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"EastEnders&amp;#039; iconic pub The Queen Victoria is to topple in a blazing inferno later this year.  The pub, which has stood in its current state since the soap&amp;#039;s inception 25 years ago, will burn down in the autumn and could tie in with the departure of Walford matriarch Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor).  Little is known about Peggy&amp;#039;s exit plot but executive producer Bryan Kirkwood told DS that it will be &amp;quot;both epic and poignant&amp;quot;.  A show source said: &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s set to be a spectacular episode. No-one knows yet if Peggy dies in the fire but they are also writing out a host of other characters, so there is a good chance someone will be killed off when the Vic burns.&amp;quot; In total, 13 cast members - including Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Charlie Slater (Derek Martin) and Chelsea Fox (Tiana Benjamin) - are being written out before the end of the year.  The decision to destroy The Vic&amp;#039;s exterior in a fire ties in with the soap&amp;#039;s transition to HD, in which key sets must be completely refurbished to ensure their standard in the higher quality format.  &amp;gt; Soapland&amp;#039;s joiners, movers and leavers "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/eastenders/news/a231296/eastenders-pub-to-burn-down-in-blaze/>