Episode 5949

Last updated
"Episode 5949"
EastEnders episode
Episode no.Episode 5949
Directed byLaurence Wilson
Written byPete Lawson
Story byNasreen Ahmed
Produced by Kate Oates
Editing byLauren Connors
Original air date5 July 2019 (2019-07-05)
Running time28 minutes
Episode chronology
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"Episode 5949" (alternatively titled "Walford Pride") is an episode of the British television soap opera EastEnders , broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2019. It was written by Pete Lawson, directed by Laurence Wilson, and produced by Kate Oates. The episode takes place on the day Walford is holding its first pride parade and primarily focuses on the show's LGBT characters, mainly Callum Highway (Tony Clay), Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden), and Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris). The episode was announced on 1 May 2019 and was set to air one day before the 2019 Pride in London festival. Since her time as executive producer, Oates aimed increase and celebrate diversity on the show, with the episode being pitched as part of Oates's goal. The episode received generally positive critical acclaim and was included in the EastEnders: Iconic Episodes collection in 2021.

Contents

Plot

On the day Walford is holding its first LGBT pride parade, Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) scolds Tiffany Butcher (Maisie Smith) for breaking her daughter, Bernadette's (Clair Norris) heart recently, so to cheer Bernadette up, Karen enthusiastically prepares her family to attend the parade to show their support. Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) dresses her bar The Prince Albert for the event, but needs extra help decorating. She enlists the help of the closeted Callum Highway (Tony Clay) only for his homophobic brother Stuart (Ricky Champ) to walk in during the shift. Meanwhile, at the Slater house, Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) is angry as she believes Martin Fowler (James Bye) stole money from her husband, Alfie (Shane Richie), as most of it is missing. Kat refuses to reveal why she needs the money.

At a restaurant, Stuart asks Callum if there is anything he wants to tell him, revealing that he saw him kissing Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) the previous night. While Callum insists that Ben is just a friend, he admits that he is having more complicated feelings and that things "just happened" that night, insisting that nothing occurred since or before, enforcing that he loves his fiancé, Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). While Bernadette talks with Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White), Tina says Bernadette should be thankful to have such a supportive family, despite being slightly embarrassed by them. Later, Martin's wife, Stacey (Lacey Turner) figures out that Kat wants the money to give it to Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami), so he can take Martin and Stacey to court to gain custody of Kush's son, Arthur (Hunter Bell), which is why Kat is adamant that Martin took it. Martin swears to Stacey that he did not take the money.

Bernadette stops Karen from kissing a woman before Karen proclaims that she will always be proud of her. Stacey returns home and catches Kat searching through her wardrobe, before admitting that she was the one who took the money. When Stuart catches Ben groping Callum in The Prince Albert, He threatens Ben and tells him to leave Callum alone, only for Ben to mock him before Kathy breaks up the situation. Ben tells Stuart to meet him in The Arches that night, and while a drag artist (Crystal Rasmussen) performs in Albert Square, Ben proclaims that he refuses to cower to Stuart, only to be brutally hate crimed by him.

Cast and characters

Background and production

The episode was scheduled to air the day before London Pride 2019 (pictured) London Pride 2019 50 Years of Pride.jpg
The episode was scheduled to air the day before London Pride 2019 (pictured)

The episode was announced on 1 May 2019, with the episode being set take place in July and air one day before the 2019 London Pride event. [1] [2] The episode was penned to contribute to executive producer Kate Oates's attempts to make the show "more reflective of modern day east London". [3] Oates aimed to represent "multi-cultural London" by improving and celebrating diversity on the show. [4] The show aimed for the episode to celebrate gay equality and the episode was teased as "going to be a huge event on the Square filled with joy, but, as with any event on Albert Square, there is certain to be plenty of drama happening alongside the celebration". [3] Speaking to fans in a Twitter video, Oates said: "I am really interested in bringing some more LGBTQ characters in, and maybe we will have a new precinct for them as well. We are looking at opening a gay bar on the square which will be a super-cool precinct where gay and straight characters can all just hang out. Loads of stories can cross and should just be something really exciting, really fun, really visual and feel really true to multicultural London". [5]

In an interview with Inside Soap , Tony Clay teased his character's role in the upcoming episode, explaining: "I love the contrast of Callum's story with Pride this week – the celebrations make him think 'Actually this is really beautiful and I'd love to be a part of it'. Pride shows him that being gay isn't something to shy away from. Nobody should ever feel as though they can't live their truth and people should embrace who they truly are". [6] Crystal Rasmussen, who played a drag artist in the episode, said the episode was "a really celebratory moment where everyone is joining in. They had a lot of queer people on set like me and a lot of my friends from the east London night life and it really did feel like a momentary feeling of Pride". [7]

Re-airings

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was forced to halt production, so began re-airing some of its pre-lockdown episodes, with episode 5949 being included. [8] [9] [10] In January 2021, the show uploaded some of its most iconic episodes to BBC iPlayer, under the name EastEnders: Iconic Episodes. This episode was included and was the most recent of those selected. [11]

Reception

Upon the episode's announcement, the charity Stonewall praised the decision for the show to hold a pride event, with a spokesperson saying: "It's been more than 30 years since EastEnders featured the UK's first on-screen same-sex kiss. [lower-alpha 1] So it's great to hear Walford will be celebrating Pride". [1] BBC Bitesize described the episode as "celebratory, diverse and educational", and praised that it "included moments that reminded the audience of the prejudice and discrimination still faced by the LGBTQ community to this day", adding that the episode was "iconic". [13] Ali Griffiths of Digital Spy called the episode "groundbreaking". [14] In a tweet, Bowden proclaimed that the reaction to the episode "warmed [his] heart". [15] Rasmussen received praise for their performance of Heather Small's "Proud" in the episode. [16] [17] Angie Quinn of MyLondon described the episode as "a dedication to Pride", particularly praising Karen's role in the episode as a supportive mother. She added: "The amazing episode also included a performance from a drag queen who brilliantly sang a version of Proud by Heather Small, as Walford's residents came together to celebrate the occasion". [16] Jess Flaherty of Liverpool Echo reported that the re-airing received positive reactions from viewers. [18] Stephen Patterson of Metro deemed the episode "equally as iconic" as the other episodes included in EastEnders: Iconic Episodes, despite being more recent, and that it "certainly deserve[d] to be seen again". [8] Patterson also declared: "The soap's 5,949th episode, Pride is a more recent offering — having originally been broadcast on 5 July 2019 — but it's every bit as memorable and important as the previous instalments broadcast during the Iconic Episodes slot". [10]

Figures compiled by the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (BARB) indicated the episode had been watched by 4.96 million viewers. [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>EastEnders</i> British soap opera

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mo Harris</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Mo Harris is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who made her first appearance on 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo was also played by Lorraine Stanley in the 2004 soap "bubble" Pat and Mo, delving into her past with Pat Butcher. Mo is a highly comical character and her tendency for dodgy deals bring much of the show's light entertainment. In July 2012, Morse's contract was not renewed, but she was not immediately written out of the series and continued to make occasional appearances until 21 January 2016. Mo's reintroduction was announced in December 2017 and she returned full-time on 16 March 2018. On 6 February 2021, it was announced that Morse would be leaving the role once again and she departed on 3 June 2021. On 28 June 2022, it was announced that Mo would return for a short stint later in the year. Mo returned on 10 August 2022 and departed on 14 September 2022. On 28 February 2024, it was confirmed that Mo would be making a permanent return to EastEnders alongside her great-grandson Freddie Slater ; their return was broadcast on 20 May 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfie Moon</span> Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Alfie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC drama EastEnders, played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005. He returned on 21 September 2010, following the return of his on-screen wife, Kat Slater, two episodes previously, and they continued to feature until 22 May 2015. Alfie appeared in a guest stint between 26 December 2015 and 25 January 2016, before starring in the six-part drama spin-off series Kat & Alfie: Redwater in 2017. Richie returned for two short stints in 2018, concluding with his exit on 22 January 2019. Richie then made a virtual cameo appearance on 12 July 2022, followed by a permanent return from 12 September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kat Slater</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Kathleen "Kat" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the second eldest Slater family sister and first appeared on 18 September 2000. Kat's usual dress is very short skirts and leopard-print tops, with much make-up and heavy fake tan. Her initial stint saw her involved in many storylines, most significantly in a plot twist that sees her supposedly sister Zoe Slater, revealed to be her daughter after she was raped by her uncle Harry Slater as a child. Kat and Zoe's relationship is tested several times, and a feud forms when they compete against each other for the affection of Anthony Trueman. Another key aspect to the character's storylines is her marriage to Alfie Moon, prior to which she became briefly engaged to Andy Hunter ; after Kat jilted Andy on their wedding day, he blackmailed her into sleeping with him in his revenge bid against Alfie and Kat. Kat was absent between November 2004 and May 2005 following Wallace's maternity leave, but returned early to tie in with Zoe’s exit storyline. Kat later left the soap on 25 December 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stacey Slater</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Stacey Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager and extension to the already established Slater family. She was created by scriptwriter Tony Jordan with Turner in mind. Producers explored the character's backstory with the introduction of her mother, Jean Slater, who has bipolar disorder. They then paired Stacey with Bradley Branning and writers developed a series of problems for their marriage, including an abortion and Stacey's scandalous affair with Bradley's father, Max Branning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Slater</span> UK soap opera character, created 2004

Jean Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gillian Wright. Her first appearance is in the episode first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2004. Having only been introduced for one episode, Wright was reintroduced for four more episodes the following year and became more of a regular character in the following two years. The character is introduced as the mother of Stacey Slater who suffers with bipolar disorder. Her disorder strains her relationship with her children, Stacey and Sean Slater. Wright researched the disorder to prepare for the role. In April 2010, it was announced that Jean would be written out of the series, however, Wright was awarded a reprieve in late 2010. Jean departed on 13 January 2011 and returned on 29 March 2011. Wright announced her intentions to leave the series in July 2013, and Jean departed on 17 September 2013. Following her departure, Wright reprised the role for 15 episodes between 2014 and 2017. In December 2017, it was announced that Jean would be reintroduced as a regular character, along with Kat Slater and Mo Harris. She returned on 20 March 2018. On 11 December 2023, Wright appeared in her 1,000th episode as Jean.

Ben Mitchell (<i>EastEnders</i>) Fictional character from EastEnders

Ben Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who has been played by six different actors since his on-screen birth on 21 March 1996. Matthew Silver appeared as an infant Ben between 1996 and 1998, and Morgan Whittle played him as a toddler between 1999 and 2001. After a five-year absence from the series, Charlie Jones assumed the role of Ben in 2006. In 2010, the character was recast with Joshua Pascoe in the role, who made his first appearance on 13 December 2010. Pascoe quit the role in 2012 and Ben departed on 24 August 2012. Ben's return was announced in May 2014 with Harry Reid in the role; Ben returned on 22 September 2014. Reid was written out of the series in 2017 and Ben departed on 12 January 2018. Ben was reintroduced in 2019 with the role recast to Max Bowden. Ben returned on 1 April 2019. In December 2023, it was announced Bowden would exit the role. Ben departed the series on 28 March 2024, after being extradited to America for credit card fraud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Slater</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

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Martin Fowler (<i>EastEnders</i>) Fictional character from EastEnders

Martin Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The character was played by Jon Peyton-Price from Martin's introduction 1985 until 1996, and by James Alexandrou from 1996 until 2007. When Alexandrou took over the role, Martin became part of the regular cast, and was featured in prominent storylines such as sleeping with Sonia Jackson and getting her pregnant with their daughter Chloe/Bex Fowler ; developing a romantic crush on Zoe Slater, which is not reciprocated, killing Sonia’s former fiancé Jamie Mitchell after running him over in his car, which results in Martin being imprisoned for Jamie's death and subsequently feuding with Jamie’s relative Phil Mitchell ; enduring a problematic marriage with Sonia after their wedding; being stalked by Sarah Cairns, and coping with the deaths of both his brother Mark Fowler and their mother Pauline Fowler. Alexandrou quit the role in 2006, and Martin departed on 2 February 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keanu Taylor</span> Fictional character from EastEnders

Keanu Taylor is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Danny Walters. He was introduced in episode 5511, broadcast on 15 June 2017, as a member of the Taylor family. Keanu is the son of Karen Taylor and half-brother of Chantelle Atkins, Keegan Baker, Bernadette Taylor, Riley Taylor, and Chatham Taylor. He is described as a charming, hardworking, and happy-go-lucky man of morals. In his original stint, his storylines focused on being the breadwinner of his family, an affair with Sharon Mitchell, a relationship with Sharon’s stepdaughter Louise, a feud with Louise’s half-brother Ben and her father Phil. In November 2019, it was announced that Walters "bowed out" of the soap for the development of his storyline with Sharon, with his initial departure being depicted in episode 6084, which aired on 21 February 2020.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ In 1989, the show aired a same-sex mouth-to-mouth kiss between characters Colin Russsell (Michael Cashman) and Guido Smith (Nicholas Donovan), the first in British television history. [12]
Citations
  1. 1 2 McGrath, Rachel (1 May 2019). "EastEnders To Feature Its First Pride Parade Later This Year". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Anderton, Joe (1 May 2019). "EastEnders is planning its first Pride parade for this summer". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  3. 1 2 Stroude, Will (1 May 2019). "'EastEnders' 'to air its first ever Pride parade' in special episode". Attitude. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  4. ↑ Megarry, Daniel (1 May 2019). "EastEnders to air first ever Pride march for LGBTQ special episode". Gay Times. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Sporn, Natasha (1 May 2019). "EastEnders 'set to celebrate Pride with huge parade event in Walford'". The Standard. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  6. ↑ White, Kate (29 June – 5 July 2019). "Who wouldn't want Phil Mitchell as a dad-in-law?". Inside Soap (Interview). No. 26. pp. 40–42.
  7. ↑ PinkNews reporter (6 June 2019). "EastEnders just celebrated its first ever Pride". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  8. 1 2 Patterson, Stephen (14 July 2020). "EastEnders airs iconic Pride episode on BBC One tonight". Metro. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  9. ↑ Patterson, Stephen (14 July 2020). "What happened after Pride in EastEnders?". Metro. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  10. 1 2 Patterson, Stephen (7 July 2020). "EastEnders to air iconic Pride episode on BBC One". Metro. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  11. ↑ West, Amy (11 January 2021). "EastEnders releases iconic episodes boxset on iPlayer - here's which episodes will be included". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  12. ↑ Pearce, Tilly (24 June 2020). "LGBT representation on TV through the ages – from EastEnders' first gay kiss to transgender superheroes". Metro. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "Memorable LGBTQ moments in EastEnders history". BBC Bitesize. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Griffiths, Ali (4 October 2019). "Why EastEnders' #Ballum is 2019's most compelling LGBTQ+ storyline". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  15. ↑ Bowden, Max [@MaxBowden] (7 July 2019). "The reaction to Fridays @bbceastenders has warmed my heart massively. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Can't tell you how much I love everyone there and what a joy it is every day. Happy pride everyone.🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024– via Twitter.
  16. 1 2 Quinn, Angie (8 July 2019). "EastEnders celebrates Pride in London with emotional episode". MyLondon. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Rasmussen, Tom (19 August 2019). "I Headlined the First 'Eastenders' Pride Parade Episode". Vice. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  18. ↑ Flaherty, Jess (14 July 2020). "BBC EastEnders shows Walford's first ever Gay Pride episode". Liverpool Echo. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "BARB".
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