Going Back To Class, Ultimate Crossover & Setting Up My Challenges!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog and my first weekly highlights of 2026. Whilst we got a late Christmas present of snow as seen below, I had a slow start to the first full week of the new year, but I still did some good stuff. These included going back to class, watching two serial dramas collide in the ultimate crossover, and making a start on setting up my fundraiser for my challenges for Autism Acceptance Week 2026. So without further ado, here is what I got up to from the week commencing 5th January 2026

Acting Class:

This week I came back to my acting class after 2 weeks off. I made the decision to go online for January due to saving my pennies following Christmas and also to avoid waiting in the cold weather (particularly if things get delayed). It all started with looking at the key principles from a practitioner called Stella Adler. I’ve heard the name come up but never delved into her theories, but so far what I’m getting from it is interesting. Yes it felt like a slow burner to begin with and there is a lot to take in, but like with Meisner, I’m going to stick with it, listen to some videos (one of which I started at the end of the week) and see what key things I can take from it. As I may even surprise myself! 

Content:

Whilst I didn’t record any content this week, I managed to draft out some stuff for Valentine’s Day and also post a vlog that I made before Christmas. This one was linked to the Actors Workshop Nottinghamshire Open House Event to celebrate 15 years of this wonderful community. It was tricky as I had to delete a lot of old footage and auditions (and to be fair most of them I didn’t necessarily need anymore) but I’m glad I got it released and kicking off 2026 on a high. Click the link below to watch the full vlog along with a blog on each stage of the event, from when we first shared ideas, to the day itself.

Vlog: https://youtu.be/D_DWt2km1wg?si=RUre69jvdu871Qsx

Blog: https://www.theautisticactress.com/post/the-actors-workshop-nottingham-15th-anniversary-open-house-event-2025-looking-back-travelling-to-c

Applying for Job:

I'll admit, getting back into the habit of applying/nudging my agent for acting jobs again as not been easy, and because of that, I did miss a few things I wanted to do. However, I learnt not to be too hard on myself, and that only getting a couple in is better than nothing. You know the saying though, getting rid of the good will help make way for the great!

Rehearsing Stuff:

This week I was rehearsing for numerous things. These included scripts to film for my socials for different days coming up, planning out something for a charity close to my heart (which I'll mention in the section "Fundraising", and a showcase like the one I did back in November 2025. I know I have alot to do, but sometimes being busy is better than being quiet. So providing that I take plenty of breaks in between, I know I'll be able to pull them all off.

Coronation Street Part 1: 

This week was a thriller, as it was the week of Corriedale! But not before I caught on on New Year’s Day. We saw Debbie having a pamper day before the wedding, and after talking about Kevin and Carl, Sally stepped in to make peace between the brothers for her sake. But after seeing spoilers, it might change as whilst Debbie and Ronnie get frisky the night before the wedding, Kevin spotted something on Jack's droning project linking to Carl. Elsewhere, David and Shona were reminiscing Christmas, and managed to get through a quick appointment after Shona had a scare. Becky was also threatening Costello when Kit questions him, resulting in setting fire to the house on fire, not realising Betsy was in there too. And despite Roy’s attempts to make contact with Carla, Lisa decided enough was enough. Little does she know what’s really going on… and a passing comment from Summer and concern from Billy resulted in Theo lashing out at Todd (which I skipped due to it being hard to watch after seeing a clip on social media), and when Todd tried to escape, Theo somehow tried to get back in his good books. It did the trick and after getting to the hotel, Theo hid his passport whilst Billy secretly worried about Todd, but lied to to Summer and stated how he’s missing Paul (and I’m sure there’s some truth to that as well). 2nd saw Debbie and Ronnie's wedding taking place, where she definitely had an entrance, featuring Our Dementia Choir and her wonderful vocals. But the drama most certainly did happen after the ceremony. Billy was concerned about Todd after he sees him with bruises following a spilt drink, and seeing footage of Theo abusing Todd. It then prompted Billy begging Todd to leave Theo, realising the danger he’s in. Meanwhile Kevin was adamant on getting revenge on Carl, with Abi revealing Carl's plan, ending in an argument and Abi revealing to James that she knew about the affair, whilst Kevin’s plan to humiliate Carl didn’t go to plan after the video of jacks and Kevin’s dancing is viewed. After a scuffle, Kevin was on the hunt in trying to find the laptop, and when Abi couldn’t find it, she ended up confronting Carl once again where we got to see his true colours. And after Debbie and co talked about her first dance, she was also being confronted by Carl about their mum and it did not end well. Amy was also confiding in Cassie after trying to talk to Tracy about Asha, who was too busy trying to humiliate her. Outside of the wedding, Lisa gave Sarah her engagement ring, who then showed Kit followed by a photo that was photoshopped, which then led to finding a piece of Carla’s hair in Becky's flat, with the results revealing the hair is Carla’s and telling Sarah out of love to stay out of the danger (and she was right to do so). Whilst that was happening, Becky persuaded Lisa to trade phones which didn’t go down well with Betsy. 5th (directed by Duncan Foster), saw a recap of everything that’s happened so far. This one had a more cinematic edge to it, and I quite liked it. It all started with everyone dancing at the wedding, whilst Kit was trying to ask Lauren about Betsy's whereabouts. He then eventually found Carla, adamant that she needed to get checked out whilst she was adamant that they needed to get Lisa. At the wedding, Dev reassured Asha of how long she wanted to stay whilst Tracy mocked Cassie to Steve and Amy, who reveals to be stuck in the bathroom, found by of David and Shona (which had different opinions on not drinking after she found David breaking his promise with Daniel and Ryan, but soon forgave him). But Cassie trying to lamp Tracy was just the start, and whilst Ronnie and Debbie had their first dance. Todd was finally realising the extent of Theo and decided to go with Billy. But the big scope was Abi following Carl, confronting him again, showing how much of a bad guy he really is. But the big drama came whilst Debbie was looking for him, and ended up getting in an car with drunken Carl. That along with everyone getting on the minibus (where Theo somehow gets on with him) and Becky driving and warp speed saw a collision no one saw coming…

Corriedale: 

One of the most talked about moments this week was of course the iconic Corriedale. Boy there was a lot. Noah and Aaron had a proposal to remember, charity and Mack had problems with a baby, and Cain ended up being caught in a crossfire, and then resulted in getting a terrible diagnosis. Kit was also on the hunt for John Sugden, who later on ended up meeting a terrible fate. For the weather field residents, the minibus crease resulted in Theo leaving Billy to die. I knew that Daniel Brocklebank would leave the show at some point, but never did I think it was like this. All I can say is though, well done to Daniel for your brilliant betrayal of the iconic Vicar. At least you’re with Paul now, together forever. I just hope Todd will be brave enough to open up to everyone about Theo’s true nature like he did with Billy. I’m also glad that Becky was finally arrested, and well done to sha for being brave and making sure everyone is okay. But my favourite moment had to be when everyone pulled together to save Lisa, and that I guess is what being a community is all about! I also loved the little heartwarming moments in the hospital. Carla with charity, and Eric and Ken. But overall, a brilliant crossover and definitely one to remember. And congrats to the Godfather of serial drama Duncan Foster for this brilliant project. 

Coronation Street Part 2:

Following the brilliant special that was Corriedale, the 6th saw everyone come to terms with what happened, especially with the loss of Billy. This hit Summer really hard, and Todd knows that he needs to step up for her more than ever. And after confronting Theo about the raw footage, something tells me that his promise to not be violent to him won’t last long. Carla is also still paranoid after recent events, so it may take a while for Swarla to get back to where they were before. Kevin is also on edge, trying to make everyone see that Carl is trying to manipulate Debbie. And I can understand why David is trying to keep a positive front, for Shonas sake, particularly when the baby has to arrive early. 7th David seeing Billy’s memorial, wish was then followed by him and Bernie talking about Billy and explaining how the surgery will go. Shona meanwhile and understandably was both grieving for Billy and stressed about the operation, whilst the woman with the same tattoo was walking through the hospital. There was also an awkward encounter when David found out the person who took his space was the surgeon (who got up early and came into the cafe), but caused an argument when Shona found out he drove when advised not to following his recent seizure in Corriedale. But despite this, David found out the surgery went well and had to do a tracheotomy until they remove the mass. The Platts meanwhile were reflecting on everything that’s happened followed by Vincent talking about his birthday and his plans whilst David met the baby and chatted to it about what’s to come in life. We then saw David apologising to Vincent and updated him about the next steps, and finding out that it was also his birthday as well. David was then updating Shona whilst Vincent comes back to the cafe and chatted to Bernie, still grieving for Billy and explained who he was. David and Shona then got to meet the baby, calling her Harper after the doctor and reflecting on how life can change. It then turned out that the woman in the hospital was in fact Shona's sister. 

Hollyoaks:

This week I watched the New Year’s Eve specials of the iconic show set in Chester, with this week being directed by David Crowley. Mondays episode saw Lucas wanting to make amends with Ste by cooking him lunch. But Dillon was there in time to realise that Lucas was planning to do something after overhearing Dillon during Christmas. This resulted in Dillon getting injured by Lucas, and despite a threat to his own father, Ste finally told the truth about Lucas’ anger. But it all turned south Ayer he found himself on an overdose (whether that was from the food Lucas made or he took d drugs earlier I don’t know) but there’s going to be a lot of questions when James finds him. Darren is also wanting answers from Dodger about his and Frankie’s mission to take down Sully. But Dodger already had enough on his plate, with Donny still in denial about what happened to him (and I knew it’s meant to represent people who have kept their trauma hidden for years, but it’s getting to a point where the truth needs to come out), and that Misbah would have a different outlook if he told the truth. But I wonder what Dodger will do now after Cleo comes back from the hospital? And Diane is still on edge following Tony’s revelation that he knew Mercedes shot him. And revealing the truth to Darren and Nancy caused more arguments. And it then led to Darren’s secret about hiring a hitman to kill tony, and Morgan overhearing that Darren isn’t her biological father. Oh dear… Tuesdays episode saw James coming to Ste’s rescue, but refused help from the paramedics. Thankfully ted was there to help him, making him see that Lucas tried to poison him. And Lucas himself is still on edge. Misbah also made it clear that she doesn’t want Donny, but the truth about Sully is about to come to light when James pays Froggy a visit to tell him the news. And when Froggy confronts Sully, he puts two and two together, working out that not only was James telling the truth, but also found out about what Griff did to Dodger, and what Sully did to Donny. But his life may be in more danger when Froggy has a cardiac arrest. And Darren was able to tell Morgan that he’s her dad, which was the perfect way to put the feud between him and Nancy vs tony and Diane, although Ant, Dee Dee and Ro sneaking out will only make things go back to square 1. And Gemma has got her grip over Warren when she threatens to tell Mercedes what they’ve been up to. Finally, Wednesdays episode saw Diane looking for the teens, where they witnessed Frankie confronting Sully, with Dee Dee revealing that it was her who has been sending messages under the JJ. All I can say is it was a good job Darren was there when Sully showed his violent side with Frankie, and whilst Jack was doing his brilliant Frank Sinatra tribute, I’m also glad that Frankie was able to put everything Dee Dee did behind her for their families sake, but also made the consequences clear if it happens again. Meanwhile, Mercedes and Warren had a heart to heart about why she took the pills and Warren overhearing the conversation with her and Theresa. But just as they thought they were back on track, the revelation of Warren and Gemma changed everything. Donny meanwhile, setting out to confront Sully, found Froggy just in time, and whilst Gemma’s CPR soon saved his life, she also revealed her past to Donny, which sparked a similar pattern to Sully. And on the other side of the village, two people have been kicked out. Lucas was kicked out of Leela's home after Ste revealed everything, and after seeing James and explained why he disappeared all this time (mentioning Romeo in the process), Ste made it clear how he feels about him and how it affected his mental health. Even though James’ arrogance makes him who he was, the conversation about Rex not being boyfriend material like him was not only the right time, but it was also the last straw for Ste. But the big question is… is this definitely the last of James? Hmmm…

Eastenders:

Following the nail biting new year episodes last week, this week saw someone’s mental wellbeing spiraling, a school reunion and a resident unknowingly under the influence whilst putting a loved one in danger. Mondays episode mainly saw Jeans behaviour speaking concern for a few people, and it all started when she did a suspect board, and it then led to her going back to The Vic. There she spotted Jasmine and instantly assumed it was her, who then revealed why she was in the toilet. And it looks like a trip to the doctor didn’t have an impact, and when Kat left to help prove Zoe’s innocence, Jean once again took off. It also sparked concern with Yolande (who was looking aftering Patrick whilst he grieves for Anthony). Elsewhere, Elaine used a different approach to promote Peacock Palace, and I can understand Kathy’s fury when her name gets mentioned. And it looks like it’s the cafe vs peacock palace. Mind you, January is a quite time for businesses, so at least it’ll perk up interest for both of them. Max is also insisting he’s about to change starting with a job interview, and so far Lauren and Oscar weren’t impressed, but Linda is slowly I think starting to believe him. And Phil and Julie visited a care home for Nigel, but then had the challenge of wondering to accept first refusal or not, and with little time. After an emotional chat, they came to a decision. But I wonder if they may have second thoughts when Nigel has another breakdown? Tuesdays episode saw Jean's behaviour still slipping, watching a conspiracy theorist and implementing it with her thoughts on Jasmine, along with thinking that Sam was sent by Jasmine to take away Charli, with Yolande making the right decision on jean not coming over to hers. And just as Oscar is slowly getting back into her good books, a scary encounter prompted Alfie and Eve to make a difficult decision, even though it’s mainly linked to her illness. Meanwhile, Sam is having some of her own problems when after learning of her breast cancer diagnosis, she confided in Alfie about her lumpectomy. And she may need Alfie more, as Nigel and Julie were focusing on Nigel and their disagreement about what’s best for him. With him suggesting a trip to the beach, something tells me it’ll do more harm than good. Harry meanwhile was still wanting to get revenge on Ravi after losing his patience, but Nicola is adamant that she’ll sort him out. And Linda had reservations about going to a school reunion. Johnny and Honey convince her to go and let her hair down, which is just what she might need after some constant interference from Elaine and her worry about Ollie not feeling well. Wednesdays episode saw Linda go to her school reunion. What should’ve been a night to let her hair down following a call from school about Ollie’s behaviour, was in fact quite the opposite. With Honey filling in as one of the past students, the real Bea Pollard came, and had quite the things to say when she talked about Linda’s par behaviour. Meanwhile Julie was planning to sell the family home for Nigel’s care, and Sam tried every tactic in the book to make Phil see that going abroad with Nigel is a bad idea, thinking it’s more for his benefit than Nigel's. But I wonder what will happen when Sam reveals the date of her lumpectomy. Gina also surprised Penny about her and Vinny's passionate kiss on New Year’s Eve. Penny insisted that it was a one off, but we need at least some good news on the square. But romance may be the last thing on Vinny's mind, as he, Priya and Nugget were on the hunt to find Ravi, who was drugged by Nicola and trapped by Harry. And we’ll fine Alfie for getting Jasmine to stay, and let’s hope that someone will stop Jean leaving before she gets hurt. And Thursdays episode saw Alfie catching up with Jean, and opening up about how she felt down since Stacey left, but I do hope the pills will help her calm down and slowly see that Jasmine is not a threat. But at least lily is willing to think about Jasmine helping her out, which is a start. And following the school reunion, a case of the wrong bag caused Bea to get kicked out and stay at Linda’s place. But from the looks of things, it might get interesting. Sam was also pleased that Phil is staying whilst she has the treatment for her cancer, but was still convinced that Julie needs to learn the truth about his plans. And Ravi is suffering from visions following his overdose done by Harry and Nicola. When he started seeing visions of Nasty Nish, he ended up hiring Nugget in the process. So much for Nicola saying that Ravi will not cause any trouble eh? 

Lazarus:

This week I started Harlen Coben's new show on Amazon Prime. Episode 1 saw Dr Joel Lazarus speaking with patient Arlo about god wanting to punish him. It was quite the coincidence when he soon got a call about his dads suicide from his sister whilst having flashbacks of Sutton, their sister. After exploring the house, we then saw him meeting childhood friend Seth McGovern and ex Bella at the bar about his fathers death, which soon followed about Sutton's death. Joel was then seen going to his fathers office and meeting his  patient Cassandra, soon getting roped into her problems, explaining her murderous thoughts of her boyfriend. It then turned out to be a vision, and that Cassandra wasn’t there. Later on, Jenna was talking to Joel about Bella and her boyfriend Paul and child Aidan, and I could tell that Joel still held a torch for her. We then saw Joel meeting his fathers colleague Margot about Cassandra, praising him but looking shifty when he asks about Sutton. He then found Cassandra  Rhodes’ file and set off to find her, only to discover she was murdered and questions Margot with nothing to go off. But his mind was soon elsewhere when Lazarus’ funeral took place whilst having flashbacks of Sutton's funeral, with someone stalking him in the process. He then showed Seth Cassandra’s death and asked for a favour, with police officer Alison sending her condolences and having an awkward encounter with Bella and Paul (but then again an encounter with any ex and a new partner is general is bound to be awkward l). Joel was then seen going to the place of Suttons murder, and seeing a stalker from his past in a flashback which was Sam Olsen, reporting it back to Jenna and praised her hippie theories after asking if people can meet the death. He then soon found Bella's son Aidan and getting to know each other, with a comment making him suspicious. Seth then gave Joel an update on Cassandra and her boyfriend Neil Croft, and talked about Seth meeting Jenna just to lighten the mood. It then ended with Joel following someone who felt like he was being watched, which was the man watching him at the funeral and finding the same book as Arlo and meeting his dead father in a vision of who gave him a warning. Episode 2 picked up where we left off from, getting Joel him in a bad temper and a song giving flashbacks, and then rejected his theory to Jenna about Dr L’s suicide note. After Joel saved Aidan from bullies whilst getting stalked again, Joel confided in Seth about his father and asked him further, who understandably gets annoyed by Joel’s obsession. Joel then decided to take matters into his own hands but saw Cassandra and Neil in a vision in his dads office, with Neil revealing Cassandra’s prostitution and Joel flipping if back if Neil wants control, which she showed her violent side. Asking Jen about an important item whilst she was in a session, he goes to her old apartment after certain things were mentioned. New home owner Adebago showed him to the loft and discovered a body behind it that is Neil. Detective Alison brown was then checking in on Joel and explained to her why he was there. After giving a statement, he was grilled by Seth, but then revealed the truth. But a plan to recreate everything backfired, but he soon came face to face with Johnathan, begging to know who killed him and Sutton, overheard by Seth. Jen was then talking about how the juniper bush helps with reincarnation, but lost his temper, and experienced another flashback followed by Seth wanting to hand in the statue as the murder weapon. We then saw Joel exploring an abandoned house to find her stuffed toys, only to be confronted with Sam Olsen (the stalker), talking about Billy Macintyre from their childhood and how he always feels like the victim, asking Seth for Billy’s number. 

Red Eye:

This week I started watching the second series of the brilliant drama, this time with Martin Compston. It all started when two pilots Patrick Johnson and Paul Edney came crashing down. 18 months later, it saw Delaney making headlines whilst Brody asks about his plan for the new Ambassadors party, with courier David mills coming in with some suspicious looks from a stranger, only to realise that he was drugged. Whilst that was happening, Brody called a meeting to make sure his team did a great job whilst checking in on his colleague. We then saw DI Hana Li training while Jess surprised her for her birthday and told her about her latest article, only to get a call from Simon about the courier. So much for a birthday eh.  Elsewhere, Ruth was telling Delaney that defense secretary Alex Peterson is in the US due to meetings being delayed only for the PM to cancel a meeting. After the call, Hana met Brody, who knew each other before, revealing that he was responsible for nearly killing her instructor but is adamant it’s not a problem. This was whilst examining David and looking at the footage, picking up the cleaner as the target. Hana gave chase when they found his address, only to find the real courier in a life or death situation. On the plane, Delaney was questioning Peterson about why the PM backed Ronald Tillman as ambassador when it wasn’t allowed, and the party took place, with two guests being Craig and Mary Stewart The results of David’s test were revealed to be poison, but Simon and Hana had different views on where to go next. Guest Noel King (who’s item he had held a clue at the end), was talking to Craig and Mary whilst Ronald’s assistant CeCe Redding convinces him to make a fair statement it also be realistic. Hana was wanting to talk to Ronald only to get Brody to do the talking whilst suspecting an air Marshall. Tillman was then giving his speech whilst Brody reveals he was in the army before going to security unit, feeling like protecting people was fulfilling. They didn’t get much sense from Tillman himself, and Hana thought outside of the box, which led to finding the same man she tried to chase to, leading to the ambassador’s office, shooting one of Brody's colleagues Pete McQueen dead. Back at MI5, Megan got an urgent call, with Ruth revealing it’s a bomb threat on Delaney’s plane and revealing the call came from the US embassy. Episode 2 started with recapping what happened that wasn’t caught on camera, with Brody ordering everyone out of the building. Brody and we’re once again Hana having a disagreement on the case, whilst Delaney was still on the plane and explaining to the team the situation, stating that it’s one of many reasons that could be her news campaign. Back at the US Embassy, Roland was praising Noel whilst CeCe demanded that he and the guests to move rooms. Hana was then seen reporting it to Simon, with Simon ordering her to leave the case due to the complication of relationships. We then saw CeCe getting a call whilst Tillman hears from Delaney about the situation, with CeCe confirming it to be true. It then led to Delaney suggesting a lockdown despite some hesitance, followed by calling Hana and begging her to help whilst Fox changed his disguise completely and Brody made her job as RSO clear. Whilst Craig complained about Donaldson, Alex was searching for security footage and specific people in the room. Brody's colleague Agent Lewis found the diplomatic bag but Alex detonating the cameras, which caused a bomb to go off, but thankfully Brody and the team her life.  Hana then decided to go go into the Lincoln suite and looking for the killer, breaking Brody's orders now that the cameras are down, but not before being spotted by the Marshall Johnson. On the plane, Delaney and Peterson were looking for the footage and finding a laptop, with Delaney mentioning that it’s something to deal with after Peterson had a go with Rowan for thinking it was his. Back at the Embassy, Hana discovered that Brody is sober and Johnson thinking he’d recognise him. Peterson was calling for help on the plane whilst Hana spots Alex in his new look but escapes, adding a camera inside Hana's jacket, seeing everything whilst Hana makes it clear to CeCe she was sent by Delaney. At Thames House, the staff sergeant came in to guide Delaney and co through the laptop, reassuring Sarah it’s the only way and made a joke with Alex, only to find the yellow wire on the laptop is linked to the bomb. At the embassy, Brody and Hana had another disagreement about how they managed things, even if he does find it admirable. But they were soon left with another problem after finding Craig dead, with Hana realising it could be Fox. 

Patience:

This week I started watching the second series of the show about the autistic detective! Episode 1 "Vampire", saw A woman finding someone dead, whilst Patience was recapping a number on a box from last series. working out the number whilst nearly getting ran over. The team were then with doctor parsons, noticing the victim Jonathan Starper and Patience noticing something odd followed by a cute encounter with Elliot. The team then gave Baxter the update, whilst DI Frankie Monroe arrived and revealed that Metcalfe has left, with Frankie already mocking Patience. Frankie and Jake were then interviewing Marina Murray (the lady who witnessed the murder), with Patience noticing something off along with a awkward moment with Elliot. Parsons then revealed that Jonathan could be hung from the legs. Patience then revealed some information to the case, with Jake talking about her autism and Will explaining how she helped many cases but Frankie having no notice. But one thing that was definitely hard to watch was Patience getting upset about Bea’s uproot to Glasgow and why it’s good for Alfie (as it’ll help his special needs too), and explaining about Frankie’s attitude to Douglas, expressing her discomfort following the change. Douglas asked Patience about the numbers on the box, changing the subject.  Frankie and Jake were then interviewing horse stable owner Kevin (Chris Gasgyone who played Peter Barlow in Corrie), and at forensics, Patience talked about the blood type RH Null aka golden blood, but was thrown off by Frankie again, which was a hard watch. It then prompted Patience to go back to the scene of the crime and finding a big clue whilst Will and Jake gave a clue to a clinic in St Petersburg with video evidence, interviewing Kevin again and revealing more money is needing to be owed. Patience then stated that the team need to be looking at it on a different angle after purchasing a book only to be berated by Frankie again. But at least she had AA to look forward to, where Billy talked about subtext, thinking back to Elliot’s behaviour around her. We then saw Will going through a blood transfusion patient with the same blood type, but the visit to the father Jimmy Brans didn’t go down well after Frankie ordered Will to do it, after Jake handed Frankie a bank statement whilst Will was following Jimmy Brams, they saw a picture of a company for home transfusions, finding 5L of blood in their home, which led to an interview where they didn’t kill him but explained how the blood was taken. It then led Frankie wanting evidence about Marina Murray whilst Jake was secretly calling patience about it, collecting the packet of chewing gum marina was using earlier and getting a video footage of Kevin beating up Marina, but gets into a meltdown and it ended up Kevin escaping back to the stables. Thankfully Frankie and Jake managed to rescue marina and arrested Kevin, and I must say, Frankie is someone you do not want to mess with. A flashback then revealed that she asked to marry Jonathan and ended up killing him. Soon afterwards, Patience made her plea on why she helped and Jake backing her up, and Frankie made her stance clear. But I liked the ended when Elliot and Patience made their feelings clear, and figuring out a clue from the box her mum left her, whilst also letting Elliot know that they can’t talk in the library. Episode 2: “Music In The Minister”, saw student Vanessa rehearsing whilst her Professor John Grenville criticised her but finds her fellow student Helen dead. Patience meanwhile was overhearing Elliot singing and meeting the band, and getting interrupted about lunch for the murder whilst hiding her unease of gigs. Dr Parsons was originally thinking it was an accident, but Patience was noticing otherwise, with Parsons covering her whilst she makes her escape as Frankie and Jake interview Vanessa whilst seeing the pastoral supervisor Bernie merchant. Patience then asked a band member to listen back to the music and asking for a piece of evidence, but soon got caught by Frankie. However, it seemed to work in her favour as they managed to find something. Jake was then talking about johns bullying history whilst Patience listens back to the music. Outside of the case, whilst Baxtor getting asked by SUMMER FROM HOLLYOAKS about rebranding Yorkshire police, Patience was showing Douglas about the vampire number revealing it could be an old file number and offering to help her. Douglas was then able to show Patience some clues to the old file showing an address in Patience’s handwriting, revealing her dad worked on the case. Back in the case, Frankie was interviewing John, and Jake showing evidence of his behaviour, but John somehow flipped it round with Helen being obsessed with Vanessa. Forensics then came back saying that it’s actually a stroke, but after John died following the organ playing, Patience was retracing the tune and noticing a certain point where it interferes. Against Frankie’s orders, Jake called Patience to help, and she was confiding in him about Elliot, and giving her advice and reassuring her of Patience being there. Dr Parsons was convinced it was a heart attack, but a mark on the piano spots a clue and revealed it to Vanessa whilst Patience may have worked it. Frankie and Jake were looking at the house whilst she finds the music piece and explained how the fermata helps fill the space, and the band member reporting the same information back to Patience, praising her in the process. Now I think even Frankie may admit that Patience was right after seeing it herself, with Patience reporting it back and how a it was one natural death and one murder. But it all turned sound when Patience was getting overstimulated during Elliot’s gig, and hat was quite hard to watch coming from an autistic person myself, as I can get how overwhelming it can be. Whilst Frankie and Jake were interviewing Vanessa, convinced that she wanted to impress John and mentioned student called Theos, Patience found out the venue via the tapes linking to her childhood past. Whilst there, she turned down Elliot, and opened up to Frankie about it and why she thinks she’ll never be the “normal girlfriend” (something which I can relate to as well). But Frankie surprisingly gave her some good advice, which is a starting point for the new partnership. They then soon find Bernie under the name Marie Renton and with Patience reading the transcript, it was also enough and finding out Marie had an accident years ago. It also then led to Vanessa working out that Bernie aka Marie is Theos, who explaining her story but ends up in a life or death situation over stimulating Patience in the process. After she calmed down Patience revealed that Frankie saved the Maria, and revealed she that still missed Bea. But Douglas reassured her that he and the team are on his her, and hinted about Elliot being on her side too. And he was right, and good on Patience for opening up about the real reason why she left the gig, and Elliot stating that he likes her just the way she is, and how understanding he was when she left that night. But my heart melted when he took her to a silent disco, being fully immersed in the environment, and I could see his feelings for her growing even more. 

Personal:

Exercise:

This week I could've done better. I had one round on the exercise bike, but I did plenty of yoga and went to the gym, and even went with someone who gave me some tips and tricks for some of the exercises I do. But to say that it was the first full week back since Christmas, I'm glad I did get my body moving.

Cooking Tea: 

This week I was back to cooking some delicious meals. This time I made a dish where instead of Kimchi I used a different paste where it wasn’t as spicy as I thought. But it was very tasty, and I think my family enjoyed it too. 

Fundraising:

This week I managed to sign up for Autism Acceptance Week 2026. Yes it was only just the JustGiving page, but every step is a win for me, and it's helped me get motivated to once again raise money for the charity that's close to my heart. Now all I need to do is follow the plan on ChatGPT (but I'll tweak it slightly), and then hopefully it'll be a step in the right direction.

Survey:

I only did a small amount of surveys at the end of the week. But one good thing about it was that I reached the stages where I got a reward for completing a certain amount. Going forward, my next goal for at least three months is to sustain doing to least 2-4 surveys twice a week, and see what happens.

Darts:

This week I did two practices of this sport. So far my goal to do a practice leg on each session is paying off, as so far I managed to finish those legs on the double I needed (which were double 11 and double 6 as seen below). Now all I need to do is keep the same momentum next week so that when abit like yoga, it becomes part of my routine without even trying.

The Masked Singer:

This week I started watching the new series of the ultimate guessing game. The first two episodes were a full weekend of guesses, and with a house band with a leading masked singer, with 4 unmaskings in total. I won’t give away who they are incase anyone reading this hasn’t watched the show, but I kind of knew who the first reveal was after seeing spoilers, but for the first time since watching the show, I knew who the other three were without actually guessing them, making this the true experience of the show I’ll never forget. Episode 3 saw a Sports Day Spectacular of the show. They had special guest Freddie Flintoff for the occasion, and I won’t say the name of who’s behind the mask, but let’s say his guess was right. And there were some more awesome performances, with Arctic Fox and Toastie being my favourite. 

Kellie Bright: Autism, School And Families On The edge:

At the end of the week, I watched a very powerful documentary. This focused on getting the right support in place for SEND students, and EastEnders actor Kellie Bright aka Linda Carter, met three families at different stages of getting support. We had 15 year old Buddy who has a passion for music but his mum struggling to find the right place where they can meet Buddy's needs, 6 year old Etta who needs additional support not just for school, but for home life, and 12 year old Carys who had to leave a mainstream school due to burnout. But I loved how Kellie ws with all three of them, making them feel as comfortable as possible for them to talk about their own experience. I won't give away all of it, but lets just say that some of the stats when it comes to applying for a ECHP is shocking. But it's good to see people like Tim Nicholls from The National Autistic Society, and Damien Matthews from The Marvell School in Hull fighting the cause, with one student being 12 year old Riley. It's currently on BBC iPlayer to watch now, and particularly for anyone who has autistic people in their household or work in the educational sector, this is worth a watch.

Squid Game: The Challenge:

I started watching the second season of the reality competition based on the iconic K-Drama that took the world by storm! Episode 1 saw twins Raul and Jacob being put on a mission following a brutal challenge where they volunteered themselves. After the test, the remaining players were separated into teams of 10 to do a pentathlon like in season 2 of the show, and I can look and say that the challenges look harder than they look. Episode 2 saw Kurt’s daughter Zoe making it through the pentathlon, with everyone watching in the process. Soon afterwards, everyone was tasked with voting to eliminate the slowest players, and during the game “Catch”, I hate how player 272 Ryan was singling out player 100 mark during a game preparation which I didn’t like. And during the game, with player NUMBER and 024 having disadvantages, they soon overcame that in the challenge. And player 098 was starting to get on everyone’s nerves, and soon Raul and Jacob were soon making enemies. Episode 3 saw player 100 Mark going out, which I think shocked everyone. During the game, player 390 Dalton being stubborn, devastating 152 Viper and eliminating player 118 Jonti in the process. But between games was where the drama also kicked in. Player 415 Eric was lying to hopefully gain some allies, and player 410 Isiah getting negative energy from player 75 Natalie. She then had the task of eliminating someone, and when it came to played 098, he had a difficult decision to make. 

Challenges I faced & How I Overcame Them:

This weeks challenges included starting to work some extra hours in my day job aka “co-lab” to avoid losing any money. This was not ideal knowing that it’s the job which I would rather not do. However, given the bad weather we’re experiencing and how January is a quiet period, it’s moments like this where the sooner I get them done, the better. And with it being my birthday next month, I definitely need to get them out of the way before then. That and I also had a tumble where I slipped on the ice, but thankfully I wasn't completely injured.

What have I learnt this week? I've learnt that after having a talk on Stella Adler in my class, I will fail at one point, but I'll grow through that failure.

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)