Celebrating 40 years of EastEnders and its many iconic TV moments

‘Cor, stinks in ‘ere, dunnit?’. Who’d have thought when they heard that now iconic opening line from Den Watts that EastEnders would still be going strong four decades later?. The hugely popular staple and UK institution is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary in style, with its usual mix of massive twists, explosive stunts and huge reveals.

And what a journey it has been. Whether you watch or not, names like Ian Beale, Peggy Mitchell and Pat Butcher are ingrained in British culture, and say ‘you ain’t my muvva’ to anyone, and they will know exactly how to respond. EastEnders landed on our screens in 1985 to take a slice of the soap opera scene, taking inspiration from the community aspect of Coronation Street and the kitchen sink grittiness of Brookside (RIP).

Before long, it was making headlines with groundbreaking moments such as the UK’s first TV gay kiss, exploration of issues such as domestic violence, drug abuse and HIV, all while tapping in to the spirit of the folk of the East End. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video.

Up Next. Granted, it has got a lot more soap-ified since then, introducing heightened moments such as ferry crashes, explosions every other year and several affairs revealed by recorded devices. Seriously, have a snoop around a room before discussing your sordid sex scandals, it will save you a lot of grief.

With year-on-year ratings having increased of late and online viewings on iPlayer proving a huge success, EastEnders has entered into another of its new eras, striving to develop with the climate of streaming combined with event TV. And with another live episode to come, everyone will be talking about it, to coin a promotional phrase from the show itself.

Happy birthday EastEnders, I will raise a glass to you – before then sloshing it in someone’s face and kicking them outta my pub. Den and Angie. They may be as toxic as they come, but there’s no denying the iconic status of this couple of carnage. With their divorce papers moment becoming EastEnders’ most watched scene, they are part of the history and fabric of soap. Despite spending most of their time hating one another’s guts, they were nothing short of captivating to watch.

Kat and Alfie. The king and queen of the will they/won’t they (sit down, Ross and Rachel), Alfie and Kat are still dancing around their love to this day. It goes to show that, with fans still yearning for a reunion, Kat and her ‘man in the Moon’ have a chemistry like no other, and their Christmas wedding day (and race around London for a condom) remain fondly in the minds of their legions of fans.

Pat and Frank. The epitome of a charming, East End wideboy, Frank had a way with words, schemes – and women. But there was always just one soulmate for him – Pat Butcher. Their wedding knees-up was so very Cockney and, even when they split, they managed to later have an affair which earned them some of EastEnders’ most stinging slaps from Peggy Mitchell. Fireworks from the outset!.

Stacey and Bradley. It was a match that shouldn’t work but it somehow did. Feisty, outgoing Stacey Slater and shy, retiring and nerdy Bradley Branning had an interesting and loveable bond, made that more special due to how long he yearned for someone he assumed out of his reach. Their rollercoaster romance ended with one of the show’s most tragic deaths, and even Martin Fowler doesn’t quite come close enough to Stacey’s enduring soulmate.

Mick and Linda. Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright lit up the screen with their playful chemistry; this was a couple who were genuinely in love from start to finish and one of the few pairings in the show that were never really split up – until he was swallowed by the ocean that is. Mick would have done anything for his ‘L’ and no matter what was thrown at them, they got through it together.

Nick Cotton. The original East End bad boy, there was nothing that killer Nick wouldn’t stoop to – even poisoning his own ‘ma’ Dot. Infuriatingly, Dot always defended her son, who literally got away with murder. But poetically, it was eventually the beloved OAP who brought about his end after a deeply menacing tenure spanning countless sinister comebacks.

Janine Butcher. The definition of the soap genre coined term ‘superbitch’, Janine destroyed the lives of anyone she could get her claws into. Her lowest moments went from seducing broken Ian Beale and then blackmailing him, through to pushing beloved Barry Evans over a cliff and sobbing afterwards that she wished he’d worn slip-on shoes. With acerbic putdowns aplenty, you couldn’t help but love to hate her.

Cindy Beale. A true Walford minx, Cindy spent years being downtrodden by selfish husband Ian, but she came back fighting via a torrid affair with David Wicks. Trying to get away from Ian, she arranged an attempted assassination and took the kids abroad. Her recent return from the dead has proved that she’s as bad as ever, with her antics earning her a snow shovel to the face.