A charity crossover between the science fiction television series Doctor Who and EastEnders, Dimensions in Time, was filmed in 1993 for Children in Need and ran in two parts on 26 November and 27 November 1993. It has been proven as non-canon by various references to Doctor Who as fiction in EastEnders, and vice versa. EastEnders has participated in numerous other Children in Need and other fundraisers.[1]
Characters have also been spoofed in the successful BBC comedy sketch show, The Real McCoy (1991–1995). EastEnders and its characters were frequently spoofed in the impressionistsketch showBig Impression, starring Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona. Big Impression once screened a one-off special, focusing on EastEnders, called Alistair McGowan's BigEnders. The cartoon sketch show 2DTV has also spoofed EastEnders on many occasions.
The character of Pauline Fowler was mentioned in the successful BBCdramaThis Life in 1997. In one episode of the show two key characters, Anna and Ferdy, watched an episode of EastEnders on television and mocked Pauline's hysterics and her well documented tendency to wear cardigans.
EastEnders was mentioned in the first episode of Channel 4sitcomSpaced, as Tim and Daisy are finding out about each other in order to pose as a couple to get a cheap flat.
A sketch in a 1995 episode of A Bit of Fry & Laurie is set in the Fowlers' kitchen, with Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton and Clive Mantle parodying the speech and mannerisms of the characters of Pauline Fowler and Pete Beale. The dramatic drums at the end of every episode were parodied by SMTV Live in a Friends spoof entitled Chums. The name EastEnders is spoofed in a series of pornographic films called RearEnders, which also spoof the EastEnders logo.[2]
In the last episode of Gimme Gimme Gimme, "Decoy", Linda faked a terminal illness to stop her flatmate, Tom, from moving out. When Tom discovered her lie, Linda defended herself by saying "Well, it worked for Angie Watts!", to which Tom replied "Den and Angie were married!" In this episode, Tom also mentioned throughout the series that he had had a role in EastEnders, as an extra, buying a cagoule from Bianca Jackson's clothes stall. Linda also has a stuffed toy called Carol Jackson.
An episode of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps entitled "War, Hurrgh!" contains references to Peggy and Grant Mitchell, Angie Watts and Pat Butcher. The episode also ended with the same theme music as EastEnders. Another episode, "Speedycruise!" referred to Pauline and Martin Fowler, and the episode "Finger Sniffing" also refers to Peggy. Also, in the episode "When Janet Met Johnny", Donna sings the line "Don't stay in watching EastEnders." Also, in an episode of Pulling, the character of Donna asks "Who am I going to tell when I have an idea for a new plotline in EastEnders?".
Shaun Williamson frequently plays himself in Ricky Gervais's Extras, where he is referred to at all times as "Barry from EastEnders". Dean Gaffney, who played Robbie Jackson, appeared in the Christmas Special. Derek Martin (Charlie Slater) appeared in episode three in the third series of Little Britain in 2005. The sketch primarily focused around the character Marjorie Dawes telling her Fat Fighters group not to mention the fact that Martin is in EastEnders, then mentioning it herself. In the Comic Relief special of Little Britain, the character Dennis Waterman refers to his "daughter - the one in EastEnders". This is a reference to the real actor Dennis Waterman, who is the father of Hannah Waterman, who played Laura Beale in the show. In another ‘'Little Britain'’ scene, there are several pictures of Matthew Rose on a character's wall.
In the 2006 Doctor Who episode The Impossible Planet The Doctor says "That's almost as bad as nothing can possible go wrong, or this is going to be the best Christmas Walford's ever had." In the episode Army of Ghosts, Barbara Windsor appears as Peggy Mitchell where she bars a ghost whom she presumes to be Den Watts from The Queen Victoria. Watts, presumed killed in 1989, returned to the soap in 2003, before being killed a second time in 2005 after being written out of the show.
In the 2007 documentary F*** Off, I'm Ginger, Charlie Clements discussed his character Bradley Branning's geekiness, and the relation to his ginger hair. Pauline and Sonia Fowler were mentioned in the fourth episode of Gavin & Stacey. The fifth episode also referred to Shobu Kapoor by her character name, Gita, and mentioned Pat Butcher. It was also mentioned by the character Mick Shipman played by Larry Lamb in the 2008 Christmas special. Coincidentally, Lamb was also appearing in EastEnders at the time as Archie Mitchell
In 2010 in Miranda series 2 episode 3 "Let's Do It", Miranda plays the EastEnders Drumbeat over an episode of EastEnders.
In 2011 at the start of the National Television Awards a mini episode of Doctor Who entitled Dermot and the Doctor sees Dot Branning (June Brown) implying The Doctor only has one set of clothes and he regularly visits Bridge Street Laundrette.[6]
In 2013 Mrs. Brown's Boys Series 3 Episode 5, Kathy answers the door and the EastEnders drum beat plays while she realises Mick her ex-boyfriend has returned.
In December 2014, Olly Murs appeared in a special episode made for his ITV TV special A Night in With Olly Murs. In the episode, Murs stops off at Albert Square and meets Alfie Moon who mistakes him for Bruno Mars.
In 2014, Not Going Out, Series 7 Episode - 10 Christmas Special, Geoffrey asked why Lee is sitting on his backside watching EastEnders. Later he also tells him that he is going to need another best man for this wedding and the Doof Doof drums plays.[7]
Ian Hunter's album Rant contains a song called "Dead Man Walkin' (EastEnders)".[10]
The Philadelphia-based Punk band The Dead Milkmen's 1988 album Beelzebubba contains a song called "Bad Party", with the lyrics, "I'm gonna shoot somebody / If they don't stop talking about EastEnders." When "Beelzebubba" was released, "EastEnders" aired on WHYY, the PhiladelphiaPBS station. British rap group Fierce Girl have a song, called "What Makes a Girl Fierce", with a chorus containing the lyrics, "Kat Slater is our sister."[11]
The 2015 Stormzy song "Know Me From" samples EastEnders, using an audio clip where Shirley Carter exclaims "I've got a gun Phil!", before she shoots him.
EastEnders is also sampled in the 2021 Mr Traumatik song, Absolute, with the viral clip of Kat Slater - "I didn't become a little bit of a slag, I became a total slag".
In theatre
EastEnders is referred to in John Godber's 1987 play Teechers. The drama students, Gail, Salty and Hobby, say that they have acted out a part of EastEnders, quoting "Hello, Arfur... All right, my love".
When Emmerdale actor Nick Miles (who plays Jimmy King) starred in a play at the Edinburgh Festival called Meeting Joe Strummer, his character was from Walford.[12] Miles said in an interview that his character was originally going to be from the village of Emmerdale, but it was changed to Walford for fun.
In advertising
During the 1990s, whilst on a hiatus from EastEnders, Mike Reid starred in an advert for the soft drink Oasis, whose slogan at the time was "Open, pour, be yourself once more". In the advert, Reid, dressed as Frank, drank the beverage and trod in a cow pat, after which he took on a miserable disposition and exclaimed "Pat... Oh Pat, what have you done to me Pat?" in a blatant reference to his EastEnders alter ego.
In 1997, a BT commercial promoting its Friends and Family service featured ten former EastEnders stars. In the commercial, Letitia Dean calls nine former cast members; Susan Tully, Tom Watt, Leslie Grantham, Anna Wing, Oscar James, Linda Davidson, Peter Dean, Michelle Collins (in a scene shot in Paris to reflect the fact an international number could be included in the list - the advert itself was aired shortly after Cindy Beale was seen leaving on the Eurostar) and Bill Treacher (in a scene shot on an allotment to reflect the fact that one mobile number could be included). The BBC threatened BT with legal action, but the telecoms company released the advert for screening anyway. The BBC withdrew its threat to sue after BT paid it an undisclosed five-figure amount.[13]
Leslie Grantham also appeared in an advertisement for Radox Everfresh in the late 1990s. The first line of the commercial was "Not so Dirty Den now, eh?", and the final line was "Life after soap... no problem".
A promotional picture of Pauline Fowler and Joe Macer was used on the official Torchwood website, in a fictional magazine article about aliens.[14] Ben Rawson Jones compares the arguments between Gwen and Rhys in Torchwood to "the kitchen sink melodrama usually seen in EastEnders".[15]
The Office for National Statistics have attributed the rise in babies called Ruby in 2006 to the character of Ruby Allen.[16] It is also mentioned frequently in the Shopaholic book series written by Sophie Kinsella as the favourite TV show of Becky Bloomwood, the main character.
The monthly Dot Cotton Club, a gay club night in Cambridge, is named after the character of Dot Branning, who was previously named Dot Cotton.[17] Dot is probably the most notable smoker on British television as she rarely appears on-screen without a cigarette. The character is so synonymous with smoking that the term "Dot Cotton syndrome" is used within the health industry to: "describe the elderly population who continue to smoke heavily without registering the health problems they are or will soon suffer from, seeing it as their only pleasure left in life".[18]
The comic book League of Extraordinary Gentlemen vol 1 #6 included characters named Mitchell and Watts (described as a "dirty denizen of the East End") in the Artful Dodger's gang in the late 19th century.[19]
On April Fools' Day 2019, TheJournal.ie published a report on Prime MinisterTheresa May's scheduled appearance on that night's special live episode of EastEnders, details of which had been leaked by TaoiseachLeo Varadkar overnight.[20] May's purpose was to issue a final plea for unity as Brexit entered a critical stage. The internet publication featured a photograph of May in The Queen Victoria pub, with the caption "Rehearsal shot of hostile locals witnessing May's arrival". It even went so far as to compose fake documents to back up its claim, including a draft script said to have been provided by the BBC to highlight the ever-changing difficulties of keeping up with political events as they rapidly unfolded: "'This is the 416th draft' the source said. 'And her appearance was only confirmed at the start of March. Brexit won't stop f*****g, c*****g changing every two seconds. It's driving the actors mad.'" A short video clip shows actor Adam Woodyatt (who portrays the character of Ian Beale) being comforted by colleague Steve McFadden (who portrays the character Phil Mitchell), as Woodyatt bursts into tears due to the protracted rehearsals.
The preliminary script – which, TheJournal.ie reminded readers, was "contingent on what the hell happens in Brexit over the course of today" — had Dot Cotton (played by June Brown) gasping as Theresa May enters the pub. May, having begun her speech, is interrupted by Mick Carter (played by Danny Dyer) who knocks over a pint and a chair in his efforts to have the Prime Minister leave the pub. May departs and perches herself despondently on a park bench, whereupon Kat Slater (played by Jessie Wallace) approaches her with "Alright love? What's getting you down?" May tells Slater she has already blamed everyone – the Irish, the Democratic Unionist Party, the European Union — and is at a loss for who is left for her to find fault with now. Slater advises her to be honest. May finds solace in this, thanks Slater, remarks on the chilliness of the night and Slater hands the Prime Minister her leopard print jacket to put on. May returns to the pub and seemingly converts all the customers bar Dot Cotton, who is promptly ejected onto the street.[21]
Related Research Articles
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.
Den Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den".
Arthur Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Bill Treacher from 1985 to 1996.
Dorothy "Dot" Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by June Brown. In a special episode entitled EastEnders: Dot's Story (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in flashbacks. A tragicomic character, Dot was known for her devout Christian faith, gossiping, chain smoking, hypochondria, and motherly attitude to those in need.
Mark Fowler is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Mark, an original regular character when the series started in February 1985, became a semi-regular after his original portrayer David Scarboro was written out of the role in April 1985. Scarboro made brief returns to the role in 1986 and 1987. Scarboro died by suicide in April 1988 and subsequently Mark was recast two years later on his return, with former Grange Hill regular Todd Carty taking on the role. From this point the character was a permanent fixture in the series and Carty remained in the role until the character was written out of the series in early 2003.
Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between the first episode on 19 February 1985 and 25 December 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland and producer Julia Smith as one of EastEnders' original characters. She made her debut in the soap's first episode on 19 February 1985, and remained for twenty-one years and ten months, making her the second-longest-running original character to appear continuously, surpassed only by her nephew Ian Beale. Since then, she has been surpassed by Letitia Dean who plays Sharon Watts.
Sonia Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on 2 December 1993 and she departed on 2 February 2007. She returned briefly in 2010 along with other members of the Jackson family, and re-appeared in the soap from 8 to 18 February 2010 and again in January 2011. Sonia returned as a permanent character on 14 January 2014, as part of a storyline that saw her mother Carol Jackson develop breast cancer. Cassidy took maternity leave in 2016 and Sonia left on 20 September 2016 for her dream job in Kettering. Cassidy made two guest stints during her maternity leave, on 25 December 2016 via webcam and for a three episode arc from 14 to 18 April 2017. She returned full-time on 27 June 2017. On 29 December 2020, it was announced that Cassidy would take an extended break from the show, with Sonia set to leave the Square to return in spring 2021. She departed on 8 January and returned on 16 April.
Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders played by John Altman on a semi-regular basis from the soap's debut episode on 19 February 1985. Altman has stated that his initial exit was due to producer Julia Smith demanding he was written out after he opposed a decision to make his character gay. After Smith's departure, the character made numerous brief or more protracted stints until his onscreen death in February 2015, which was written to coincide with the 30th anniversary of EastEnders.
Ethel May Skinner is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gretchen Franklin. Ethel also features in a 1988 EastEnders special episode, entitled "CivvyStreet", set on Albert Square during World War II, in which she is played by Alison Bettles.
The Beales and the Fowlers are a fictional family in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. They were the main family for storylines in early episodes of EastEnders, and remained as such ever since. With at least one member of the family having been a member of the cast from the first episode in February 1985, they are the show's longest serving family. The original Beale/Fowler family consisted of matriarch Lou Beale and her children Pete and Pauline, alongside their families including their children Ian, Mark, Michelle and their spouses Kathy Hills and Arthur Fowler. Additionally, several members of the family have been introduced at a later point, including Pauline and Arthur's son Martin who was the first baby to be born into the show in 1985. The family has been headed with a matriarch first seen with Lou, and over the years, Lou's daughter Pauline, Ian's wife Jane Collins and more recently Pete's wife Kathy, have filled this role.
Lou Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anna Wing. Her first appearance is in the first episode, which was broadcast on 19 February 1985, and her last is in episode 362, first shown on 26 July 1988, after which the character was killed off. The character is played by Karen Meagher in the 1988 EastEnders special, CivvyStreet, set during the Second World War. She appears in 232 episodes.
The Branning family, together with the Jackson family are a fictional extended family in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Introduced in 1993 were the Jackson family, consisting of Carol Jackson, her partner and later husband Alan Jackson, and Carol's four children, Bianca Jackson, Sonia Jackson, Robbie Jackson, and Billie Jackson ; he is the only child fathered by Alan. The family becomes a more dominating presence in 1999, when Carol's father Jim Branning moves to Walford following the death of his wife Reenie due to cancer. Since then, all six of Jim's children have appeared, many of them with their own families.
Dominic Treadwell-Collins is a British television producer, known for his work on the soap operas Family Affairs and EastEnders, creating the EastEnders spin-off series Kat & Alfie: Redwater and Executive Producing the award-winning A Very English Scandal for the BBC and Amazon. In 2019, he set up his own television company, Happy Prince under ITV Studios.
The Mitchell family is a fictional family in the UK soap opera EastEnders. They were first introduced in February 1990, when brothers Phil and Grant Mitchell bought the local garage, the Arches. Their sister Sam was introduced later in 1990, and their mother Peggy shortly after in 1991, before being reintroduced as a regular character in 1994, with the role recast to Barbara Windsor. Since then, the family has been significantly expanded to include both the immediate and extended families. Phil has been the longest running Mitchell on the show, and the family has expanded significantly in the years since, remaining a large presence on the square.
The Watts family are a fictional family in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The family consists of Den, Angie, Sharon, Dennis, Chrissie, Vicki, Dennis Jnr, Albie and Alyssa. Sharon's half-brother Zack Hudson is also considered to be part of the family.
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