How is it possible for EastEnders to have just turned thirty five??? Admittedly compared to me, it's still in nappies, but I remember the first ever episode as though it were yesterday.
I also remember all those BBC trailers that they showed in the run-up to the first episode being aired in which we met the characters of this new British soap, who introduced themselves and their families. It was all quite intriguing and I don't recall the BBC ever doing promos like those for a new show (though I could be wrong!)
Back then, we didn't know just how huge the show was going to be, or that the cast of little-known - and in some cases unknown - actors were well on their way to becoming household names. Though one face that I did recognize back then was the lady from "Are You Being Served?" thanks to my dad's love of the sitcom. And that lady was of course better known as Wendy Richard.
EastEnders was first broadcast on 19th February 1985 and was set in the fictitious London borough of Walford (a combination of Walthamstow and Stratford.) It centered around the lives of a group of residents who lived on Albert Square, focusing in on particular, the Watts, Fowler, and Beale clans. Yep, this was long before the Mitchells, Slaters and Brannings made their mark in Walford! From what I remember, it didn't take long for the show to grow on us and within a matter of weeks, we were hooked. It was compulsive viewing and we knew we couldn't go to school or work the next day without watching the current episode for fear of being a social outcast!
Until the early nineties, EastEnders was only shown twice a week - Tuesdays and Thursdays with the omnibus episode shown on Sundays. I soon learned that there were two kinds of days: EastEnders days (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and Wogan days (Monday, Wednesday,and Friday.) I didn't mind Wogan depending on who the guests were, but I could not wait for Tuesday and Thursday nights - it was like the weekend had arrived early!
Never a dull moment at The Vic with Den and Ange around
Furthermore, the Sunday afternoon omnibus episode was something of a novelty because I'd never known of a show to have a catch-up episode like that before. And you can bet your life that whether we'd seen that week's episodes or not, my siblings and I were almost guaranteed to be watching the omnibus which definitely livened up a quite often dull Sunday afternoon, TV-wise. This kind of irked my dad a little bit because back in the days before each house had fifty devices and a million channels, my dad would want to watch something on one of the three other existing channels on the only TV set we had in the house. And there we were watching something we'd "already bloody seen a million times before." Er, not quite, Dad, but it was so good that we just had to see those scenes again! Of course once iPlayer came along, there was no need to screen the omnibus anymore which is a pity because as us kids of the eighties and nineties know, the EastEnders' omnibus (or 'onlybus' as my siblings used to say - sometimes even lonely bus!) is a much-missed Sunday afternoon ritual.
And then there were the Christmas episodes where you'd either get an hour long episode or two thirty minute ones on Christmas Day. Ever since Den Watts uttered those immortal words "'appy Christmas, Ange," Christmas EastEnders has been unmissable and a real family tradition in households all over the country during the festive season. It definitely has been in our house where everything stops when EastEnders is on. We'd all cram ourselves onto the couch; grab the tin of Quality Street, and chomp down on those toffee penny chews as we find out who's murdering/stealing from/having an affair with/the father of whom. And they say it's all doom and gloom on Albert Square!
Over the years, we've met countless iconic characters: Den and Angie; Frank Butcher; Peggy Mitchell. Dot Cotton... We've watched many memorable storylines: Sharongate; Tiffany Mitchell's death; Phil Mitchell's shooting; Den Watts' return... We've all asked ourselves the same questions: Why does no one lock their back door? Why have they never found an actor to play Mr. Popodopolous? Can Linda please ditch that ridiculous doughnut on her head?
Right now EastEnders is going all out with their current storyline to mark the thirty fifth anniversary in which the Queen Vic boat party ends in disaster and we know one person is set to lose their life. Which leads us to another question...
…When do we get to see Walford celebrations that don't end in tragedy and disaster? But we know whatever happens, sorry, 'appens - we'll keep watching!
Happy thirty fifth EastEnders!
Photos from YouTube
Word Cloud by Angel Noire