What is EastEnders?
{{italictitle}} [[File:EastEnders.svg|thumb]] '''''EastEnders''''' is a [[soap opera|British TV soap opera]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. It has been running since 19th February 1985,<ref>{{cite web |title=EastEnders first episode 19 February 1985 |url=https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/february/eastenders-first-episode |website=BBC |accessdate=20 May 2024}}</ref> and has had over 7000 episodes. The programme is a rival of ''[[Coronation Street]]'' and ''[[Emmerdale]]'' on ITV. It is shown on [[BBC One]]. [[File:The Queen Vic.jpg|right|thumb|[[The Queen Victoria]] Pub]] {{Anchor|Walford}}The programme is in a pretend area of East [[London]], called Walford. It is filmed in [[Elstree]],<ref name=BBCStudiosElstree>{{cite web|author=Charlotte Forde|url=http://www.BBCStudiosAndPostProduction.com/our-services/studios/elstree/|title=Our services - Studios - Brand new studios at Elstree|website=BBCStudiosAndPostProduction.com|publisher=BBC Studios and Post Production|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014012515/http://www.bbcstudiosandpostproduction.com/our-services/studios/elstree/|archive-date=14 October 2013|access-date=17 May 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> a village in [[Borehamwood]]. Like ''Coronation Street'', most action is around a local [[pub]]. {{Anchor|The Queen Victoria}}The pub in ''EastEnders'' is called [[The Queen Vic]]. It quickly became very popular when it launched and had its highest rated episode on 25th December 1986 (Christmas Day) when Den Watts served his wife Angie divorce papers behind the Queen Vic which was watched by 30 million viewers, making it one of the most watched shows in the UK of all time. There are many storylines, including [[Illegal drugs|drug abuse]], [[rape]], [[racism]], [[domestic violence]], [[murder]], [[kidnapping]], [[prostitution]], [[theft]], [[dementia|senile dementia]], [[arson]], and runaway children. Arguments between members of one family, or between different families, are often in the storylines. It has won ten [[BAFTA]] awards.<ref