EastEnders is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives. Within eight months of the show's original launch, it had reached the number one spot in BARB's television ratings, and has consistently remained among the top-rated series in Britain. Four EastEnders episodes are listed in the all-time top 10 most-watched programmes in the UK, including the number one spot, when over 30 million watched the 1986 Christmas Day episode. 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.
Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer (2010–2012)
The Queen Victoria Public House (as it looked from November 1992 to September 2010) is the main focus point of Albert Square (pictured).
The Butcher/Jackson living room in 2008.
A soap opera, daytime drama, or soap for short, is typically a long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored by soap manufacturers. The term was preceded by "horse opera", a derogatory term for low-budget Westerns.
Publicity photo of Rosemary Prinz as Penny Hughes from As the World Turns
A scene from EastEnders on Christmas Day 1986, watched by 30.15 million viewers. The story, in which Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) served his wife Angie (Anita Dobson) with divorce papers, was the highest-rated soap episode in British history, and the highest-rated program in the UK during the 1980s. Only the 1966 World Cup Final and the funeral of Princess Diana rank higher in the all time ratings.
Leah Thys, actress in the Belgian soap Thuis. At the back Peter Rouffaer is visible.