Storylines

EastEnders was first broadcasted in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19th February 1985, and is still continuing today. The first episode began with the introduction of badly beaten Reg Coz, who later died in the next episode in Albert Square.      

The storylines for EastEnders explore the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End of London. This soap has been successful in terms of creating storylines which directly emphasize the issues of contemporary society. This is an effective element in proposing a soap opera based on a particular society with issues relating to that society, increasing the interests of the viewers.

Creator/producer Julia Smith declared that "We don't make life, we reflect it”. She also said, "We decided to go for a realistic, fairly outspoken type of drama which could encompass stories about homosexuality, rape, unemployment, racial prejudice, etc., in a believable context. Above all, we wanted realism".
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EastEnders#Social_realism)

For example, Arthur Fowler’s unemployment proposing the recession of the 1980s, the rape of Kathy Beale in 1988 by James Willmott-Brown, Michelle Fowler’s teenage pregnancy, Peggy Mitchell’s battle with breast cancer and Phil Mitchell’s alcoholism. Other issues include prostitution, domestic violence, drug addiction, euthanasia, homosexuality and Stacey Slater’s bipolar disorder, which won a Mental Health Media Award in September 2006.

These effective storyline, which reflect realism, keep the audience enticed, almost teasing the audience as to what may happen next. This is also successful with the use of cliff-hangers between episodes, as well as within episodes, where the story is slowly unfolding, creating suspense and tension.