Santer also reintroduced past and popular characters to the programme. [51][52] 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. [381] Unused storylines penned by Yallop, which were revealed in the press during the trial, included the death of Cindy Beale's (Michelle Collins) infant son Steven; Sufia Karim (Rani Singh) being killed during a shotgun raid at the corner shop; Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) dying of undiscovered cancer;[382] and an IRA explosion at the Walford community centre, killing Pete Beale (Peter Dean) and Diane Butcher (Sophie Lawrence), and leaving Simon Wicks (Nick Berry) paralysed below the waist. Total linear TV set viewing (including BBC) was 2 hours, 39 minutes a day. [307] In December 2019, Christmas episodes were added to Britbox UK. [340], Until its closure, BBC Store released 553 EastEnders episodes from various years, including the special episode "CivvyStreet", available to buy as digital downloads. In April 2018, it was announced that Drama would be showing repeats starting 6 August 2018 during weekdays[306] and they are also available on-demand on the UKTV Play catch-up service for 30 days after the broadcast. [380], In 1992, writer David Yallop successfully sued the BBC for 68,000 after it was revealed he had been hired by producer Mike Gibbon in 1989 to pen several controversial storylines in an effort to "slim down" the cast; however, after Gibbon left the programme, executive producers chose not to use Yallop's storylines, which put the BBC in breach of the contract Yallop had signed with them. [99] Although, since Yorke and Oates' reigns, opinions towards the storylines have become more favourable, with storylines such as Ruby Allen's (Louisa Lytton) sexual consent, which featured a special episode which "broke new ground"[100] and knife crime, both of which have created "vital" discussions. [281] 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. [203] EastEnders covered child abuse with its storyline involving Phil Mitchell's (Steve McFadden) 11-year-old son Ben (Charlie Jones) and lawyer girlfriend Stella Crawford (Sophie Thompson),[204][205] and child grooming involving the characters Tony King (Chris Coghill) as the perpetrator and Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) as the victim.[206]. In February 2016, the repeat moved to W, the rebranded Watch, after BBC Three became an online-only channel. [313] 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. New Zealand became the first international country to broadcast EastEnders overseas, the first episode being shown on 27th September 1985. 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. [105][106], It was announced on 18 March 2020 that production had been suspended on EastEnders and other BBC Studios continuing dramas in light of new government guidelines following the COVID-19 pandemic, and that broadcast of the show would be reduced to two 30-minute episodes per week, broadcast on Mondays and Tuesdays, respectively. [281] 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. EastEnders has not hit 6 million in. Such characters have included Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement), Tiffany Mitchell (Martine McCutcheon) and Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace). Seventh place was taken up by the animation. [138][147] These characters are often seen as being loud and interfering but most importantly, responsible for the well-being of the family. [228] The producer then reviews the edits and decides if anything needs to be re-edited, which the director will do. In tragedy theres humour. 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. [325][326][327] 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". The show takes a look behind the scenes of the EastEnders and investigates particular places, characters or families within EastEnders. This marked the first time that it had been used for anything other than EastEnders. [81] He axed multiple characters from the show[82] and introduced the extended Carter family. According to The Sun, the figures are more worrying for producers as rivals such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale are regularly attracting over four million viewers. 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. [303] Episodes of EastEnders are available on-demand through BBC iPlayer for 30 days after their original screening. [273], According to the book How to Study Television, in 1995 EastEnders cost the BBC 40,000 per episode on average. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. EastEnders' viewing figures continue to dwindle and Kara believes other shows might have the . The show was presented by Angellica Bell and was available to digital viewers at 8:30pm on Monday nights. Jean Slater homeless in TRAGIC cancer plot twist? EastEnders is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. They then published their data as millions of viewers. Episodes are shown roughly one week after their UK broadcast. Her criticisms were widely reported in the tabloid press as ammunition in its existing hostility towards the BBC. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End of London. [300][301] In 2015, the BBC Three repeat moved back to 10pm. Later on in the same evening, a special flashback episode averaged 10.3 million viewers and peaked with 11.2 million. 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. 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. 1986 - EastEnders There was a new boy in town looking for the top spot in the home of the soap operas, and Eastenders was showing Coronation Street it could do everything bigger and better, including the . 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. Subscribe now for more! He axed the majority of the Di Marco family, except Beppe di Marco, and helped introduce popular characters such as the Slater family. [34], As the show progressed into the 1990s, EastEnders still featured hard-hitting issues such as Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) revealing he was HIV positive[199] in 1991, the death of his wife Gill (Susanna Dawson) from an AIDS-related illness in 1992, murder, adoption, abortion, Peggy Mitchell's (Barbara Windsor) battle with breast cancer,[199] and Phil Mitchell's (Steve McFadden) alcoholism and violence towards wife Kathy. in 30th anniversary show in February", "Dominic Treadwell-Collins set to depart as Executive Producer", "EastEnders boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins quits after two and half years", "End of an era! Viewing figures for related broadcasts Besides the regular episodes of Coronation Street, the following programmes also made the weekly charts. The most recent BARB figures reported that. [134] In September 2011, the postcode for Albert Square was revealed in an episode as E20 6PQ. "[12], The target launch date was originally January 1985. During her time at the soap Hutchison axed multiple characters, and reportedly ordered the rewriting of numerous scripts. 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. [19], 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 and Butchers. It continues to draw in hefty viewing figures even in the age of streaming services. [182], EastEnders has been praised for its portrayal of characters with disabilities, including Adam Best (David Proud) (spina bifida), Noah Chambers (Micah Thomas) and Frankie Lewis (Rose Ayling-Ellis) (deaf), Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) and her daughter Stacey (Lacey Turner) (bipolar disorder), Janet Mitchell (Grace) (Down syndrome), Jim Branning (John Bardon) (stroke)[183] and Dinah Wilson (Anjela Lauren Smith) (multiple sclerosis). EastEnders star Danny Dyer opens up on 140,000 Maldives holiday heart.co.uk - Naomi Bartram Danny Dyer enjoyed 'the best holiday ever' in the Maldives after he jetted off last year. 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."[400]. He said: Life is tough in the East End. The BBC1 soap is in crisis after drawing the lowest ever viewing figures in its history, scraping in with just 1.7 million viewers on July 31. [62] The first television advert showed Dot Branning with a refugee baby, Tomas, whom she took in under the pretence of being her grandson. In 2002, Louise Berridge succeeded Yorke as the Executive Producer. The police claimed that such scenes were "damaging" to their reputation and added that the character DC Deanne Cunningham (Zo Henry) was "irritatingly inaccurate". [83] He also introduced a long-running storyline, "Who Killed Lucy Beale? [391][392][393], In October 2014, the BBC defended a storyline, after receiving 278 complaints about 6 October 2014 episode where pub landlady Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) was raped by Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo). Figures show that on July 31 the London-based soap opera recorded its lowest. Kathleen Hutchison was swiftly appointed as the Executive Producer of EastEnders, and was tasked with quickly turning the fortunes of the soap. 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. [364] Ratings expert Stephen Price also noted that the drop is partly due to the rise of streaming services.[364]. [124] On 2 June 2022, EastEnders aired an episode celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock. Pauline and Pete's domineering mother Lou Beale (Anna Wing) lived with Pauline and her family. [286] According to the EastEnders website, there are on average 208 episodes outputted each year. [33] By the end of 1992, Greaves left and Lewis became executive and series producer. [110] Jon Sen, the show's executive producer, expressed his excitement at the new series, dubbing it "a unique opportunity to see from the cast themselves just what it is like to be part of EastEnders". Show creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland also wrote a book about the show in 1987, entitled EastEnders: The Inside Story (ISBN978-0-563-20601-9), telling the story of how the show made it to screen. He told entertainment website Digital Spy, "It's really important that the feel of the week is active and exciting and not too reflective. [328], On 26 December 1988, the first EastEnders "bubble" was shown, titled "CivvyStreet". 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. She confirmed that EastEnders would return to filming during June 2020 and that there would be a transmission break between episodes filmed before and after production paused. Press coverage of EastEnders, which was already intense, went into overdrive once the show was broadcast. Jack, Pearl and Tracey Watts were created to bring "flash, trash, and melodrama" to the Square (they were later renamed Den, Angie and Sharon). [46][47] In 1998 Matthew Robinson was appointed as the Executive Producer of EastEnders. The show also dealt with prostitution, mixed-race relationships, shoplifting, sexism, divorce, domestic violence and mugging. [276] According to the NAO, BBC executives approved 500,000 of additional funding for the 25th anniversary live episode (19 February 2010). [195] 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. [85], 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. Get a daily email direct to your inbox with our newsletter. EastEnders suffered its lowest ratings on record last summer when viewing figures were just 2.4million. The Circle was the new kid on the reality TV block when it 'entered the chat' in 2018, with the show . [173][174] This has spurred criticism, most notably from the actress Anna Wing, who portrayed Lou Beale in the show. The overnight TV ratings refer only to live television viewing and do not include online or catch-up audiences. [1] EastEnders has been important in the history of British television drama, tackling many subjects that are considered to be controversial or taboo in British culture, and portraying a social life previously unseen on UK mainstream television. The shows lost its sense of humour. EastEnders bosses want to go back to five 30 minute episodes a week after a ratings slump, according to reports. And EastEnders, the show in 10th position, had the. 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