EastEnders (1985)
EastEnders is a 1985 soap series created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland. It stars Adam Woodyatt, June Brown and Letitia Dean.
Albert Square is a cluster of Victorian terraces in the fictional East End borough of Walford, and its market, pub, and cafe are where the drama lives. Since February 1985 on BBC One, EastEnders has followed the working-class families of this corner of London through feuds, romances, money troubles, and grief. Created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland, it made its name on stories other British soaps avoided, pushing taboo subjects into primetime. Within months of launch it topped the national ratings, and its blend of gallows humour and raw domestic conflict has kept it a fixture ever since.
Quick answers
What is EastEnders about?
Albert Square is a cluster of Victorian terraces in the fictional East End borough of Walford, and its market, pub, and cafe are where the drama lives. Since February 1985 on BBC One, EastEnders has followed the working-class families of this corner of London through feuds, romances, money troubles, and grief. Created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland, it made its name on stories other British soaps avoided, pushing taboo subjects into primetime. Within months of launch it topped the national ratings, and its blend of gallows humour and raw domestic conflict has kept it a fixture ever since.
When was EastEnders released?
EastEnders was released on 19 February 1985.
How many episodes does EastEnders have?
EastEnders has 7275 episodes across 42 seasons.
Who made EastEnders?
EastEnders was created by Julia Smith, Tony Holland and Matt Evans.
Where can I watch EastEnders?
EastEnders is available on Britbox and Britbox (Via Amazon Prime).
Where to watch EastEnders
Stream: Britbox, Britbox (Via Amazon Prime)
Official site
Cast
- Adam Woodyatt as Ian Beale
- June Brown as Dot Cotton
- Letitia Dean as Sharon
- Pam St. Clement as Pat Butcher
- Steve McFadden as Phil Mitchell
- Perry Fenwick as Billy Mitchell
- Rudolph Walker as Patrick
- Natalie Cassidy as Sonia Fowler
- Barbara Windsor as Peggy Mitchell
- Wendy Richard as Pauline
- Sid Owen as Ricky Butcher
- Laila Morse as Mo Harris
Similar series
Explore EastEnders guides
A few thoughts on EastEnders
The kitchen-sink realism travels well. Ken Loach's films, Kes especially, mine the same working-class textures with more grit. Jennifer Worth's memoir Call the Midwife covers an earlier East End of hardship and community. For a bleaker literary cousin, Andrea Dunbar's plays capture the same estate-bound lives with unsparing honesty.
Long-running soaps and continuing serials
EastEnders has staged Albert Square's feuds, romances, and grief since 1985 without ever really pausing. These are the other serials that live on the same rhythm of ongoing lives, from a hospital ward to American daytime and a gothic manor, where the story never truly ends and everyone carries old history.
British crime and police dramas
For a taste of the harder side of British television that surrounds EastEnders, these police and detective series work the same streets and social textures. They range from a long-running station drama to sharp murder investigations, all grounded in the class and grit the soap made its name on.
Working-class London stories with an edge
EastEnders made its name on working-class London life and the taboo stories other soaps avoided. These London-set dramas carry that same charge, from estate corners to trading floors to a period cop's beat, pushing into crime, ambition, and family pressure with the city itself doing half the talking.