"EastEnders 40th Anniversary Week" is a group of episodes of the British television soap opera EastEnders, broadcast on BBC One from 17 to 20 February 2025. Devised to celebrate the programme's 40th anniversary on the BBC, the week included an episode broadcast live; this is only the fourth occasion when EastEnders has been filmed in this way. It was produced by Chris Clenshaw, and filmed and broadcast from BBC Elstree Centre. Lance Kneeshaw directed all four episodes, while Bryan Kirkwood, Simon Ashdown, Kevin Rundle and Lauren Klee were appointed as writers.

In a first for the show, it contained interactivity with viewers, who voted to decide the outcome of a storyline, being which male suitor Denise Fox (Diane Parish) chose out of Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara). Upon the voting going live, viewers were also allowed to vote what name Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) should name her baby out of Julia and Toni (both names being references to the creators of EastEnders; Julia Smith and Tony Holland). The week also included a fire and explosion at The Queen Victoria public house, Billy (Perry Fenwick) and Honey Mitchell's (Emma Barton) wedding, Phil Mitchell's (Steve McFadden) mental health struggle, and the identity of Cindy Beale's (Michelle Collins) attacker being revealed. The episodes also featured the departures of Jonny Freeman and James Bye as Reiss Colwell and Martin Fowler respectively, with both being killed by the explosion.

In the lead-up to the anniversary week, several former characters returned to the show, going on to appear during the week itself, including Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton), Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) and, most notably, Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp). Angie Watts (Anita Dobson) also made an unannounced return during the actual anniversary episode itself, appearing as a hallucination to Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean). Cast members were kept largely in the dark about plot specifics, with some expressing excitement and trepidation about participating in another live episode. Alongside his return as Grant, Kemp presented a documentary, EastEnders: 40 Years on the Square, following the show's forty-year history.

As Billy (Perry Fenwick) and Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) celebrate their second wedding, the residents of Albert Square gather for the occasion. However, Billy's cousin Phil Mitchell's (Steve McFadden) struggles with depression and suicidal ideation persist, though he masks his pain in front of his brother, Grant (Ross Kemp). When Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) raises concerns about Phil's mental state, Grant dismisses them. As Phil arranges suicide notess, he is interrupted by his granddaughter, Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown), who asks for help writing a wedding speech. Meanwhile, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) remains adamant that her ex-husband Ian (Adam Woodyatt) was behind her attack on Christmas Day 2024. Her obsession with finding the truth leads her to cause a scene at the wedding reception in The Queen Victoria public house, resulting in her being thrown out. Desperate for revenge and fearful of her safety, she asks Phil for a gun, but he refuses. Unbeknownst to him, she later steals it from his safe. Later, Cindy breaks into the Beale family home in search of proof of Ian's guilt. There, she encounters an unseen figure holding her missing locket that she lost on the night of her attack, and promptly raises the stolen gun in their direction.

Ian is found holding Cindy's locket but denies attacking her. His mother Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) then arrives and reveals that she was Cindy's attacker, blaming Cindy for negatively impacting Ian's life. A struggle ensues over the gun, resulting in Ian being shot in the arm. Cindy flees and hands the gun to Phil. Meanwhile, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) discovers Phil's suicide notes and enlists Grant and Nigel to help find him. They track him to The Arches, where they break in and find him preparing to take his own life with the gun. Elsewhere, Martin Fowler (James Bye) struggles with his feelings for both his ex-wife Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and current partner Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton). Stacey confesses her love, but Martin rejects her. Meanwhile, Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman), on the run for murder, breaks into Bianca Jackson's (Patsy Palmer) home. She catches him, but he escapes. As Reiss attempts to flee, Cindy shoves Ian into his path, causing him to swerve and crash into The Queen Vic. The impact ignites nearby gas canisters, resulting in an explosion that collapses the pub's roof. George Knight (Colin Salmon) rescues Reiss from the wreckage and he escapes again.

Everyone inside the pub survives the explosion, and survivors inside escape through a shattered window. Martin helps several people out, but stays behind to try and rescue Stacey, who is trapped under debris in the bathroom. At the garage, Phil attempts to end his life but finds the gun is empty. Grant, overwhelmed by Phil's state, leaves to assist in the rescue efforts. Linda stays with Phil while Nigel convinces him to seek medical help, revealing that he has been secretly suffering from early-onset dementia. Firefighters arrive to secure the pub while the police continue searching for Reiss. Inside, Kathy, who was trapped under the bar with Cindy, escapes and pulls her to safety. Cindy, severely injured, is taken to the hospital. Martin rescues Stacey, but they are soon trapped by more debris. Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), whom nobody has realised is trapped on the staircase, has a vision of her deceased adoptive mother Angie (Anita Dobson) before Grant finds her and saves her. Meanwhile, cousins Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), both pregnant, are stuck in the kitchen as Sonia goes into labour. Bianca joins them and assists with the birth until Reiss, injured but desperate, blocks their escape. A struggle ensues with Bianca pushing him into a wall, causing the top floor to collapse with Reiss being crushed to death by a falling bathtub. Martin confesses his love to Stacey before the roof caves in, crushing his legs under a large beam.

Trapped under the beam, Martin shouts in agony as Stacey desperately tries to lift it. Lauren finds towels to wrap the baby in, while Bianca helps Sonia give birth. The baby is unresponsive at first, but Sonia revives her, breaking down in relief when she finally hears her daughter's cries. Outside, Linda encourages Denise, who is torn between pursuing a relationship with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) or Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), to choose the man who makes her happiest. Denise chooses Jack and they decide to give their marriage another chance. Survivors gather outside the pub to wait for news and encourage those who remain trapped. Inside, Martin confesses he never truly loved Ruby and proposes to Stacey, who accepts. As they dream of a fresh start away from Walford, medics warn Stacey that Martin is suffering from crush syndrome. Sonia, Lauren, and Bianca escape, and Sonia names her daughter Julia as Phil is admitted to a mental health hospital. When the firefighters lift the beam, Martin suffers a cardiac arrest and dies, despite paramedics' attempt to revive him. Stacey's anguished cries are heard by onlookers, leaving Ruby devastated.

In an interview with Digital Spy in October 2023, EastEnders' executive producer Chris Clenshaw confirmed that production for a 40th anniversary celebration for the soap was underway.^[2] On 9 September 2024, the BBC announced that the show would broadcast a live episode to celebrate the occasion.^[3] The episode would be part of a "special week" of episodes to celebrate the milestone.^[4] The fourth occasion of a live broadcast for the soap, and the eighth individual episode to be broadcast live,^[4] the episode marked the serial's first one in ten years; with the last incident being a special live week in 2015 for the "Who Killed Lucy Beale?" storyline.^[5] The air date was set for February 2025, with the episode to be filmed and broadcast from the BBC Elstree Centre.^[3] The upcoming episode was also set to be the first interactive episode in the show's history, as viewers would be able to vote on the outcome of a storyline.^[3] Clenshaw said that the 40th anniversary would be a "milestone event" for the soap.^[3] To ensure that the episode was "full of drama and surprises", Clenshaw disclosed that the episode had been planned for weeks prior to the announcement.^[3] Clenshaw kept details of the episode's plot a tight secret, but promised viewers "an unmissable week full of shocking twists that will change Albert Square, and the lives of those who live in it, forever".^[3] He added that the interactive element was incorporated as a reward for viewers.^[3]

Upon the episode's announcement, Clenshaw noted that the show had begun bringing characters back for stints and promised more to build up to the week of the anniversary.^[3] Shortly before, it was reported that actress Louisa Lytton would be returning to her role as Ruby Allen after three years absence,^[6] with it being rumored that she would be an important character in the anniversary celebration.^[7] In December 2024, it was announced that the anniversary would feature a return of Paul Bradley as Nigel Bates after over 26 years.^[8][9] The trend of returning characters lead to speculations of a popular character's return to the soap during the anniversary week, with characters Grant Mitchell and Mick Carter being the most commonly tipped to return.^[4] On 1 January 2025, it was confirmed that Kemp would be reprising the role for a short stint for the anniversary.^[10] Kemp was "delighted" to be returning to soap, saying, "EastEnders has always meant so much to me, so to return as the show is about to celebrate such a special anniversary, is an absolute honour. Grant has never been far from the action and let’s just say, this time is no different as he certainly comes back with a bang".^[11] Executive producer Chris Clenshaw was also "absolutely thrilled" to be welcoming Kemp to portray the "legendary" Grant, and teased that whilst he would not reveal what would bring Grant back, he confirmed that the return would "make up many moments of truly unmissable TV" and be a "significant part" of the soap's 40th anniversary.^[12]

The cast were kept in the dark about the plot details.^[13] At the 29th National Television Awards, cast members Diane Parish and Scott Maslen were asked about the upcoming episode. As both had starred in previous live episodes for the soap, Parish admitted she was "a bit terrified" to do another one while Maslen, having incorrectly delivered a line in the 25th anniversary live episode, expressed stress.^[14] Jacqueline Jossa expressed excitement to film another live episode, opining: "there are many things that EastEnders does well and a live episode is definitely one of them".^[15] Adam Woodyatt recalled that after the cast read the scripts for the first time, the collective feeling was a bewildered "what the fuck?" as cast members were unsure how the live element would be filmed.^[16] Fenwick expressed terror to feature in a live broadcast as he had only worked on EastEnders for years.^[17] Thorpe commented that "everyone [was] anxious" to record a live episode, but called it "thrilling and exciting" due to her past theatre experience.^[18]

After James Bye told Clenshaw that he wanted to leave his role as Martin Fowler, Clenshaw decided that the character had earned a significant, dramatic exit, deciding to kill the character off in the live episode as a result.^[19] Lacey Turner filmed the pre-recorded episodes while pregnant and returned from maternity leave for the live episode having given birth a few weeks earlier.^[20] In an unannounced surprise, Anita Dobson reprised her role as Angie Watts on the 19 February episode, a cameo appearance 37 years after the character's departure.^[21] Jessie Wallace's character Kat Slater was absent from the week in the first three episodes; she later returned during the live episode, explaining that she had been out of town for a few hours.^[22]

On 6 January 2025, it was announced that the previously teased interactive element would give the viewers the choice of who the character Denise Fox would decide to pursue a romantic relationship with. The choice was between Denise's estranged ex-husband Jack Branning and her "secret lover" Ravi Gulati, with the outcome set to be revealed during the live episode.^[23] Clenshaw expressed excitement to give viewer's the opportunity to choose, as well as to see which suitor they would choose for Denise.^[24][25][26] Clenshaw, who has been noted for attempting to appeal EastEnders to a younger audience during his tenure, incorporated the twist to appeal to Generation Z, explaining: "They watch reality TV, they've grown up with video games, they're used to being involved in the narrative".^[27] It was confirmed that the choice would be revealed during the live episode, with a scene set to depict Denise knocking on the door of the chosen man.^[28] Parish voiced appreciation for the choice being centred on a woman's choice.^[29]

The vote opened on 19 February 2025, following the episode's conclusion, and remained open from 8:30 pm to 7:10 pm the following day, only twenty minutes before the live episode's airing.^[30] To vote, audiences had to answer a poll on the BBC website.^[31] After being independently verified, Clenshaw would have to discard the script that lost.^[31] It was teased on 31 January 2025 that as well as voting for Denise's partner, viewers would also be given another vote to decide a development in a story.^[30] This choice was later revealed to be that viewers would choose the name of Sonia Fowler's (Natalie Cassidy) baby, with viewers being given the options of Julia and Toni, after the show's creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland, respectively.^[32]

The results of each vote were revealed in the live episode, as it depicted Denise rekindling her romance with Jack and Sonia naming her newborn daughter Julia.^[33]

It was confirmed that former EastEnders actor Ross Kemp would host a special one-off documentary for the celebration, including interviews with both former and current stars.^[34] Titled EastEnders: 40 Years on The Square, the documentary was set to "revisit some of the show's most poignant and ground-breaking storylines".^[35] Guests ranged from long-running present actors such as Adam Woodyatt, Gillian Taylforth and Letitia Dean to "iconic" former stars Anita Dobson and Pam St Clement, who portrayed characters Angie Watts and Pat Butcher, respectively.^[35][36] The special was produced by Pulse Films and commissioned by Yasemin Rashit.^[35] Kemp called it a "privilege" to present the documentary, and noted that while filming he was "constantly reminded of the impact EastEnders has" on the cast, crew members, and audiences alike. He added that he appreciated the opportunity to "take a trip down memory lane", having first portrayed Grant over thirty years ago.^[36] The documentary's executive producer Joe Ingham, explained that as EastEnders had a "transformative effect on television audiences for forty years", it had been a "privilege" to explore the show's history.^[36] The special aired on BBC One at 8:00 pm on 17 February.^[37]

It was later announced that the show would revive spin-off documentary series EastEnders: Revealed, which originally aired in the 1990s and 2000s and lent focus on popular EastEnders characters and storylines, to tease the storylines taking place across the week. Titled EastEnders Revealed: The Lock-In, it was set to be hosted by former EastEnders actor Joe Swash and broadcast for forty-five minutes on BBC Three at 8:00 pm on 18 February.^[38][37] Guest stars for the special included EastEnders actresses Natalie Cassidy, Jacqueline Jossa, and Patsy Palmer, as well as a musical performance from an unknown celebrity "EastEnders superfan".^[39] The special was commissioned by Nasfim Haque, Danielle Scott-Haughton and Milly Chu. Swash was honoured to be chosen to host and added "it was great to hear from the cast themselves about what we can expect from the week".^[39]

As a method of promotion, cast members made appearances on other television shows. Former stars Max Bowden and Danielle Harold appeared on a Celebrity Antiques Road Trip episode together which was filmed in the Cotswolds. Actor Shaun Williamson hosted a BBC archive special to recap some of the show's best musical moments. Kemp hosted a special episode of his game show Bridge of Lies which saw Micah Balfour, Michelle Collins, Molly Rainford, and Adam Woodyatt compete. An Antiques Roadshow episode took place on the show's set. Kemp reflected on the "Sharongate" storyline in Ross Kemp Remembers... Sharongate, St Clement reflected on a storyline seeing Pat begin an affair with Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) Pam St Clement Remembers... Pat and Frank's affair, and Rudolph Walker and Angela Wynter reflected on a two-hander episode their characters starred in together in Angela Wynter and Rudolph Walker Remember... Yolande and Patrick's two-hander episode.^[40] Kemp appeared on CBeebies in a segment which featured him reading a bedtime story, The Squirrels Who Squabbled by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, on the show's set.^[41][42] These were accompanied by several reruns of old episodes and old specials related to the show.^[40]

BBC One briefly revived its "Computer Originated World" ident to introduce the programme on 13 February 2025, ahead of the 40th anniversary week; the ident's introduction coincided with the premiere of EastEnders, while BBC One Wales notably played the ident live using its original computer hardware.^[43]

Scenes depicting Billy and Honey's wedding were filmed inside a large tent indoors to prevent equipment from getting wet. Honey's wedding dress was adorned with pearls and sequins by the show's wardrobe department to reflect her characterisation.^[44] Palmer performed her own stunts during the scene showing Bianca chase a speeding Reiss in his car. Freeman was replaced with a stunt double for wide shots showing the speeding car driving through the set.^[44] To film the scene showing Cindy push Ian in front of Reiss's car, Collins filmed a shot pushing Woodyatt onto a stunt mattress, and an equivalent one pushing his stunt double onto the bare road.^[44] Stunt coordinator Lee Sheward explained that to portray Reiss's car crashing into The Queen Victoria public house without damaging the set itself, a hidden metal post that was attached to a plate bolted into the ground was installed. As a backup, a 16-millimetre cable was also attached to the back of the car. The car was driving at over 20 miles per hour to film the stunt.^[44] Computer-generated imagery was not incorporated to create fire, as Sheward explained that a bar that emmitted real fire and was connected to tubes was used.^[44] To film the explosion of The Queen Vic, ten litres of fuel were used on set, and air mortars were placed inside the pub's windows to push the glass out. Real glass was used to film the scene.^[44] Filming for the first three non-live episodes, including the explosion of The Queen Vic, concluded in December 2024.^[16][45][46]

Planning for the live episode commenced on 24 November 2024. For the live episode, cast and production performed three stages of rehearsals, firstly, staging rehearsals, which involve planning character locations during the broadcast, then rehearsing with the technology and lighting, before finally beginning dress rehearsals.^[47] The cast performed a read-through together on 3 February before beginning.^[47] During dress rehearsals for the episode, both outcomes of the viewer's decision were practiced, as Parish performed scenes with Maslen and Thiara.^[48][49] As the exterior of The Queen Vic had been covered up by black tarp during filming of the aftermath episodes, footage of the charred exterior and debris from December 2024 was digitally overlaid in real-time with the live camera feed of the cast standing directly outside.^[47] Sonia 's baby daughter was mostly portrayed by a prop baby being held in Cassidy's arms, as it was not safe to have an actual baby on the smoke-filled set. For Sonia's final monologue to her daughter on an ambulance, two mothers were filmed carrying their real-life babies, following along with Cassidy's live movements in carrying the prop baby as the episode intercut between the shots, as the set was filled with smoke that would have been dangerous for a real baby.^[47] On the day, the cast performed a run-through of the episode on-set with radio microphones in preparation.^[47]

It was confirmed that on the episode broadcast on the day of show's 40th anniversary, 19 February 2025, an hour-long episode would be broadcast, with a thirty-minute live episode airing the following day, 20 February 2025.^[50] The other two episodes were also thirty minutes. The four episodes broke the show's usual practice of uploading episodes on BBC iPlayer at 6:00 am before broadcast.^[51] Monday 17th, and Tuesday 18th were the show's 7,068th and 7,069th episodes, respectively.^[52][53] Wednesday 19th, the hour-long episode, was the show's 7,070th and 7,071st episode.^[54] Thursday 20th, the live episode, was the show's 7,072nd episode.^[55] All four episodes began their broadcast at 7:30 pm.^{[52][53][54][56]}

The live episode was broadcast from BBC Elstree Centre.^[57][27] The live episode was noted for having considerably less errors than the show's previous attempts at live broadcasting, as no actors made mistakes delivering lines. It was observed that Sonia's baby was clearly a doll in some scenes, there were a few moments of crowds having "awkward silences", and the actors portraying firemen were seen doing little other than shining torches at debris inside The Queen Vic.^[58] A moment when Linda says "tits-up" caused a minor stir as fans wondered if the character was supposed to say it or if it was a mistake, however actress Bright confirmed that she was supposed to say it.^[59] In an interview, Bye revealed that he made a small mistake during the broadcast, though did not reveal what it was, but co-star Turner's response helped cover it up.^[60]

The decision to reintroduce Kemp as Grant was met with a mixed response. Frances Ryan of The Guardian praised the decision, calling it "brilliant", writing that she found "something oddly comforting" about the show's trend of reintroducing past characters and that it reflected the broader resurgence of 90s nostalgia in popular culture.^[61] Pat Stacey of the Irish Independent disagreed, arguing that the decision to write the return was "desperation, not inspiration" opining that Grant's original introduction incited a continuing decline in quality for the soap.^[62] Stacey continued by expressing confusion towards the excitement of media outlets surrounding the character's return, arguing that the character's previous 2016 stint was relatively recent.^[62] Martin's demise was predicted by Radio Times writer Laura Denby, who saw it coming as a result of the character's sharp increase in screen time leading up to the anniversary, his status as the first character to be born on the show, hints in storylines, and the fact that his death would mark the second time a love interest of Stacey's died on an anniversary, as her previous husband Bradley Branning died during the show's 25th anniversary.^[63] ATV Today reported that bookmakers' odds predicted that Reiss was the most likely character to die during the explosion. He was followed by Martin, Ruby, Sonia, and Cindy.^[64]

According to Broadcast, Tuesday and Wednesday pulled in overnight viewership of 2.8 million and 3.4 million, respectively.^[65] According to overnight ratings, the live episode was watched by an average of 3.7 million people, around 1.5 million more than the soap's daily average.^[66] Although deemed a success, it was lower than the show's previous Christmas specials,^[65] and considerably lower than the show's previous live broadcasts.^[66]

Dobson's return as Angie was well-received by Radio Times writer Lewis Knight, who called it a "tearjerker" and a "wonderful surprise".^[67] He also praised the scene for its setting, the significance of the character's appearance, the advice she gives to Sharon, and the writing and direction from Rundle and Kneeshaw for effectively capturing the character's speech patterns and mannerisms.^[67] He compared the scene to a 2016 scene which depicted the character Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) see a vision of Pat in her final appearance.^[67] The continuation and ultimate conclusion of Phil's depression storyline received positive reception. Stefania Sarrubba of Digital Spy wrote that the conclusion "packed an emotional punch".^[68] Knight called it "moving", praised the scene where Nigel reveals his depression, and presented similar audience responses to the scene on Twitter.^[69]

In a review of the live episode, The Guardian critic Stuart Heritage called it the show's best attempt at a live broadcast, due to few technical issues and strong performances from he cast. However, he criticised the episode for being disjointed from the remainder of the week and disagreed with the viewers' decision to pair Denise with Jack, criticising it for being underwhelming.^[70] He added that the episode was "unmemorable" and character reactions to the episode's events, such as the explosion of The Queen Victoria and Sonia going into labour, were too mild.^[70] George Lewis of Digital Spy called Martin's death "devastating."^[71] Radio Times writer Helen Daly called Martin's death scene "cruel", but opined that the episode as a whole was "gripping".^[19] Johnathon Hughes of The i Paper rated the live episode 5 out of 5, describing it as "half an hour of nerve-jangling drama".^[72] He praised the cast for the lack of blunders, particularly Turner's portrayal of Stacey, opined that the viewers voted correctly on both decisions, and concluded that creator Julia Smith "would've been proud of what they achieved".^[72] Turner's performance was declared "heart-wrenching" by Edinburgh Live writer Daniel Bird.^[20] Michael Hogan of The Daily Telegraph rated the episode 4 out of 5, praising the lack of bloopers, Martin and Stacey's "tender" scenes together, Turner's performance given her recent birth, and Clenshaw's role in finishing his tenure on the show with "ambition and aplomb".^[58] He called the live episode a "technical triumph", though expressed discontent with the viewers' decision to pair Denise with Jack.^[58] Carol Midgely of The Times rated it 4 out of 5, praising the lack of errors in the episode.^[73]

James Hibbs of the Radio Times called Martin's death "a huge moment" for the show's history, and the most tragic part of the week.^[74] Writing for Digital Spy, Laura Denby defended the show's decision to kill Martin off, as it made the episode more memorable. She added that his scenes with Stacey were well-acted and written, and that the week as a whole left viewers with "endless anticipation".^[75] Discussing Phil's mental health storyline, she commented that it was "beautifully" portrayed by McFadden.^[75] Concluding, she opined that the week as a whole proved the show's "magic [was] still very much alive".^[75] Ellie Muir of The Independent commented that viewers were left "heartbroken" by Martin's demise.^[76] Billy Weir of the Belfast Telegraph left a negative review of the week, criticising it for being overly zany.^[77]

• Episode 7068 at BBC Online and IMDb
• Episode 7069 at BBC Online and IMDb
• Episode 7070/7071 at BBC Online and IMDb
• Episode 7072 at BBC Online and IMDb