MONDO EXTRAS

Apart from that, Donna was just around in a lot of the scenes -- and stealing the limelight, as is her wont. Brilliant actress, she was so lovely. There's only a couple of points where I still miss her. Towards the end of the second hour, in the pub, Stuart talks to Nathan's mum, Janice - "He thinks you're God," etc. -- that was supposed to be Donna. And it's fine with Janice, but it's such a shame that Donna never spoke a word to Stuart on screen; that scene was invented to redress that. What a combination.

And then, in Dante's, Vince kills himself laughing when Stuart sees a man he fancies but Nathan steps in, snogs the man, and takes him home. Nice moment. But then, they were supposed to see Nathan and the man just walk past Donna, who's been abandoned, and she just stands there with an abandoned look -- just like Stuart has done to Vince a million times. So Vince stops laughing, and Stuart laughs at him. Nice. Never mind!

I think, then, Donna was with Nathan on Canal Street for the climax -- yes, of course she was, cos she was living at Hazel's, I think this is actually why she was living at Hazel's, really, to get everyone in the right place for the ending. So Donna sees Hazel and Bernie race off in the MG to stop Vince at the supermarket, and Donna runs off to school to tell Nathan, and Nathan runs off in pursuit, Donna following. I still hate the fact that, to get Nathan to Canal Street, Alexander phones him up. Why?! Alexander phones Nathan?! Since when were they friends?

But then, for the final Canal Street scenes, I'm fifty/fifty now. I loved Donna being there, cos it sort of spoke for a different future for Canal Street as Stuart hands over the keys, straight and gay mixed. Like Stuart and Vince are old hat, now. "Stick with your friends, and you'll be fine," Vince still says -- there's no bloody friend there! But the point still stands. And then again, the entire series was about those three boys, so I love the fact that now, it's just those three for the crucial moment. That's probably better.

Then, there'd been a few lines dotted throughout, of Donna taking a more political, activist stance than Nathan -- that's why the mysterious, offstage "Youth Group" is mentioned, attending Nathan's birthday party -- that was under Donna's instigation. All of which was just leading up to Donna's final photo caption, "Donna became M.P. for Manchester East." And I bet she did, too.