EastEnders from UK

EastEnders is a soap which began as a rival for ITV’s Coronation Street. This popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985 and continuing to date is currently the second most popular soap opera in the UK. The serial focuses on the lives of locals living in the vicinity of Albert Square in the rough EastEnd of London. For almost past 20 years, EastEnders entertained audiences with dramatic storylines focusing on real life situations. Characters have come and gone, each having an impact on the happenings in Albert Square.

There’s only only one way to describe this show as it goes from good to bad all the time. But when they get a story right, they do a good job all right. It is set in the fictional London Borough of Walford. However, the central focus of the show is that of the equally fictional Victorian square named Albert Square. The fictional Albert Square was built around the early 20th century, named after Prince Albert (1819–1861), the husband of Queen Victoria (1819–1901, reigned 1837–1901). Thus, central to Albert Square is The Queen Victoria Public House.

In the past, fans have tried to establish the actual location of Walford within London. Walford East is a fictional tube station for Walford, and with the aid of a map that was first seen on air in 1996, it has been established that Walford East is located between Bow Road and West Ham, which realistically would replace Bromley-by-Bow.

EastEnders was built around the ideas 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 all pulling together in times of trouble.The first central family was the Beale and Fowler clan consisting of Pauline Fowler, her husband Arthur, and teenage children Mark and Michelle. Living nearby was Pauline’s twin brother Pete Beale, his wife Kathy and their son Ian. Pauline and Pete’s mother was the domineering Lou, who resided with Pauline and her family. Holland drew on the names of his own family for the characters.

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. 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.