EastEnders

Trivia

• Between 2001 and 2002, EastEnders was the 10th most searched-for TV show on the Internet.
• EastEnders was the 2nd most popular UK search term in 2003.
• EastEnders was the 4th most popular UK search term in 2004.
• EastEnders holds the record for highest rated soap episode in Britain.
• In 2001 EastEnders went head to head with Coronation Street for the first time, EastEnders won the battle with 8.4 million viewers (41%) while Coronation Street attracted 7.3 million (36%).
• There is a shop in Walford named Barratt's Bargain Corner, cleverly incorporating the BBC's initials.
• Susan Tully who played Michelle Fowler has directed some episodes since leaving.
• Madonna and Guy Ritchie are rumoured to be big fans of the show, with her favourite character being Dot Cotton.
• George Michael, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston are also fans of the soap.
• Brad Pitt is such a fan of the soap that when BBC America took EastEnders off the air in 2003, he and estranged wife Jennifer Aniston joined a petition of 15,000 US fans demanding the cable channel reinstate it.
• Robbie Williams has made a cameo appearance on the telephone in the Queen Vic.
• Before the Spice Girls, Emma Bunton was cast as a troubled youth in the soap.
• Researchers, from the BBC, went to the East End and visited 'Fassett Square' in the 1980’s.
• The famous double-handers when only two actors appear in an episode was originally done for speed: while they film that, the rest of the cast can be making another episode.
• Pam St Clement (Pat) has 125 pairs of earrings from which to choose.
• Leslie Grantham originally auditioned for the part of Pete Beale but was thought too good looking so was instead cast as Den Watts.
• The War memorial on set features names of people involved in EastEnders along with past stars.
• Oxfam was the main outlet used for the actors costumes when the series was first made.
• A vocal version of the theme tune called 'Anyone can fall in Love' reached number 4 in the charts in the summer of 1986 and was sung by Anita Dobson (Angie Watts).
• The Queen visited the set in 2001 and was shown around by actresses Wendy Richard and Barbara Windsor.
• The roads around Albert Square are not built to scale: they look real but some can only take one car at a time.
• When Barbara Windsor joined in 1994, she was only contracted for ten episodes.
• Albert Square is built on the site last used for building works in the 1980s Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.
• In 1993, the show's theme tune was updated to a Jazzy version, first heard on 11 May 1993. However, it proved very unpopular with the viewers and was replaced with a remix of the original theme tune only 11 months later, from 11 April 1994 (Also the first Monday edition of the show).
• EastEnders was the inaugural winner of the 1999 BAFTA for best continuing drama.
• Since EastEnders began in 1985, at least one of its episodes have rated higher than any other British soap opera throughout each decade. This includes the 1980's, 1990's and so far the 2000's.
• Osymyso a.k.a Mark Nicholson, one of the UK's original bootleg artists created a track based on remixed scenes of the Pat vs Peggy showdown.