Smallscreen - EastEnders
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EastEnders is a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985 and continuing to date. It is currently the most popular soap opera in the UK according to episode viewing figures.
EastEnders' storylines center on the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in Albert Square, a Victorian square of terraced houses, a pub, a street market and various small businesses in the East End of London, England.
The series was originally screened as two half-hour episodes a week. Today four episodes are broadcast each week on BBC One and an omnibus edition screens on Sunday afternoons. It is one of the UK's highest-rated programmes, often appearing near or at the top of the week's BARB ratings.
Within eight months of its launch, it reached the number one spot in the ratings, and has almost consistently remained amongst the top-rated programmes in Britain ever since. The average audience share for an episode is currently between 35 and 40%.
Created by producer Julia Smith and script editor Tony Holland, EastEnders has remained significant in terms of the BBC's success and audience share, and also the history of British television drama, tackling many controversial and taboo issues previously unseen on mainstream television in the UK.
TV information
| Showing: | 1985- |
| Channel/Network: | BBC |
Cast
| Adam Woodyatt | Ian Beale |
| Laurie Brett | Jane Beale |
| Melissa Suffield | Lucy Beale |
| John Partridge | Christian Clarke |
| June Brown | Dot Branning |
| Scott Maslen | Jack Branning |
| Jake Wood | Max Branning |
| Charlie Brooks | Janine Butcher |
| Pam St Clement | Pat Evans |
| Patsy Palmer | Bianca Jackson |
| Diane Parish | Denise Johnson |
| Nitin Ganatra | Masood Ahmed |
| Nina Wadia | Zainab Masood |
| Perry Fenwick | Billy Mitchell |
| Barbara Windsor | Peggy Mitchell |
| Steve McFadden | Phil Mitchell |
| Samantha Womack | Ronnie Mitchell |
| Rita Simons | Roxy Mitchell |
| Lacey Turner | Stacey Slater |
| Derek Martin | Charlie Slater |
| Laila Morse | Mo Harris |
Merchandise
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Talkback
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