EastEnders to go live for 40th anniversary

BBC soap EastEnders is gearing up for a special live episode to celebrate its 40th anniversary, and this time, there’s an exciting twist.

The audience will have the unique opportunity to influence the outcome of a particular storyline.

In a first for the soap, the anniversary week will include an interactive element where the viewers will be able to choose their desired outcome of a love story. Whilst those in question currently remain under wraps, their fate will remain firmly in the viewers’ hands and the outcome will play out during the live episode as the cast and crew will be set to adapt the scene to portray whichever result is voted for by the public.

The episode will broadcast live from BBC Elstree Centre in February.

Further details on how the interactive element will work and who will be involved will be released in due course.

Chris Clenshaw, Executive Producer said of the live episode:

“The 40th anniversary is a milestone event for EastEnders, and we have been planning this week for a long time to ensure that it’s a week full of drama and surprises. In fact, as our regular audience will know, we have already seen the return of familiar faces and have many more nods to our history to come which will all build up to our momentous anniversary week.

“This time, as well as going live, we are adding an extra twist and for the very first time in the history of the show and as a gift to the viewers, we are giving the audience the power to have their say in choosing the outcome of one of our storylines.

“Whilst we’re still keeping the finite details of the 40th close to our chest, I can promise that it will be an unmissable week full of shocking twists that will change Albert Square, and the lives of those who live in it, forever.”

EastEnders first aired live in 2010 for its 25th anniversary, revealing that Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) was responsible for Archie Mitchell’s (Larry Lamb) murder. This was followed by a partially live episode in July 2012, featuring Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) as he carried the Olympic torch.

The show last went live for its 30th anniversary back in 2015 with a set of five episodes that all included live elements as the ‘Who Killed Lucy Beale’ whodunit was revealed.

Nowadays, going live is a rare event reserved for special occasions, but in the early days of British serials and soap operas, airing live or ‘as live’ (recorded to tape with no editing) was the norm.

The UK’s first twice weekly medical serial Emergency Ward 10 (also made at the EastEnders’ studios) aired live for a long spell of its run while early episodes of, then twice-a-week serial, Coronation Street went to air live from the studio and the UK’s first half-hour daily ‘soap’ Crossroads recorded five episodes ‘as live’ (and rarely entirely live) for its first twenty years.

ATV 1976: Crossroads recorded as live for five episodes weekly for many years