Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: When did EastEnders first air?
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1985, by order of first appearance. They were all introduced by executive producer Julia Smith. The first episode of EastEnders was broadcast on 19 February 1985, and twenty-three main characters were already created for their first appearance. The first character to be seen was Den Watts, followed by Ali Osman and then Arthur Fowler, all of whom find Reg Cox dying in his flat. Ethel Skinner, Harold Legg and Pauline Fowler appear, after Den alerts them of Reg's death. With Ethel is her pug Willy along with Lou Beale. Saeed and Naima Jeffery are seen working in the local shop whilst Angie Watts is seen in The Queen Victoria, Walford's local pub. Nick Cotton and Sue Osman are next seen, whilst Pete and Kathy Beale work at the fruit and veg stall and Hassan Osman is seen with his parents in the café. Sharon Watts, Ian Beale and Michelle Fowler are next seen and Mark Fowler is seen going into the bookies. Lastly, Roly the dog is seen in the pub when a fight breaks out.
At the age of 16, Westbrook was put forward for a much bigger role in "EastEnders", Sam Mitchell (the younger sister of Phil and Grant). Her audition was successful and her first appearance on EastEnders was aired in July 1990. Despite featuring in some prominent storylines, Westbrook decided to leave the soap in 1993 to take another role. In 1995, the producers at "EastEnders" asked her back to the soap a second time. However, Westbrook was regularly using cocaine and it began to affect her work. Due to her off-screen antics and her poor and tardy attendance on set, the producers of "EastEnders" terminated her contract and she was written out of the soap again in 1996.
When "EastEnders" began in 1985, the soap focused primarily around the affairs of three families: the Beales, Fowlers, and Watts. However, much of the show's early success stemmed from the drama surrounding the Watts, especially the antics of Den, who as owners of the Queen Vic pub (the show's most prominent set) were usually in the limelight. This prominence, at a time when "EastEnders" was at its most prolific in terms of both the media and audience, meant the Watts became perhaps "EastEnders" most eminent family and the characters known even to those who did not watch the show. Such was their success that producers went ahead with an experimental episode format centring on just Den and Angie, during which Angie lied about having cancer; so successful was the airing that it has since been repeated, and the format expanded to include "three" and "four-handers" (between 3 and 4 characters). Such episodes are highly prestigious and feature only the most popular and prominent characters in the show; thus, all the Watts, aside from Vicki, have featured in such episodes.
In early 2000, it was announced that a new doctor would arrive in "EastEnders". A few days later it was announced he would be played by Nick Bailey. Bailey was working for an investment bank unloading boxes, when he received the call about auditioning for Anthony. He explained "I was alone in the stockroom when my agent's wife rang and told me I'd got the part. I just jumped up and punched the air, then did a rumba round the room." "EastEnders" marked Bailey's first major television role. Anthony was introduced as the son of B&B owner Audrey Trueman (Corinne Skinner-Carter). He made his first on-screen appearance on 11 December 2000. It was later announced his family would arrive later in the year.
This episode first aired on BBC's Red Button service on 8 November 2013. Bianca Butcher (Patsy Palmer) is studying to become a beautician in Manchester for six weeks, away from her family in Walford. She meets the charming Terry Spraggan (Terry Alderton) and they fall for each other and eventually start a relationship. The episode led to the eventual introduction of Terry and his family when they returned to Walford with Bianca when the six-week course ended.
Several documentaries have been made about "EastEnders", usually broadcast on BBC Three. Since February 2010, Watch started repeating various "EastEnders" documentaries. Since then, they occasionally show documentaries on Saturdays and Sundays.
O'Connor's first episode as Executive Producer aired on 11 July 2016. Although O'Connor's first credited episode aired in July, his own creative work was not seen onscreen until late September. On 23 June 2017, it was announced that O'Connor would be leaving "EastEnders" after a year in the role of executive producer. O'Connor said: "I've had an amazing time at "EastEnders." Working with the editorial staff, cast and crew at Elstree has been an absolute privilege. They are the kindest, most loyal and hard-working team in the business. But my heart lies in feature films and I'm hugely excited as my film projects are now reaching production. I'll enjoy watching "EastEnders" go from strength to strength but will miss everybody enormously. Elstree really is a place where you make friends for life." O'Connor's final episode as Executive Producer aired on 24 November 2017.
Documentaries have also been produced, particularly for the 10th, 15th and 20th anniversaries of the show looking back at the history of the show's inception, its characters and storylines. A behind-the-scenes documentary, "EastEnders Revealed", aired regularly on BBC Choice and continued on BBC Three after the closure of BBC Choice. The first episode was in October 1999 and the show continued regularly until October 2005, with a few episodes still being made after this. A series of documentary shows, similar to "EastEnders Revealed" aired from 2006. "EastEnders Xtra" was an interactive series available between February and May 2005 via BBCi.
She found national fame in 1998 when she was cast as Mel Healy in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. Her first appearance was aired in October 1998 and her final one was in April 2002. During nearly four years in Walford, Outhwaite's feisty character was central to many explosive storylines. Outhwaite left EastEnders in 2002, shortly after the departure from the soap of co-star Martin Kemp, who had played her on-screen husband Steve Owen. She stated in 2006 that she wouldn't rule out returning to EastEnders[2] and her return was confirmed on 24 October 2017.[3]
Bentinck posted on Twitter that he was filming his first scenes on 28 February 2013. After his scenes aired, a Manchester solicitor received an increase in calls requesting information about mediation, and welcomed the storyline, saying, "I watched the episode of "EastEnders" when it aired on Tuesday and was really pleased to see that such a high profile show was featuring [mediation]. When couples come to divorce, being offered mediation as an option can make a huge difference to their short and long-term future, especially if children are concerned, as in this storyline. We have seen numerous calls on Wednesday asking about mediation, which can only be a positive thing, especially in the light of the recent cuts to legal aid."
In Ireland, "EastEnders" was shown on TV3 from September 1998 until March 2001, when it moved over to RTÉ One, after RTÉ lost to TV3 the rights to air rival soap "Coronation Street". The series is simulcast with BBC One, which is widely available in the Republic, but has carried advertising since its 1998 debut on Irish television. Additionally, episodes of "EastEnders" are available on-demand through RTÉ Player for seven days after their original screening.
Show bosses confirmed on 1 October 2014 that "EastEnders" would air a full 30-minute live episode to celebrate 30 years of "EastEnders" and culminate the "Who Killed Lucy Beale?" storyline. It was also confirmed that all other episodes in the week would include live inserts. This was the third time that the show had aired a live episode, the first time being for the 25th anniversary episode, and the second time when Billy Mitchell carried the Olympic flame. Treadwell-Collins stated the live week as being "a fantastic opportunity for "EastEnders" to create a massive national event, and one that will enable us to celebrate 30 years of [the show] in spectacular style." He went on to say that the live inserts allow them to "surprise" the audience. "It is ambitious and exciting, and something I know everyone at "EastEnders" will excel at."
"EastEnders" is a long-running British soap opera that has aired on BBC One since 19 February 1985. Since its inception, several spin-offs have been produced, including books, television documentaries, videos, music singles and an album. During the run up to the first episode of "EastEnders", interest with the public was already high, something which continued afterwards. "EastEnders" proved as successful as was hoped for by the BBC in its first years, so they capitalised on it with a number of products.
In June 2011, "EastEnders" producers announced that Harold had been cast as Lola Pearce, the granddaughter of established characters Billy Mitchell and Julie Perkins. She made her first appearance in "EastEnders" on 12 July 2011. Harold's first major storyline involved her character's pregnancy at the age of 15. In July 2012, the character gave birth in a special live broadcast, coinciding with her screen grandfather carrying the Olympic Torch through Walford. Harold is the first "EastEnders" actress to portray giving birth live on air, and the second British soap actress, after "Coronation Street"s Jennie McAlpine.
For series 1, open auditions were held at Theatre Royal Stratford East, followed by recalls until the possible actors were reduced to eight and then four. The first series follows the characters of Zsa Zsa Carter (Emer Kenny), Fatboy (Ricky Norwood), Mercy Olubunmi (Bunmi Mojekwu) and Leon Small (Sam Attwater), who meet in the first episode and decide to squat together in a flat at 89b George Street. Leon, Fatboy and Zsa Zsa also appeared briefly in "EastEnders" in January 2010 before "EastEnders: E20" started, and returned as regular characters when "EastEnders: E20" ended. It was since announced that due to positive reaction to the character, Mercy would also join "EastEnders" later in 2010.
Her return aired on 29 August 2011. Stapleton revealed that she deliberately did not watch "EastEnders" prior to her return as she did not want to know what any of the characters were involved in; she wanted to have the same inquisitiveness that Mandy would have when she returned to filming. However, she did re-watch old episodes from the 1990s featuring Mandy to get back into character. In January 2012, Stapleton revealed that she had enjoyed her second stint on "EastEnders" more than her initial stint.
Colin and Guido's gay relationship was the cause of much controversy in January 1989 when "EastEnders" aired the first homosexual mouth-to-mouth kiss on British television. The chaste peck on the lips between Colin and Guido resulted in a front page denunciation in "The Sun" newspaper, who described it as "a homosexual love scene between yuppie poofs [...] when millions of children were watching". The kiss was watched by twenty million people and came at a time when Margaret Thatcher's government had set forward a moral agenda that urged a return to traditional family values. "The Sun" printed the assertion that "Furious MPs last night demanded a ban on "EastEnders" as the BBC soap showed two men kissing full on the lips".
Pat Evans (also Wicks and Butcher) is played by Pam St. Clement from 1986 to 2016. Pat is also played by Emma Cooke in a soap 'bubble' "Pat and Mo: Ashes to Ashes", delving into her past with sister-in-law Mo Harris, which first aired in 2004. Pat is the third-longest-running character in the soap, coming after Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), who has featured in the soap since it first aired, and Dot Branning (June Brown). The character of Pat was conceived by the creators of "EastEnders", Tony Holland and Julia Smith, in 1984. Although not one of the serial's original protagonists, Pat is referred to in the character outline of Pete Beale, who appeared on-screen in "EastEnders" first episode, as written by Smith and Holland in their book, "EastEnders: The Inside Story": "[Pete] married very young to Pat – it turned out to be a total disaster. They were too young, rushing into a difficult life for all the wrong reasons, and truthfully, [Pat] was a vicious shrew...[Pete] divorced [Pat] and married Kathy when he was 24...His two sons by his first marriage are nineteen and twenty and he hardly sees them..." On 7 July 2011, it was announced that St. Clement had quit "EastEnders". The actress revealed that she wanted to try other things, saying "I have enjoyed 25 and a half wonderful years in "EastEnders" creating the character of Pat but feel it's time to hang up her earrings. Leaving the "EastEnders" 'family' will be akin to a bereavement. But I'm looking forward to the other work and life opportunities that I will have the time to pursue." Pat left later in the year and executive producer Bryan Kirkwood said her departure was a "fitting" storyline. Pat's son David Wicks (Michael French) returned for her departure.
In 2001, "EastEnders" clashed with "Coronation Street" for the first time. "EastEnders" won the battle with 8.4 million viewers (41% share) whilst "Coronation Street" lagged behind with 7.3 million viewers (34 per cent share). On 21 September 2004, Louise Berridge, the then executive producer, quit following criticism of the show. The following day the show received its lowest ever ratings at that time (6.2 million) when ITV scheduled an hour-long episode of "Emmerdale" against it. "Emmerdale" was watched by 8.1 million people. The poor ratings motivated the press into reporting viewers were bored with implausible and ill-thought-out storylines. Under new producers, "EastEnders" and "Emmerdale" continued to clash at times, and "Emmerdale" tended to come out on top, giving "EastEnders" lower than average ratings. In 2006, "EastEnders" regularly attracted between 8 and 12 million viewers in official ratings. "EastEnders" received its second lowest ratings on 17 May 2007, when 4.0 million viewers tuned in. This was also the lowest ever audience share, with just 19.6 per cent. This was attributed to a conflicting one-hour special episode of "Emmerdale" on ITV1. However, ratings for the 10pm "EastEnders" repeat on BBC Three reached an all-time high of 1.4 million. However, there have been times when "EastEnders" had higher ratings than "Emmerdale" despite the two going head-to-head.
When developing "EastEnders", both Smith and Holland looked at influential models like "Coronation Street", but they found that it offered a rather outdated and nostalgic view of working-class life. Only after "EastEnders" began, and featured the characters of Tony Carpenter and Kelvin Carpenter, did "Coronation Street" start to feature black characters, for example. They came to the conclusion that "Coronation Street" had grown old with its audience, and that "EastEnders" would have to attract a younger, more socially extensive audience, ensuring that it had the longevity to retain it for many years thereafter. 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, so "EastEnders" was set in Albert Square.
He had left school with no qualifications. For his work in "EastEnders", he is particularly known for creating the Slater family along with then producer, John Yorke. Amongst significant episodes he scripted are those featuring the deaths of Arthur Fowler and Ethel Skinner; the "Sharongate" storyline; and more recently Kat's revelation to Zoe that she was her mother, the Andy-Kat-Alfie love triangle, and Dot's monologue. He was the first writer to do "EastEnders" when it began airing three times a week, when the siege at The Queen Victoria took place in 1994. He continued to work on "EastEnders" through a period which saw a reversal in its hitherto declining fortunes, with the programme winning the Most Popular Soap category at the National Television Awards in 2005. He wrote the first two episodes (broadcast on 24 and 25 October 2005) for the return of the characters of Phil and Grant Mitchell, popular characters he had originally helped to create back in 1989.
That same year he got his best-known role as Deano Wicks in the popular BBC soap opera "EastEnders" where he made his first appearance on 2 January 2006. When he heard that he had got the role of Deano, Di Angelo was working in a shoe shop. It was announced on 18 August 2007 that Di Angelo would be leaving "EastEnders" following the departure of Phil Daniels (who played his on-screen father Kevin Wicks). He described his departure as "a shock". Di Angelo finished filming "EastEnders" 12 December 2007 and his last appearance in the series aired on 7 February 2008.
Bhatti's departure was not announced. When a fire was reported to be happening around Christmas 2011, rumours emerged from an alleged "EastEnders" insider that "Yusef has long been tipped as a possible fatality". The insider added "This is the biggest fire "EastEnders" has ever seen and there will be casualties. It is such a huge disaster that it will affect most of the families on the show in one way or another. There is a great tradition at "EastEnders" of captivating Christmas Day storylines and this year is no different." Yusef's death aired on 26 December 2011 concluding his storyline.
Clare Tyler (later Bates) was introduced by the executive producer of "EastEnders", Leonard Lewis. Gemma Bissix was cast in the role. Reflecting on the casting process in 2001, Bissix said, "I was nine when I started on "EastEnders". I did drama classes after school and my mum took me to an audition. There were about 50 others. I read through the script and by the time I was home they had phoned my dad to tell him I had the role. I was only supposed to be in it for three episodes, but it turned into five years." It was her first acting job and she had received no formal training. In 2008, Bissix stated, "that was my training [...] quite a lot of people [attend] drama school, I was trained by "EastEnders"." The character made her first appearance in July 1993 as the daughter of Debbie Tyler (played by Nicola Duffett), a love interest for an "EastEnders" regular, Nigel Bates (played by Paul Bradley).
EastEnders Revealed is a factual entertainment programme that looks back at the storylines, characters and stars of "EastEnders". It first aired in December 1998 as part of the new BBC digital channel (BBC Choice) line-up and last aired to date in March 2012. "EastEnders Revealed" was the only BBC Choice programme to last the entire life of the channel, and was carried over to its replacement BBC Three where it continued until 2012. It has been presented by Gail Porter, Harriet Saxton, Jayne Middlemiss, Edith Bowman, Colin Murray, Melanie Sykes and Tracy-Ann Oberman.
"EastEnders" reruns began on UKTV Gold when the channel launched in 1992. The series ran from the first episode and followed its original broadcast order until August 1996 when the channel looped back to the first episode. In October 2008, UKTV Gold ceased showing "EastEnders". The last episode shown was from January 2006. Watch launched in October 2008 and resumed "EastEnders" reruns from 5 January 2009 to 22 October 2009, finishing with episodes originally broadcast in December 2006.