Reviews of BBC's Official 15th Anniversary Book & Video

By Tim Wilson

Oh the joy, the unmitigated joy I had immersing myself in the BBC-sanctioned EastEnders’ anniversary merchandise: the Who’s Who in EastEnders book and the Happy 15th Birthday, EastEnders video!

Both items obviously have been lovingly compiled and produced, and thus gives EastEnders fans like myself a blissful overdose of Walford nirvana.

I was once asked by a rather inexplicably annoyed British woman why I, and American, could possibly be interested in EastEnders. I struggled for a second, drew myself up and responded, 'You understand about comfort food, do you?' The woman nodded skeptically. 'Well,' I continued, 'EastEnders is my comfort television programme. It used to be the old Mary Tyler Moore Show, and after that, Cheers. I simply fell in love with this group of characters, ad I did with Mary and the Minneapolis gang and the Boston pub regulars. The chemistry between the performers was fantastic. I guess it’s also about dipping into a community of people who many not show it much of the time but really care for each other, you know?' I don’t think I convinced the lady from Lewisham. Oh, well. But you all know what I mean, don’t you? So you won’t mind if I go into detail about this book and video which have been giving me the pleasure quotient of a heaping plate of garlic mashed potatoes, then? Cheers!

Who’s Who in EastEnders - This is a lusciously colourful and glossy, 128-page guide to the characters of EastEnders, past and present. 'Present' is the operative word to use here because this wouldn’t be recommended for those who feel 'spoilers' will, well, spoil their enjoyment of the show.

Kate Lock, whose six-year tenure at the BBC-published Radio Times, the venerable TV Guide equivalent, makes her a highly qualified EastEnders watcher. (She also is the author of the BBC-published Blood Ties, the Grant Mitchell tome, as well as Tiffany’s Secret Diary. See the back page for ordering details.)

Ms. Lock has done a wonderful job filling us in on the major events of the characters’ lives. She wisely divided the book in three sections: 'Families' (e.g., the Fowlers, the Beales, the Mitchells, etc.); 'Significant Others' (those who’ve entered the current families’ orbit); and lastly, 'Blasts from the Past' (characters we used to know and love way back when).

Now I swear I’m not one of those irritating people who insist that the past was always better than the present, but three of my all-time favourite characters are featured in 'Blasts from the Past': that fiery pepperpot of a couple, Den & Angie Watts; and the unrpetant street urchin Mandy Salter. Dot Cotton and David Wicks round out my top five, in case you were wondering.

Here’s an extract from Ms. Lock’s intro to the book, which I think is representative of her stellar writing (and also note her terrific sense of humour: 'Writing the entries for this Who’s Who, which is a celebration of and events I have no recollection of at all. I won’t point them out, any gaps like that have been ably plugged by EastEnders’ saintly archivist Sharon Batten, who provided all the research, but I keep wondering: what was happening to me then? Was I taken up by aliens? Drunk? Or did I just have a brilliant social life? (Nah, would’ve put the video on.) I think I was in Canada, that’s the only explanation. I’ve known my Albert Square mates a long time now. I know their foibles, their secrets, their dreams. I gossip about them. I know how they’ll react. They make me laugh - and cry. And shout rude things. Hell, if that’s not a relationship, what is?'

I wish I said all this to that snarky Limey lady. I LOVE THIS BOOK! I constantly picked it up to read another passage about somebody’s hopelessly messed-up life or to just simply stare at a much-loved character’s/actor’s photo - all which are beautifully chosen, by the way. I even learned something, Mr. Know-it-all me. O.K., I knew that Albert and Lou Beale raised Pauline alongside twin brother Pete and big brother Kenny, as well as this Ronnie (Veronica), who Pauline has mentioned twice, but Maureen, as well? Apparently she’s resting in peace in Walford Cemetary alongside Albert, Lou, Pete and Ronnie, the victim of an IRA bomb in the mid-1970s. Hmmm. Speaking of the dearly departed, it was a joyful moment to discover that I shared the same birthday as Arthur Fowler (even if he’s fictional) August 19th. And I thought sharing it with President Clinton, Matthew Perry from Friends, Tipper Gore and Jill St. John was enough!

Any way, I do have one minor quibble about Who’s Who: Why is Duncan (Sharon’s dopey curate boyfriend) included, but student-turned-stalker Jack Woodman and Arthur’s indirect murderer Willy Roper aren’t? I remember shouting rude things at them, Kate! I can only hope that they’ll be included in another edition.

Still, this is good as it gets for a printed (and photographed) trip down EastEnders memory lane.

Happy 15th Birthday, EastEnders, the Barbara Windsor-hosted video, is a 75-minute kaleidoscopic view of EastEnders, throwing in everything except the Fowlers’ kitchen sink, metaphorically. It must be stressed up-front again that, like Who’s Who, this video contains many 'spoilers.'

It begins with bubbly Babs behind the bar at the Queen Vic, reintroducing us to the very first episode. The best bits flash by leading up that wonderful point when Den moans about having his shirt ruined breaking up a fight between Nasty Nick Cotton and Ali, then quickly punctuated by fist slamming through the Vic’s window. A laugh, and then a quick shock, to of EastEnders’ strong points. Then Babs and one-time EastEnders director/ex-executive producer Matthew Robinson (see Walford Gazette, Issue #28 for details about his recent departure) take us on a thorough guided tour of the show’s exterior and interior sets, providing a totally absorbing account of how they were conceived and executed. There are, needless to say, many, many clips here included here Den’s death, Deb’s death, Den and Michelle down by the canal, Nick before the magistrate, Joe’s schizoid breakdown, Ian getting shot by Cindy’s hitman, Phil and Sharon’snight of forbidden ecstasy. Oh I could go on but I won’t - I’ll leave you with some surprises. Just rest assured that the most memorable dramatic moments and comedy bits have been included for posterity.

My favourite dramatic moment is in this video alright, but my favourite comedy bit has been sadly overlooked (perhaps because it’s not as obvious as Arthur donning a mouse’s nose and ears for a TV quiz show).

Anyone who saw Dot Cotton dispatching cars for Ali Osman’s Ozcabs in the cafe could never forget her putting on that 'posh' voice and intoning 'Ozcab Five, Ozcab Five. State your location, Ozcab Five!'

There are numerous behind-the-scenes sequences as well as extended interviews with Sid Owen (Ricky), Patsy Palmer (Bianca), June Brown (Dot), Ross Kemp (Grant), newer additions to the cast, Jack Ryder (the latest teen heartthrob, Jamie), and Martin Kemp (shady nightclub owner Steve).

This video is, all in all, pure EastEnders heaven, culminating with a hysterical look at 15 years of changing fashions and hairstyles - Sharon Watts Mitchell and Pat Harris Beale Wicks Butcher Evans, What were you thinking?

Producer/director Ben Shaeffer deserves a special salute for making Happy15th Birthday, EastEnders, the truly fascinating and fabulously entertaining piece of home viewing it is. Anything that takes my mind off a heaping plate of garlic mashed potatoes has got to be considered a resounding success in my eyes! Oh yeah and lady from Lewisham? Get stuffed!

(Editor’s note: We’re working on importing both the book and video. Stay tuned to the next issue.)