1.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
2.
EastEnders
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EastEnders is a long running British soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since 1985. Set in the East End of London in the fictional Bough of Walford the programme follows the stories of local residents, the series was initially screened as two 30-minute episodes per week however since 2001, episodes have been broadcast every day apart from Wednesdays and weekends. Same-day repeats and omnibus editions of the series were previously shown on BBC Three however as of 2016 these are broadcast on UK-based TV channel W. They gave the job of creating this new soap to script writer Tony Holland and producer Julia Smith and they created twenty-four original characters for the show, based upon Hollands own family, and people they remembered from their own experiences in the East End. Granada Television gave Smith unrestricted access to the Coronation Street production for a month so that she could get a sense how a continuing drama was produced and they cast actors for their characters, and began to film the show at BBC Elstree Centre in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. Julia Smith thought Eastenders looked ugly written down, and capitalised the second e, the central focus of EastEnders is the fictional Victorian square Albert Square in the fictional London Borough of Walford. In the shows narrative, Albert Square is a 19th-century street, named after Prince Albert, thus, central to Albert Square is The Queen Victoria Public House. Fans have tried to establish the location Walford would have within London if it were real, Walford has the postal district of E20. The postcode district was selected as if it were part of the actual E postcode area covers much of east London although the next unused postcode district in the area was. In 1917 the current postal districts in London were assigned according to the name of the main sorting office for each district. If Walford had been assigned in this scheme it would have been given E17, in March 2011, Royal Mail allocated the E20 postal district to the 2012 Olympic Park. The postal district in EastEnders was entirely fictional up to that point, the shows creators opted for E20 instead of E19 as it was thought to sound better. In September 2011 the postal code for Albert Square was revealed in an episode as E20 6PQ, there is also a market close to Fassett Square at Ridley Road. The postcode for the area, E8, was one of the titles for the series. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where Tony Holland lived and a blend of Walthamstow and Stratford—the areas of Greater London where the creators were born, other parts of the Square and set interiors are based on other locations. The fictional local newspaper, the Walford Gazette, in local news events such as the arrests or murders of characters appear. EastEnders is built around the idea of relationships and strong families and this theme encompasses the whole Square, making the entire community a family of sorts, prey to upsets and conflict, but pulling together in times of trouble. Co-creator Tony Holland was from a large East End family, Pauline and Petes mother was the domineering Lou Beale, who lived with Pauline and her family
3.
Kat Slater
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Kathleen Kat Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001, Kat is the daughter of Viv Slater and Charlie Slater, and arrived with her sisters Lynne Hobbs and Little Mo. Her daughter Zoe Slater is initially believed to be her sister as well until Kat reveals she was raped by her uncle Harry Slater as a child and it is later revealed that Kat also gave birth to a son, Zoes twin brother. She appeared in the show from September 2000 to November 2004 and she left on 25 December 2005, and returned on 17 September 2010, to leave again in January 2012 and return on 7 June 2012. Wallace, alongside Richie, decided to take another break from the show, Kat is described as a bit of a floozy, a bitch and very lazy. Richie revealed in an interview with This Morning that Kat and Alfie would be involved in an ongoing storyline, which he said is going to be the biggest soap story in probably the history of soaps. At the end of 2010, Kat and Ronnie both give birth on the day, but Ronnies baby, James, dies and while Kat is in hospital and her baby, Tommy, is unattended. The storyline received over 6,000 complaints, making it the second most complained about EastEnders storyline and it was then decided to end the storyline earlier than originally planned. Wallace has won awards for her portrayal of Kat. At the National Television Awards, she was named Most Popular Newcomer in 2001, Wallace was additionally nominated for the Best Actress, Best Dramatic Performance and Hero of the Year awards in 2002, and Zoes maternity was nominated Best Storyline. She was again nominated Best Actress from 2003 to 2006 consecutively and she won the Television and Radio Industries Club Award for TV Soap Personality in March 2011. Kat arrives in Walford on 18 September 2000, along with her family, father Charlie, sisters Lynne, Little Mo and Zoe, Kat embarks on a brief fling with Steve Owen, much to the annoyance of his girlfriend Melanie Healy. She finds work in The Queen Victoria public house as a barmaid, fiercely defensive of her sisters, Kat is the archrival of Little Mos abusive husband Trevor Morgan, though has a fling with Lynnes boyfriend Garry Hobbs. Much to Zoes frustration, Kat is often over-protective of her, when Zoe announces her decision move to Spain with their uncle Harry, Kat refuses to allow her to go. She reveals that she is Zoes mother, having been abused by Harry aged thirteen. Zoe flees Walford, and Kat attempts suicide by cutting her wrists and she recovers, is romanced by local doctor Anthony Trueman, and later finds Zoe and brings her home. Their relationship improves, but after Kat breaks up with Anthony, he, Zoe disowns Kat for disapproving of their relationship, and later runs away when Anthony reveals that he is still in love with Kat. Anthony and Kats relationship resumes, but she fails to impress his colleagues, Kat discovers she is pregnant by him and decides to have an abortion
4.
New York City
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The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange
5.
Den Watts
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Dennis Alan Den Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his nickname, Dirty Den. Den was the landlord of The Queen Victoria. He perhaps is best remembered for his stormy relationship with his alcoholic first wife Angie. He was also known for his later involvement with the criminal gang known as The Firm that eventually led to an attempt on his life in 1989. For 14 years, it was believed that the Firms attempt on his life had been successful, seventeen months later, his character was killed off again, this time for good, at the hands of his manipulative second wife Chrissie. His character has described by EastEnders executive producer Louise Berridge as being arguably one of the most iconic soap characters ever. Den and his wife Angie Watts are landlords of The Queen Victoria pub in Albert Square, when 16-year-old Michelle falls pregnant, she refuses to name the father, fearing repercussions for Den and herself. When she gives birth to a daughter Vicki in 1986, Den is not allowed any contact with her, he is allowed to hold his daughter once, Den and Angies marriage continues to sour, despite their strong professional personas. However, Angie struggles to contain her jealousy regarding Dens mistress, she grows depressed, still, Den makes plans to leave Angie permanently, hoping to stop him, Angie claims that she is dying and has only six months to live in October that year. Den chooses to stay with her and tries to rebuild their relationship and he takes Angie to Venice for a second honeymoon, but liaises with Jan, who is also there. Feeling guilty about her lie, Angie gets drunk on the way home via the Orient Express and admits to a barman that she is not dying and he bides his time and gets revenge by serving her divorce papers on Christmas Day. The couples divorce is finalized in 1987 and Angie damages Den by demanding a divorce settlement. Den runs The Queen Vic alone, initially assisted by Jan, Den has a fling with the Vics caterer, Magda Czajkowski, but is scorned when she eventually opts to date Simon Wicks instead. When he discovers that they are seeing each other, he punches Simon, sacks him, whilst single again, Den begins to realise that The Vics trade is floundering without Angie. With some meddling from Sharon, Den and Angie decide to reunite as business partners, however, it is short-lived, because Angie falls in love with her friend, Sonny. Realising that Angie is planning to leave him, Den visits a solicitor, Angie leaves Walford for Spain in May 1988 with nothing, and they never see or hear anything of each other again. Having had an association with the criminal organisation known as The Firm
6.
Pat Butcher
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Patricia Louise Pat Evans, also occasionally referred to in the British media as Fat Pat, is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She was played by Pam St. Clement from 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired, until her departure on 1 January 2012. Pat was also portrayed by Emma Cooke in a soap bubble Pat and Mo, Ashes to Ashes, delving into her past with sister-in-law Mo Harris, the character died on 1 January 2012, shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Her funeral was on 13 January 2012, Pat was one of the longest serving characters on the show, being on it for twenty-five years and six months. She returned along with women from Ian Beales past in a concussion-related dream sequence for a Children in Need special on 14 November 2014. She also made a return as a hallucination for Peggy Mitchells exit on 17 May 2016, Pat is the youngest of four children. Her sister, Joan, had Downs syndrome, and was sent to an institution when Pat was four. Joan married Michael, who also had Downs and their mother, Lydia, disowned Joan and claimed she had died at age 22. After leaving school at 15, Pat unsuccessfully tried to become a model and she and her best friend, Mo Porter, entered a beauty contest in Clacton at 16, winning the title of Miss Butlins. There she met Frank Butcher, who was holidaying with his girlfriend, Frank was besotted with Pat, and they slept together. Frank was the first of what would be many lovers in Pats life, Pat and Frank would meet up from time to time, and on each occasion the affair would be rekindled, but Frank would not leave June. Pat began working for shady club owner Tony Cattani, who got her involved in prostitution and this shamed her family, particularly her brother Jimmy, and their relationship suffered. When Pat discovered that her best friend Mo, now Jimmys wife, had slept with Tony, she informed her brother, Mo denied it, while working as a prostitute, Pat was offered more money to work for up-and-coming gangster Johnny Allen. Pat then worked as a woman of the underworld for many years. She had flings with Den Watts and Kenny Beale —both restless men, kennys younger brother Pete proved more reliable, he married Pat when he thought she was pregnant by him—a false alarm which his mother Lou believed was Pats ploy to trap her son. While they were together, Pat had two sons, David and Simon, who Pete believed to be his, yet Pat could not settle down and embarked on an affair with Brian Wicks. Pete eventually left her and they divorced, soon after, Pat married Brian and he took on responsibility of her two sons. They left Walford due to Davids feud with fellow schoolboy Derek Branning who terrorised the entire family because David got his sister Carol pregnant and they moved to Romford and Pat stayed with Brian until 1986, when he started physically abusing her
