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Think you know EastEnders? These 15 facts will surprise even die-hard fans
You might learn something new!
BBC/Radio Times/Getty Images
- Michael Adams
Published: Thursday, 2 July 2026 at 7:00 am
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Having been on our screens for over 40 years, the EastEnders lore is fairly vast and complicated.
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The BBC soap has been a specialist subject on Mastermind numerous times, and die-hard fans probably reckon they know more than the average watcher. But just how well do they know Albert Square?
We EastEnders nerds at Radio Times have compiled a list of 15 little-known facts and tidbits of trivia from the world of Walford.
How many do you remember? And how many did you never even know?
1. Some scripts are credited to "Julia Honour" – someone who doesn't even exist
Have you ever noticed an episode credited to "Julia Honour"? BBC
Since 1997, 55 episodes have been penned by a fictitious writer – Julia Honour.
If you ever spot the pseudonym on the soap's iconic end credits, it means that a member of the editorial staff has taken over an early draft of a script and has radically overhauled it to meet expectations.
The last time the authorship was used was in 2018, and the name Julia is, of course, in "honour" of EastEnders' creator, Julia Smith.
2. Den, Angie and Sharon Watts once had completely different names
Things could've been very different for the Watts family. Radio Times Archive
Letitia Dean is one of the show's most beloved actresses, having played Sharon Watts over several stints since its inception.
The names of her warring parents, Den (Leslie Grantham) and Angie (Anita Dobson), are synonymous with '80s pop culture, yet things could have been very different.
In early drafts, the couple were actually known as Jack and Pearl, while the character of Sharon was first named Tracey. It was also envisioned that they'd have a German Shepherd called Prince, though this turned into Roly the Poodle.
3. Anita Dobson wasn't the first actress to play Angie Watts
Jean Fennell was the original Angie Watts. Radio Times Archive
It's hard to imagine someone other than Anita Dobson playing Angie, though back in 1984, Radio Times was on set to capture original actress Jean Fennell's first days of shooting.
Pictured outside of The Queen Vic with Grantham and Dean, she was fired just days later.
Former BBC costume director June Hudson recalled to RT in 2015: “In the script it said Angie was very bling and flashy, but Jean looked so elegant and lovely. She looked like a model, so I tried to bring it down a bit.
“Jean felt Angie should be very elegant, but Angie had to ‘miss it’, not by a mile, but get her clothes slightly wrong. I hate to say it but the role was wrong for her."
Hudson added that Fennell clashed with Smith over how Angie should be portrayed.
"You’ve got to give the performance that’s asked of you, the character written in the script. And Jean would not be directed. I know how ruthless producers and directors are.
"I said, ‘For goodness’ sake, Jean, go with it. Wait until you’re established and then you can bring your own personality into it.’ You cannot have head-on clashes over performance, over all sorts of issues, with producers - particularly someone like Julia Smith.”
4. The old set was constructed on the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet building site – which was once also home to another soap
Actor Gary Holton filming Auf Wiedersehen, Pet on the land that would later become Albert Square. Alisdair MacDonald/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
Prior to the BBC purchasing the Elstree Centre in Hertfordshire in 1984, the studios were owned by ITV franchisee for the Midlands, Central Television.
They used a patch of land to the west of the studios as a fictional Düsseldorf building site for comedy drama Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, and numerous materials were imported from Germany for authenticity.
If you watch the series carefully, you can spot a number of neighbouring buildings that would later crop up in the background of EastEnders, when it began filming on the same spot two years later.
Ironically, the same space had once been used for another soap – Market in Honey Lane, which ran between 1967 and 1969. As you can tell by the name, just like EastEnders, it featured a street market.
In 2022, the soap moved to a new purpose-built backlot set on the other side of the Elstree Centre, and for the first time in 37 years, No. 23-31 Albert Square gained back yards. The original set has been repurposed as the hospital, police station, Holland Road and box park area.
5. Albert Square is modelled on a real street in Hackney
Albert Square was modelled on Fassett Square in Hackney. Nigel Wright/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
While Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks throw open their doors for fans to visit their sets, EastEnders has never offered regular public tours.
Fortunately, you can get a taste of Walford by heading down to Fassett Square in Hackney, which was visited by Julia Smith and co-creator Tony Holland for inspiration. The 56 late Victorian houses border a communal garden, just like in Albert Square.
There are remarkable similarities in everything from the brickwork to the pediments above the front doors - this is because set designers took notes and mouldings from the real counterpart.
Hackney pub The Cat and Mutton is apparently the real-life The Queen Vic, though owners of The Queen Victoria in Bermondsey have also made a similar claim.
6. Some well-known Walford favourites auditioned for other roles
In another life, this could've been Max and Tanya! BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
It's hard to imagine Lacey Turner as anyone other than Stacey Slater, but back in 2004, she originally auditioned for the part of Demi Miller. The role eventually went to Shana Swash, with Stacey being specifically created for Turner.
Two years later, future Linda Carter star Kellie Bright completed a screen-test for Tanya Branning alongside Jake Wood, but lost out to Jo Joyner. It's quite ironic given their recent romance.
The late Derek Martin, 15 years before he was cast as Charlie Slater, was considered for the role of Den Watts. He also went up for the part of Frank Butcher, which was awarded to Mike Reid.
7. The original opening titles were made using thousands of aerial photos of London
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Long before CGI became commonplace, the legendary EastEnders opening titles were made by filming thousands of aerial images of the capital that had been stitched together. The Thames was painted a striking blue to hide the joins.
The original design – created by Alan Jeapes – was used between 1985 and 1993.
Speaking of his work, Jeapes explained: "I was aiming for simplicity in the titles, as the sequence for a long-running serial must be continually interesting without dating.
"The lower reaches of the River Thames, which have a close and continual link with the history of the East End, have such an eye-catching shape on the map that the winding course, docks and tributaries become a graphic theme in themselves."
8. A number of planned storylines have never made it to air
Former producer Mike Gibbon employed writer David Yallop to overhaul the show, though these radical ideas never surfaced.
These included an explosion in the community centre that would cause paraplegia for Simon Wicks (Nick Berry), an IRA bombing that would kill Pete Beale (Peter Dean), and the separate death of his infant grandson, Steven.
Head of EastEnders Peter Cregeen decided the scripts showed "errors of judgement and taste".
9. Alternate endings have been filmed... and never aired
Alternative endings were filmed for Archie Mitchell's (Larry Lamb) demise. BBC PUBLIC SERVICE/Adam Pensotti
No soap does a cliffhanger better than EastEnders, and in order to protect the outcome of their most explosive storylines, multiple endings will be filmed.
In 2002, Little Mo Morgan (Kacey Ainsworth) was found guilty of the attempted murder of her abusive husband Trevor (Alex Ferns). An alternative verdict was filmed in which she'd be found not guilty.
Eight years later, during a live episode, Stacey was revealed to be Archie Mitchell's (Larry Lamb) murderer. Everyone was kept in the dark, including the cast.
Actress Turner had been told just moments before performing the scene, though co-stars Jake Wood, Perry Fenwick, Barbara Windsor, Charlie Brooks, Steve McFadden, Samantha Womack, Neil McDermott and Scott Maslen had all rehearsed their own scene.
In 2017, when Mitchell sisters Ronnie (Womack) and Roxy (Rita Simons) drowned in a swimming pool, BBC One uploaded an alternative ending to Snapchat. It showed Ronnie breaking down in hospital after finding her sister dead, slumped across a pool table.
10. There's an unwritten rule about using Julia's Theme
Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully) was awarded a number of Julia's Themes in the '80s. BBC PUBLIC SERVICE
Simon May's theme tune to EastEnders is one of the most recognisable compositions in British music history.
May was approached by creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland in 1984 to write the tune. He also crafted a "romantic pre-empt", which could be used in place of the traditional drum beats to conclude an episode. Named Julia's Theme, in tribute to Smith, it features several slow piano buildups that can allow for it to be cut at any given point.
It has become synonymous with the tragic, heartwarming, tender or emotional moments from the BBC soap's 41-year history, most recently following Nigel Bates's (Paul Bradley) funeral.
In this episode from 1999, the camera stayed on Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) as wife Bianca (Patsy Palmer) left. BBC
One thing you'll notice is that, if ever used in an exit, the final shot is occasionally not of the departing character(s), but rather of those left behind in Albert Square.
Referring to Bianca Butcher (Patsy Palmer) leaving on a train while her tearful husband Ricky (Sid Owen) was left behind, former executive producer Matthew Robinson wrote for fansite Walford Web: "The then-boss [Mal Young, BBC controller of drama] hates ‘story conclusions’.
"Staying on Ricky means the story continues."
If you fancy a look back at every time Julia's Theme has been used over the years, you're in luck – RT compiled a guide earlier this year.
11. A Spice Girl was almost cast in EastEnders
Baby Spice almost played Bianca Jackson. Tim Roney/Getty Images
Speaking of Bianca, imagine if future Spice Girl Emma Bunton had been cast in the role! Bunton was down to the final three, but lost out to Palmer.
However, she did appear in the soap in 1992, as a mugger who attacked Jules Tavernier (Tommy Eytle).
12. Robbie Williams once appeared as an extra in The Queen Vic
Robbie Williams jumped into the back of a Queen Vic scene. Netflix
Just after he left Take That in 1995, Robbie Williams snuck onto the EastEnders set with help from pal Danniella Westbrook, who used to play Sam Mitchell.
He was filming Top of the Pops at Elstree, and gained access to the lot when Westbrook asked if her mate could appear as an extra. It was filmed and broadcast before anyone noticed he was there.
13. Williams isn't the only celebrity to make a cameo...
Charles and Camilla visited Albert Square in 2022. BBC
Probably the most famous names to step into the Square are the then Prince Charles and his wife Camilla prior to their coronation as King and Queen. They appeared as themselves in a special episode that saw the Royals come to Walford to celebrate Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee.
Other celebs to pop up include Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander, who was supposedly an old friend of Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff), Boris Johnson, who was Mayor of London at the time, and singer Rag’n’Bone Man.
In tonight's (2 July) episode, former Strictly Come Dancing star La Voix is booked for a gig at The Prince Albert.
14. A webcam accidentally revealed that Tiffany Mitchell had died
Tiffany Mitchell's (Martine McCutcheon) death was spoiled. BBC PUBLIC SERVICE/Adrian Rogers
One of the serial's most tragic deaths was that of Tiffany Mitchell (Martine McCutcheon) in January 1999.
Her demise – being hit by Frank's car – was a closely guarded secret. That was, until, a webcam broadcast live images of the funeral cortege across the internet.
It's now hard to believe – in a time where storylines are kept strictly hush hush – that you could tune in at any time of day or night to see what was going on. But as long-term viewers will remember, the Walford Webcams streamed footage of goings on via the BBC website from 1998 until the early 2010s.
Of course, these cameras were frequently switched off over the years to protect the biggest secrets... probably as a result of the Tiffany mistake.
15. Pierre Counihan-Moullier had never watched EastEnders before joining the show
Pierre Counihan-Moullier asked EastEnders icon Adam Woodyatt how long he'd been in the show. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
Loveable Oscar Branning has made quite the impression on viewers since joining the soap last year. However, actor Pierre Counihan-Moullier made a very telling confession at last year's Christmas press event!
Sitting in front of a picture of Nigel Bates and Pat Evans (Pam St Clement) – who was back as a ghostly vision – he proclaimed: "Who's that?"
While he laughed in embarrassment, co-star Jake Wood chirped: "On his first day, he asked Adam Woodyatt how long he'd been working [on the show]. It's only been about 40 years."
Read more:
- EastEnders to feature popular Strictly Come Dancing star in upcoming Walford Pride storyline
- EastEnders legend teases "dangerous" dynamic between Max Branning and Cindy Beale
- EastEnders boss teases "emotional" Denise Fox scenes from blood cancer storyline after 20 years on the show
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
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Authors
Michael AdamsSoaps Editor
Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor at Radio Times, covering all of the hot gossip and spoilers from Weatherfield to Walford, Emmerdale to Hollyoaks and everywhere in-between. He joined the team from Metro, where he spent two years as a Soaps Reporter and previously worked on the sets of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale.
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