Archives for March 2011

The deadline has now closed. Please do not place any more votes.

Woop woop! It's that exciting time of year, where soap stars glide along the red rug in their droves and pose for the clicking cameras as they anxiously hope for success in the British Soap Awards.

Not only will the starlets be sat ALL under the SAME roof, but they'll be smiling and applauding each other as the best of the bunch are awarded in the Saturday, 14th May ceremony.

And YOU'VE been voting for who you want to be picking up their gongs! 

The deadline for voting for your favourite soap stars has now closed until the shortlisted Sexiest Male, Female, Best Villain, Actor and Actress will be re-opened on Monday, 18th April. 

Voting for BEST SOAP remains open until Friday, 13th May.

You can vote now through the British Soap Awards website.

Here's a reminder of the category nominees you've been voting from:

Best Actor

Here's a line up of our acting talent *bows* up for this brilliant accolade. Which actor will be crowned for their polished performances? Nitin Ganatra (Masood Ahmed), Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell) and Shane Richie (Alfie Moon) are our nominees.

Best Actress

The last year has been filled with acting triumphs and these three have come up trumps with nominations under this category. Lindsey Coulson (Carol Jackson), Nina Wadia (Zainab Masood) and Jessie Wallace (Kat Moon) are the actresses up for this top honour.

Sexiest Male

Has someone cranked up the heating?!? Which of these badboy beauties get your temperature rising? Marc Elliott (Syed Masood), Scott Maslen (Jack Branning), the 2010 winner, or is John Partridge (Christian Clarke) more your flavour? *Fans self*

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Your favourite soap has clinched three super dooper Bubble Awards thanks to YOUR votes!

The Bubbles has kicked off 2011's soap awards with glee, and with May's British Soap Awards fast approaching it's an exciting time for EastEnders.

Check out the gorg pics along with the award-winners:

Jessie Wallace picked up the Best Actress award:

Well done Jessie! She beat tough competition to win this top acting accolade for her role of Kat Moon.

To find out how to vote for Jessie in the Best Actress category and view who else is up for silverware in the British Soap Awards, you can click on to our British Soap Awards 2011 blog.

EastEnders also won the award for Best Baby Drama:

The hard-hitting and emotional storyline which affected Kat, Alfie, Ronnie and Jack has been a major and distressing event to hit the Square since New Year.

Thank you to everyone who voted.

And the Best Comeback gong goes to... Kat and Alfie!

Both Kat and Alfie came back to Walford with a bang last Autumn and have amused us as well as had us in tears.

Both Jessie and Shane have reprised their roles brilliantly, and it looks like you all agree! Aces.

Thanks again for all your votes.

Week commencing 4 April 2011: Foundations are looking shaky in Walford this week - from relationships to restaurants. Who will survive the upheaval?

Building up to trouble

Masood and Zainab clash over the dangerous roof at the Argee Bhajee. Was there a high price to pay for cutting corners?

Bringing the house down

Disaster at the Argee Bhajee, as the engagement party comes crashing to a halt. But who bears the brunt of the structural shake-up?

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Ahead of our regular Tuesday selection of preview pics (this time for week commencing 4 April) , here we are again with another sneak peek at what's to come.

Crushing blow

Things are looking critical for Syed, as his world literally comes crashing down around him. How badly has he been hurt?

Have you ever laughed so hard that your face screwed up, your cheeks ached and tears smeared down your face? Well, it happened to me this week (nice) in the great company of Tameka Empson!

You will know Tameka best as Denise's sister, Kim Fox. And, of course, as the co-owner of Kimberley's Palace.

Jingle jangling as she totters on Kim's shiny skyscrapers, Tameka takes time out from her lunch break to give you a fascinating insight into her animated world...

Note: Just keep an eye on your cauliflowers and cucumbers!

Tameka... you are a diamond!

To vote in the British Soap Awards, you can find out more info through our BSA blog...

If you missed our previous vid exclusives with Ricky Norwood and Marc Elliott. Feast your eyes on these badboys:

On set with... Ricky Norwood

On set with... Marc Elliott

On set with... Nina Wadia

Look who's back in town... it's Jean (Sausage Surpriiiiiise) Slater!

She may be a woman who puts a grain of sugar in a stew and a pot of salt in a cake, but she keeps us smiling and warms the cockles of our hearts.

But it's not only OUR tickers that have been pining for her, but Kat's been missing her quirky relative too. After visiting Jean in hospital next week, the generous love turns up at the Vic...

The question is; what AMAZING treasures are lurking within Jean's lucky dip? It's a Suuurrpriiiiiise!

You can watch the extended version in the Thursday, 31 March episode next week. Happy days.

Don't forget, you can also vote in the British Soap Awards through our BSA blog...

Week commencing 28 March 2010: Dinner dates, dodgy dads and danger for Dot all lie ahead in this week's batch of spoilerific snaps!

Flower power

Jean seems to be in a bloomin' good mood as she chats with Kat, but what's with the posey of petals?

Leaf it alone?

There's certainly a floral flavour to Walford this week, with Greg getting in on the act too. Clearly spring is in the air as Tanya makes plans to work from home.

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Look out! Here comes Tanya's mother with troublesome sis, Rainie, in tow... and they're not coming quietly.

After a rollercoaster journey to find happiness with Greg, Tanya will be reunited with her mum, Cora Cross, and her sis this Spring.

Why do they turn up in Walford? Because Tan's husband-to-be secretly invites them to their wedding... oops.

Moments later an almighty catfight broke out... just kiddin'.

Cora's nothing like her daughter - she's brash and isn't afraid to offend with her sharp tongue. She's also on a secret mission to build a bridge between Tanya and her sis, Rainie.

Tanya hasn't seen her troubled sibling since she fled the Square last year following her drug-fuelled fling with Phil, but now she's cleaned up her act and is ready to make amends. But will the future bride be happy to see them when they turn up on her Hen Night? 

Cora will be played by Ann Mitchell, the award-winning, classical actress who has appeared in numerous films, theatre and television roles.

Ann says: "As a lifelong fan of EastEnders, I'm thrilled to join the cast. I am a great fan of June Brown’s and I'm looking forward to sharing some scenes with her".

Bryan Kirkwood, Executive Producer of EastEnders adds: "I’m very excited to have the much-loved Ann Mitchell joining us.

"Cora Cross is a formidable woman, cut from the same cloth as many glorious Walford women of the past, and Ann Mitchell is just perfect for the role."

Will sparks fly?

Did you know that Ann played Jane Williams... Roy Evans's first wife!

Ahead of our regular Tuesday selection of preview pics (this time for week commencing 28 March) , it's time once more another sneak peek at what's to come.

Come dine with... Alfie?

Under the watchful eye of Jim 'Basher' Branning, the table is set for an interesting encounter between Roxy, Michael, Kat, Alfie, Ronnie and Jack. Expect plenty of verbal sparring, as well as a few below the belt remarks. Seconds out, round one...

We'll be adding lots more spoiler pics to the blog on Tuesday 22 March, so don't forget to check back!

This week we have been mostly dealing with NINA WADIA!

And what a delight she's been.

Her character, Zainab Masood, may be a controlled, tough-talking businesswoman with a tongue so sharp it could restyle a barnet, but that matriarch is left on set quicker than you can say: "Cut!"

Of course, Zainab shines with a wicked sense of humour too, but I wouldn't be surprised if that isn't a fabulous input from Nina herself.

Is the former Goodness, Gracious Me star really funny? Oh. Yes. Check out how we spent time with the loveable Nina this week (and see her 'losing face' in prep for the British Soap Awards). Ho ho ho.

If you missed our previous vid exclusives with Ricky Norwood and Marc Elliott. Feast your eyes on these badboys:

On set with... Ricky Norwood

On set with... Marc Elliott

To see your fave actors pick up gongs, you can find out more and vote in the British Soap Awards here.

As part of tonight's Red Nose Day coverage on BBC One, there will be a special ten minute episode of the show called EastEnders: Whitney's Story.

Updated: Watch the mini-episode

A continuation of the current Whitney storyline, the mini-episode not only reflects the character's own downward spiral after she becomes distanced from family and friends, but tackles a problem faced by young women in the UK today - sexual exploitation.

In the video below, you can hear how the storyline was developed by the EastEnders production team and how the research was incorporated into Whitney's story.

EastEnders has been working with advice from charities funded by Comic Relief as this has been an issue the charity has been working on for a number of years, both funding projects which help those who have been subjected to sexual exploitation and raising awareness of the issue.

Whitney's story: related help and information

Rednoseday.com - Focus on Sexual Exploitation

BBC Red Nose Day

After a fantastic year of drama in Walford, EastEnders has bagged another precious and prestigious gong at last night's Royal Television Society Awards. Hooray!

The show fought off tough competition in a strong year of fantastic drama to win Best Soap and Continuing Drama at the London star-filled ceremony.

Judges commended Lindsey Coulson's "stunning performance".

The prize, awarded based on submitted episodes of Billie's death, is a fantastic accolade for the soap.

The judging jury said that the episodes were: "Economically written, beautifully executed, a real class above the rest with a stunning central performance from Lindsey Coulson."

Not only did your fave soap come out on top last night, but it was a brilliant night for a host of other BBC programmes last night, including Sherlock in the drama series category, Miranda Hart took away two prizes for her BBC Two comedy series Miranda, including her scriptwriting skills.

Also, Prof Brian Cox was a double winner for his presenting skills and his BBC Two series Wonders of the Solar System.

Red Nose Day is back with a bang, as a host of stars come together to infuse your homes with top telly treats to help transform lives.

From 7pm on Friday you can watch a host of top TV, including a very special ten-minute episode, called EastEnders: Whitney's Story. 

The show has been working with advice from Comic Relief to tackle a problem that is faced by young women in the UK today - sexual exploitation.

This issue is being reflected in our storyline, featuring Whitney, and will culminate on Friday night. For more details on the storyline, please see our EastEnders working with Comic Relief blog.

You can catch the mini-episode after 8.30pm (subject to change, due to live TV on the night).

EastEnders will resume it's normal scheduling on Monday, 21 March.

To raise money for fabulous causes please log on to the BBC Red Nose Day website. You can also get involved through the Comic Relief site.

If you've been affected by the programme you can also see our Help and Information page for further resources and organisations.

Week commencing 21 March 2011: We predict a rocky road ahead for the residents of Albert Square next week. Who'll be punching the air - and who'll be throwing in the towel - by the end of it all?

Well fit!

The gloves are off as Michael goes all-out to promote the launch of the gym. These ladies are sure to be a knockout... with potential male punters at least!t

In transit?

Let me out! Michael is a man in a van... who looks like he needs a plan to get out. Can he escape, or is he boxed in?

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This week, we caught up with the magnificent Marc Elliott before he stepped, or, in this case, limped on to set as Syed Masood.

The British Soap Award nominee shares his embarrassment for being shortlisted for Sexiest Male (Embarrassed?! WHY?!) and even shows us how fast he can race on crutches*. But why is our lovely Marc fashioning the silver sticks?!

To vote in the British Soap Awards, you can log on to the British Soap Awards official website. Jubbly.

*Racing on crutches is not recommended and may lead to other injuries... which is rather embarrassing really. So, don't bother.

Has the much-awaited day arrived that we all get to see Grant 'hard nut' Mitchell return to Walford to greet his (equally 'ard) bruv, Phil?

Will we get to see the well-stocked toughnut turn up at Number 55 to wish his bruv a 'happily ever after' to Shirley this week? Erm, no. I reckon he's too busy sunning himself on a Portuguese beach.

Not much choice in the Portuguese card shops then?

HOWEVER, we may not get to see the buff fella in the flesh, but we can get a load of Grant's greeting card to the groom and his bride-to-be. Lovely.

This rather fetching card has flown in all the way from Portugal for the not-so-happy couple...

... the questions is... will the currently warring couple (naughty Phil!) get hitched? Shirley not.

I don't think Grant's heard the full story, do you?

Perhaps we can clap eyes on the tanned totty (and Courtney, of course) another time soon. We live in hope.

Jessie Wallace clinched TV Soap Personality at the TRIC Awards (The Television and Radio Industries Club) for her role as fiesty Kat Moon.

The top-notch star beat off stiff competition at last night's ceremony from Hollyoaks' Jennifer Metcalfe and Coronation Street actress Sally Dynevor who plays Sally Webster.

Well done Jessie!

Top news: The star has been filming great scenes this week that are coming up... we can't wait!

Week commencing 18 March 2011: It's going to be quite a week for Whitney, but those around her are in for tough times too.

Ringing the changes?

Lauren learns the hard way how to disconnect with friends and family, but but perhaps it's not too late to make someone happy with a phonecall?

Bold as love?

Carol and Connor back together? Although his mum told Carol to cool it, experience tells us she can be too stubborn to listen? But what's this reunion all about?

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When Fatboy takes care of business, he puts Walford's female Fagin in the shade.

Yep, step aside Mo Harris, as Fatboy is willing and able to snatch your (knocked-off) crown of wheeling 'n dealing.

In our exclusive preview, Fatster shows Mo who's boss in a bid to secure a market stall. If you fancy a lesson on how to sweet-talk a Market Inspector (every day, right?), then watch our exclusive preview of Fatboy doin' the business. You can find out if he's successful on Monday, 14 March.

You can follow the master of motormouth magic on Twitter too... @manlikefatboy.

Phil and Shirley. They're a match made in heaven aren't they? Or maybe that's a match made in hell.

Phil's hardly what you'd call the ideal man, but Shirley knows him inside and out, and she's ready to commit the rest of her life to the big man on the Square.

Or is she? Judging my this clip from next Friday's episode (11 March) the wedding plans are looking a little shakey?

So, do you think they'll tie the knot?

Week commencing 7 March 2011:

As another Walford wedding looms, Phil and Shirley shake up the Square. Check out what they're up to with the latest spoiler pics!

All that glitters...



Phil surprises Shirley with an expensive engagement ring, but Shirley's not looking too impressed. Has Phil got a guilty conscience?

Let them eat cake!



After Jane lets Ian know that he takes her for granted, he thinks of a special surprise for her. Mmm... cake! Maybe Ian's not that bad after all?

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