EastEnders - Wikipedia EastEnders This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 28 February 2018. EastEnders Genre Soap opera Created by Julia Smith Tony Holland Written by Various Directed by Various Starring Present cast Former cast Theme music composer Simon May Leslie Osborne Opening theme EastEnders theme tune Country of origin United Kingdom Original language ( s ) English No. of episodes 5,661 ( as of 22 February 2018 ) Production Executive producer ( s ) Various ( currently John Yorke ; Executive Consultant ) Producer ( s ) Various ( Sharon Batten ) Location ( s ) BBC Elstree Centre Camera setup Video, multiple - camera setup Running time 30 minutes ( with occasional longer / shorter episodes ) Production company ( s ) BBC Studios Release Original network BBC One BBC One HD ( 2010 -- ) Picture format 576i 4 : 3 ( 1985 -- 1999 ) 576i 16 : 9 DTV ( 1999 -- 2010 ) 1080i 16 : 9 HDTV ( 2010 -- ) Audio format Stereo Original release 19 February 1985 ( 1985 - 02 - 19 ) -- present Chronology Related shows Het Oude Noorden ( 1993 ) EastEnders Revealed ( 1998 -- 2012 ) EastEnders : E20 ( 2010 -- 2011 ) Kat & Alfie : Redwater ( 2017 ) Various spin - offs External links Website EastEnders is a British soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since 1985. Set in Albert Square in the East End of London in the fictional Borough of Walford, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives. Initially there were two 30 - minute episodes per week but since 2001 episodes have been broadcast every weekday apart from Wednesdays. Within eight months of the show 's launch, it reached the number - one spot in BARB 's TV ratings and has consistently remained among the top - rated TV programmes in Britain. In 2013, the average audience share for an episode was around 30 per cent. Today, EastEnders remains a significant programme in terms of the BBC 's success and audience share, and also in the history of British television drama, tackling many dilemmas that are considered to be controversial and taboo issues in British culture and social life previously unseen on United Kingdom mainstream television. As of May 2016, EastEnders has won nine BAFTA Awards and the Inside Soap Award for Best Soap for 14 years running ( from 1997 to 2012 ), as well as twelve National Television Awards for Most Popular Serial Drama and 11 awards for Best Soap at the British Soap Awards. It has also won 13 TV Quick and TV Choice Awards for Best Soap, six TRIC Awards for Soap of The Year, four Royal Television Society Awards for Best Continuing Drama and has been inducted into the Rose d'Or Hall of Fame. Contents 1 History 1.1 Conception and preparations for broadcast 1.1. 1 Initial character creation and casting 1.1. 2 Final preparations 1.2 1980s broadcast history 1.3 Changes in the 1990s 1.4 2000s 1.5 2010s 2 Setting 3 Characters 4 Storylines 5 Production 5.1 Set 5.2 Filming 5.3 Post-production 5.4 Budgets and costs 5.5 Sustainability 6 Scheduling 6.1 Broadcast 6.2 Repeats 6.3 International 7 International versions 8 Spin - offs and merchandise 9 Popularity and viewership 9.1 Ratings 9.2 Criticism 9.2. 1 Morality and violence 9.2. 2 Allegations of national and racial stereotypes 9.2. 3 Controversial storylines 9.2. 4 Portrayal of certain professions 9.3 Awards and nominations 10 In popular culture 11 Further reading 12 See also 13 Footnotes 14 References 15 Bibliography 16 External links History Conception and preparations for broadcast Julia Smith and Tony Holland, the creators of EastEnders. In March 1983, under two years before EastEnders ' first episode was broadcast, the show was a vague idea in the mind of a handful of BBC executives, who decided that what BBC1 needed was a popular bi-weekly drama series that would attract the kind of mass audiences that ITV was getting with Coronation Street. The first people to whom David Reid, then head of series and serials, turned were Julia Smith and Tony Holland, a well established producer / script editor team who had first worked together on Z - Cars. The outline that Reid presented was vague : two episodes a week, 52 weeks a year. After the concept was put to them on 14 March 1983, Smith and Holland then went about putting their ideas down on paper ; they decided it would be set in the East End of London. Granada Television gave Smith unrestricted access to the Coronation Street production for a month so that she could get a sense how a continuing drama was produced. There was anxiety at first that the viewing public would not accept a new soap set in the south of England, though research commissioned by lead figures in the BBC revealed that southerners would accept a northern soap, northerners would accept a southern soap and those from the Midlands, as Julia Smith herself pointed out, did not mind where it was set as long as it was somewhere else. This was the beginning of a close and continuing association between EastEnders and audience research, which, though commonplace today, was something of a revolution in practice. The show 's creators were both Londoners, but when they researched Victorian squares, they found massive changes in areas they thought they knew well. However, delving further into the East End of London, they found exactly what they had been searching for : a real East End spirit -- an inward looking quality, a distrust of strangers and authority figures, a sense of territory and community that the creators summed up as `` Hurt one of us and you hurt us all ''. When developing EastEnders, both Smith and Holland looked at influential models like Coronation Street, but they found that it offered a rather outdated and nostalgic view of working - class life. Only after EastEnders began, and featured the characters of Tony Carpenter and Kelvin Carpenter, did Coronation Street start to feature black characters, for example. They came to the conclusion that Coronation Street had grown old with its audience, and that EastEnders would have to attract a younger, more socially extensive audience, ensuring that it had the longevity to retain it for many years thereafter. They also looked at Brookside but found there was a lack of central meeting points for the characters, making it difficult for the writers to intertwine different storylines, so EastEnders was set in Albert Square. A previous UK soap set in an East End market was ATV 's Market in Honey Lane between 1967 and 1969. However this show, which graduated from one showing a week to two in three separate series ( the latter series being shown in different time slots across the ITV network ) was very different in style and approach to EastEnders. The British Film Institute described Market In Honey Lane thus : `` It was not an earth - shaking programme, and certainly not pioneering in any revolutionary ideas in technique and production, but simply proposed itself to the casual viewer as a mildly pleasant affair. '' EastEnders, while also featuring an East End street market, would be very different in its approach and impact. The target launch date was originally January 1985. Smith and Holland had eleven months in which to write, cast and shoot the whole thing. However, in February 1984, they did not even have a title or a place to film. Both Smith and Holland were unhappy about the January 1985 launch date, favouring November or even September 1984 when seasonal audiences would be higher, but the BBC stayed firm, and Smith and Holland had to concede that, with the massive task of getting the Elstree Studios operational, January was the most realistic date. However, this was later to be changed to February. The project had a number of working titles -- Square Dance, Round the Square, Round the Houses, London Pride and East 8. It was the latter that stuck ( E8 is the postcode for Hackney ) in the early months of creative process. However, the show was renamed after many casting agents mistakenly thought the show was to be called Estate, and the fictional postcode E20 was created, instead of using E8. Julia Smith came up with the name Eastenders after she and Holland had spent months telephoning theatrical agents and asking `` Do you have any real East Enders on your books ? '' However, Smith thought `` Eastenders '' `` looked ugly written down '' and was `` hard to say '', so decided to capitalise the second ' e '. Initial character creation and casting Dot Cotton, Ethel Skinner and Lou Beale were Walford 's original pensioners. After they decided on the filming location of BBC Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, Smith and Holland set about creating the 23 characters needed, in just 14 days. They took a holiday in Playa de los Pocillos, Lanzarote, and started to create the characters. Holland created the Beale and Fowler family, drawing on his own background. His mother, Ethel Holland, was one of four sisters raised in Walthamstow. Her eldest sister, Lou, had married a man named Albert Beale and had two children, named Peter and Pauline. These family members were the basis for Lou Beale, Pete Beale and Pauline Fowler. Holland also created Pauline 's unemployed husband Arthur Fowler, their children Mark Fowler and Michelle Fowler, Pete 's wife Kathy Beale and their son Ian Beale. Smith used her personal memories of East End residents she met when researching Victorian squares. Ethel Skinner was based on an old woman she met in a pub, with ill - fitting false teeth, and a `` face to rival a neon sign '', holding a Yorkshire Terrier in one hand and a pint of Guinness in the other. Other characters created included Jewish doctor Harold Legg, the Anglo - Cypriot Osman family, Ali Osman, Sue Osman and baby Hassan Osman, black father and son, Tony Carpenter and Kelvin Carpenter, single mother Mary Smith and Bangladeshi couple Saeed Jeffery and Naima Jeffery. Jack, Pearl and Tracey Watts were created to bring `` flash, trash, and melodrama '' to the Square ( they were later renamed Den Watts, Angie Watts and Sharon Watts ). The characters of Andy O'Brien and Debbie Wilkins were created to show a modern couple with outwardly mobile pretensions, and Lofty Holloway to show an outsider ; someone who did not fit in with other residents. It was decided that he would be a former soldier, as Holland 's personal experiences of ex-soldiers were that they had trouble fitting into society after being in the army. When they compared the characters they had created, Smith and Holland realised they had created a cross-section of East End residents. The Beale and Fowler family represented the old families of the East End, who had always been there. The Osmans, Jefferys and Carpenters represented the more modern diverse ethnic community of the East End. Debbie, Andy and Mary represented more modern - day individuals. Once they had decided on their 23 characters, they returned to London for a meeting with the BBC. Everyone agreed that EastEnders would be tough, violent on occasion, funny and sharp -- set in Margaret Thatcher 's Britain -- and it would start with a bang ( namely the death of Reg Cox ). They decided that none of their existing characters were wicked enough to have killed Reg, so a 24th character, Nick Cotton was added to the line - up. He was a racist thug, who often tried to lead other young characters astray. When all the characters had been created, Smith and Holland set about casting the actors for the show. Final preparations EastEnders original titles sequence, 1985 -- 1993 Through the next few months, the set was growing rapidly at Elstree, and a composer and designer had been commissioned to create the title sequence. Simon May wrote the theme music and Alan Jeapes created the visuals. The visual images were taken from an aircraft flying over the East End of London at 1000 feet. Approximately 800 photographs were taken and pieced together to create one big image. The credits were later updated when the Millennium Dome was built. The launch was delayed until February 1985 due to a delay in the chat show Wogan, that was to be a part of the major revamp in BBC1 's schedules. Smith was uneasy about the late start as EastEnders no longer had the winter months to build up a loyal following before the summer ratings lull. The press were invited to Elstree to meet the cast and see the lot, and stories immediately started circulating about the show, about a rivalry with ITV ( who were launching their own market - based soap, Albion Market ) and about the private lives of the cast. Anticipation and rumour grew in equal measure until the first transmission at 7 p.m. on 19 February 1985. Both Holland and Smith could not watch ; they both instead returned to the place where it all began, Albertine 's Wine Bar on Wood Lane. The next day, viewing figures were confirmed at 17 million. The reviews were largely favourable, although, after three weeks on air, BBC1 's early evening share had returned to the pre-EastEnders figure of seven million, though EastEnders then climbed to highs of up to 23 million later on in the year. Following the launch, both group discussions and telephone surveys were conducted to test audience reaction to early episodes. Detailed reactions were taken after six months and since then regular monitoring was conducted. 1980s broadcast history Press coverage of EastEnders, which was already intense, went into overdrive once the show was broadcast. With public interest so high, the media began investigating the private lives of the show 's popular stars. Within days, the scandalous headline the producers had all dreaded appeared -- `` EASTENDERS STAR IS A KILLER ''. This referred to Leslie Grantham, and his prison sentence for the murder of a taxi driver in an attempted robbery nearly 20 years earlier. This shocking tell - all style set the tone for relations between Albert Square and the press for the next 20 years. The show 's first episode attracted some 17 million viewers, and it continued to attract high viewing figures from then on. By Christmas 1985, the tabloids could n't get enough of the show. ' Exclusives ' about EastEnders storylines and the actors on the show became a staple of tabloid buyers daily reading. Writer Colin Brake suggested that 1989 was a year of big change for EastEnders, both behind the cameras and in front of them. Original production designer, Keith Harris, left the show, and Holland and Smith both decided that the time had come to move on too ; their final contribution coinciding with the exit of one of EastEnders most successful characters, Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ). Producer Mike Gibbon was given the task of running the show and he enlisted the most experienced writers to take over the storylining of the programme, including Charlie Humphreys, Jane Hollowood and Tony McHale. According to Brake, the departure of two of the soap 's most popular characters, Den and Angie Watts ( Anita Dobson ), left a void in the programme, which needed to be filled. In addition, several other long - running characters left the show that year including Sue and Ali Osman ( Sandy Ratcliff and Nejdet Salih ) and their family ; Donna Ludlow ( Matilda Ziegler ) ; Carmel Jackson ( Judith Jacob ) and Colin Russell ( Michael Cashman ). Brake indicated that the production team decided that 1989 was to be a year of change in Walford, commenting, `` it was almost as if Walford itself was making a fresh start ''. By the end of 1989 EastEnders had acquired a new executive producer, Michael Ferguson, who had previously been a successful producer on ITV 's The Bill. Brake suggested that Ferguson was responsible for bringing in a new sense of vitality and creating a programme that was more in touch with the real world than it had been over the previous year. Changes in the 1990s A new era began in 1990 with the introduction of Phil Mitchell ( Steve McFadden ) and Grant Mitchell ( Ross Kemp ) -- the Mitchell brothers -- successful characters who would go on to dominate the soap thereafter. As the new production team cleared the way for new characters and a new direction, all of the characters introduced under Gibbon were axed from the show at the start of the year. Ferguson introduced other characters and was responsible for storylines including HIV, Alzheimer 's disease and murder. After a successful revamp of the soap, Ferguson decided to leave EastEnders in July 1991. Furguson was succeeded by both Leonard Lewis and Helen Greaves who initially shared the role as Executive Producer for EastEnders. Lewis and Greaves formulated a new regime for EastEnders, giving the writers of the serial more authority in storyline progression, with the script department providing `` guidance rather than prescriptive episode storylines ''. By the end of 1992, Greaves left and Lewis became executive and series producer. He left EastEnders in 1994 after the BBC controllers demanded an extra episode a week, taking its weekly airtime from 60 to 90 minutes. Lewis felt that producing an hour of `` reasonable quality drama '' a week was the maximum that any broadcasting system could generate without loss of integrity. Having set up the transition to the new schedule, the first trio of episodes -- dubbed The Vic siege -- marked Lewis 's departure from the programme. Barbara Emile then became the Executive Producer of EastEnders, remaining with EastEnders until early 1995. She was succeeded by Corinne Hollingworth. Hollingworth 's contributions to the soap were awarded in 1997 when EastEnders won the BAFTA for Best Drama Series. Hollingworth shared the award with the next Executive Producer, Jane Harris. Harris was responsible for the critically panned Ireland episodes and Cindy Beale 's attempted assassination of Ian Beale, which brought in an audience of 23 million in 1996, roughly four million more than Coronation Street. In 1998 Matthew Robinson was appointed as the Executive Producer of EastEnders. During his reign, EastEnders won the BAFTA for `` Best Soap '' in consecutive years 1999 and 2000 and many other awards. Robinson also earned tabloid soubriquet `` Axeman of Albert Square '' after sacking a large number of characters in one hit, and several more thereafter. In their place, Robinson introduced new long - running characters including Melanie Healy, Jamie Mitchell, Lisa Shaw, Steve Owen and Billy Mitchell. 2000s John Yorke became the Executive Producer of EastEnders in 2000. Yorke was given the task of introducing the soap 's fourth weekly episode. He axed the majority of the Di Marco family and helped introduce popular characters such as the Slater family. As what Mal Young described as `` two of EastEnders most successful years '', Yorke was responsible for highly rated storlines such as `` Who Shot Phil ? '', Ethel Skinner 's death, Jim Branning and Dot Cotton 's marriage, Trevor Morgan 's domestic abuse of his wife Little Mo Morgan, and Kat Slater 's revelation to her daughter Zoe Slater that she was her mother. In 2002, Louise Berridge succeeded Yorke as the Executive Producer. During her time at EastEnders, Berridge introduced popular characters such as Alfie Moon, Dennis Rickman, Chrissie Watts, Jane Beale, Stacey Slater and the critically panned Indian Ferreira family. Berridge was responsible for some ratings success stories, such as Alfie and Kat Slater 's relationship, Janine Butcher getting her comeuppance, Trevor Morgan and Jamie Mitchell 's death storylines and the return of one of the greatest soap icons, Den Watts, who had been presumed dead for 14 years. His return in late 2003 was watched by over 16 million viewers, putting EastEnders back at number one in the rating war with the Coronation Street. However, other storylines, such as one about a kidney transplant involving the Ferreiras, were not well received, and although Den Watts 's return proved to be a ratings success, the British press branded the plot unrealistic and felt that it questioned the show 's credibility. A severe press backlash followed after Den 's actor, Leslie Grantham, was outed in an internet sex scandal, which coincided with a swift decline in viewer ratings. The scandal led to Grantham 's departure from the soap, but the occasion was used to mark the 20th anniversary of EastEnders, with an episode showing Den 's murder at the Queen Vic pub. On 21 September 2004, Berridge quit as executive producer of EastEnders following continued criticism of the show. Kathleen Hutchison was swiftly appointed as the Executive Producer of EastEnders, and was tasked with quickly turning the fortunes of the soap. During her time at the soap Hutchison axed multiple characters, and reportedly ordered the rewriting of numerous scripts. Newspapers reported on employee dissatisfaction with Hutchison 's tenure at EastEnders. In January 2005, Hutchison left the soap and John Yorke ( who by this time, was the BBC Controller of Continuing Drama Series ) took total control of the show himself and became acting Executive Producer for a short period, before appointing Kate Harwood to the role. Harwood stayed at EastEnders for 20 months before being promoted by the BBC. On Friday 11 November 2005, EastEnders was the first British drama to feature a two - minute silence. This episode later went on to win the British Soap Award for ' Best Single Episode '. In October 2006, Diederick Santer took over as Executive Producer of EastEnders. He introduced several characters to the show, including ethnic minority and homosexual characters to make the show ' feel more 21st Century '. Santer also reintroduced past and popular characters to the programme. On 2 March 2007, BBC signed a deal with Google to put videos on YouTube. A behind the scenes video of EastEnders, hosted by Matt Di Angelo, who played Deano Wicks on the show, was put on the site the same day, and was followed by another on 6 March 2007. In April 2007, EastEnders became available to view on mobile phones, via 3G technology, for 3, Vodafone and Orange customers. On 21 April 2007, the BBC launched a new advertising campaign using the slogan `` There 's more to EastEnders ''. The first television advert showed Dot Branning with a refugee baby, Tomas, whom she took in under the pretence of being her grandson. The second and third featured Stacey Slater and Dawn Swann, respectively. There have also been adverts in magazines and on radio. In 2009, producers introduced a limit on the number of speaking parts in each episode due to budget cuts, with an average of 16 characters per episode. The decision was criticised by Martin McGrath of Equity, who said : `` Trying to produce quality TV on the cheap is doomed to fail. '' The BBC responded by saying they had been working that way for some time and it had not affected the quality of the show. 2010s Wikinews has related news : BBC broadcasts first live episode of EastEnders From 4 February 2010, CGI was used in the show for the first time, with the addition of computer - generated trains. EastEnders celebrated its 25th anniversary on 19 February 2010. Santer came up with several plans to mark the occasion, including the show 's first episode to be broadcast live, the second wedding between Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson and the return of Bianca 's relatives, mother Carol Jackson, and siblings Robbie Jackson, Sonia Fowler and Billie Jackson. He told entertainment website Digital Spy, `` It 's really important that the feel of the week is active and exciting and not too reflective. There 'll be those moments for some of our longer - serving characters that briefly reflect on themselves and how they 've changed. The characters do n't know that it 's the 25th anniversary of anything, so it 'd be absurd to contrive too many situations in which they 're reflective on the past. The main engine of that week is great stories that 'll get people talking. '' The live episode featured the death of Bradley Branning and the conclusion of the `` Who Killed Archie ? '' storyline, when Stacey Branning revealed she was the murderer. Viewing figures peaked at 16.6 million, which was the highest viewed episode in seven years. Other events to mark the anniversary were a spin - off DVD, EastEnders : Last Tango in Walford, and an Internet spin - off, EastEnders : E20. Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer ( 2010 -- 2012 ) Santer officially left EastEnders in March 2010, and was replaced by Bryan Kirkwood. Kirkwood 's first signing was the reintroduction of characters Alfie Moon ( Shane Richie ) and Kat Moon ( Jessie Wallace ), and his first new character was Vanessa Gold, played by Zöe Lucker. In April and May 2010, Kirkwood axed eight characters from the show, Barbara Windsor left her role of Peggy Mitchell, which left a hole in the show, which Kirkwood decided to fill by bringing back Kat and Alfie, which he said would `` herald the new era of EastEnders. '' EastEnders started broadcasting in high definition on 25 December 2010. Old sets had to be rebuilt, so The Queen Victoria set was burnt down in a storyline ( and in reality ) to facilitate this. In November 2011, a storyline showed character Billy Mitchell, played by Perry Fenwick, selected to be a torch bearer for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In reality, Fenwick carried the torch through the setting of Albert Square, with live footage shown in the episode on 23 July 2012. This was the second live broadcast of EastEnders. In 2012, Kirkwood chose to leave his role as executive producer and was replaced by Lorraine Newman. The show lost many of its significant characters during this period. Newman stepped down as executive producer after 16 months in the job in 2013 after the soap was criticised for its boring storylines and its lowest - ever figures pointing at around 4.8 million. Dominic Treadwell - Collins was appointed as the new executive producer on 19 August 2013 and was credited on 9 December. He axed multiple characters from the show and introduced the extended Carter family. He also introduced a long - running storyline, `` Who Killed Lucy Beale ? '', which peaked during the show 's 30th anniversary in 2015 with a week of live episodes. Treadwell - Collins announced his departure from EastEnders on 18 February 2016. Sean O'Connor, former EastEnders series story producer and then - editor on radio soap opera The Archers, was announced to be taking over the role. Treadwell - Collins left on 6 May and O'Connor's first credited episode was broadcast on 11 July Although O'Connor's first credited episode aired in July, his own creative work was not seen onscreen until late September. Additionally, Oliver Kent was brought in as the Head of Continuing Drama Series for BBC Scripted Studios, meaning that Kent would oversee EastEnders along with O'Connor. O'Connor's approach to the show was to have a firmer focus on realism, which he said was being `` true to EastEnders ' DNA and ( finding ) a way of capturing what it would be like if Julia Smith and Tony Holland were making the show now. '' He said that `` EastEnders has always had a distinctly different tone from the other soaps but over time we 've diluted our unique selling point. I think we need to be ourselves and go back to the origins of the show and what made it successful in the first place. It should be entertaining but it should also be informative -- that 's part of our unique BBC compact with the audience. It should n't just be a distraction from your own life, it should be an exploration of the life shared by the audience and the characters. '' O'Connor planned to stay with EastEnders until the end of 2017, but announced his departure on 23 June 2017 with immediate effect, saying he wanted to concentrate on a career in film. John Yorke returned as a temporary creative director. Kent said, `` John Yorke is a Walford legend and I am thrilled that he will be joining us for a short period to oversee the show and to help us build on Sean 's legacy while we recruit a long - term successor. '' John Yorke initially returned for three months but his contract was later extended to twelve months. Setting The Queen Victoria Public House ( as it looked from November 1992 to September 2010 ) is the main focus point of Albert Square ( pictured ). The central focus of EastEnders is the fictional Victorian square Albert Square in the fictional London Borough of Walford. In the show 's narrative, Albert Square is a 19th - century street, named after Prince Albert ( 1819 -- 61 ), the husband of Queen Victoria ( 1819 -- 1901, reigned 1837 -- 1901 ). Thus, central to Albert Square is The Queen Victoria Public House ( also known as The Queen Vic or The Vic ). The show 's producers based the square 's design on Fassett Square in Dalston. There is also a market close to Fassett Square at Ridley Road. The postcode for the area, E8, was one of the working titles for the series. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where Tony Holland lived and a blend of Walthamstow and Stratford -- the areas of Greater London where the creators were born. Other parts of the Square and set interiors are based on other locations. The bridge is based upon one near BBC Television Centre which carries the Hammersmith & City tube line over Wood Lane W12, the Queen Vic on the former College Park Hotel pub in Willesden at the end of Scrubs Lane at the junction with Harrow Road NW10 just a couple of miles from BBC Television Centre, and the interior to the Fowlers ' is based on a house in Manor Road, Colchester, close to where the supervising art director lived. The fictional local newspaper, the Walford Gazette, in which local news events such as the arrests or murders of characters appear, mirrors the real Hackney Gazette. Walford East is a fictional tube station for Walford, and a tube map that was first seen on air in 1996 showed Walford East between Bow Road and West Ham, in the actual location of Bromley - by - Bow on the District and Hammersmith & City lines. Walford has the postal district of E20. The postcode district was selected as if it were part of the actual E postcode area which covers much of east London although the next unused postcode district in the area was, and still is ( as of 2016 ), E19. The E stands for Eastern. In 1917 the postal districts in London were assigned alphabetically according to the name of the main sorting office for each district. If Walford had been assigned in this scheme it would have been given E17, which is the postcode district for Walthamstow. In March 2011, Royal Mail allocated the E20 postal district to the 2012 Olympic Park. The postal district in EastEnders was entirely fictional up to that point, as London East postal districts stopped at E18 at that time. The show 's creators opted for E20 instead of E19 as it was thought to sound better. In September 2011, the postal code for Albert Square was revealed in an episode as E20 6PQ. Characters This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( March 2016 ) See also : List of EastEnders characters and List of past EastEnders characters Cast / characters of EastEnders The cast of 1985 The cast of 2000 The cast of 2014 EastEnders is built around the idea of relationships and strong families, with each character having a place in the community. This theme encompasses the whole Square, making the entire community a family of sorts, prey to upsets and conflict, but pulling together in times of trouble. Co-creator Tony Holland was from a large East End family, and such families have typified EastEnders. The first central family was the combination of the Fowler family, consisting of Pauline Fowler, her husband Arthur Fowler, and teenage children Mark Fowler and Michelle Fowler and the Beale family, consisting of Pete Beale ( Pauline 's twin brother ), his wife Kathy Beale and their teenage son Ian Beale. Pauline and Pete 's mother was the domineering Lou Beale, who lived with Pauline and her family. Holland drew on the names of his own family for the characters. The Watts and Mitchell families have been central to many notable EastEnders storylines, the show having been dominated by the Watts in the 1980s, with the 1990s focusing on the Mitchells. The early 2000s saw a shift in attention towards the newly introduced female Slater clan, before a renewal of emphasis upon the restored Watts family beginning in 2003. Since 2006, EastEnders has largely been dominated by the Mitchell and Branning families, though the early 2010s also saw a renewed focus on the Moon family, and from 2013 onwards, on the Carters. The Beales are the show 's longest running family, having been in EastEnders since it began in 1985. Key people involved in the production of EastEnders have stressed how important the idea of strong families is to the programme. Peggy Mitchell, in particular, is notorious for her ceaseless repetition of such statements as `` You 're a Mitchell ! '' and `` It 's all about family ! '' Pauline Fowler is also known for her insistence on family and mentioning her brother and husband to instill loyalty from family members. Her mother Lou Beale is renowned for her family meetings and traditional approach to family. More recently, Derek Branning regularly expresses the importance of a strong family unit. As the eldest sibling, he is constantly asserting his position as head of his family and reminding everyone to pull together in times of trouble. Additionally, Derek commonly refers to himself, Max Branning and Jack Branning as `` the Branning brothers. '' EastEnders has an emphasis on strong family matriarchs, with examples including Pauline Fowler and Peggy Mitchell, helping to attract a female audience. John Yorke, then the BBC 's head of drama production, put this down to Tony Holland 's `` gay sensibility, which showed a love for strong women ''. The matriarchal role is one that has been seen in various reincarnations since the programme 's inception, often depicted as the centre of the family unit. The original matriarch was Lou Beale, though later examples include Mo Harris, Pat Butcher, Zainab Masood and Cora Cross. These characters are seen as being loud and interfering but most importantly, responsible for the well - being of the family and usually stressing the importance of family, reflecting on the past. The show often includes strong, brassy, long - suffering women who exhibit diva - like behaviour and stoically battle through an array of tragedy and misfortune. Such characters include Angie Watts, Kathy Beale, Sharon Watts, Pat Butcher, Denise Fox and Tanya Branning. Conversely there are female characters who handle tragedy less well, depicted as eternal victims and endless sufferers, who include Sue Osman, Little Mo Mitchell, Laura Beale, Lisa Fowler, Ronnie Mitchell and Linda Carter. The ' tart with a heart ' is another recurring character, often popular with viewers. Often their promiscuity masks a hidden vulnerability and a desire to be loved. Such characters have included Pat Butcher ( though in her latter years, this changed ), Tiffany Mitchell, Kat Slater, Stacey Slater, Dawn Swann, Roxy Mitchell and Whitney Dean. A gender balance in the show is maintained via the inclusion of various `` macho '' male personalities such as Mick Carter, Phil Mitchell, Grant Mitchell, Jack Branning and Max Branning, `` bad boys '' such as Den Watts, Michael Moon and Vincent Hubbard, and `` heartthrobs '' such as Simon Wicks, Jamie Mitchell, Dennis Rickman and Joey Branning. Another recurring male character type is the smartly dressed businessman, often involved in gang culture and crime and seen as a local authority figure. Examples include Steve Owen, Jack Dalton, Andy Hunter, Johnny Allen and Derek Branning. Following criticism aimed at the show 's over-emphasis on ' gangsters ' in 2005, such characters have been significantly reduced. Another recurring male character seen in EastEnders is the ' loser ' or ' soft touch ', males often comically under the thumb of their female counterparts, which have included Arthur Fowler, Ricky Butcher, Lofty Holloway and Billy Mitchell. Other recurring character types that have appeared throughout the serial are `` cheeky - chappies '' Pete Beale, Alfie Moon, Garry Hobbs and Kush Kazemi, `` lost girls '' such as Mary Smith, Donna Ludlow and Mandy Salter, delinquents such as Stacey Slater, Jay Brown and Lola Pearce, `` villains '' such as Nick Cotton, Trevor Morgan, May Wright, Yusef Khan, Archie Mitchell and Dean Wicks, `` bitches '' such as Cindy Beale, Janine Butcher, Lucy Beale, Abi Branning and Babe Smith and cockney `` wide boys '' or `` wheeler dealers '' such as Frank Butcher, Alfie Moon, Kevin Wicks, Darren Miller and Fatboy. Over the years EastEnders has typically featured a number of elderly residents, who are used to show vulnerability, nostalgia, stalwart - like attributes and are sometimes used for comedic purposes. The original elderly residents included Lou Beale, Ethel Skinner and Dot Cotton. Over the years they have been joined by the likes of Mo Butcher, Jules Tavernier, Marge Green, Nellie Ellis, Jim Branning, Charlie Slater, Mo Harris, Patrick Trueman, Cora Cross, Les Coker, Rose Cotton, Pam Coker, Stan Carter, Babe Smith, Claudette Hubbard, Sylvie Carter, Ted Murray and Joyce Murray. Focus on elderly characters has decreased since the show 's inception. The programme has more recently included a higher number of teenagers and successful young adults in a bid to capture the younger television audience. This has spurred criticism, most notably from the actress Anna Wing, who played Lou Beale in the show. She commented, `` I do n't want to be disloyal, but I think you need a few mature people in a soap because they give it backbone and body... if all the main people are young it gets a bit thin and inexperienced. It gets too lightweight. '' EastEnders has been known to feature a ' comedy double - act ', originally demonstrated with the characters of Dot and Ethel, whose friendship was one of the serial 's most enduring. Other examples include Paul Priestly and Trevor Short, Huw Edwards and Lenny Wallace, Shirley Carter and Heather Trott, Garry Hobbs and Minty Peterson, Denise Fox and Zainab Masood, Poppy Meadow and Jodie Gold and Peggy Mitchell and Pat Butcher. In 1989 especially, characters were brought in who were deliberately conceived as comic or light - hearted. Such characters included Julie Cooper -- a brassy maneater ; Marge Green -- a batty older lady played by veteran comedy actress Pat Coombs ; Trevor Short ( Phil McDermott ) -- the `` village idiot '' ; his friend, northern heartbreaker Paul Priestly ( Mark Thrippleton ) ; wheeler - dealer Vince Johnson ( Hepburn Graham ) and Laurie Bates ( Gary Powell ), who became Pete Beale 's ( Peter Dean ) sparring partner. The majority of EastEnders ' characters are working - class. Middle - class characters do occasionally become regulars, but have been less successful and rarely become long - term characters. In the main, middle - class characters exist as villains, such as James Wilmott - Brown, May Wright, Stella Crawford and Yusef Khan, or are used to promote positive liberal influences, such as Colin Russell or Rachel Kominski. EastEnders has always featured a culturally diverse cast which has included black, Asian, Turkish, Polish and Latvian characters. `` The expansion of minority representation signals a move away from the traditional soap opera format, providing more opportunities for audience identification with the characters and hence a wider appeal ''. Despite this, the programme has been criticised by the Commission for Racial Equality, who argued in 2002 that EastEnders was not giving a realistic representation of the East End 's `` ethnic make - up ''. They suggested that the average proportion of visible minority faces on EastEnders was substantially lower than the actual ethnic minority population in East London boroughs, and it therefore reflected the East End in the 1960s, not the East End of the 2000s. Furthermore, it was suggested that an element of `` tokenism '' and stereotyping surrounded many of these minority characters. The programme has since attempted to address these issues. A sari shop was opened and various characters of different ethnicities were introduced throughout 2006 and 2007, including the Fox family, the Masoods, and various background artists. This was part of producer Diederick Santer 's plan to `` diversify '', to make EastEnders `` feel more 21st century ''. EastEnders has had varying success with ethnic minority characters. Possibly the least successful were the Indian Ferreira family, who were not well received by critics or viewers and were dismissed as unrealistic by the Asian community in the UK. EastEnders has been praised for its portrayal of characters with disabilities, including Adam Best ( spina bifida ), Noah Chambers ( deaf ), Jean Slater and her daughter Stacey ( bipolar disorder ), Janet Mitchell ( Down syndrome ) and Jim Branning ( stroke ). The show also features a large number of gay, lesbian and bisexual characters, including Colin Russell, Barry Clark, Simon Raymond, Tony Hills, Sonia Fowler, Naomi Julien, Tina Carter, Tosh Mackintosh, Ben Mitchell and Paul Coker. Kyle Slater, a transgender character, was introduced in 2015. EastEnders has a high cast turnover and characters are regularly changed to facilitate storylines or refresh the format. The show has also become known for the return of characters after they have left the show. Sharon Rickman returned in August 2012 for her third stint on the show. Den Watts returned 14 years after he was believed to have died, a feat repeated by Kathy Beale in 2015. Speaking extras, including Tracey the barmaid ( who has been in the show since the first episode in 1985 ), have made appearances throughout the show 's duration, without being the focus of any major storylines. The character of Nick Cotton gained a reputation for making constant exits and returns since the programme 's first year, until the character 's death in 2015. As of December 2016, Adam Woodyatt, Gillian Taylforth and Letitia Dean are the only members of the original cast remaining in the show, in their roles of Ian Beale, Kathy Beale and Sharon Watts respectively. Original character Michelle Fowler also appears in the show although recast. Ian Beale is the only character to have appeared continuously from the first episode without officially leaving, and is the longest - serving character in EastEnders. Dot Cotton is the longest - serving female character in the show having served since 1985, whilst Pat Butcher is the longest - serving former character, appearing from 1986 until 2012. Storylines This section needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. ( April 2017 ) EastEnders programme makers took the decision that the show was to be about `` everyday life '' in the inner city `` today '' and regarded it as a `` slice of life ''. Creator / producer Julia Smith declared that `` We do n't make life, we reflect it ''. She also said, `` We decided to go for a realistic, fairly outspoken type of drama which could encompass stories about homosexuality, rape, unemployment, racial prejudice, etc., in a believable context. Above all, we wanted realism ''. In 2011, the head of BBC drama, John Yorke, said that the real East End had changed significantly since EastEnders started, and the show no longer truly reflected real life, but that it had an `` emotional truthfulness '' and was partly `` true to the original vision '' and partly `` adapt ( ing ) to a changing world '', adding that `` If it was a show where every house cost a fortune and everyone drove a Lexus, it would n't be EastEnders. You have to show shades of that change, but certain things are immutable, I would argue, like The Vic and the market. '' In the 1980s, EastEnders featured `` gritty '' storylines involving drugs and crime, representing the issues faced by working - class Thatcherite Britain. Storylines included the cot death of 14 - month - old Hassan Osman, Nick Cotton 's homophobia, racism and murder of Reg Cox, Arthur Fowler 's unemployment reflecting the recession of the 1980s, the rape of Kathy Beale in 1988 by James Willmott - Brown and Michelle Fowler 's teenage pregnancy. The show also dealt with prostitution, mixed - race relationships, shoplifting, sexism, divorce, domestic violence and mugging. In 1989, the programme came under criticism in the British media for being too depressing, and according to writer Colin Brake, the programme makers were determined to change this. In 1989, there was a deliberate attempt to increase the lighter, more comic aspects of life in Albert Square. This led to the introduction of some characters who were deliberately conceived as comic or light - hearted. Brake suggested that humour was an important element in EastEnders ' storylines during 1989, with a greater amount of slapstick and light comedy than before. He classed 1989 's changes as a brave experiment, and suggested that while some found this period of EastEnders entertaining, many other viewers felt that the comedy stretched the programme 's credibility. Although the programme still covered many issues in 1989, such as domestic violence, drugs, rape and racism, Brake reflected that the new emphasis on a more balanced mix between `` light and heavy storylines '' gave the illusion that the show had lost a `` certain edge ''. As the show progressed into the 1990s, EastEnders still featured hard - hitting issues such as Mark Fowler discovering he was HIV positive in 1991, the death of his wife Gill from an AIDS - related illness in 1992, murder, adoption, abortion, Peggy Mitchell 's battle with breast cancer, and Phil Mitchell 's alcoholism and violence towards wife Kathy. Mental health issues were confronted in 1996 when 16 - year - old Joe Wicks developed schizophrenia following the off - screen death of his sister in a car crash. The long - running storyline of Mark Fowler 's HIV was so successful in raising awareness that in 1999, a survey by the National Aids Trust found teenagers got most of their information about HIV from the soap, though one campaigner noted that in some ways the storyline was not reflective of what was happening at the time as the condition was more common among the gay community. Still, heterosexual Mark struggled with various issues connected to his HIV status, including public fears of contamination, a marriage breakdown connected to his inability to have children and the side effects of combination therapies. In the early 2000s, EastEnders covered the issue of euthanasia ( Ethel Skinner 's death in a pact with her friend Dot Cotton ), the unveiling of Kat Slater 's abuse by her uncle Harry as a child ( which led to the birth of her daughter Zoe, who had been brought up to believe that Kat was her sister ), the domestic abuse of Little Mo Morgan by husband Trevor ( which involved rape and culminated in Trevor 's death after he tried to kill Little Mo in a fire ), Sonia Jackson giving birth at the age of 15 and then putting her baby up for adoption, and Janine Butcher 's prostitution, agoraphobia and drug addiction. The soap also tackled the issue of mental illness and carers of people who have mental conditions, illustrated with mother and daughter Jean and Stacey Slater ; Jean suffers from bipolar disorder, and teenage daughter Stacey was her carer ( this storyline won a Mental Health Media Award in September 2006 ). Stacey went on to struggle with the disorder herself. The issue of illiteracy was highlighted by the characters of middle - aged Keith and his young son Darren. EastEnders has also covered the issue of Down syndrome, as Billy and Honey Mitchell 's baby, Janet Mitchell, was born with the condition in 2006. EastEnders covered child abuse with its storyline involving Phil Mitchell 's 11 - year - old son Ben and lawyer girlfriend Stella Crawford, and child grooming involving the characters Tony King and Whitney Dean. Aside from this, soap opera staples of youthful romance, jealousy, domestic rivalry, gossip and extramarital affairs are regularly featured, with high - profile storylines occurring several times a year. Whodunits also feature regularly, including the `` Who Shot Phil ? '' storyline in 2001 that attracted over 19 million viewers and was one of the biggest successes in British soap television, the `` Who Killed Archie ? '' story, which was revealed in a special live episode of the show that drew a peak of 17 million viewers, and `` Who Killed Lucy Beale ? ''. Production See also : List of EastEnders crew members Set The Butcher / Jackson living room in 2008. The exterior set for the fictional Albert Square is located in the permanent backlot of the BBC Elstree Centre, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, at 51 ° 39 ′ 32 '' N 0 ° 16 ′ 40 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 51.65889 ° N 0.27778 ° W ﻿ / 51.65889 ; - 0.27778, and is outdoors and open to the weather. It was initially built in 1984 with a specification that it should last for at least fifteen years at a cost of £ 750,000. The EastEnders lot was designed by Keith Harris, who was a senior designer within the production team together with supervising art directors Peter Findley and Gina Parr. The main buildings on the square consisted originally of hollow shells, constructed from marine plywood facades mounted onto steel frames. The lower walls, pavements, etc., were constructed of real brick and tarmac. The set had to be made to look as if it had been standing for years. This was done by a number of means, including chipping the pavements, using chemicals to crack the top layer of the paint work, using varnish to create damp patches underneath the railway bridge, and making garden walls in such a way they appeared to sag. The final touches were added in summer 1984, these included a telephone box, telegraph pole that was provided by British Telecom, lampposts that were provided by Hertsmere Borough Council and a number of vehicles parked on the square. On each set all the appliances are fully functional such as gas cookers, the laundry washing machines and The Queen Victoria beer pumps. The walls were intentionally built crooked to give them an aged appearance. The drains around the set are real so rainwater can naturally flow from the streets. The square was built in two phases with only three sides being built, plus Bridge Street, to begin with in 1984, in time to be used for the show 's first episode. Then in 1986, Harris added an extension to the set, building the fourth side of Albert Square, and in 1987, Turpin Road was added, which included buildings such as The Dagmar. In 1993, George Street was added, and soon after Walford East Underground station was built, to create further locations when EastEnders went from two to three episodes per week. The set was constructed by the BBC in - house construction department under construction manager Mike Hagan. The initial build took six months to complete. Most of the buildings on Albert Square have no interior filming space, with a few exceptions, and most do not have rears or gardens. Most areas by the front ( and sometimes back ) doors are decorated and dressed to match the interior set to allow shots of doors being opened. The grocery shop was originally open fronted, it was turned into a closed front shop, with removable interior walls to allow for filming inside the shop when the set was expanded in 1987. Some interior shots are filmed in the actual buildings, and the café also has some interior decoration so some limited filming can take place by the door. The newer exterior sets including fish and chip shop, video shop and beauty salon had some interior filming space to create a greater sense of realism. As the show is filmed up to six weeks in advance, the trees need to have extra leaves stuck on them during the spring to make them look like they would in summer. In February 2008, it was reported that the set would transfer to Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, where a new set would be built as the set was looking `` shabby '', with its flaws showing up on high - definition television broadcasts. However, by April 2010 a follow - up report confirmed that Albert Square would remain at Elstree Studios for at least another four years, taking the set through its 25th anniversary. The set was consequently rebuilt for high definition on the same site, using mostly real brick with some areas using a new improved plastic brick. Throughout rebuilding filming would still take place, and so scaffolding was often seen on screen during the process, with some storylines written to accommodate the rebuilding, such as the Queen Vic fire. In 2014, then executive producer Dominic Treadwell - Collins said that he wanted Albert Square to look like a real - life east London neighbourhood so that the soap would `` better reflect the more fashionable areas of east London beloved of young professionals '' giving a flavour of the `` creeping gentrification '' of east London. He added, `` It should feel more like London. It 's been frozen in aspic for too long. '' The BBC announced that they would rebuild the EastEnders set, to secure the long - term future of the show, with completion expected to be in 2018. The set will provide a modern, upgraded exterior filming resource for EastEnders, and will copy the appearance of the existing buildings. However, it will be 20 per cent bigger, in order to enable greater editorial ambition and improve working conditions for staff. A temporary set will be created on site to enable filming to continue while the permanent structure is rebuilt. As of May 2016, the rebuild has been delayed until 2020 and will cost in excess of £ 15 million, although the main part of the set is scheduled to be able to start filming in May 2019. Filming The majority of EastEnders episodes are filmed at the BBC Elstree Centre in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. When the number of episodes was increased to four per week, more studio space was needed, so Top of the Pops was moved from its studio at Elstree to BBC Television Centre in April 2001. Episodes are produced in `` quartets '' of four episodes, each of which starts filming on a Tuesday and takes nine days to record. Each day, between 25 and 30 scenes are recorded. During the filming week, actors can film for as many as eight to twelve episodes. Exterior scenes are filmed on a specially constructed film lot, and interior scenes take place in four studios. The episodes are usually filmed about six to eight weeks in advance of broadcast. During the winter period, filming can take place up to twelve weeks in advance, due to less daylight for outdoor filming sessions. This time difference has been known to cause problems when filming outdoor scenes. On 8 February 2007, heavy snow fell on the set and filming had to be cancelled as the scenes due to be filmed on the day were to be transmitted in April. EastEnders is normally recorded using four cameras. When a quartet is completed, it is edited by the director, videotape editor and script supervisor. The producer then reviews the edits and decides if anything needs to be re-edited, which the director will do. A week later, sound is added to the episodes and they are technically reviewed, and are ready for transmission if they are deemed of acceptable quality. Although episodes are predominantly recorded weeks before they are broadcast, occasionally, EastEnders includes current events in their episodes. In 1987, EastEnders covered the general election. Using a plan devised by co-creators Smith and Holland, five minutes of material was cut from four of the pre-recorded episodes preceding the election. These were replaced by specially recorded election material, including representatives from each major party, and a scene recorded on the day after the election reflecting the result, which was broadcast the following Tuesday. The result of the 2010 general election was referenced in 7 May 2010 episode. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, actors filmed short scenes following the tournament 's events that were edited into the programme in the following episode. Last - minute scenes have also been recorded to reference the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1995, the two - minute silence on Remembrance Day 2005 ( 2005 also being the year for the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar ), Barack Obama 's election victory in 2008, the death of Michael Jackson in 2009, the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, Andy Murray winning the Men 's Singles at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the birth of Prince George of Cambridge. Scotland voting no against independence in 2014, and the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Great War. EastEnders is often filmed on location, away from the studios in Borehamwood. Sometimes an entire quartet is filmed on location, which has a practical function and are the result of EastEnders making a `` double bank '', when an extra week 's worth of episodes are recorded at the same time as the regular schedule, enabling the production of the programme to stop for a two - week break at Christmas. These episodes often air in late June or early July and again in late October or early November. The first time this happened was in December 1985 when Pauline ( Wendy Richard ) and Arthur Fowler ( Bill Treacher ) travelled to the Southend - on - Sea to find their son Mark, who had run away from home. In 1986, EastEnders filmed overseas for the first time, in Venice, and this was also the first time it was not filmed on videotape, as a union rule at the time prevented producers taking a video crew abroad and a film crew had to be used instead. In 2011, it was reported that eight per cent of the series is filmed on location. If scenes during a normal week are to be filmed on location, this is done during the normal recording week. Off - set locations that have been used for filming include Clacton ( 1989 ), Devon ( September 1990 ), Hertfordshire ( used for scenes set in Gretna Green in July 1991 ), Portsmouth ( November 1991 ), Milan ( 1997 ), Ireland ( 1997 ), Amsterdam ( December 1999 ), Brighton ( 2001 ) and Portugal ( 2003 ). In 2003, filming took place at Loch Fyne Hotel and Leisure Club in Inveraray, The Arkinglass Estate in Cairndow and Grims Dyke Hotel, Harrow Weald, north London, for a week of episodes set in Scotland. 9 April 2007 episode featured scenes filmed at St Giles Church and The Blacksmiths Arms public house in Wormshill, the Ringlestone Inn, two miles away and Court Lodge Farm in Stansted, Kent. and the Port of Dover, Kent... Other locations have included the court house, a disused office block, Evershed House, and St Peter 's Church, all in St Albans, an abandoned mental facility in Worthing, Carnaby Street in London, and a wedding dress shop in Muswell Hill, north London. A week of episodes in 2011 saw filming take place on a beach in Thorpe Bay and a pier in Southend - on - Sea -- during which a stuntman was injured when a gust of wind threw him off balance and he fell onto rocks -- with other scenes filmed on the Essex coast. In 2012, filming took place in Keynsham, Somerset. In January 2013, on - location filming at Grahame Park in Colindale, north London, was interrupted by at least seven youths who threw a firework at the set and threatened to cut members of the crew. In October 2013, scenes were filmed on a road near London Southend Airport in Essex. The two - handers ( when only two actors appear in an episode ) were originally done for speed ; while a two - hander is being filmed, the rest of the cast can be making another episode. EastEnders has featured seven live broadcasts. For its 25th anniversary in February 2010, a live episode was broadcast in which Stacey Slater ( Lacey Turner ) was revealed as Archie Mitchell 's ( Larry Lamb ) killer. Turner was told only 30 minutes before the live episode and to maintain suspense, she whispers this revelation to former lover and current father - in - law, Max Branning, in the very final moments of the live show. Many other cast members only found out at the same time as the public, when the episode was broadcast. On 23 July 2012, a segment of that evening 's episode was screened live as Billy Mitchell ( Perry Fenwick ) carried the Olympic Flame around Walford in preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In February 2015, for the soap 's 30th anniversary, five episodes in a week featured live inserts throughout them. Episodes airing on Tuesday 17, Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 ( which featured an hour long episode and a second episode ) all featured at least one live insert. The show revealed that the killer of Lucy Beale ( Hetti Bywater ) was her younger brother, Bobby ( Eliot Carrington ), during the second episode on Thursday, after a ten month mystery regarding who killed her. In a flashback episode which revisited the night of the murder, Bobby was revealed to have killed his sister. The aftermath episode, which aired on Friday 20, was completely live and explained in detail Lucy 's death. Carrington was told he was Lucy 's killer on Monday 16, while Laurie Brett ( who plays Bobby 's adoptive mother, Jane ) was informed in November, due to the character playing a huge role in the cover - up of Lucy 's murder. Bywater only discovered Bobby was responsible for Lucy 's death on the morning of Thursday, 19 November, several hours before they filmed the scenes revealing Bobby as Lucy 's killer. Post-production Each episode should run for 27 minutes and 15 seconds, however, if any episode runs over or under then it is the job of post-production to cut or add scenes where appropriate. As noted in the 1994 behind - the - scenes book, EastEnders : The First 10 Years, after filming, tapes were sent to the videotape editor, who then edited the scenes together into an episode. The videotape editor used the director 's notes so they knew which scenes the director wanted to appear in a particular episode. The producer might have asked for further changes to be made. The episode was then copied onto D3 video. The final process was to add the audio which included background noise such as a train or a jukebox music and to check it met the BBC 's technical standard for broadcasting. Since 2010, EastEnders no longer uses tapes in the recording or editing process. After footage is recorded, the material is sent digitally to the post production team. The editors then assemble all the scenes recorded for the director to view and note any changes that are needed. The sound team also have the capability to access the edited episode, enabling them to dub the sound and create the final version. Budgets and costs According to the book How to Study Television, in 1995 EastEnders cost the BBC £ 40,000 per episode on average. A 2012 agreement between the BBC, the Writers ' Guild of Great Britain and the Personal Managers ' Association set out the pay rate for EastEnders scripts as £ 137.70 per minute of transmission time ( £ 4,131 for 30 minutes ), which is 85 per cent of the rate for scripts for other BBC television series. The writers would be paid 75 per cent of that fee for any repeats of the episode. In 2011, it was reported that actors receive a per - episode fee of between £ 400 and £ 1,200, and are guaranteed a certain number of episodes per year, perhaps as few as 30 or as many as 100, therefore annual salaries could range from £ 12,000 to £ 200,000 depending on the popularity of a character. Some actors ' salaries were leaked in 2006, revealing that Natalie Cassidy ( Sonia Fowler ) was paid £ 150,000, Cliff Parisi ( Minty Peterson ) received £ 220,000, Barbara Windsor ( Peggy Mitchell ) and Steve McFadden ( Phil Mitchell ) each received £ 360,000 and Wendy Richard ( Pauline Fowler ) had a salary of £ 370,000. In 2017, it was revealed that Danny Dyer ( Mick Carter ) and Adam Woodyatt ( Ian Beale ) were the highest - paid actors in EastEnders, earning between £ 200,000 and £ 249,999, followed by Laurie Brett ( Jane Beale ), Letitia Dean ( Sharon Watts ), Tameka Empson ( Kim Fox ), Linda Henry ( Shirley Carter ), Scott Maslen ( Jack Branning ), Diane Parish ( Denise Fox ), Gillian Taylforth ( Kathy Beale ) and Lacey Turner ( Stacey Slater ), earning between £ 150,000 and £ 199,999. A 2011 report from the National Audit Office ( NAO ) showed that EastEnders had an annual budget of £ 29.9 million. Of that, £ 2.9 million was spent on scripts and £ 6.9 million went towards paying actors, extras and chaperones for child actors. According to the NAO, BBC executives approved £ 500,000 of additional funding for the 25th anniversary live episode ( 19 February 2010 ). With a total cost of £ 696,000, the difference was covered from the 2009 -- 2010 series budget for EastEnders. When repeats and omnibus editions are shown, the BBC pays additional fees to cast and scriptwriters and incurs additional editing costs, which in the period 2009 -- 2010, amounted to £ 5.5 million. According to a Radio Times article for 212 episodes it works out at £ 141,000 per episode or 3.5 p per viewer hour. Total annual cost Year 2002 -- 2003 2003 -- 2004 2004 -- 2005 2005 -- 2006 2006 -- 2007 2007 -- 2008 2008 -- 2009 2009 -- 2010 Cost ( £ millions ) 35.8 36.2 34.7 34.1 33.0 33.6 31.5 29.9 Sustainability In 2014, two new studios were built and they were equipped with low - energy lighting which has saved approximately 90,000 kwh per year. A carbon literacy course was run with Heads of Departments of EastEnders attending and as a result, representatives from each department agreed to meet quarterly to share new sustainability ideas. The paper usage was reduced by 50 per cent across script distribution and other weekly documents and 20 per cent across all other paper usage. The production team now use recycled paper and recycled stationery. Also changes to working online has also saved transportation cost of distribution 2,500 DVDs per year. Sets, costumes, paste pots and paint are all recycled by the design department. Cars used by the studio are low emission vehicles and the production team take more efficient energy efficient generators out on location. Caterers no longer use polystyrene cups and recycling on location must be provided. As a result of EastEnders ' sustainability, it was awarded albert+, an award that recognises the production 's commitment to becoming a more eco-friendly television production. The albert+ logo was first shown at the end of the EastEnders titles for episode 5281 on 9 May 2016. Scheduling Broadcast Since 1985, EastEnders has remained at the centre of BBC One 's primetime schedule. Since 2001, it has been broadcast at 7 : 30 pm on Tuesday and Thursday, and 8 pm on Monday and Friday. EastEnders was originally broadcast twice weekly at 7 : 00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 19 February 1985. However, in September 1985 the two episodes were moved to 7 : 30 pm as Michael Grade did not want the soap running in direct competition with Emmerdale Farm, and this remained the same until 7 April 1994. The BBC had originally planned to take advantage of the ' summer break ' that Emmerdale Farm usually took to capitalise on ratings, but ITV1 added extra episodes and repeats so that Emmerdale Farm was not taken off the air over the summer. Realising the futility of the situation, Grade decided to move the show to the later 7 : 30 pm slot, but to avoid tabloid speculation that it was a `` panic move '' on the BBC 's behalf, they had to `` dress up the presentation of that move in such a way as to protect the show '' giving `` all kinds of reasons '' for the move. EastEnders output then increased to three times a week on Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays from 11 April 1994 until 2 August 2001. From 10 August 2001, EastEnders then added its fourth episode ( shown on Fridays ). This caused some controversy as it clashed with Coronation Street, which at the time was moved to 8 pm to make way for an hour - long episode of rural soap Emmerdale at 7 pm. The move immediately provoked an angry response from ITV insiders, who argued that the BBC 's last - minute move -- only revealed at 3.30 pm on the day -- broke an unwritten scheduling rule that the two flagship soaps would not be put directly against each other. In this first head - to - head battle, EastEnders claimed victory over its rival. In early 2003, viewers could watch episodes of EastEnders on digital channel BBC Three before they were broadcast on BBC One. This was to coincide with the relaunch of the channel and helped BBC Three break the one million viewers mark for the first time with 1.03 million who watched to see Mark Fowler 's departure. According to the EastEnders website, there are on average 208 episodes outputted each year. Repeats EastEnders was regularly repeated at 10 pm on BBC Choice from the channel 's launch in 1998, a practice continued by BBC Three for many years until mid-2012 with the repeat moving to 10 : 30 pm. From 25 December 2010 to 29 April 2011 the show was repeated on BBC HD in a Simulcast with BBC Three. In 2015, the BBC Three repeat moved back to 10 pm. In February 2016, the repeat moved to W, the rebranded Watch, after BBC Three became an online - only channel. Episodes of EastEnders are available on - demand through BBC iPlayer for thirty days after their original screening. The omnibus edition, a compilation of the week 's episodes in a continuous sequence, originally aired on BBC One on Sunday afternoons, until 1 April 2012 when it was changed to a late Friday night or early Saturday morning slot, commencing 6 April 2012, though the exact time differed. It reverted to a weekend daytime slot as from January 2013 on BBC Two. In 2014, the omnibus moved back to around midnight on Friday nights, and in April 2015, the omnibus was axed, following detailed audience research and the introduction of 30 - day catch up on BBC iPlayer and the planning of BBC One + 1. The last omnibus on the BBC was shown on 24 April 2015. W took over the same - day repeat of EastEnders the first being 16 February 2016, they also returned the weekend omnibus 20 February 2016. From 20 February to 26 May 1995, as part of the programme 's 10th Anniversary celebrations, episodes from 1985 were repeated each morning at 10 am, starting from episode one. Four specially selected episodes from 1985 and 1986 were also repeated on BBC1 on Friday evenings at 8 pm under the banner `` The Unforgettable EastEnders ''. These included The wedding of Michelle Fowler and Lofty Holloway, The revelation of the father of Michelle 's baby, a two - hander between Dot Cotton and Ethel Skinner and the 1986 Christmas episode featuring Den Watts presenting Angie Watts with divorce papers. EastEnders reruns began on UKTV Gold when the channel launched in 1992. The series ran from the first episode and followed its original broadcast order until August 1996 when the channel looped back to the first episode. In October 2008, UKTV Gold ceased showing EastEnders. The last episode shown was from January 2006. Watch launched in October 2008 and EastEnders reruns from 5 January 2009 to 22 October 2009, finishing with episodes originally broadcast in December 2006. On 1 December 2012, the BBC uploaded the first 54 episodes of EastEnders to YouTube, and on 23 July 2013 they uploaded a further 14 episodes bringing the total to 68. None of these episodes was available as of 7 October 2017. International Countries in which EastEnders is or has been broadcast EastEnders is broadcast around the world in many English - speaking countries. New Zealand became the first to broadcast EastEnders overseas, the first episode being shown on 27 September 1985. This was followed by the Netherlands on 8 December 1986, Australia on 5 January 1987, Norway on 27 April, and Barcelona on 30 June with a Catalan dub. On 9 July 1987, it was announced that the show would be aired in the United States on PBS. BBC Worldwide licensed 200 hours of EastEnders to for broadcast in Serbia on RTS ( dubbed into Serbian ) ; it began airing the first episode in December 1997. The series was broadcast in the United States until BBC America ceased broadcasts of the serial in 2003, amidst fan protests. In June 2004, the Dish Network satellite television provider picked up EastEnders, broadcasting episodes starting at the point where BBC America had ceased broadcasting them, offering the serial as a pay - per - view item. Episodes air two months behind the UK schedule. Episodes from prior years are still shown on various PBS stations in the US. Since 7 March 2017, EastEnders has been available in the United States on demand, 24 hours after it has aired in the United Kingdom via BritBox, a joint venture between BBC and ITV. The series was screened in Australia by ABC TV from 1987 until 1991. It is aired in Australia on Satellite & Streaming services on BBC UKTV, from Mondays to Thursdays 7 : 50 pm -- 8 : 30 pm with two advert breaks of five minutes each. Episodes are shown about one week after their UK broadcast. In New Zealand, it was shown by TVNZ on TVNZ 1 for several years, and then on Prime each weekday afternoon. It is shown by BBC UKTV Mondays to Thursdays at 8 pm. Episodes are about two weeks behind the UK. EastEnders is shown on BBC Entertainment ( formerly BBC Prime ) in Europe and in Africa, where it is approximately six episodes behind the UK. It was also shown on BBC Prime in Asia, but when the channel was replaced by BBC Entertainment, it ceased showing the series. In Canada, EastEnders was shown on BBC Canada until 2010, at which point it was picked up by VisionTV. In Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway, the show is now cancelled but was for decades shown on BBC Nordic channels with local subtitles. In Ireland, EastEnders was shown on TV3 from September 1998 until March 2001, when it moved over to RTÉ One, after RTÉ lost the rights to air rival soap Coronation Street to TV3. The series is simulcast with BBC One, which is widely available in the Republic, but carries advertising since its 1998 debut on Irish TV. Additionally episodes of EastEnders are available on - demand through RTÉ Player for seven days after their original screening. HM Forces and their families stationed overseas can watch EastEnders on BBC One, carried by the British Forces Broadcasting Service, which is also available to civilians in the Falkland Islands and Tristan da Cunha. It was previously shown on BFBS1. International versions In 1991 the BBC sold the programme 's format rights to a Dutch production company IDTV, the programme was renamed Het Oude Noorden ( Translation : Old North ). The Dutch version was re-written from already existing EastEnders scripts. The schedule remained the same as EastEnders twice weekly episodes, however some notable changes included the programme is now set in Rotterdam rather than London, characters are given Dutch names Den and Angie became Ger and Ankie and The Queen Victoria pub is renamed `` Cade Faas ''. According to Barbara Jurgen who re-wrote the scripts for a Dutch audience he said `` The power of the show is undeniable. The Scripts are full of hard, sharp drama, plus great one - liners which will translate well to Holland. '' The Dutch version began broadcasting on VARA 13 March 1993 and ran for 20 episodes but was cancelled after twenty episodes. Spin - offs and merchandise Main article : EastEnders spin - offs See also : List of EastEnders television spin - offs On 26 December 1988, the first EastEnders `` bubbles '' was shown, titled `` CivvyStreet ''. Since then, `` Return of Nick Cotton '' ( 2000 ), `` Ricky & Bianca '' ( 2002 ), `` Dot 's Story '' ( 2003 ), `` Perfectly Frank '' ( 2003 ) and `` Pat and Mo '' ( 2004 ) have all been broadcast, each episode looking into lives of various characters and revealing part of their backstories or lives since leaving EastEnders. In 1993, the two - part story `` Dimensions in Time '', a charity cross-over with Doctor Who, was shown. In 1998, EastEnders Revealed was launched on BBC Choice ( now BBC Three ). The show takes a look behind the scenes of the EastEnders and investigates particular places, characters or families within EastEnders. An episode of EastEnders Revealed that was commissioned for BBC Three attracted 611,000 viewers. As part of the BBC 's digital push, EastEnders Xtra was introduced in 2005. The show was presented by Angellica Bell and was available to digital viewers at 8 : 30pm on Monday nights. It was also shown after the Sunday omnibus. The series went behind the scenes of the show and spoke to some of the cast members. A new breed of behind - the - scenes programmes have been broadcast on BBC Three since 1 December 2006. These are all documentaries related to current storylines in EastEnders, in a similar format to EastEnders Revealed, though not using the EastEnders Revealed name. In October 2009, a 12 - part Internet spin - off series entitled EastEnders : E20 was announced. The series was conceived by executive producer Diederick Santer `` as a way of nurturing new, young talent, both on - and off - screen, and exploring the stories of the soaps ' anonymous bystanders. '' E20 features a group of sixth - form characters and targets the `` Hollyoaks demographic ''. It was written by a team of young writers and was shown three times a week on the EastEnders website from 8 January 2010. A second ten - part series started in September 2010, with twice - weekly episodes available online and an omnibus on BBC Three. A third series of 15 episodes started in September 2011. EastEnders and rival soap opera Coronation Street took part in a crossover episode for Children in Need on 19 November 2010 called `` East Street ''. On 4 April 2015, EastEnders confirmed plans for a BBC One series featuring Kat and Alfie Moon. The six - part drama, Kat & Alfie : Redwater, was created by executive producer Dominic Treadwell - Collins and his team. In the spin - off, the Moons visit Ireland where they `` search for answers to some very big questions. '' Until its closure, BBC Store released 553 EastEnders episodes from various years, including the special episode `` CivvyStreet '', available to buy as digital downloads. Popularity and viewership An example of EastEnders ' popularity is that after episodes, electricity use in the United Kingdom rises significantly as viewers who have waited for the show to end begin boiling water for tea, a phenomenon known as TV pickup. Over five minutes, power demand rises by three GW, the equivalent of 1.5 to 1.75 million teakettles. National Grid personnel watch the show to know when closing credits begin so they can prepare for the surge, asking for additional power from France if necessary. Ratings EastEnders is the BBC 's most consistent programme in terms of ratings. It has proved highly popular and Appreciation Indexes reflected this, rising from 55 -- 60 at the launch to 85 -- 95 later on, a figure which was nearly ten points higher than the average for a British soap opera. Research suggested that people found the characters true to life, the plots believable and, importantly in the face of criticism of the content, people watched as a family and regarded it as viewing for all the family. Based on market research by BBC commissioning in 2003, EastEnders is most watched by 60 - to 74 - year - olds, closely followed by 45 - to 59 - year - olds. An average EastEnders episode attracts a total audience share between 35 and 40 per cent. The same - day repeat showing on BBC Three attracted an average of 500,000 viewers, whilst the Sunday omnibus generally attracted 3 million. EastEnders is one of the more popular programmes on British television and while the show 's ratings have fallen since its initial surge in popularity and the advent of multichannel digital television, the programme continues to be successful for the BBC. EastEnders two main rivals are ITV soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale. 30.15 million viewers watched Den Watts serve Angie divorce papers ( Christmas Day 1986 ). The launch show in 1985 attracted 17.35 million viewers. 25 July 1985 was the first time the show 's viewership rose to first position in the weekly top ten shows for BBC One. The highest rated episode of EastEnders is the Christmas Day 1986 episode, which attracted a combined 30.15 million viewers who tuned into either the original transmission or the omnibus to see Den Watts hand over divorce papers to his wife Angie. This remains the highest rated episode of a soap in British television history. In 2001, EastEnders clashed with Coronation Street for the first time. EastEnders won the battle with 8.4 million viewers ( 41 % share ) whilst Coronation Street lagged behind with 7.3 million viewers ( 34 per cent share ). On 21 September 2004, Louise Berridge, the then executive producer, quit following criticism of the show. The following day the show received its lowest ever ratings at that time ( 6.2 million ) when ITV scheduled an hour - long episode of Emmerdale against it. Emmerdale was watched by 8.1 million people. The poor ratings motivated the press into reporting viewers were bored with implausible and ill - thought - out storylines. Under new producers, EastEnders and Emmerdale continued to clash at times, and Emmerdale tended to come out on top, giving EastEnders lower than average ratings. In 2006, EastEnders regularly attracted between 8 and 12 million viewers in official ratings. EastEnders received its second lowest ratings on 17 May 2007, when 4.0 million viewers tuned in. This was also the lowest ever audience share, with just 19.6 per cent. This was attributed to a conflicting one hour special episode of Emmerdale on ITV1. However, ratings for the 10 pm EastEnders repeat on BBC Three reached an all - time high of 1.4 million. However, there have been times when EastEnders had higher ratings than Emmerdale despite the two going head - to - head. The ratings increased in 2010, thanks to the `` Who Killed Archie ? '' storyline and second wedding of Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson, and the show 's first live episode on 19 February 2010. The live - episode averaged 15.6 million viewers, peaking at 16.6 million in the final five minutes of broadcast. In January 2010, the average audience was higher than that of Coronation Street for the first time in three years. During the 30th anniversary week in which there were live elements and the climax of the Who Killed Lucy Beale ? storyline, 10.84 million viewers tuned in for the 30th anniversary episode itself in an hour long special on 19 February 2015 ( peaking with 11.9 million ). Later on in the same evening, a special flashback episode averaged 10.3 million viewers, and peaked with 11.2 million. The following day, the anniversary week was rounded off with another fully live episode ( the second after 2010 ) with 9.97 million viewers watching the aftermath of the reveal, the Beale family finding out the truth of Lucy 's killer and deciding to keep it a secret. Average, highest and lowest ratings for EastEnders by year Year Number of episodes Average viewers ( millions ) Highest rating ( millions ) Lowest rating ( millions ) 1985 91 14.73 23.55 7.75 1986 105 20.66 30.15 13.90 107 21.14 28.00 13.65 1988 104 18.94 24.95 12.60 1989 104 16.99 24.08 12.83 1990 104 17.17 20.80 12.33 1991 105 17.12 22.44 13.06 1992 106 18.28 24.32 11.85 1993 105 17.90 23.21 10.47 1994 142 16.02 25.30 7.96 1995 157 14.54 22.02 7.88 161 14.65 17.92 7.73 1997 162 14.23 18.06 7.13 1998 164 14.62 22.14 8.01 1999 169 15.87 20.89 10.89 2000 163 15.47 20.89 9.64 2001 179 15.92 23.18 11.27 2002 211 11.95 16.97 8.33 2003 210 12.58 16.66 8.58 209 11.32 14.80 6.83 2005 209 10.19 14.34 6.76 2006 207 9.16 12.33 4.11 2007 208 8.87 14.38 4.29 2008 208 8.42 11.73 5.30 2009 209 8.43 11.67 5.02 204 9.35 12.61 4.99 2011 211 9.02 11.42 5.74 2012 206 8.23 11.31 5.53 2013 212 7.72 10.03 5.42 2014 206 7.20 9.09 4.58 2015 209 7.17 9.87 5.43 2016 210 6.94 9.47 4.83 2017 209 6.68 8.41 4.19 Criticism EastEnders is the most complained about programme on the BBC. It has received both praise and criticism for most of its storylines, which have dealt with difficult themes, such as violence, rape, murder and child abuse. Morality and violence Mary Whitehouse, social critic, argued at the time that EastEnders represented a violation of `` family viewing time '' and that it undermined the watershed policy. She regarded EastEnders as a fundamental assault on the family and morality itself. She made reference to representation of family life and emphasis on psychological and emotional violence within the show. She was also critical of language such as `` bleeding '', `` bloody hell '', `` bastard '' and `` for Christ 's sake ''. However, Whitehouse also praised the programme, describing Michelle Fowler 's decision not to have an abortion as a `` very positive storyline ''. She also felt that EastEnders had been cleaned up as a result of her protests, though she later commented that EastEnders had returned to its old ways. Her criticisms were widely reported in the tabloid press as ammunition in its existing hostility towards the BBC. The stars of Coronation Street in particular aligned themselves with Mary Whitehouse, gaining headlines such as `` STREETS AHEAD ! RIVALS LASH SEEDY EASTENDERS '' and `` CLEAN UP SOAP ! Street Star Bill Lashes ' Steamy ' EastEnders ''. EastEnders has been criticised for being too violent, most notably during a domestic violence storyline between Little Mo Morgan and her husband Trevor Morgan. As EastEnders is shown pre-watershed, there were worries that some scenes in this storyline were too graphic for its audience. Complaints against a scene in which Little Mo 's face was pushed in gravy on Christmas Day were upheld by the Broadcasting Standards Council. However, a helpline after this episode attracted over 2000 calls. Erin Pizzey, who became internationally famous for having started one of the first women 's refuges, said that EastEnders had done more to raise the issue of violence against women in one story than she had done in 25 years. The character of Phil Mitchell ( played by Steve McFadden since early 1990 ) has been criticised on several occasions for glorifying violence and proving a bad role model to children. On one occasion following a scene in an episode broadcast in October 2002, where Phil brutally beat his godson, Jamie Mitchell ( Jack Ryder ), 31 complaints came from viewers who watched the scenes. In 2003, cast member Shaun Williamson, who was in the final months of his role of Barry Evans, said that the programme had become much grittier over the past ten to fifteen years, and found it `` frightening '' that parents let their young children watch. In 2005, the BBC was accused of anti-religious bias by a House of Lords committee, who cited EastEnders as an example. Dr. Indarjit Singh, editor of the Sikh Messenger and patron of the World Congress of Faiths, said : `` EastEnders ' Dot Cotton is an example. She quotes endlessly from the Bible and it ridicules religion to some extent. '' In July 2010, complaints were received following the storyline of Christian minister Lucas Johnson committing a number of murders that he believed was his duty to God, claiming that the storyline was offensive to Christians. In 2008, EastEnders, along with Coronation Street, was criticised by Martin McGuinness, then Northern Ireland 's deputy first minister, for `` the level of concentration around the pub '' and the `` antics portrayed in the (... ) Queen Vic ''. Allegations of National and racial stereotypes In 1997 several episodes were shot and set in Ireland, resulting in criticisms for portraying the Irish in a negatively stereotypical way. Ted Barrington, the Irish Ambassador to the UK at the time, described the portrayal of Ireland as an `` unrepresentative caricature '', stating he was worried by the negative stereotypes and the images of drunkenness, backwardness and isolation. Jana Bennett, the BBC 's then director of production, later apologised for the episodes, stating on BBC1 's news bulletin : `` It is clear that a significant number of viewers have been upset by the recent episodes of EastEnders, and we are very sorry, because the production team and programme makers did not mean to cause any offence. '' A year later BBC chairman Christopher Bland admitted that as result of the Irish - set EastEnders episodes, the station failed in its pledge to represent all groups accurately and avoid reinforcing prejudice. In 2008, the show was criticised for stereotyping their Asian and Black characters, by having a black single mum, Denise Wicks, and an Asian shopkeeper, Zainab Masood. There has been criticism that the programme does not authentically portray the ethnic diversity of the population of East London, with the programme being ' twice as white ' as the real East End. Controversial storylines Some storylines have provoked high levels of viewer complaints. In August 2006, a scene involving Carly Wicks ( Kellie Shirley ) and Jake Moon ( Joel Beckett ) having sex on the floor of Scarlet nightclub, and another scene involving Owen Turner violently attacking Denise Fox, prompted 129 and 128 complaints, respectively. Carly and Jake 's sex scenes were later removed from the Sunday omnibus edition. The showdown of Rob, Dawn and May 's storyline where May stated to Dawn she could give her an elective caesarean ( Dawn being handcuffed to the bed ) prompted 200 complaints. The 2007 domestic abuse storyline involving Ben Mitchell and Stella Crawford attracted sixty complaints from viewers, who found scenes where Ben was attacked by bullies as Stella looked on `` upsetting ''. In March 2008, scenes showing Tanya Branning ( Jo Joyner ) and boyfriend, Sean Slater ( Rob Kazinsky ), burying Tanya 's husband Max ( Jake Wood ) alive, attracted many complaints. The UK communications regulator Ofcom later found that the episodes depicting the storyline were in breach of the 2005 Broadcasting Code. They contravened the rules regarding protection of children by appropriate scheduling, appropriate depiction of violence before the 9 p.m. watershed and appropriate depiction of potentially offensive content. In September 2008, EastEnders began a grooming and paedophilia storyline involving characters Tony King ( Chris Coghill ), Whitney Dean ( Shona McGarty ), Bianca Jackson ( Patsy Palmer ), Lauren Branning ( Madeline Duggan ) and Peter Beale ( Thomas Law ). The storyline attracted over 200 complaints. In December 2010, Ronnie swapped her newborn baby, who died in cot, with Kat Moon 's living baby. Around 3,400 complaints were received, with viewers branding the storyline `` insensitive '', `` irresponsible '' and `` desperate ''. Roz Laws from the Sunday Mercury called the plot `` shocking and ridiculous '' and asked `` are we really supposed to believe that Kat wo n't recognise that the baby looks different ? '' The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths ( FSID ) praised the storyline, and its director Joyce Epstein explained, `` We are very grateful to EastEnders for their accurate depiction of the devastating effect that the sudden death of an infant can have on a family. We hope that this story will help raise the public 's awareness of cot death, which claims 300 babies ' lives each year. '' By 7 January, that storyline had generated the most complaints in show history : the BBC received about 8,500 complaints, and media regulator Ofcom received 374. Despite the controversy however, EastEnders pulled in rating highs of 9 -- 10 million throughout the duration of the storyline. In October 2014, the BBC defended a storyline, after receiving 278 complaints about 6 October 2014 episode where pub landlady Linda Carter was raped. On 17 November 2014 it was announced that Ofcom will investigate over the storyline. On 5 January 2015, the investigation was cleared by Ofcom. A spokesman of Ofcom said : `` After carefully investigating complaints about this scene, Ofcom found the BBC took appropriate steps to limit offence to viewers. This included a warning before the episode and implying the assault, rather than depicting it. Ofcom also took into account the programme 's role in presenting sometimes challenging or distressing social issues. '' Portrayal of certain professions In 2010, EastEnders came under criticism from the police for the way that they were portrayed during the `` Who Killed Archie ? '' storyline. During the storyline, DCI Jill Marsden and DC Wayne Hughes talk to locals about the case and Hughes accepts a bribe. The police claimed that such scenes were `` damaging '' to their reputation and added that the character DC Deanne Cunningham was `` irritatingly inaccurate ''. In response to the criticism, EastEnders apologised for offending real life detectives and confirmed that they use a police consultant for such storylines. In October 2012, a storyline involving Lola Pearce, forced to hand over her baby Lexi Pearce, was criticised by the charity The Who Cares ? Trust, who called the storyline an `` unhelpful portrayal '' and said it had already received calls from members of the public who were `` distressed about the EastEnders scene where a social worker snatches a baby from its mother 's arms ''. The scenes were also condemned by the British Association of Social Workers ( BASW ), calling the BBC `` too lazy and arrogant '' to correctly portray the child protection process, and saying that the baby was taken `` without sufficient grounds to do so ''. Bridget Robb, acting chief of the BASW, said the storyline provoked `` real anger among a profession well used to a less than accurate public and media perception of their jobs... EastEnders ' shabby portrayal of an entire profession has made a tough job even tougher. '' Awards and nominations Main article : List of awards and nominations received by EastEnders In popular culture Main article : EastEnders in popular culture Since its premiere in 1985, EastEnders has had a large impact on British popular culture. It has frequently been referred to in many different media, including songs and television programmes. Further reading Further information : EastEnders books Many books have been written about EastEnders. Notably, from 1985 to 1988, author and television writer Hugh Miller wrote 17 novels, detailing the lives of many of the show 's original characters before 1985, when events on screen took place. Kate Lock also wrote four novels centred on more recent characters ; Steve Owen, Grant Mitchell, Bianca Jackson and Tiffany Mitchell. Lock also wrote a character guide entitled Who 's Who in EastEnders ( ISBN 978 - 0 - 563 - 55178 - 2 ) in 2000, examining main characters from the first 15 years of the show. Show creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland also wrote a book about the show in 1987, entitled EastEnders : The Inside Story ( ISBN 978 - 0 - 563 - 20601 - 9 ), telling the story of how the show made it to screen. Two special anniversary books have been written about the show ; EastEnders : The First 10 Years : A Celebration ( ISBN 978 - 0 - 563 - 37057 - 4 ) by Colin Brake in 1995 and EastEnders : 20 Years in Albert Square ( ISBN 978 - 0 - 563 - 52165 - 5 ) by Rupert Smith in 2005. See also Television in the United Kingdom portal East End of London in popular culture List of soap operas List of British television programmes List of most - watched television broadcasts List of television programmes broadcast by the BBC List of programmes broadcast by RTÉ List of programmes broadcast by TV3 Ireland List of programs broadcast by Showcase List of soap operas with LGBT characters List of television shows set in London List of television programs by episode count List of television programs by name Footnotes Jump up ^ Official ratings are over a seven - day period up to 2014, and over a 28 - day period from 2015 onwards. Up to the end of 2001, but excluding 1996 and 1997, the rating was also combined with that of the omnibus ( though for 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998, some ratings are not combined, as noted ). Jump up ^ Nine ratings are unknown due to them being outside of the top 10 ratings for their respective weeks, therefore the true average figure is likely to be lower. Jump up ^ The viewing figures for 16 episodes are not combined with the omnibus. Jump up ^ This rating is not combined with the omnibus ; the lowest rating for an episode with a combined rating was 12.87 million. Jump up ^ The viewing figures for 52 episodes are not combined with the omnibus. Jump up ^ This rating is not combined with the omnibus ; the lowest rating for an episode with a combined rating was 12.02 million. Jump up ^ The viewing figures for 138 episodes are not combined with the omnibus. Jump up ^ This rating is combined with the omnibus ; the highest rating for an episode without a combined rating was 19.69 million. Jump up ^ This rating is not combined with the omnibus ; the lowest rating for an episode with a combined rating was 13.89 million. Jump up ^ The viewing figures for 10 episodes are unknown. Jump up ^ The ratings are not combined with the omnibus before 29 June 1998, but are combined thereafter. References Jump up ^ `` EastEnders episode guide ''. Radio Times. Retrieved 23 December 2017. Jump up ^ `` ' EastEnders ' reveals production team changes ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 August 2015. Jump up ^ `` ' Coronation Street ' : 7.9 m watch Paul and Lloyd 's showdown ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 August 2015. Jump up ^ Pamela Demory, Christopher Pullen ( 2013 ). `` Queer Love in Film and Television : Critical Essays ''. p. 35. Palgrave Macmillan, Jump up ^ `` Rival soaps tie on awards night ''. London : BBC News. 26 September 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2009. EastEnders won the top soap title for the 10th consecutive year, voted for by readers of Inside Soap magazine. Jump up ^ `` Past Winners -- The National Television Awards 2011 ''. National Television Awards. Retrieved 9 June 2011. Jump up ^ `` Rose D'Or honour for EastEnders ''. BBC News. 27 April 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2009. ^ Jump up to : Smith 2005, p. 10 ^ Jump up to : Smith 2005, p. 11 Jump up ^ Richard Bacon, host ( 17 November 2010 ). `` Daily Bacon : Coronation Street ''. BBC Radio 5Live. Archived from the original ( podcast ) on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2010. Jump up ^ `` Hole at the heart of the BBC '', The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 February 2007 ^ Jump up to : Smith 2005 Jump up ^ Buckingham 1987, p. 15 Jump up ^ `` Market on Honey Lane / Honey Lane ( 1967 -- 69 ) ''. British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 May 2014. ^ Jump up to : Smith & Holland 1987, p. 24 Jump up ^ `` What is the history of EastEnders ? ) ''. BBC Online. Archived from the original on 19 February 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2017. ^ Jump up to : Smith 2005, p. 15 Jump up ^ Smith & Holland 1987, p. 164 Jump up ^ Smith & Holland 1987, p. 48 ^ Jump up to : Smith & Holland 1987, p. 49 ^ Jump up to : Smith & Holland 1987, pp. 51 -- 56 Jump up ^ Smith & Holland 1987, p. 15 Jump up ^ Smith & Holland 1987, p. 52 Jump up ^ Smith 2005, p. 20 Jump up ^ `` Who wrote the thee tune ? ''. BBC Online. Retrieved 29 October 2006. Jump up ^ Smith & Holland 1987, p. 97 ^ Jump up to : `` How did you get the view of London used on the opening credits ? ''. EastEnders. BBC Online. Archived from the original on 31 August 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2017. Jump up ^ Smith & Holland 1987, p. 154 ^ Jump up to : Smith 2005, p. 17 Jump up ^ Slide 1996, p. 35 Jump up ^ Sabbagh, Dan ( 8 February 2010 ). `` Is EastEnders the lifeblood of the BBC ? ''. The Guardian. London. ^ Jump up to : Brake 1995 ^ Jump up to : Brake 1995, p. 70 Jump up ^ Brake 1995, pp. 75 -- 76 Jump up ^ Brake 1995, p. 91 ^ Jump up to : Brake 1995, p. 90 Jump up ^ Brake 1995, p. 100 Jump up ^ Brake 1995, p. 104 Jump up ^ `` EASTENDERS : 11 February 1993 ''. catalogue.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2007. ^ Jump up to : Alan Plater ( 11 January 2006 ). `` Leonard Lewis ''. London : The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2007. Jump up ^ Brake 1995, p. 129 Jump up ^ `` EASTENDERS '', BBC. Retrieved 11 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` John Yorke -- The New EE Boss '', Walford Gazette. Retrieved 11 November 2007. Jump up ^ `` IMDB awards '', IMDB. Retrieved 6 May 2007. Jump up ^ `` It 's got murder, a stalker, incest ( kind of ), and bulimia. What more ``, The Independent. Retrieved 6 May 2007. Jump up ^ `` WHAT A LOAD OF PORK PIES ; Ireland 's full of drunkards, dimwits and donkeys according to EastEnders '', The Mirror. Retrieved 18 July 2007. Jump up ^ `` Louise Berridge steps down as Executive Producer of EastEnders ''. BBC. 21 September 2004. Retrieved 1 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` Ellie caught up with the former Executive Producer to talk EastEnders and find out what Louise has got up to since leaving the show ''. walfordweb.com. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2017. ^ Jump up to : Plunkett, John ( 21 September 2004 ). `` EastEnders chief steps down ''. London : The Guardian. Retrieved 18 March 2008. Jump up ^ `` Sixteen million watch Den 's return '', BBC. Retrieved 26 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` ' Dirty ' Dirty Tactics ; EastEnders defied belief by raising Den Watts '', Sunday Herald. Retrieved 26 September 2006. Jump up ^ `` My life as Mrs Dirty Den '', Daily Mail. Retrieved 26 September 2006. Jump up ^ Hutson, Graham ; Siret, Mal ( 30 January 2005 ). `` Stop the Week Shock exchange Last orders at the Vic ''. The Times. London. Retrieved 4 May 2010. Jump up ^ `` BBC appoints new Executive Producer for EastEnders ''. BBC. 24 February 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` Alfie accepts Nana 's fate '' Retrieved 24 September 2006 Jump up ^ `` British Soap Awards 2005 -- The Winners Archived 4 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine. '' Retrieved 24 September 2006 Jump up ^ `` Behind The Scenes on EastEnders '', YouTube. Retrieved 6 March 2007. Jump up ^ `` BBC One -- EastEnders -- Down Memory Lane with Matt Di Angelo '', YouTube. Retrieved 2007 - 04 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Doctor Who episodes coming to your mobile phone '', pocket-lint.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2007. Jump up ^ `` ' EastEnders ' new TV promo '', Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 April 2007. Jump up ^ `` Eastenders -- Dot 's baby '', YouTube. Retrieved 23 April 2007. Jump up ^ `` BBC One -- EastEnders -- Stacey 's Trail '', YouTube. Retrieved 29 April 2007. Jump up ^ `` Eastenders -- Rob and Dawn '', YouTube. Retrieved 29 April 2007. Jump up ^ wightman, Catriona ( 18 October 2009 ). `` ' EastEnders ' limit episodes to 16 actors ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 October 2009. Jump up ^ `` Get your anoraks on... trains are coming ! ''. BBC Online. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 4 February 2010. Jump up ^ Green, Kris ( 17 December 2009 ). `` ' EastEnders ' exec teases 2010 storylines ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 December 2009. Jump up ^ `` Live EastEnders watched by 16.6 m ''. BBC News Online. 20 February 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2010. Jump up ^ Green, Kris ( 9 February 2010 ). `` Jessie Wallace returns to ' EastEnders ' ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 February 2010. Jump up ^ Green, Kris ( 20 March 2010 ). `` Zoe Lucker joins ' EastEnders ' ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 March 2010. Jump up ^ Green, Kris ( 17 April 2010 ). `` Six characters to leave ' EastEnders ' ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 April 2010. Jump up ^ Green, Kris ( 11 May 2010 ). `` Exclusive : Leon, Zsa Zsa to leave ' EastEnders ' ''. Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 May 2010. Jump up ^ Harper, Joe ( 8 September 2010 ). `` Bryan Kirkwood interview ! '' ( video ). BBC Online. 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Public Secrets : EastEnders and Its Audience ( Paperback ) format = requires url = ( help ). London : BFI books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 85170 - 210 - 0. Geraghty, Christine ( 1991 ). Women and Soap Opera : A Study of Prime - Time Soaps. Polity Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7456 - 0489 - 3. Kingsley, Hilary ( 1991 ). EastEnders handbook ( Paperback ) format = requires url = ( help ). London : BBC Books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 563 - 36292 - 0. Monroe, Josephine ( 1994 ). The Eastenders programme guide ( Paperback ) format = requires url = ( help ). London : Virgin. ISBN 978 - 0 - 86369 - 825 - 5. Slide, Anthony ( 1996 ). Some Joe you do n't know : an American biographical guide to 100 British television personalities ( Hardback ) format = requires url = ( help ). Greenwood Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 313 - 29550 - 8. Smith, Julia ; Holland, Tony ( 1987 ). EastEnders -- The Inside Story ( Hardback ) format = requires url = ( help ). Book Club Associates. ISBN 978 - 0 - 563 - 20601 - 9. Smith, Rupert ( 2005 ). EastEnders : 20 Years in Albert Square ( Hardback ) format = requires url = ( help ). BBC Books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 563 - 52165 - 5. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to EastEnders. EastEnders at BBC Online EastEnders at BBC Studios EastEnders at BBC Studioworks EastEnders at TV.com EastEnders at the British Film Institute EastEnders on IMDb EastEnders ' channel on YouTube Awards Preceded by Cracker British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series 1997 Succeeded by Jonathan Creek Preceded by No award Coronation Street Coronation Street The Bill British Academy Television Award for Best Continuing Drama 1999 -- 2000 2002 2006 2010 -- 2011 Succeeded by Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Preceded by No award Coronation Street British Academy Television Award for Soap & Continuing Drama 2013 2016 Succeeded by Coronation Street Incumbent Preceded by Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street British Soap Award for Best British Soap 2000 -- 2002 2006 2008 -- 2012 2014 -- 2015 Succeeded by Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Incumbent Preceded by No award Coronation Street Emmerdale Inside Soap Award for Best British Soap 1996 -- 2006 2008 -- 2012 2014 Succeeded by Coronation Street Emmerdale Emmerdale Preceded by Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street National Television Award for Most Popular Serial Drama 2001 -- 2003 2005 -- 2008 2011 2015 -- 2016 Succeeded by Coronation Street Coronation Street Coronation Street Incumbent Links to related articles EastEnders Awards and nominations Crew In popular culture Characters Present characters Past characters Spin - off characters Locations Walford The Queen Victoria Storylines The Banned The Firm Dickens Hill `` Sharongate '' `` Who Shot Phil ? '' `` Get Johnny Week '' `` The Secret Mitchell '' `` Who Killed Archie ? '' `` Who 's Been Sleeping with Kat ? '' `` Who Killed Lucy Beale ? '' Episodes Two - handers Episodes in Ireland `` Pretty Baby... '' `` EastEnders Live '' Queen Vic Fire Week Episode 4466 EastEnders Live Week Episode 5276 Specials `` CivvyStreet '' `` EastEnders in Paris '' Dimensions in Time `` East Street '' Families Beale Branning Carter Ferreira Karim Mitchell Watts Spin - offs Television spin - offs EastEnders : E20 Kat & Alfie : Redwater characters Music Theme tune `` Anyone Can Fall in Love '' `` Every Loser Wins '' `` Something Outa Nothing '' EastEnders portal EastEnders characters Present and future characters Kathy Beale Sharon Watts Ian Beale Michelle Fowler Dot Cotton Martin Fowler Phil Mitchell Sonia Fowler Robbie Jackson Mel Owen Billy Mitchell Mo Harris Kat Slater Patrick Trueman Bobby Beale Stacey Slater Jean Slater Honey Mitchell Denise Fox Max Branning Janet Mitchell Shirley Carter Jay Brown Rainie Cross Masood Ahmed Jack Branning Whitney Dean Tiffany Butcher Kim Fox Cora Cross Tina Carter Linda Carter Mick Carter Charlie Cotton Vincent Hubbard Past characters AJ Ahmed Della Alexander Johnny Allen Ruby Allen Aunt Sal Tom Banks Geoff Barnes Clare Bates Debbie Bates Laurie Bates Nigel Bates Cindy Beale Jane Beale Laura Beale Lou Beale Lucy Beale Pete Beale Peter Beale Steven Beale Polly Becker Adam Best Manda Best Abi Branning Alice Branning April Branning Bradley Branning Derek Branning Jim Branning Lauren Branning Suzy Branning Tanya Branning Aidan Brosnan Diane Butcher Frank Butcher Janine Butcher Liam Butcher Mo Butcher Pat Butcher Ricky Butcher Kelvin Carpenter Tony Carpenter Nancy Carter Stan Carter Zsa Zsa Carter Lorna Cartwright Barry Clark Christian Clarke Paul Coker Richard Cole Julie Cooper Ashley Cotton Charlie Cotton ( 1986 ) Dotty Cotton Nick Cotton Stella Crawford Beppe di Marco Bruno and Luisa di Marco Gianni di Marco Rosa di Marco Ray Dixon Jase Dyer Huw Edwards Steve Elliot Nellie Ellis Barry Evans Natalie Evans Roy Evans Fatboy Ferreira family Conor Flaherty Mary Flaherty Fred Fonseca Arthur Fowler Lisa Fowler Mark Fowler Pauline Fowler Ruth Fowler Vicki Fowler Chelsea Fox Libby Fox Joanne Francis Jodie Gold Vanessa Gold Marge Green Nina Harris Dexter Hartman Julie Haye Alex Healy Christine Hewitt Ted Hills Tony Hills Garry Hobbs Lynne Hobbs Lofty Holloway Andy Hunter Alan Jackson Bianca Jackson Billie Jackson Blossom Jackson Carmel Jackson Carol Jackson Naima Jeffery Saeed Jeffery Al Jenkins Greg Jessop Lucas Johnson Danielle Jones Naomi Julien Gita Kapoor Sanjay Kapoor Karim family Yusef Khan Tony King Harold Legg Donna Ludlow Joe Macer Ryan Malloy Jill Marsden Afia Masood Amira Masood Shabnam Masood Syed Masood Tamwar Masood Zainab Masood Lilly Mattock Josie McFarlane Poppy Meadow Darren Miller Demi Miller Keith Miller Mickey Miller Rosie Miller Rob Minter Archie Mitchell Ben Mitchell Danny Mitchell Glenda Mitchell Grant Mitchell Jamie Mitchell Kate Mitchell Little Mo Mitchell Peggy Mitchell Ronnie Mitchell Roxy Mitchell Sam Mitchell Tiffany Mitchell Vinnie Monks Alfie Moon Anthony Moon Danny Moon Eddie Moon Jake Moon Michael Moon Nana Moon Spencer Moon Tyler Moon Trevor Morgan Rod Norman Andy O'Brien Mercy Olubunmi Ali Osman Mehmet Osman Sue Osman Steve Owen Annie Palmer George Palmer Lola Pearce Minty Peterson Frankie Pierre Paul Priestly Irene Raymond Louise Raymond Simon Raymond Terry Raymond Dennis Rickman Binnie Roberts Roly Willy Roper Matthew Rose Colin Russell Mandy Salter Trevor Short Lydia Simmonds Ethel Skinner Charlie Slater Sean Slater Zoe Slater Leon Small Babe Smith Gus Smith Mary Smith Dan Sullivan Gavin Sullivan Dawn Swann Celestine and Etta Tavernier Clyde Tavernier Hattie Tavernier Jules Tavernier Kelly Taylor Heather Trott Anthony Trueman Paul Trueman Yolande Trueman Owen Turner Angie Watts Chrissie Watts Den Watts Wellard Carl White Carly Wicks David Wicks Dean Wicks Joe Wicks Kevin Wicks Lorraine Wicks Simon Wicks Debbie Wilkins Cindy Williams James Willmott - Brown Willy May Wright Lists of characters By year : 1985 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Others : Flaherty family Dickens Hill inmates The Banned band members Characters from spin - offs EastEnders : E20 Episodes Characters Zsa Zsa Carter Fatboy Mercy Olubunmi Leon Small Asher Levi Sol Levi Naz Mehmet Stevie Dickinson Related programmes EastEnders Soap operas in the United Kingdom TV soaps National Coronation Street EastEnders Emmerdale Hollyoaks Scotland River City Wales Pobol y Cwm Rownd a Rownd Medical and emergency services Casualty Holby City Doctors Australian imported ( co-produced in the UK ) Neighbours Home and Away Radio soaps The Archers Home Front Defunct TV 199 Park Lane Albion Market Angels The Appleyards The Bill Brookside Castles Castle Haven The Cedar Tree Compact Crossroads Echo Beach Eldorado Emergency -- Ward 10 Families Family Affairs Family Pride Garnock Way Gems General Hospital The Grove Family High Living London Bridge Machair Market in Honey Lane Miracles Take Longer The Newcomers Night and Day Park Avenue The Practice Quayside Revelations The Royal Today Sixpenny Corner Springhill Starr and Company Taff Acre Take the High Road Together Triangle United ! Weavers Green Radio Ambridge Extra Citizens Front Line Family Mrs Dale 's Diary Silver Street Waggoners ' Walk Westway BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Series Inspector Morse ( 1992 ) Inspector Morse ( 1993 ) Between the Lines ( 1994 ) Cracker ( 1995 ) Cracker ( 1996 ) EastEnders ( 1997 ) Jonathan Creek ( 1998 ) The Cops ( 1999 ) The Cops ( 2000 ) Clocking Off ( 2001 ) Cold Feet ( 2002 ) Spooks ( 2003 ) Buried ( 2004 ) Shameless ( 2005 ) Doctor Who ( 2006 ) The Street ( 2007 ) The Street ( 2008 ) Wallander ( 2009 ) Misfits ( 2010 ) Sherlock ( 2011 ) The Fades ( 2012 ) Last Tango in Halifax ( 2013 ) Broadchurch ( 2014 ) Happy Valley ( 2015 ) Wolf Hall ( 2016 ) Happy Valley ( 2017 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=EastEnders&oldid=828123602 '' Categories : EastEnders 1985 British television programme debuts 1980s British television soap operas 1990s British television soap operas 2000s British television soap operas 2010s British television soap operas BAFTA winners ( television series ) BBC television dramas British television soap operas Films shot at Elstree Studios English - language television programs Lesbian - related television programmes Social realism Television shows set in London Television series about families Television series about friendship British LGBT - related television shows Bisexuality - related television series Transgender - related television programs Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from May 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Webarchive template wayback links CS1 Dutch - language sources ( nl ) Articles with dead external links from September 2017 Articles with dead external links from July 2017 Wikipedia pending changes protected pages Use dmy dates from July 2017 Use British English from March 2014 Articles containing potentially dated statements from February 2018 All articles containing potentially dated statements Articles containing potentially dated statements from May 2016 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017 All pages needing factual verification Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from May 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from January 2010 Articles with unsourced statements from April 2011 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2016 Articles that may contain original research from March 2016 All articles that may contain original research Articles with unsourced statements from May 2017 Articles containing potentially dated statements from December 2016 Wikipedia articles in need of updating from April 2017 All Wikipedia articles in need of updating Articles with unsourced statements from August 2013 Articles with unsourced statements from January 2013 Articles with unsourced statements from May 2011 All articles with vague or ambiguous time Vague or ambiguous time from April 2017 CS1 maint : Extra text : authors list Pages using citations with format and no URL Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Cymraeg Deutsch Español Euskara Français Gaeilge 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Magyar Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska Türkçe Žemaitėška 中文 17 more Edit links This page was last edited on 28 February 2018, at 18 : 16. 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Question: when did the first episode of eastenders air
Answer: 7 p.m. on 19 February 1985