big win on the gee-gees in “Coronation Street”. Or, when soap writers run out of storylines. “I’m scared to touch it, in case it dissolves in front of my very eyes.” He was talking about the huge wad of cash, not Eileen.