Explore EastEnders' characters, from iconic legends to new arrivals, with the latest stories and drama unfolding in the village.
Explore the EastEnders cast, from iconic legends to new arrivals, with the latest stories and drama unfolding in the village.
close
EastEnders has been gracing our screens for an incredible 40 years. That’s four whole decades of Walford drama!
The BBC soap airs four times a week, Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm. But who first had the idea to bring Albert Square to life? Who wrote the iconic theme tune? And who of the original cast are still in the show?
We’ve got all those questions – and more – covered for you…
EastEnders’ history can be traced right back to March 1983 when a group of BBC executives had a genius idea. It was decided BBC One should launch their own continuing drama series to rival ITV soap Coronation Street.
BBC head of series and serials, David Reid, approached renowned script editor and producer duo Julia Smith and Tony Holland with his vision. They ran with it and decided to set the soap in the East End of London, focusing on a working class community. Julia and Tony carried out extensive audience research to find out what would appeal to viewers.
Julia and Tony were given 11 months to write, cast and shoot the drama, which was originally called East 8. This date was later changed and EastEnders launched on February 19, 1985 at 7pm to an audience of 13 million. The soap won rave reviews and continued at the primetime evening slot on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It would later attract up to 23 million viewers.
The EastEnders theme tune is as iconic as the soap itself. It was created by renowned composer Simon May, who was commissioned after Tony Holland and Julia Smith heard his work on spy-thriller Cold Warrior.
Written in the key of E-flat major, the theme is performed on percussion instruments, strings and the piano. Its particularly recognisable due to the drum fill that plays at the beginning of the piece, aka the ‘doff doofs’.
In 1985, the tune was nominated for a prestigious Ivor Novello Award in the Best TV Theme category. Two years later it scooped the prize for Best TV Theme Music at the Television and Radio Industries Club.
Its also been a hit single, after Don Black put lyrics to music to create the song Anyone Can Fall in Love. It was sung by EastEnders star Anita Dobson (who played Angie Watts) and reached Number 4 in the UK charts in August 1986.
An alternative version of the theme tune, named ‘Julia’s Theme’ after Julia Smith, has been used in place of a doof doof for endings with particular poignancy. It’s often played at the departure of an important character. As of April 2025, Julia’s Theme has been used 75 times.
The first ever episode of EastEnders began with a bang – literally! Den Watts kicked down the door to Reg Cox’s flat, and he, along with Arthur Fowler and Ali Osman made a grim discovery. The trio found Reg slumped unconscious in a chair, and close to death.
It transpired Reg had been missing for weeks prior to Den and co finding him. The pilot episode was titled ‘Poor Old Reg’, which was apt given the unfortunate fella didn’t make it. Several weeks later it would transpire that Reg was murdered by local villain Nick Cotton.
Elsewhere, fearsome matriarch Lou Beale kicked off after discovering her daughter Pauline was pregnant at the age of 40. Pauline went on to give birth to baby Martin, but her mum reckoned she was too old.
Pub landlord Den was in action again over the Queen Vic when he jumped over the bar to break up a brawl between Ali and Nick. Both men got barred, and Nick responded by putting his hand through the glass door of the boozer. Ouch!
EastEnders is set in the fictional Albert Square, Walford, which has the postal code E20 6PQ.
The iconic exterior set is a film lot, located in BBC Elstree Centre in Borehamwood. It was originally built in 1984 and the main buildings on the Square were just hollow shells, mounted onto steel frames. Over the years, more parts of Walford were built, including George Street, Turpin Road and Walford East Underground station.
In 2014 it was announced the set would be rebuilt for high definition. Works began in 2020 and took two years, costing £86.7 million.
The majority of the show’s interior scenes are filmed in six studios at Elstree. Occasionally episodes are filmed on location, both in the UK and overseas, everywhere from Portsmouth to Portugal.
EastEnders is one big faaamily, and there are hundreds of talented folk behind the scenes that make it happen. Ben Wadey is the man in charge, having just taken over as executive producer from Chris Clenshaw. He previously worked on the show as a storyliner and story editor between 2019 and 2020.
The executive producers at EastEnders tend to stay for around three years before the baton is passed on. Julia Smith was the show’s original, and current longest-serving executive producer between 1985 and 1989. John Yorke has held the position twice, first in 2000-2002, then in 2005.
Underneath the exec producer are teams of consultants, producers, directors and writers, who all work together to deliver four action-packed episodes a week.
EastEnders must have one of the biggest trophy cabinets going because of all the awards they’ve won. Their very first gong was given by Anna Scher Theatre in January 1986 for Favourite Programme, and they’ve just kept on coming.
To date, EastEnders has won 11 BAFTAs – 10 for Best Continuing Drama and once for Best Drama Series – 11 National Television Awards and is five-times Best Soap at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards.
The British Soap Awards has historically been a successful night for the Walford-based soap. EastEnders has won Best British Soap 12 times, Best Storyline and Best Single Episode, five times each. Actors Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale), Rudolph Walker (Patrick Trueman) and Leitia Dean (Sharon Watts) are all recipients of the British Soap Award for Lifetime Achievement.
2019 was an impressive year for EastEnders and saw them winning their third TRIC award, along with numerous British Soap Awards, an NTA, TV Choice and Inside Soap Awards, all within 10 months.
40 years on air and EastEnders remains at the centre of BBC One’s primetime slot. It originally aired at 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, before being moved to the 7.30pm slot in September 1985. This was because TV executive Michael Grade did not want EastEnders running at the same time as ITV rival soap Emmerdale.
This format remained until 1994 when a third weekly episode was added on a Monday. By 2001, it was decided appetite was there for a fourth episode, and EastEnders began airing on a Friday. A popular omnibus of all the weeks’ episodes would air on a Sunday afternoon.
In 2022 the schedule changed again, with EastEnders airing from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm. It remains this way today. Fans can also access the episodes early, as each one drops on BBC iPlayer at 6am.
EastEnders has been on our screens for an incredible 40 years – and that means a lot of memorable moments. But what are the soap’s biggest ever storylines?
Up there has to “Happy Christmas, Ange” – that iconic moment back in 1986 where Dirty Den Watts served his lying missus Angie with divorce papers. It was the first EastEnders episode to air on Christmas Day and one of the most-watched TV moments in TV history. Over 30 million viewers tuned in to watch the Watts’ marriage implode.
Cliffhangers don’t get much better than that moment where Zoe Slater screamed, “You can’t tell me what to do, you ain’t my muvva” and Kat cried back, “Yes I am!” 19 million shocked fans watched that jaw-dropping revelation unfold, sealing its place in the history books.
Other standout storylines include three epic whodunits.
Who Shot Phil Mitchell gripped the nation back in 2001, while the Lucy Beale murder mystery of 2014 kept everyone guessing right up until killer Bobby confessed.
More recently, there was the flashforward to Christmas Day, which saw the Walford Six (Stacey, Suki, Linda, Sharon, Denise and Kathy) standing over a lifeless fella. Viewers had to wait 10 months before finding out what happened and witness Linda killing Keanu Taylor to save Sharon.
EastEnders have always known how to deliver a good affair reveal. Think Sharongate, Max and Stacey on Christmas Day 2007, and Peggy outing cheating Pat and Frank on Bonfire Night 2000. Explosive stuff!
The soap has shown it can educate as well as entertain. Mark Fowler’s diagnosis with HIV broke boundaries. While Little Mo’s domestic abuse at the hands of husband Trevor and Whitney being groomed by Tony were storylines that raised awareness of real-life issues.
The award for EastEnders longest-serving character goes to the one and only Ian Beale. Actor Adam Woodyatt is one of three original cast members still in the show, although he took a short break between 2021 and 2023. Ian has done it all, and like or loathe the character, it’s hard to imagine the Square without him in it.
Another member of the OG crew is former Vic landlady Sharon Watts. She was introduced as a 16-year-old back in 1985, with her poodle perm and pink fluffy jumpers. Since then Sharon has established herself as Walford’s leading lady. Actress Letitia Dean has appeared in EastEnders on and off for 28 years.
Kathy Beale, is the third longest-running character in EastEnders. She originally left Walford for South Africa in 1998 and was killed off screen. However, Kath made a spectacular return in 2015 when it was revealed she had faked her own death. She’s been back ever since.
And coming in at fourth place is Phil Mitchell. Walford’s hard nut is played by the indomitable Steve McFadden, who has been wowing audiences for the past 33 years.
