Click on picture for the Official BBC Eastenders website.
Eastenders...
Eastenders is on BBC1 at 8.00pm Monday, 7.30pm Tuesday, 7.30pm Thursday, 8.00pm Friday and an omnibus episode on Sundays.
It first ran on 19th February 1985 and is an award winning soap that is currently one of the most watched shows in the UK. Its story lines look at the lives of people who work and live in a fictional area of Walford, East London called Albert Square. The square is classic Victorian terraced houses centred round a city garden and a main pub The Queen Victoria, nicknamed “The Queen Vic” or simply “The Vic”. The other centres for people meeting are the streets, market, cafe, general stores, community centre, an Indian restaurant and other small businesses such as a used car lot and garage. The main theme of the soap was the idea of friendships and strong families with each character having a strong link to the area by working and living in the community. This close nit group meant that story lines could easily entwine and realistic conflict could be created that relates to audiences watching at home in the same situation or be entertaining for those who do not have that. There are a few families that are classic in the Eastenders cast and have been around for many years branching out and marrying, or having new additions with long lost aunties and cousins popping up every so often. The Fowlers, Beales and Mitchells are examples of these main families and they all have strong family values. The Mitchells for example are renowned for their ball busting attitude especially with Phil Mitchell the local gangster/thug, they also have a strong hold on the pub and therefore are involved in a lot of story lines set there. Eastenders has always represented a vast range of ethnic groups however they were recently criticized for not showing enough representation as is realistic in an East London borough, therefore they produced an episode using entirely black actors in February 2009, a first for British soaps. They have a high cast turnover, constantly adding new characters and killing of older characters, also bringing back characters that have left or sometimes even believed to be dead.
Settings...
There are loads of businesses and meeting places in Eastenders so here are just a few:
The Queen Victoria Pub
The Square
The Minute Mart
The Market
The Arches
The Allotments
The Cafe
The Laundrette
The Indian
Cast and Characters...
Here are a few of the Characters and the actors that play them as described by the producers...
Mild-mannered taxi driver Charlie dotes on his girls, and lets them wind him round their little fingers. He stays positive as long as his family's round him
Janine was abandoned by her father as a teenager and left alone. She wants everything from the world, and she's not afraid of playing dirty.
Don't mess with this East End hardnut... or else! Nobody gets away with dissing the Mitchells. Phil will stop at nothing to protect the family honour.
Chain smoking Dot is a religious woman, with an endless capacity for gossip. From the launderette, she keeps a watchful eye over Albert Square's residents.
Darren's a tough kid, who's had to learn a few tricks to survive. Having a lazy dad like Keith means that he has to do more work than most to get by |
Charismatic and strong-minded, Lucas is an upstanding member of the community, a far cry from the youth he once was.
Fiery Bianca doesn't mince her words. Woe betide you if you get on the wrong side of her
East End born and bred, Al tries to hide his public school education. He's a good doctor but also a big kid. A free spirit, Al loves the outdoors, his surfboard and his independence.
Down to earth Jane is a feisty customer. Beneath that brassy exterior lies a shrewd mind and a kind heart.
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Charlie Slater by Derek Martin
Janine Butcher played by Charlie Brooks
Phil Mitchell played by Steve McFadden
Dot Branning played by June Brown 
Darren Miller played by Charlie Hawkins
Lukas Johnson played by Don Gilet
Bianca Jackson played Patsy Palmer
Dr. Al Jenkins played by Croasdell
Jane Beale played by Laurie BrettThis trailer about the return of Sam Mitchell to Eastenders shows the interchanging sequence of real life and shots created just for the trailer. I really like this idea and will consider using it in my soap opera trailer.
