EastEnders

Name: EastEnders
Director: Paulette Randall
Genre: Soap, Crime/detective, Drama, Romance
Released: 1985
Cast: Steve McFadden, Perry Fenwick, Rudolph Walker, Scott Maslen, Diane Parish

Save

1985

Soap
Crime/detective

Summary

EastEnders was the brainchild of Julia Smith and Tony Holland, and premiered on BBC One in 1985. Storylines centre on people living and working in the fictional London borough of Walford. The series was originally screened as two half-hour episodes per week. Four episodes have been broadcast each week since August 2001. Within eight months of its launch, it reached number one in the ratings and has remained one of the top-rated programmes on British TV ever since. At the height of its popularity, more than 30 million viewers tuned in on Christmas Day 1986 to see Den Watts hand divorce papers to wife Angie. Large families have always been a strong feature of the long-running soap. The first central family was the Beale and Fowler clan consisting of Pauline Fowler, her husband Arthur, and teenage children Mark and Michelle. Pauline's twin brother Pete Beale, his wife Kathy and their son Ian lived nearby. Lou, Pauline and Pete's domineering mother, resided with Pauline. Strong female characters are central to the programme. Such characters have included Angie Watts, Kathy Mitchell, Sharon Rickman, Pat Evans and Peggy Mitchell. Macho male personalities such as Phil and Grant Mitchell have rubbed shoulders with bad boys including Den Watts and Dennis Rickman and handsome figures such as Simon Wicks and Jamie Mitchell. EastEnders has always featured a culturally diverse cast and never shied away from gritty storylines. For its 25th anniversary in February 2010, a live episode was broadcast where Archie Mitchell's killer was revealed. Ian Beale, played by Adam Woodyatt, is currently the only character to have been in the show from the first episode.

Episode 6370: 02/11/2021

Summary

Having seen Chelsea talking to Gray yesterday, Karen accuses her of being a gold digger. Whitney feels bad for not going to Gray's dad's funeral, while Chelsea barges in to No1 and realises that Gray is overcome with emotion. Billy is flogging items from a house clearance, which catch Stuart's eye, and he realises it's all Vi's belongings. Frankie has her driving test, but she and Nancy continue to argue

Review

David Brown

With its love of dramatic fires and car crashes, Soapland has traditionally been more preoccupied with destruction than preservation. But this week, they’re all uniting to save the planet, with characters appearing in rival shows to highlight the issue of climate change.
So, in tonight’s visit to Albert Square, for instance, Tiff will be seen watching an online viral video that shows Corrie’s Maria taking Tracy down with an impassioned speech about air pollution. It’s a worthy endeavour, but will the fact that many actors move from one soap to another be addressed? Perhaps someone on EastEnders will say, “You seen that Eli at Holby City Hospital? He don’t ’alf look like Kush.”

How to watch

Next showing

There are no live broadcasts scheduled for this show. But it is available via the streaming provider below.

Streaming

BBC iPlayer

Details

Languages

Formats

Colour

Credits

Cast

rolenameKaren TaylorLorraine StanleyChelsea FoxZaraah AbrahamsWhitney DeanShona McGartyGray AtkinsToby-Alexander SmithBilly MitchellPerry FenwickStuart HighwayRicky ChampFrankie LewisRose Ayling-EllisNancy CarterMaddy Hill

Crew

rolenameWriterKevin RundleDirectorIndra BhoseExecutive producerJon Sen

Review

Johnathon Hughes

There’s a break from the norm as EastEnders and Emmerdale both deliver special “‘high-concept” episodes. Yolande and Patrick are rightly bestowed the prestigious gift of an EastEnders two-hander, as she finally admits the truth about her horrific sexual assault. It’s simple, emotional and compelling.

Over in Emmerdale, Tom and Belle throw a dinner party. Viewed from the split perspectives of the guests at the table and the hosts in the kitchen, we see the stark difference between public and private behaviour, as toxic Tom’s subtle coercion of his wife escalates. There’s life in the resilient genre yet.