Blast from the past: The golden age of EastEnders
Gritty BBC One soap EastEnders is celebrating its 40th anniversary and many will recall with affection the early years in Albert Square.
At one time EastEnders was dominated by truly great characters, battleaxes like Pat Butcher, with her brassy hair and ludicrous earrings, and landlady Peggy Mitchell (Ger outtaa my pub!) who ruled the Queen Vic (the most flammable bar on the planet) with bulldog ferocity, alongside her precious ‘famly’, meat-head sons, Phil and Grant.
‘Oh, I say’ and there was Dot Cotton, mum to Nasty Nick, a chain-smoking moraliser in a hairnet, who enjoyed a sweet sherry and a gossip with friend Ethel, whose constant companion was her ‘little Willie’.
Bubble-permed Angie Watts was permanently sozzled, and no wonder, as husband Dirty Den philandered his way around the East End.
Life for the EastEnders revolved around the market, the pub and the laundrette, where Pauline Fowler, famous for her moaning, her fondness for cardigans and her love of a nice cup of tea, ruled the roost. But Pauline had her own troubles at home….who could forget husband Arthur’s shenanigans with the Christmas Club money?
These were EastEnders’ glory days, when a colourful cavalcade of heroes and villains created a nation of soap addicts.