"EastEnders" (1985) TV series 1985-????

Directors:

Indra Bhose
Dermot Boyd

Writers:

Colin Brake (writer)
Andrew Collins (writer)

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

19 February 1985 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The everyday lives of the inhabitants of Albert Square in the East-End of London.

Plot Keywords:

East End | Famous Opening Theme | Social Realism | Working Class | Soap Opera

Awards:

115 wins & 136 nominations

Cast

Steve McFadden	...	Phil (1,861 episodes, 1990-2009)
Adam Woodyatt	...	Ian / ... (1,818 episodes, 1985-2009)
Pam St. Clement	...	Pat / ... (1,563 episodes, 1986-2009)
Wendy Richard	...	Pauline / ... (1,406 episodes, 1985-2006)
Barbara Windsor	...	Peggy (1,368 episodes, 1994-2009)
June Brown	...	Dot / ... (1,278 episodes, 1985-2009)
Sid Owen	...	Ricky (991 episodes, 1989-2009)
Todd Carty	...	Mark (986 episodes, 1990-2003)
Ross Kemp	...	Grant (971 episodes, 1990-2006)
Letitia Dean	...	Sharon / ... (928 episodes, 1985-2006)
Natalie Cassidy	...	Sonia (881 episodes, 1993-2007)
Perry Fenwick	...	Billy (872 episodes, 1998-2009)
John Bardon	...	Jim (785 episodes, 1996-2009)
Gillian Taylforth	...	Kathy / ... (745 episodes, 1985-2000)

Also Known As:

East 8 (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (1985-1991) | Stereo (1991-)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG | USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

In August 2006, the show went through a bad patch averaging only 3.9 million viewers per episode.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Phil and Grant are in the woods with Danny, the camera's shadow is visible several times.

Quotes:

Zoe: My sister is my mum. My Dad is my granddad and my uncle, and my uncle is my dad.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "This Morning: (2009-03-30)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Theme

A national treasure!

EastEnders is described by the BBC as a drama and so it should be. There is a strange snobbery concerning soap operas and though EE is on four times a week it is so well-written and performed that I think of it as a drama and not a soap opera.

A recent episode, featuring three seperate conversations - Laura/Garry, Kat/Zoe and Ant/Patrick - was absolutely outstanding. It was what EastEnders does best, filling a half hour with some of the best acting and dialogue I have seen on TV, and not many shows could pull off half an hour of just talking and keep it interesting. The show is famous for its 'two-handers' such as Dot and Ethel/Matthew and Steve which were all outstanding.

As a scriptwriter I find EastEnders to be consistently excellent and would certainly recommend it as a template for aspiring writers who wish to learn how to write and write it well.

A national treasure.