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.
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It’s been 40 years since EastEnders first burst onto our screens, but its history dates back even further. It was the brainchild of BBC producers Julia Smith and Tony Holland, who were tasked with creating a soap that could rival ITV’s Coronation Street.
EastEnders launched on February 19, 1985 and viewers were invited into the world of Walford and its locals. The show was an instant hit, drawing in an audience of millions. Over the years it has broken boundaries by tackling difficult subject matters. Four decades on, EastEnders remains in the prime time slot and continues to win awards for its gritty storylines.
EastEnders first aired in 1985, but the story began two years earlier in March 1983.
A group of BBC bosses had an idea for a twice-weekly drama series they hoped would draw in similar audiences to Coronation Street. The then head of series and serials decided there were two people who could make his vision a reality. And these two people were, Julia Smith and Tony Holland, a renowned producer and script editor duo.
Julia and Tony were briefed with the idea and quickly decided to set the series in London’s East End. It was initially going to be in Hackney, until the producers decided to create the fictional Albert Square in Walford.
The original plan was to write, cast and shoot the series in 11 months. However, it was soon realised this wouldn’t be enough time and the launch date was moved to February 1985.
East 8 was just the first of several working titles given to the show, that would later become EastEnders.
During the pre-production stage, it also was called Square Dance, Round the Square, Round the Houses and London Pride. East 8 was the front-runner, because E8 was the postcode for Hackney, where the show was initially going to be set. But the name was scrapped when casting agents thought the show was called Estate.
Julia Smith came up with the name EastEnders and decided to capitalise the second E to make the word look more recognisable.
Right from the beginning, EastEnders was about family.
Co-creator Tony Holland imagined the famous Beale and Fowler clans. He even based some of the characters on his real-life relatives. His aunt, Lou was married to a man called Albert Beale, who had children called Peter and Pauline. Tony used their names to create Lou Beale, Pete Beale and Pauline Fowler.
Julia Smith took inspiration from the London locals she met while researching for the show. The character Ethel Skinner was based on an elderly woman she met in a pub. To represent a modern diverse ethnic community, families such as the Osmans, Jefferys and Carpenters were created.
Other characters included Queen Vic landlord and landlady Den and Angie Watts and their adoptive daughter, Sharon.
The final, and 24th character, to be conceived was villain Nick Cotton.
The iconic Albert Square 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 a whopping £86.7 million.
The majority of the show’s interior scenes are filmed in six studios at Elstree. Occasionally, however, episodes are filmed on location, both in the UK and overseas.
The first episode of EastEnders transmitted on February 19, 1985 at 7pm on BBC One.
It was watched by an audience of 13 million. Too nervous to see it for themselves, Julia Smith and Tony Holland spent the evening at Albertine’s Wine Bar on Wood Lane, where they had first dreamt up EastEnders.
Public interest surrounding the show was high, and so the press went to town. Tabloids at the time splashed details of cast member’s personal lives all over their pages – something that hasn’t really changed since.
