List of EastEnders characters (1985)
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders" in 1985, by order of first appearance. They were all introduced by executive producer Julia Smith. The first episode of "EastEnders" was broadcast on 19 February 1985, and twenty-three main characters were already created for their first appearance. The first character to be seen was Den Watts, followed by Ali Osman and then Arthur Fowler, all of whom find Reg Cox dying in his flat. Ethel Skinner, Harold Legg and Pauline Fowler appear, after Den alerts them of Reg's death. With Ethel is her pug Willy along with Lou Beale. Saeed and Naima Jeffery are seen working in the local shop whilst Angie Watts is seen in The Queen Victoria, Walford's local pub. Nick Cotton and Sue Osman are next seen, whilst Pete and Kathy Beale work at the fruit and veg stall and Hassan Osman is seen with his parents in the café. Sharon Watts, Ian Beale and Michelle Fowler are next seen and Mark Fowler is seen going into the bookies. Lastly, Roly the dog is seen in the pub when a fight breaks out.
EastEnders Live Week
"EastEnders" aired two spin-off shows to celebrate thirty years of the show. "Back to Ours" was a bi-weekly online/Red Button series inspired by Gogglebox, in which several cast members watched and reflected upon some of their most well-known scenes. The other programme was titled "30 Years of Cliffhangers", and counted down the characters who had appeared in the most cliffhangers in the show's history, with Phil Mitchell appearing in the most. The Graham Norton Show aired a special "EastEnders" themed episode on 16 February, featuring appearances from past and present cast members. In addition, the programme's first episode was broadcast on BBC Red Button, as was the episode that originally aired on 18 April 2014, which decipted Lucy Beale's death. Following the live episode on 20 February 2015, Zoë Ball, Ore Oduba and Joe Swash presented an aftermath programme called "EastEnders: Backstage Live".