EastEnders icon Tracey has earned herself the accolade of one of soap's most-loved and longest-serving barmaids, and as we speed towards the 40th anniversary it's safe to say she's going nowhere. Actress Jane Slaughter has been a key part of the BBC soap from the very first episode in February 1985, and 40 years on she's still very much in the nation's hearts. Jane can't quite believe that after four decades, she's still doing the job she adores with the incredible support of loyal viewers, even bagging herself her very own mini series recently.
Jane tells us: "I'm very proud. The past 40 years have gone in the blink of an eye. I'm very excited for the 40th because you don't know how many more years you're going to be there." In the past four decades Queen Vic barmaid Tracey has seen it all, from numerous landlords and landladies, to fights, scandals and not forgetting the classics like Sharongate. Jane says that while so much is different about the show all these years on, there's also something very familiar about the soap. She explains: "A lot has changed, it's the same show and it's amazing the way the essence, the integrity and everything has stayed the same, but the technicalities - a lot has changed. It's still got the same great stories, it's still so brave. It's still got its core.".
Recalling filming the very first episode, Jane shares all on the "raw" and "edgy" scenes filmed months prior to the launch. "There was nothing else like it on television, I was very excited," she reveals. "It was unfamiliar territory but also very familiar. It was extremely different and very exciting.". Tracey has been a barmaid since 1989, and in her time she's seen plenty. Tracey was originally working on the market, while one person's vision would change the course of the character's path on the show forever.
Jane says: "I was fortunate enough and honoured to have worked with Julia Smith [EastEnders co-creator] before. I respected her so much so when she brought me into The Vic I remember her saying this is going to run and run. I had complete faith in her, I didn't question her at all. "I was very pleased to be involved, back then we didn't know how it was going to be received. I felt so privileged to be there, but I never imagined then that I was still going to be there 40 years on.".
There's been some iconic characters and families running the bar during Tracey's time, from Pat and Frank Butcher and the Mitchells, to the Moons, the Carters and now the Knights - not forgetting the Watts. So many memories stand out for Jane, from the early days up until now, with some scenes "dramatic and disturbing". Reminiscing about some of those times and her many colleagues, she tells: "It was lovely working with Pam St Clement and Mike Reid, and I do have very fond memories. When the Mitchells were there it was over a long period of time and that was fantastic.
"Equally the Carters were there for a long time and still are in essence, that was great as well. I've been very lucky, she's worked with very good people." Jane also remembers her late co-star Dame Barbara Windsor, a "dear friend" who she "absolutely adored". She says: "We have a photo up of Barbara or Peggy behind the bar and there isn't a day that goes by when I don't look at her and think I was so lucky. We were all so lucky.".
As for landing a place in soap history, Jane tells us that a continuity issue is what led to Tracey being behind the bar full-time, while the actress credits the fans for her still being there 40 years on. She says: "I was out on the flower stall and I got brought into the pub. I did both jobs for a while and then the pub hours changed, and it became too difficult continuity-wise to have me out there and behind the bar so I stayed in The Vic.
"She's been sacked a few times. What moves me the most is the fans, they love her, they're never unpleasant, they're nothing but supportive." Jane goes on: "I was lucky enough to do a mini series and the response was great. The people I've met over the last 40 years who say we want to know more finally got that. "I kept thinking what if they don't like it? They loved it and they are the best fans. I think that's EastEnders fans full stop, they're amazing people." Teasing what it's really like behind-the-scenes, she shares: "It's long days and it's not easy to shoot, but everyone is incredible.
"It's so much fun, you can giggle your head off one minute and then have a scene later which is so impactful and so edgy and dramatic. It's a fantastic place to work, I'm so lucky. We all get on, and you all pull together, the crew and the cast, everyone pulls together. That's a really special feeling.". With so many different names behind the bar over the years, Jane says it's impossible to pick a favourite. "Every era has been so different," she tells us. "It's still so exciting to be there. Each time a different family or character is behind the bar it takes on a different energy. It brings a whole different dynamic.".
