EastEnders
"EastEnders" is often filmed on location, away from the studios in Borehamwood. Sometimes an entire quartet is filmed on location, which has a practical function and are the result of "EastEnders" making a "double bank", when an extra week's worth of episodes are recorded at the same time as the regular schedule, enabling the production of the programme to stop for a two-week break at Christmas. These episodes often air in late June or early July and again in late October or early November. The first time this happened was in December 1985 when Pauline (Wendy Richard) and Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher) travelled to the Southend-on-Sea to find their son Mark, who had run away from home. In 1986, "EastEnders" filmed overseas for the first time, in Venice, and this was also the first time it was not filmed on videotape, as a union rule at the time prevented producers taking a video crew abroad and a film crew had to be used instead. In 2011, it was reported that eight per cent of the series is filmed on location.
EastEnders in Paris
"EastEnders" in Paris" (also known as "EastEnders": Paris Specials") is a three-episode special of the BBC soap opera "EastEnders" that was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 10, 11, and 12 July 1998. The episodes coincided with the real-life events of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, with part three being broadcast as a segment within the BBC's coverage of the World Cup itself. It was written by Sarah Harding, directed by John Derek, and executively produced by Matthew Robinson and Mal Young. The special focuses on Barry (Shaun Williamson), Robbie (Dean Gaffney), Huw (Richard Elis) and Lenny (Desune Coleman) finding a way to get to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. It also includes Roy (Tony Caunter) and Pat (Pam St Clement) sightseeing in Paris. The episodes received an average viewership of 7.87million in the United Kingdom.