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The Inside Story
EastEnders is built around the idea 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 pulling together in times of trouble. Co-creator Tony Holland was from a large East End family, and such families have typified EastEnders.[6] (Page 49)The first central family was the combination of the Fowler family, consisting of Pauline Fowler, her husband Arthur Fowler, and teenage children Mark Fowler and Michelle Fowler and the Beale family, consisting of Pete Beale (Pauline's twin brother), his wife Kathy Beale and their teenage son Ian Beale. Pauline and Pete's mother was the domineering Lou Beale, who lived with Pauline and her family. Holland drew on the names of his own family for the characters.[7](Page 51-56)The target launch date was originally January 1985.[8] (Page 24) Smith and Holland had eleven months in which to write, cast and shoot the whole thing. However, in February 1984, they did not even have a title or a place to film. Both Smith and Holland were unhappy about the January 1985 launch date, favouring November or even September 1984 when seasonal audiences would be higher, but the BBC stayed firm, and Smith and Holland had to concede that, with the massive task of getting the Elstree Studios operational, January was the most realistic date. However, this was later to be changed to February.[8](Page 24)The launch was delayed until February 1985[9](Page 154)- After they decided on the filming location of BBC Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire).[10] (
Page 40) Smith and Holland set about creating the twenty-three characters needed, in just fourteen days.[11] (Page 164) They took a holiday in Playa de los Pocillos, Lanzarote, and started to create the characters.[12] (Page 48) Holland created the Beale and Fowler family, drawing on his own background. His mother, Ethel Holland, was one of four sisters raised in Walthamstow. Her eldest sister, Lou, had married a man named Albert Beale and had two children, named Peter and Pauline.[6] (Page 49) These family members were the basis for Lou Beale, Pete Beale and Pauline Fowler. Holland also created Pauline's unemployed husband Arthur Fowler, their children Mark Fowler and Michelle Fowler, Pete's wife Kathy Beale and their son Ian Beale.[7] (Page 51-56) Smith used her personal memories of East End residents she met when researching Victorian squares.[13] (Page 15) Ethel Skinner was based on an old woman she met in a pub, with ill-fitting false teeth, and a "face to rival a neon sign", holding a Yorkshire Terrier in one hand and a pint of Guinness in the other.[14](Page 52)
The Beales are the show's longest running family, having been in EastEnders since it began in 1985.[citation needed] (Needs an alternative reference as book was written in 1987) Key people involved in the production of EastEnders have stressed how important the idea of strong families is to the programme.[6] (Page 49)The drains around the set are real so rainwater can naturally flow from the streets.[15](Page 43) The square was built in two phases with only three sides being built, plus Bridge Street, to begin with in 1984, in time to be used for the show's first episode.[16](Page 95)
- Show creators planned for Den and Angie to have an adoptive daughter, Sharon Watts and cast Letitia Dean in the role because of her laugh, which they described as "the dirtiest in the world!".[17] (Page 123)
- The Watts family were also given a pet, originally planned to be a German shepard named Prince, but this was later changed when the show found a poodle named Roly. (Page 162) The second character to appear was Ali Osman, a Turkish Cypriot café and taxi firm owner. (Page 122) The casting of Ali caused arguments between co-creators Smith and Tony Holland as they disagreed between which of two actors to cast as Ali. Nejdet Salih was eventually cast as Ali. (Page 122)
- Show creators had scripted their first family, the Beales and Fowlers, based on Holland's family. (Page 49-50) Lou Beale was created as the seventy-year-old "stubborn, family orientated" matriarch of the family. Anna Wing was cast in the role, to her delight of being a "household name". (Page 120)
- Lou was billed as the widowed mother of middle-aged twins, "rough and ready" Pete Beale and "battle-axe" Pauline Fowler. (Page 195) The role of Pete was cast to Law and Order actor Peter Dean because of his "tremendous enthusiasm" for the part, (Page 123)
- In an attempt to portray a multi-cultural relationship, Ali's British wife, Sue Osman was created. (Page 122)
- Aside from the three central families, the show featured several other characters. An Asian couple, Saeed and Naima Jeffery, were cast in the show as the owners of the local grocery store. Andrew Johnson was cast as Saeed, whilst Shreela Ghosh was cast as Naima after a small struggle in locating any Muslim women. (Page 134)
- The second character of the show to be created was an elderly lady who was billed as the "the life and soul of the party", Ethel Skinner. Having been considered the ideal casting, Gretchen Franklin was cast. Ethel was scripted to have a pug, Willy, named after her late husband. (Page 52) The show also featured a resident Jewish doctor, Dr Harold Legg, (Page 53) but finding a capable actor proved difficult. Leonard Fenton was suggested by writer Bill Lyons, before being subsequently cast in the role. (Page 121)
- The final character to be created was Nick Cotton, the show's local villain. (Page 90-91) The character was not created by Smith and Holland and was not part of their original vision for the show, being credited as an "afterthought". Because of this, the actor John Altman was not cast by Smith and instead was cast by the directors. (Page 162)
- Pauline was originally scripted to be five-months pregnant in her early forties and she eventually gave birth to a son, Martin (Jon Peyton Price) in July 1985. (Page 78) When Scarboro departed the show in April 1985, show bosses were required to create a new character that could replace Mark's storylines and thus, Simon Wicks (or "Wicksy" as he was also known) was created. (Page 202)
- Despite this, the first departure from the show came in April 1985 when Scarboro also disapproved of his storylines and left his role of Mark. (Page 201) However, Scarboro made returns across three guest stints in December 1985, 1986 and 1987, making his original departure only temporary. (Page 202)
- Show bosses decided in 1986 to tackle "an important and complicated story about the ups and downs of a pop group" (Page 205))
Public Secrets: EastEnders and Its Audience
They also looked at Brookside but found there was a lack of central meeting points for the characters, making it difficult for the writers to intertwine different storylines,[citation needed] so EastEnders was set in Albert Square. (Page 15)[18]
The First 10 Years
A new era began in 1990 with the introduction of Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp)—the Mitchell brothers—successful characters who would go on to dominate the soap thereafter.[19] (Page 91) As the new production team cleared the way for new characters and a new direction, all of the characters introduced under Gibbon were axed from the show at the start of the year.[20] (Page 90) Ferguson introduced other characters and was responsible for storylines including HIV, Alzheimer's disease and murder. After a successful revamp of the soap, Ferguson decided to leave EastEnders in July 1991.[21] (Page 100)Other examples include Paul Priestly and Trevor Short,[22] (Page 76 only mentions Paul Priestly and Trevor Short) Huw Edwards and Lenny Wallace, Shirley Carter and Heather Trott, Garry Hobbs and Minty Peterson, Denise Fox and Zainab Masood, Poppy Meadow and Jodie Gold and Peggy Mitchell and Pat Evans.[citation needed] In 1989 especially, characters were brought in who were deliberately conceived as comic or light-hearted.[23] (Page 70) Such characters included Julie Cooper—a brassy maneater; Marge Green—a batty older lady played by veteran comedy actress, Pat Coombs; Trevor Short (Phil McDermott)—the "village idiot"; his friend, northern heartbreaker Paul Priestly (Mark Thrippleton); wheeler-dealer Vince Johnson (Hepburn Graham) and Laurie Bates (Gary Powell), who became Pete Beale's (Peter Dean) sparring partner.[20] (Page 90)In 1989, the programme came under criticism in the British media for being too depressing, and according to writer Colin Brake, the programme makers were determined to change this.[23] (Page 70)In 1989 there was a deliberate attempt to increase the lighter, more comic aspects of life in Albert Square.[23] (Page 70) This led to the introduction of some characters who were deliberately conceived as comic or light-hearted.[23] (Page 70 repeated above)Producer Mike Gibbon was given the task of running the show and he enlisted the most experienced writers to take over the storylining of the programme, including Charlie Humphreys, Jane Hollowood and Tony McHale.[23] (Page 70)By the end of 1989 EastEnders had acquired a new executive producer, Michael Ferguson, who had previously been a successful producer on ITV's The Bill.[23] (Page 70) Brake suggested that Ferguson was responsible for bringing in a new sense of vitality and creating a programme that was more in touch with the real world than it had been over the previous year.[23] (Page 70)Brake suggested that humour was an important element in EastEnders' storylines during 1989, with a greater amount of slapstick and light comedy than before. (Page 70) He classed 1989's changes as a brave experiment, and suggested that while some found this period of EastEnders entertaining, many other viewers felt that the comedy stretched the programme's credibility.[23] (Page 70)
Although the programme still covered many issues in 1989, such as domestic violence, drugs, rape and racism, Brake reflected that the new emphasis on a more balanced mix between "light and heavy storylines" gave the illusion that the show had lost a "certain edge".[1] (Page 70)
- Lewis and Greaves formulated a new regime for EastEnders, giving the writers of the serial more authority in storyline progression, with the script department providing "guidance rather than prescriptive episode storylines".[1] (Page 104)
- Having set up the transition to the new schedule, the first trio of episodes—dubbed The Vic siege—marked Lewis's departure from the programme.[1] (Page 129)
- Although episodes are predominantly recorded weeks before they are broadcast, occasionally, EastEnders includes current events in their episodes. In 1987, EastEnders covered the general election. (Page 54) Using a plan devised by co-creators Smith and Holland, five minutes of material was cut from four of the pre-recorded episodes preceding the election. (Page 54) These were replaced by specially recorded election material, including representatives from each major party, and a scene recorded on the day after the election reflecting the result, which was broadcast the following Tuesday.[1] (Page 54)
- Using a plan devised by co-creators Smith and Holland, five minutes of material was cut from four of the pre-recorded episodes preceding the election. (Page 54) These were replaced by specially recorded election material, including representatives from each major party, and a scene recorded on the day after the election reflecting the result, which was broadcast the following Tuesday.[1] (Page 54)
- In 1986, EastEnders filmed overseas for the first time, in Venice, and this was also the first time it was not filmed on videotape, as a union rule at the time prevented producers taking a video crew abroad and a film crew had to be used instead.[1] (Page 46)
- Each episode should run for 27 minutes and 15 seconds, however, if any episode runs over or under then it is the job of post-production to cut or add scenes where appropriate. (Page 142) As noted in the 1994 behind-the-scenes book, EastEnders: The First 10 Years, After filming, tapes were sent to the videotape editor, who then edited the scenes together into an episode. (Page 142) The videotape editor used the director's notes so they knew which scenes the director wanted to appear in a particular episode. The producer might have asked for further changes to be made. (Page 142) The episode was then copied onto D3 video. (Page 143) The final process was to add the audio which included background noise such as a train or a jukebox music and to check it met the BBC's technical standard for broadcasting.[1] (Page 143)
- Then in 1986, Harris added an extension to the set, building the fourth side of Albert Square, and in 1987, Turpin Road was added, which included buildings such as The Dagmar.[1] (Page 19-20)
20 Years in Albert Square
The main buildings on the square consisted originally of hollow shells, constructed from marine plywood facades mounted onto steel frames. (Page 146) The lower walls, pavements, etc., (Page ?) were constructed of real brick and tarmac. (Page 146) The set had to be made to look as if it had been standing for years. (Page 146) This was done by a number of means, including chipping at the buildings. (Alternative source: 1987 Annual Page 43)