EastEnders: E20
Encyclopedia
EastEnders: E20 is a British
Internet
soap opera
, which began airing on 8 January 2010. A spin-off from the established BBC
soap EastEnders
, it is set in EastEnders regular setting of Albert Square
, a Victorian square in the fictional borough
of Walford
, in the East End of London
. Each series follows a group of teenage characters: Zsa Zsa Carter
(Emer Kenny
), Leon Small
(Sam Attwater
), Fatboy
(Ricky Norwood
) and Mercy Olubunmi
(Bunmi Mojekwu
) in series 1; Asher Levi
(Heshima Thompson
) and his brother Sol
(Tosin Cole
), Naz Mehmet
(Emaa Hussen), and Stevie Dickinson
(Amanda Fairbank-Hynes) in series 2; and Ava Bourne (Sophie Colquhoun), Donnie Lester (Samuell Benta
) and Faith Olubunmi (Modupe Adeyeye) in series 3. The show's title comes from Walford's fictional London postcode district
, E20. The four characters from series 1 also appear in EastEnders, as well as Faith from series 3.
EastEnders: E20 originally aired as part of the main show's 25th anniversary celebrations. It was devised in a bid to develop and nurture new talent, including writers, actors, composers and remixers, and target a younger audience, as well as to attempt to drive more people onto the Internet. The series was the idea of executive producer
s Diederick Santer
, who wanted a show where regular EastEnders characters would be in the background, and John Yorke, who wanted to improve the portrayal of teenagers in EastEnders and to get younger people writing for it.
The show's writers, all newcomers aged between 17 and 22, were selected through a writing competition, and created the series at a BBC summer school. The theme tune was also selected through a competition, promoted on BBC Radio 1
. The show primarily operates as a standalone series but also cross-references storylines of the main soap, and features cameo appearances from several of the regular characters from EastEnders. The episodes are between three and 16 minutes each in length and are available via EastEnders official website. Omnibus
editions were also available on BBC iPlayer
, BBC Red Button and, from April 2010, BBC Three
.
Diederick Santer
as part of EastEnders 25th anniversary celebrations. Described as the "naughty little brother or sister to the main show", it was devised in a bid to target younger viewers and to develop and nurture new talent. Executive producer John Yorke, who oversaw the show, and is also controller of BBC drama production and new talent, said "Fundamentally the whole idea of the show is it's a training ground for new talent, be that acting, writing, composing, remixing, everything. The fact is because it's online, we can take risks." Nevertheless, the makers said they knew they had to get it right because "the eyes of the World Wide Web would be watching."
Santer conceived the idea of a "parallel universe show" with new characters, where the regular characters are in the background. Yorke sought to improve the portrayal of teenagers in EastEnders and to get younger people writing for it. The ideas came together and EastEnders: E20 was created in what Yorke described as "one of the quickest periods from idea to screen I've ever known." Regarding the decision to create an online drama, Yorke said, "People don't watch television at fixed times anymore, they use iPlayer [to] get it at their convenience and so it made sense to make a programme that [viewers] can specifically get at their convenience." The show's producer, Deborah Sathe, added, "Technology is changing and it's changing really quickly and I think it's really appropriate that the BBC is leading the way in offering online content." The first series was commissioned by multi-platform commissioning executive Rosie Allimonos.
Another incentive for the show was to get more people to use the Internet. Sathe stated that it was an opportunity for younger people to bring the older members of their families onto the internet, and Yorke hoped that it would bring people onto the internet who had not used it before. Simon Nelson, BBC Vision controller of multiplatform and portfolio, said that this was an opportunity for the BBC to develop its expertise in drama production by exploiting the creative potential of the Internet to create a new online drama where few have succeeded. EastEnders: E20 primarily operates as a standalone series but also cross-references storylines of the main soap. According to Santer, the series also explores the stories of the soap's anonymous bystanders. He said, "There are always other people [in EastEnders] milling round the market and houses that we never go into. There are four or five parallels you could do. It will be nice to see well-known characters through strangers' eyes. Ian Beale
may show up and he is just a strange, irritating man. Or they might ask: 'Who is that moody girl in the market?' And it will be Stacey Slater
."
and commissioned by Sarah Clay. Nelson explained "We had no hesitation in commissioning another series, something which will delight the 17,000 fans who've been calling for more episodes on the E20 Facebook page." Script producer Peter Mattessi promised that the second series would take the characters to darker, scarier and more unattractive parts of their personalities, writer Muge Ahmet said it would be sexier, and Sathe stated there would be big secrets, while writer Alex Oates said that the show and the writers had grown up a lot since the first series. The Daily Star newspaper reported that the second series would be more controversial than the first, including scenes of drug dealing and violence.
With the return of the series, Sathe explained that some of the show's writers had already worked with the EastEnders team on storylines for the characters they had created, and hoped this would continue as the E20 brand develops, and that the show would become a "junior version" of the BBC Writers Academy
. Series 2 sees the introduction of street dance
to the series to give it an "authentic East End flavour of youth". The episodes were made all the same length following complaints about the length of episodes in the first series and the decision to show the series on BBC Three. Social networking site Twitter
was also used to introduce teasers, with four of the characters having their own profiles.
, as part of a new BBC strategy to provide learning opportunities for all audiences. Saul Nassé, Controller of Learning, said, "I want to use BBC programmes that are known and loved by audiences that can serve as springboards for learning. [...] We'll be enlisting the help of the BBC's best talent to maximise the reach of our output," and Sathe commented, "We are thrilled with the success of the first two series and have already started to storyline the third. Be prepared for a few familiar faces, a couple of new ones and a lot of fireworks." It was confirmed that Learning would fund the third series and work with young people to develop storylines "that bring to life subjects in the Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE)
curriculum such as bullying or peer pressure." A regional schools tour was organised to tie in with the launch of the series, with pupils writing short scenes based on scenarios tying in with the PSHE curriculum, which were performed, filmed and edited. Sarah Miller, BBC Learning commissioner and executive producer of series 3, explained: "The schools tour was a terrific opportunity to deliver powerful face-to-face workshops, giving students and teachers the opportunity to develop key media production skills and to get behind the scenes of a top BBC drama."
and the last two at the BBC centre at Elstree Studios
. The writers did not know they would be writing a spin-off to EastEnders until they arrived. The same writers also wrote the ten episodes of series 2. They are from various parts of London, which Sathe said was "brilliant" as they represent different parts of life in London, and they have grown up with the Internet as a native medium. Santer stated that the writers created a new Walford, calling it a "fresh perspective on a British classic." The writers were given a day to travel around East London to listen to people talking to get ideas. Sathe commented: "We created some brilliant scenes from the eavesdropping stuff." After the summer school, the writers were commissioned to write the 12 episodes of series 1. Some of the scripts were allowed by be changed by the actors if they thought lines were not authentic, such as the use of London street slang. Sathe considered the use of slang to be a highlight of the series, calling it her proudest moment. Storylining and character creation for series 2 started in January 2010. The third series will use different writers to the first two. Each potential writer had to send in a monologue for a character they would like to see on television and the production team chose their favourites. The writers were then asked to write a scene between their character and one of the established EastEnders characters. Following this, the writers were interviewed and the most promising fifteen were selected. Emer Kenny, who stars as Zsa Zsa in the series and was a writer for series 1 and 2, has returned as a writer for series 3 and is joined by several of the young EastEnders cast members: Arinze Kene
who played Connor Stanley, Himesh Patel
who plays Tamwar Masood
, and Charlie G Hawkins who plays Darren Miller
.
made it more challenging and created problems for the lighting and props teams as nobody knew exactly where the camera would be. Keillor said it was a "particularly tough day" when filming a party scene in a flat, as normally walls of the set would be removed but all the walls were left in to make it look more realistic, meaning the crew overheated. Series 1 was filmed over ten days with approximately 120 minutes of television being shot. Each of the first series' 12 episodes are between three and 16 minutes in length. The second series features 10 episodes averaging 14 minutes each, which was due to complaints from viewers about the length of some of the episodes in series 1. Series 3 was scheduled to begin filming on 8 May 2011, lasting for four weeks.
, which Scott Matthewman of The Stage
said makes it feel like an episode of Hollyoaks
, a Channel 4
soap opera targeted at a teen audience. A remix of the EastEnders theme tune
was created for the series, with members of the public submitting remixes in a competition held on the BBC website. The competition opened on 11 November 2009 and was officially launched on 13 November by Annie Mac
on her BBC Radio 1
show. More than 250 entries were submitted. They were reduced to four and judged by Sathe, Santer, Keillor, original theme tune composer Simon May
, and BBC Radio 1Xtra
's DJ Ace
. The winner, 21-year-old Carl Darling, was announced on 4 December 2009. He said "I was very excited to hear that my track was chosen by such an eclectic judging panel. And to spend time in the BBC studios and walking around the Square was phenomenal. I have grown up hearing Simon May's original theme tune and watching Albert Square and the iconic Queen Vic
, so I feel very privileged to be a part of EastEnders: E20 history!" Darling explained that he wanted to keep all the "essential features" of the original theme, but to make a grimy
drum and bass
version.
Additionally producers worked with BBC Introducing
to give unsigned bands and musicians the chance to have their music used on the series 2 soundtrack, and grime music producer Aiden "S.K.I.T.Z Beatz" Hogarth was appointed music director and composer, having been unable to take the role for series 1. He said "For E20 I will be providing all the best and what's current from the underground and mainstream music scene and instead of having the music playing out of stereos and stalls, we've taken the step to compose and source music as a soundtrack. Something seasoned EastEnders fans may not be familiar with. I honestly think that the viewers are ready for a refreshing and brand new take on how music direction for this show and others like it should be done."
. Emer Kenny
was cast in the role whilst writing the second episode. Yorke said "She was so good that we suddenly went, 'It's her! Kenny said, "I'm really thrilled to have been given the opportunity to both write for and act in a show connected with such an iconic drama as EastEnders. Kids these days use their laptops more than their televisions, so it's really exciting to be a part of a project that's taking drama online and connecting with these viewers." To prepare for the role, Kenny had to disguise her "posh" accent, saying that when the director asked her what she would do about her voice, she travelled around the East End to listen to the way people spoke.
On his casting in the role of Fatboy
, television newcomer Ricky Norwood
said, "It's an honour to now be a part of [the] show. I am born and bred in the East End [so] it feels like a homecoming." Norwood adapted his own use of slang into the character to "try and bring it and from a true place." Bunmi Mojekwu
, who plays Mercy Olubunmi
, commented "I feel so blessed to be part of EastEnders: E20. My first day on set was just crazy. I was on Albert Square – a dream come true – I'm enjoying every second." Sam Attwater
, who previously appeared in five episodes of Hollyoaks, was cast as boxer Leon Small
. On his casting, he commented, "It's a great privilege to be working with such great actors and on such an established show. It's an amazing opportunity and I'm really enjoying tackling a character like Leon who has so much going on," He prepared for the role by attending a gym, as the character has a lot of topless scenes. He said: "As soon as I heard that I was straight down the gym. Lots of crunches. Everyone said don't worry about it, but every time I did one of those scenes I had to watch it back and see how it looked because there will be 10 million people watching it. I want to be on the best form."
The cast for series 2 were announced on 29 July 2010. Heshima Thompson
and Tosin Cole
were cast as brothers Asher and Sol Levi. Cole, who has previously starred in a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, said, "It's a privilege to work on something so big but so different. Everyone is fantastic to work with. I'm really excited." Thompson, who has appeared in The Bill
and Spooks
, stated "It's a great project to be a part of and I get to dance so this is going to be fun." Emaa Hussen was cast as Naz Mehmet, her first professional acting role, on which she commented: "it's a really exciting place to start my career. I'm from East London and a big fan of EastEnders, which is one of the reasons I wanted to do the show." Finally, Amanda Fairbank-Hynes, who appeared in An Education
, said of her casting as Stevie Dickinson, "It all happened so quickly but I'm really excited to be working on EastEnders. It's an amazing group of people and they are great to work with." Additionally, Hollyoaks actress Roxanne McKee
, and dance acts Flawless
and Avant Garde also make appearances. Flawless were asked to appear in the show by Sathe, who has previously worked with Marlon Wallen from the troupe.
and via BBC Red Button after the EastEnders omnibus aired on BBC One
. The first omnibus, comprising episodes 1–4, was available for one week from 17 January. The second omnibus was available for one week from 24 January, containing episodes 5–8. Episodes 9–12 were available as an omnibus from 31 January 2010. Additionally, the series was re-edited into three 30-minute editions and shown weekly on BBC Three
from 23 April 2010.
The second series began on 7 September 2010, with two episodes being made available weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, excluding episode 2, which was available on a Wednesday. The series comprises 10 episodes in total of around 14 minutes each, and was also screened in five omnibus editions on BBC Three on Monday nights. Series 3 will comprise 15 episodes of around 10 minutes each. Extra footage, such as video blogs and behind-the-scenes clips, is also available online.
students trying to escape from "family problems and crises of their own making". Series 1 follows Zsa Zsa, Fatboy, Mercy and Leon, who move into 89b George Street in Walford. Leon, Fatboy and Zsa Zsa also appeared briefly in EastEnders in January 2010 before EastEnders: E20 started, and returned as regular characters when EastEnders: E20 ended. It was later announced that due to positive reaction to the character, Mercy would also join EastEnders later in 2010. Series 2 follows brothers Sol and Asher, plus Naz and Stevie. Sathe said there was a "good chance" that they would also appear in EastEnders at some point. Zsa Zsa, Mercy and Leon also have cameo appearances in series 2, and Fatboy has a recurring role. Series 3 follows newcomers Ava, Donnie and Faith, Mercy's sister. Donnie's younger sister, Riley, also appears along with Richard, a care worker. Naz and Sol also make a cameo appearance. Fatboy continues his recurring role, along with Mercy and Faith's grandmother Grace Olubunmi, and regular EastEnders character Zainab Masood
.
fan page grew in membership from 100 to 5000 in a matter of hours after the spin-off started, and as of 19 February 2010, had over 16,000 fans. Yorke said that due to the popularity of the first series, they hoped to make further spin-offs. The first BBC Three omnibus edition on 23 April 2010 received 302,000 viewers and a 1.4% audience share according to overnight figures. by 13 October 2011, series 3 had gained viewing figures across both BBC Online and BBC Three of 1.2 million viewers, and a 50% increase in its online audience since it launched on 20 September 2011. Sathe commented: "I am thrilled to see E20 has sustained its position as a front-runner in online drama."
Grace Dent
of The Guardian
described the series as "rather brilliant", while Patrick Smith of The Daily Telegraph
called it "vibrant" and Tony Stewart of the Daily Mirror called Zsa Zsa an "impressive" character. However, website Watch With Mothers gave a negative review of the show, saying "there’s no need for it." After the first episode of series 2 was available, Scott Matthewman from The Stage
said "while it's good to have more black and minority ethnic characters in the Square, by concentrating on a very narrow age range of characters it'll make it all the harder for any new blood to effectively mesh into the full show."
In April 2011, EastEnders: E20 was nominated for a Webby Award in the Drama category. Sathe commented on this: "I am so proud of what we have achieved with EastEnders: E20, and to be nominated for a Webby proves how far the series has come." The show went on to win the award, on which Yorke stated, "To win such a prestigious award is a huge honour for all the team—and proof that the EastEnders brand is as brave and innovatory as it was when it first started, a quarter of a century ago."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, which began airing on 8 January 2010. A spin-off from the established BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, it is set in EastEnders regular setting of Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
, a Victorian square in the fictional borough
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
of Walford
Walford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
, in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
. Each series follows a group of teenage characters: Zsa Zsa Carter
Zsa Zsa Carter
Zsa Zsa Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Emer Kenny. She made her first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20...
(Emer Kenny
Emer Kenny
Emer Gwynne Morganna Kenny is an English actress from Haringey, London, best known for her role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20, as Zsa Zsa Carter.-Career:...
), Leon Small
Leon Small
Leon Small is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Sam Attwater. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20...
(Sam Attwater
Sam Attwater
Samuel "Sam" Attwater is an English actor and singer best known for playing Leon Small in the British soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20...
), Fatboy
Fatboy (EastEnders)
Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Ricky Norwood. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 before appearing in the spin-off...
(Ricky Norwood
Ricky Norwood
Richard Colin "Ricky" Norwood is a British actor who plays Fatboy in the soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20. He was born in Tower Hamlets, London, and lives in Forest Gate. From the age of 12 he attended the Theatre Royal Stratford East's Youth Theatre, and he also...
) and Mercy Olubunmi
Mercy Olubunmi
Mercy Chubb is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Bunmi Mojekwu. Mercy is one of four main characters in EastEnders: E20, alongside Zsa Zsa Carter , Leon Small and Fatboy...
(Bunmi Mojekwu
Bunmi Mojekwu
Oluwabunmi Ruth Mojekwu is a British actress of Nigerian descent. She is best known for playing Mercy Olubunmi in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early life:...
) in series 1; Asher Levi
Asher Levi
Asher Levi is a fictional character from EastEnders: E20, an Internet spin-off of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Played by Heshima Thompson, Asher is a main character in series two. He is a charismatic street dancer, who uses his talent to escape from his criminal past...
(Heshima Thompson
Heshima Thompson
Heshima Salim Thompson is a British actor and singer.Thompson was born in the London Borough of Brent. He has appeared on television in Spooks: Code 9 as Jez, Prime Suspect, Casualty, City Lights, Judge John Deed and Babyfather. In theatre he has appeared at The Young Vic in Generations and at The...
) and his brother Sol
Sol Levi
Solomon "Sol" Levi is a fictional character from EastEnders: E20, an Internet spin-off off the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tosin Cole. Sol is a main character in series 2, where he is joined by his older brother Asher Levi and their new friends Naz Mehmet and Stevie Dickinson...
(Tosin Cole
Tosin Cole
Tosin Cole is a British actor. He known for his roles in The Cut, EastEnders: E20 and Hollyoaks.-Career:In 2009, Cole was part of a theatre production titled Wasted!, a modern reproduction of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, produced by Intermission, a company which helps teenagers stay away from...
), Naz Mehmet
Naz Mehmet
Nazan "Naz" Mehmet is a fictional character from EastEnders: E20, an Internet spin-off from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Emaa Hussen. Naz is a main character in series 2, where she is joined by brothers Asher and Sol Levi , and Stevie Dickinson...
(Emaa Hussen), and Stevie Dickinson
Stevie Dickinson
Stephanie "Stevie" Dickinson is a fictional character from EastEnders: E20, an Internet spin-off of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Amanda Fairbank-Hynes. Stevie is a main character in series 2, where she is joined by her new friends Asher Levi , Sol Levi and Naz Mehmet...
(Amanda Fairbank-Hynes) in series 2; and Ava Bourne (Sophie Colquhoun), Donnie Lester (Samuell Benta
Samuell Benta
Samuell Alexander Benta is a British actor who portrays Will Aston, the Black Ranger in Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive. He has also appeared in advertisements for Coca-Cola and the hit BBC series Hotel Babylon...
) and Faith Olubunmi (Modupe Adeyeye) in series 3. The show's title comes from Walford's fictional London postcode district
London postal district
The London postal district is the area in England, currently of , to which mail addressed to the LONDON post town is delivered. The area was initially devised in 1856 and throughout its history has been subject to periodic reorganisation, contraction and division into increasingly smaller postal...
, E20. The four characters from series 1 also appear in EastEnders, as well as Faith from series 3.
EastEnders: E20 originally aired as part of the main show's 25th anniversary celebrations. It was devised in a bid to develop and nurture new talent, including writers, actors, composers and remixers, and target a younger audience, as well as to attempt to drive more people onto the Internet. The series was the idea of executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera EastEnders, a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010...
, who wanted a show where regular EastEnders characters would be in the background, and John Yorke, who wanted to improve the portrayal of teenagers in EastEnders and to get younger people writing for it.
The show's writers, all newcomers aged between 17 and 22, were selected through a writing competition, and created the series at a BBC summer school. The theme tune was also selected through a competition, promoted on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. The show primarily operates as a standalone series but also cross-references storylines of the main soap, and features cameo appearances from several of the regular characters from EastEnders. The episodes are between three and 16 minutes each in length and are available via EastEnders official website. Omnibus
Omnibus (broadcast)
An omnibus is a compilation of daily television or radio episodes that is re-broadcast during the following weekend. The term has been most frequently used in the United Kingdom, though it has also been used in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa...
editions were also available on BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
, BBC Red Button and, from April 2010, BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
.
Conception and development
EastEnders: E20 was conceived by executive producerExecutive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera EastEnders, a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010...
as part of EastEnders 25th anniversary celebrations. Described as the "naughty little brother or sister to the main show", it was devised in a bid to target younger viewers and to develop and nurture new talent. Executive producer John Yorke, who oversaw the show, and is also controller of BBC drama production and new talent, said "Fundamentally the whole idea of the show is it's a training ground for new talent, be that acting, writing, composing, remixing, everything. The fact is because it's online, we can take risks." Nevertheless, the makers said they knew they had to get it right because "the eyes of the World Wide Web would be watching."
Santer conceived the idea of a "parallel universe show" with new characters, where the regular characters are in the background. Yorke sought to improve the portrayal of teenagers in EastEnders and to get younger people writing for it. The ideas came together and EastEnders: E20 was created in what Yorke described as "one of the quickest periods from idea to screen I've ever known." Regarding the decision to create an online drama, Yorke said, "People don't watch television at fixed times anymore, they use iPlayer [to] get it at their convenience and so it made sense to make a programme that [viewers] can specifically get at their convenience." The show's producer, Deborah Sathe, added, "Technology is changing and it's changing really quickly and I think it's really appropriate that the BBC is leading the way in offering online content." The first series was commissioned by multi-platform commissioning executive Rosie Allimonos.
Another incentive for the show was to get more people to use the Internet. Sathe stated that it was an opportunity for younger people to bring the older members of their families onto the internet, and Yorke hoped that it would bring people onto the internet who had not used it before. Simon Nelson, BBC Vision controller of multiplatform and portfolio, said that this was an opportunity for the BBC to develop its expertise in drama production by exploiting the creative potential of the Internet to create a new online drama where few have succeeded. EastEnders: E20 primarily operates as a standalone series but also cross-references storylines of the main soap. According to Santer, the series also explores the stories of the soap's anonymous bystanders. He said, "There are always other people [in EastEnders] milling round the market and houses that we never go into. There are four or five parallels you could do. It will be nice to see well-known characters through strangers' eyes. Ian Beale
Ian Beale
Ian Albert Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the longest-serving character and the only remaining original character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on 19 February 1985...
may show up and he is just a strange, irritating man. Or they might ask: 'Who is that moody girl in the market?' And it will be Stacey Slater
Stacey Slater
Stacey Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lacey Turner. She made her first appearance on 1 November 2004. The character was introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager, an extension of the already established Slater clan...
."
Series 2
The second series was announced on 8 April 2010, brought back by Santer's successor, Bryan KirkwoodBryan Kirkwood (producer)
Bryan Kirkwood is a Scottish-born British television producer. He was the producer of teen Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2006 until 2009 and has been the executive producer of the BBC soap EastEnders since 2010.- Personal life :...
and commissioned by Sarah Clay. Nelson explained "We had no hesitation in commissioning another series, something which will delight the 17,000 fans who've been calling for more episodes on the E20 Facebook page." Script producer Peter Mattessi promised that the second series would take the characters to darker, scarier and more unattractive parts of their personalities, writer Muge Ahmet said it would be sexier, and Sathe stated there would be big secrets, while writer Alex Oates said that the show and the writers had grown up a lot since the first series. The Daily Star newspaper reported that the second series would be more controversial than the first, including scenes of drug dealing and violence.
With the return of the series, Sathe explained that some of the show's writers had already worked with the EastEnders team on storylines for the characters they had created, and hoped this would continue as the E20 brand develops, and that the show would become a "junior version" of the BBC Writers Academy
BBC Writers Academy
About to enter its sixth year, the BBC Writers Academy is a major initiative aimed at discovering and training the next generation of writers for BBC One’s flagship drama series - EastEnders, Casualty, Holby City and Doctors...
. Series 2 sees the introduction of street dance
Street dance
Street dance, more formally known as vernacular dance, is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolved outside of dance studios in any available open space such as streets, dance parties, block parties, parks, school yards, raves, and nightclubs, etc...
to the series to give it an "authentic East End flavour of youth". The episodes were made all the same length following complaints about the length of episodes in the first series and the decision to show the series on BBC Three. Social networking site Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
was also used to introduce teasers, with four of the characters having their own profiles.
Series 3
A third series was announced on 27 September 2010, commissioned by BBC LearningBBC Learning
BBC Learning can refer to the following:* A department within the BBC , part of BBC Vision* The portal website created by BBC Learning* A website created by BBC Worldwide-BBC Worldwide:...
, as part of a new BBC strategy to provide learning opportunities for all audiences. Saul Nassé, Controller of Learning, said, "I want to use BBC programmes that are known and loved by audiences that can serve as springboards for learning. [...] We'll be enlisting the help of the BBC's best talent to maximise the reach of our output," and Sathe commented, "We are thrilled with the success of the first two series and have already started to storyline the third. Be prepared for a few familiar faces, a couple of new ones and a lot of fireworks." It was confirmed that Learning would fund the third series and work with young people to develop storylines "that bring to life subjects in the Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE)
Personal, Social and Health Education
Personal, social, health and economic education has in various forms been part of the national curriculum for schools in England since 2000. Some aspects, but not all, have been compulsory...
curriculum such as bullying or peer pressure." A regional schools tour was organised to tie in with the launch of the series, with pupils writing short scenes based on scenarios tying in with the PSHE curriculum, which were performed, filmed and edited. Sarah Miller, BBC Learning commissioner and executive producer of series 3, explained: "The schools tour was a terrific opportunity to deliver powerful face-to-face workshops, giving students and teachers the opportunity to develop key media production skills and to get behind the scenes of a top BBC drama."
Production
The show is produced by television newcomer Deborah Sathe. The production process for series 1 took about six months, from commissioning to the final cut. Yorke stated that, "Television takes a notoriously long time to make and one of the joys of doing this online is that it's been incredibly quick, about a quarter of the time it would take a normal show to get off the ground. It's smaller, it's easier to do and also there's a collective will for it to succceed."Writing
The first series was written by a team of 13 writers from London aged between 17 and 22 who responded to a writing competition and attended a summer school in August 2009 as part of the BBC's new talent initiative, where they created the entire series. The summer school took place over four weeks, with the first two weeks in Theatre Royal Stratford EastTheatre Royal Stratford East
The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company.-History:...
and the last two at the BBC centre at Elstree Studios
Elstree Studios
"Elstree Studios" refers to any of several film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire, England, since film production begun in 1927.-Name:...
. The writers did not know they would be writing a spin-off to EastEnders until they arrived. The same writers also wrote the ten episodes of series 2. They are from various parts of London, which Sathe said was "brilliant" as they represent different parts of life in London, and they have grown up with the Internet as a native medium. Santer stated that the writers created a new Walford, calling it a "fresh perspective on a British classic." The writers were given a day to travel around East London to listen to people talking to get ideas. Sathe commented: "We created some brilliant scenes from the eavesdropping stuff." After the summer school, the writers were commissioned to write the 12 episodes of series 1. Some of the scripts were allowed by be changed by the actors if they thought lines were not authentic, such as the use of London street slang. Sathe considered the use of slang to be a highlight of the series, calling it her proudest moment. Storylining and character creation for series 2 started in January 2010. The third series will use different writers to the first two. Each potential writer had to send in a monologue for a character they would like to see on television and the production team chose their favourites. The writers were then asked to write a scene between their character and one of the established EastEnders characters. Following this, the writers were interviewed and the most promising fifteen were selected. Emer Kenny, who stars as Zsa Zsa in the series and was a writer for series 1 and 2, has returned as a writer for series 3 and is joined by several of the young EastEnders cast members: Arinze Kene
Arinze Kene
-Career:Kene has appeared in stage productions such as playing Simba in The Lion King, Daddy Cool, and in June 2009 played strutting lothario Raymond LeGrendre in the musical Been So Long, based on Ché Walker's 1998 play, which opened at the Young Vic...
who played Connor Stanley, Himesh Patel
Himesh Patel
Himesh Jitendra Patel is a British actor who began his career in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, playing Tamwar Masood. His first appearance on the programme was on 1 October 2007. Patel is also a member of the National Youth Theatre. He also appears in the 2010 spin-off series EastEnders: E20.-...
who plays Tamwar Masood
Tamwar Masood
Tamwar Masood is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Himesh Patel. He made his first appearance on 1 October 2007.- Storylines :...
, and Charlie G Hawkins who plays Darren Miller
Darren Miller
Darren Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Charlie G. Hawkins. He made his first appearance on 6 September 2004 and departed in the episode broadcast on 20 September 2011.-Storylines:...
.
Filming
EastEnders: E20 is filmed on the same set as EastEnders, using three handheld cameras to give it a more "edgy" feel compared to EastEnders, which is filmed with cameras on tripods. Director Michael Keillor stated that although using handheld cameras is normally easier, the fact it was shot with a multiple-camera setupMultiple-camera setup
The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, or multicam is a method of filmmaking and video production. Several cameras—either film or professional video cameras—are employed on the set and simultaneously record or broadcast a scene...
made it more challenging and created problems for the lighting and props teams as nobody knew exactly where the camera would be. Keillor said it was a "particularly tough day" when filming a party scene in a flat, as normally walls of the set would be removed but all the walls were left in to make it look more realistic, meaning the crew overheated. Series 1 was filmed over ten days with approximately 120 minutes of television being shot. Each of the first series' 12 episodes are between three and 16 minutes in length. The second series features 10 episodes averaging 14 minutes each, which was due to complaints from viewers about the length of some of the episodes in series 1. Series 3 was scheduled to begin filming on 8 May 2011, lasting for four weeks.
Music
Unlike EastEnders, E20 uses incidental musicIncidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
, which Scott Matthewman of The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
said makes it feel like an episode of Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks
Hollyoaks is a long-running British television soap opera, first broadcast on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was originally devised by Phil Redmond, who has also devised shows including Brookside and Grange Hill...
, a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
soap opera targeted at a teen audience. A remix of the EastEnders theme tune
EastEnders theme tune
The EastEnders theme tune was composed by Simon May in 1984. He was assisted by Leslie Osborne.The theme is largely based upon percussion, strings and the piano, it is widely known for its dramatic use of sound, particularly the drums that begin at the end of an episode – which adds a sense...
was created for the series, with members of the public submitting remixes in a competition held on the BBC website. The competition opened on 11 November 2009 and was officially launched on 13 November by Annie Mac
Annie Mac
Annie Mac is an Irish DJ and television presenter who hosts an eponymous electronic dance music show on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom which airs at 7:00 pm on Friday evenings as well as a Sunday evening show alongside co-presenter Nick Grimshaw.-Personal life:Annie Mac was born in Dublin,...
on her BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show. More than 250 entries were submitted. They were reduced to four and judged by Sathe, Santer, Keillor, original theme tune composer Simon May
Simon May
Simon May is a British musician and composer, best known for composing some of British television's best known theme tunes, including EastEnders and Howards' Way, and for composing the music for the 1988 film The Dawning....
, and BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a digital radio station in the United Kingdom from the BBC specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been codenamed Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to BBC Radio 1...
's DJ Ace
Ace and Vis
Ace and Vis, aka The Troublemakers of Radio, are BBC 1Xtra radio DJs and television presenters from south-east London. They met whilst studying at the BRIT School in London....
. The winner, 21-year-old Carl Darling, was announced on 4 December 2009. He said "I was very excited to hear that my track was chosen by such an eclectic judging panel. And to spend time in the BBC studios and walking around the Square was phenomenal. I have grown up hearing Simon May's original theme tune and watching Albert Square and the iconic Queen Vic
The Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria is a fictional Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.-Appearance and development:...
, so I feel very privileged to be a part of EastEnders: E20 history!" Darling explained that he wanted to keep all the "essential features" of the original theme, but to make a grimy
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
version.
Additionally producers worked with BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing is the brand for new music programmes across the BBC radio stations, showcasing unsigned, self signed and other emerging musical talent primarily from the UK. Launched in 2007 the Introducing brand brings programming from across the BBC under a unified brand with each show retaining...
to give unsigned bands and musicians the chance to have their music used on the series 2 soundtrack, and grime music producer Aiden "S.K.I.T.Z Beatz" Hogarth was appointed music director and composer, having been unable to take the role for series 1. He said "For E20 I will be providing all the best and what's current from the underground and mainstream music scene and instead of having the music playing out of stereos and stalls, we've taken the step to compose and source music as a soundtrack. Something seasoned EastEnders fans may not be familiar with. I honestly think that the viewers are ready for a refreshing and brand new take on how music direction for this show and others like it should be done."
Casting
Casting of the new characters for series 1 was announced on 25 November 2009. Open auditions were held at Theatre Royal Stratford East, followed by recalls until the possible actors were reduced to eight and then four. Yorke described it as a "painful process" and they had difficulty finding someone to play Zsa Zsa CarterZsa Zsa Carter
Zsa Zsa Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Emer Kenny. She made her first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20...
. Emer Kenny
Emer Kenny
Emer Gwynne Morganna Kenny is an English actress from Haringey, London, best known for her role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20, as Zsa Zsa Carter.-Career:...
was cast in the role whilst writing the second episode. Yorke said "She was so good that we suddenly went, 'It's her! Kenny said, "I'm really thrilled to have been given the opportunity to both write for and act in a show connected with such an iconic drama as EastEnders. Kids these days use their laptops more than their televisions, so it's really exciting to be a part of a project that's taking drama online and connecting with these viewers." To prepare for the role, Kenny had to disguise her "posh" accent, saying that when the director asked her what she would do about her voice, she travelled around the East End to listen to the way people spoke.
On his casting in the role of Fatboy
Fatboy (EastEnders)
Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Ricky Norwood. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 before appearing in the spin-off...
, television newcomer Ricky Norwood
Ricky Norwood
Richard Colin "Ricky" Norwood is a British actor who plays Fatboy in the soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20. He was born in Tower Hamlets, London, and lives in Forest Gate. From the age of 12 he attended the Theatre Royal Stratford East's Youth Theatre, and he also...
said, "It's an honour to now be a part of [the] show. I am born and bred in the East End [so] it feels like a homecoming." Norwood adapted his own use of slang into the character to "try and bring it and from a true place." Bunmi Mojekwu
Bunmi Mojekwu
Oluwabunmi Ruth Mojekwu is a British actress of Nigerian descent. She is best known for playing Mercy Olubunmi in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early life:...
, who plays Mercy Olubunmi
Mercy Olubunmi
Mercy Chubb is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Bunmi Mojekwu. Mercy is one of four main characters in EastEnders: E20, alongside Zsa Zsa Carter , Leon Small and Fatboy...
, commented "I feel so blessed to be part of EastEnders: E20. My first day on set was just crazy. I was on Albert Square – a dream come true – I'm enjoying every second." Sam Attwater
Sam Attwater
Samuel "Sam" Attwater is an English actor and singer best known for playing Leon Small in the British soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20...
, who previously appeared in five episodes of Hollyoaks, was cast as boxer Leon Small
Leon Small
Leon Small is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Sam Attwater. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20...
. On his casting, he commented, "It's a great privilege to be working with such great actors and on such an established show. It's an amazing opportunity and I'm really enjoying tackling a character like Leon who has so much going on," He prepared for the role by attending a gym, as the character has a lot of topless scenes. He said: "As soon as I heard that I was straight down the gym. Lots of crunches. Everyone said don't worry about it, but every time I did one of those scenes I had to watch it back and see how it looked because there will be 10 million people watching it. I want to be on the best form."
The cast for series 2 were announced on 29 July 2010. Heshima Thompson
Heshima Thompson
Heshima Salim Thompson is a British actor and singer.Thompson was born in the London Borough of Brent. He has appeared on television in Spooks: Code 9 as Jez, Prime Suspect, Casualty, City Lights, Judge John Deed and Babyfather. In theatre he has appeared at The Young Vic in Generations and at The...
and Tosin Cole
Tosin Cole
Tosin Cole is a British actor. He known for his roles in The Cut, EastEnders: E20 and Hollyoaks.-Career:In 2009, Cole was part of a theatre production titled Wasted!, a modern reproduction of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, produced by Intermission, a company which helps teenagers stay away from...
were cast as brothers Asher and Sol Levi. Cole, who has previously starred in a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, said, "It's a privilege to work on something so big but so different. Everyone is fantastic to work with. I'm really excited." Thompson, who has appeared in The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
and Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
, stated "It's a great project to be a part of and I get to dance so this is going to be fun." Emaa Hussen was cast as Naz Mehmet, her first professional acting role, on which she commented: "it's a really exciting place to start my career. I'm from East London and a big fan of EastEnders, which is one of the reasons I wanted to do the show." Finally, Amanda Fairbank-Hynes, who appeared in An Education
An Education
An Education is a 2009 British coming-of-age drama film, based on an autobiographical article in Granta by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaard as David,...
, said of her casting as Stevie Dickinson, "It all happened so quickly but I'm really excited to be working on EastEnders. It's an amazing group of people and they are great to work with." Additionally, Hollyoaks actress Roxanne McKee
Roxanne McKee
-Biography:After completing a BA degree in 2001 in Social Policy & Political Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London, McKee rose to fame by winning Hollyoaks On The Pull, a Channel 4 initiative to discover new talent for the popular British soap Hollyoaks...
, and dance acts Flawless
Flawless (dance group)
Flawless are a UK based Street dance group.They appeared on the 2009 series of Britain's Got Talent and got to the final of the competition, they appeared alongside fellow Street Dance team Diversity who went on to win the competition. They later appeared in the 2010 film StreetDance 3D. They...
and Avant Garde also make appearances. Flawless were asked to appear in the show by Sathe, who has previously worked with Marlon Wallen from the troupe.
Broadcasting
Each of the first series' episodes were made available on varying days of the week at 8.30pm via EastEnders official website, starting on 8 January 2010 and ending on 25 January 2010, though all episodes remain available online. The series was also available in three omnibus shows on BBC iPlayerBBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
and via BBC Red Button after the EastEnders omnibus aired on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
. The first omnibus, comprising episodes 1–4, was available for one week from 17 January. The second omnibus was available for one week from 24 January, containing episodes 5–8. Episodes 9–12 were available as an omnibus from 31 January 2010. Additionally, the series was re-edited into three 30-minute editions and shown weekly on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
from 23 April 2010.
The second series began on 7 September 2010, with two episodes being made available weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, excluding episode 2, which was available on a Wednesday. The series comprises 10 episodes in total of around 14 minutes each, and was also screened in five omnibus editions on BBC Three on Monday nights. Series 3 will comprise 15 episodes of around 10 minutes each. Extra footage, such as video blogs and behind-the-scenes clips, is also available online.
Characters
Each series features new teenage characters who move to Walford, as well as cameos from existing characters from the main show. The characters are described as sixth formSixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
students trying to escape from "family problems and crises of their own making". Series 1 follows Zsa Zsa, Fatboy, Mercy and Leon, who move into 89b George Street in Walford. Leon, Fatboy and Zsa Zsa also appeared briefly in EastEnders in January 2010 before EastEnders: E20 started, and returned as regular characters when EastEnders: E20 ended. It was later announced that due to positive reaction to the character, Mercy would also join EastEnders later in 2010. Series 2 follows brothers Sol and Asher, plus Naz and Stevie. Sathe said there was a "good chance" that they would also appear in EastEnders at some point. Zsa Zsa, Mercy and Leon also have cameo appearances in series 2, and Fatboy has a recurring role. Series 3 follows newcomers Ava, Donnie and Faith, Mercy's sister. Donnie's younger sister, Riley, also appears along with Richard, a care worker. Naz and Sol also make a cameo appearance. Fatboy continues his recurring role, along with Mercy and Faith's grandmother Grace Olubunmi, and regular EastEnders character Zainab Masood
Zainab Masood
Zainab Masood is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by comedienne Nina Wadia. She made her first appearance on 16 July 2007.-Backstory:...
.
| Character | Played by | Series |
|---|---|---|
| Zsa Zsa Carter Zsa Zsa Carter Zsa Zsa Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Emer Kenny. She made her first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20... |
Emer Kenny Emer Kenny Emer Gwynne Morganna Kenny is an English actress from Haringey, London, best known for her role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20, as Zsa Zsa Carter.-Career:... |
1 |
| Fatboy Fatboy (EastEnders) Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Ricky Norwood. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 before appearing in the spin-off... |
Ricky Norwood Ricky Norwood Richard Colin "Ricky" Norwood is a British actor who plays Fatboy in the soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20. He was born in Tower Hamlets, London, and lives in Forest Gate. From the age of 12 he attended the Theatre Royal Stratford East's Youth Theatre, and he also... |
|
| Mercy Olubunmi Mercy Olubunmi Mercy Chubb is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Bunmi Mojekwu. Mercy is one of four main characters in EastEnders: E20, alongside Zsa Zsa Carter , Leon Small and Fatboy... |
Bunmi Mojekwu Bunmi Mojekwu Oluwabunmi Ruth Mojekwu is a British actress of Nigerian descent. She is best known for playing Mercy Olubunmi in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early life:... |
|
| Leon Small Leon Small Leon Small is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Sam Attwater. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20... |
Sam Attwater Sam Attwater Samuel "Sam" Attwater is an English actor and singer best known for playing Leon Small in the British soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20... |
|
| Asher Levi Asher Levi Asher Levi is a fictional character from EastEnders: E20, an Internet spin-off of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Played by Heshima Thompson, Asher is a main character in series two. He is a charismatic street dancer, who uses his talent to escape from his criminal past... |
Heshima Thompson Heshima Thompson Heshima Salim Thompson is a British actor and singer.Thompson was born in the London Borough of Brent. He has appeared on television in Spooks: Code 9 as Jez, Prime Suspect, Casualty, City Lights, Judge John Deed and Babyfather. In theatre he has appeared at The Young Vic in Generations and at The... |
2 |
| Stevie Dickinson Stevie Dickinson Stephanie "Stevie" Dickinson is a fictional character from EastEnders: E20, an Internet spin-off of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Amanda Fairbank-Hynes. Stevie is a main character in series 2, where she is joined by her new friends Asher Levi , Sol Levi and Naz Mehmet... |
Amanda Fairbank-Hynes | |
| Naz Mehmet Naz Mehmet Nazan "Naz" Mehmet is a fictional character from EastEnders: E20, an Internet spin-off from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Emaa Hussen. Naz is a main character in series 2, where she is joined by brothers Asher and Sol Levi , and Stevie Dickinson... |
Emaa Hussen | |
| Sol Levi Sol Levi Solomon "Sol" Levi is a fictional character from EastEnders: E20, an Internet spin-off off the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tosin Cole. Sol is a main character in series 2, where he is joined by his older brother Asher Levi and their new friends Naz Mehmet and Stevie Dickinson... |
Tosin Cole Tosin Cole Tosin Cole is a British actor. He known for his roles in The Cut, EastEnders: E20 and Hollyoaks.-Career:In 2009, Cole was part of a theatre production titled Wasted!, a modern reproduction of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, produced by Intermission, a company which helps teenagers stay away from... |
|
| Faith Olubunmi | Modupe Adeye | 3 |
| Donnie Lester | Samuell Benta Samuell Benta Samuell Alexander Benta is a British actor who portrays Will Aston, the Black Ranger in Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive. He has also appeared in advertisements for Coca-Cola and the hit BBC series Hotel Babylon... |
|
| Ava Bourne | Sophie Colquhoun | |
Reception
Between 8 and 21 January 2010, EastEnders: E20 material available via the EastEnders website and BBC iPlayer, including episodes, behind the scenes viedos and extra content, received 1.7 million views. By 19 February 2010, the episodes had 2.8 million views with additional content pushing the total to 3.3 million. Santer was reported to be "knocked out" by the figures, saying: "For our little side project, something that started life as an experiment, to go so big is very exciting. I'm delighted in particular that the 13 young London writers who wrote the series have reached such an audience with their first professional work." EastEnders: E20 official FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
fan page grew in membership from 100 to 5000 in a matter of hours after the spin-off started, and as of 19 February 2010, had over 16,000 fans. Yorke said that due to the popularity of the first series, they hoped to make further spin-offs. The first BBC Three omnibus edition on 23 April 2010 received 302,000 viewers and a 1.4% audience share according to overnight figures. by 13 October 2011, series 3 had gained viewing figures across both BBC Online and BBC Three of 1.2 million viewers, and a 50% increase in its online audience since it launched on 20 September 2011. Sathe commented: "I am thrilled to see E20 has sustained its position as a front-runner in online drama."
Grace Dent
Grace Dent
Grace Dent is an English journalist, author, and broadcaster. Dent writes mainly for The Guardian, where she has a weekly column on television, 'Grace Dent's TV-OD'. She also writes for magazines such as Tatler and Marie Claire. She writes a restaurant review column for the London Evening...
of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described the series as "rather brilliant", while Patrick Smith of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
called it "vibrant" and Tony Stewart of the Daily Mirror called Zsa Zsa an "impressive" character. However, website Watch With Mothers gave a negative review of the show, saying "there’s no need for it." After the first episode of series 2 was available, Scott Matthewman from The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
said "while it's good to have more black and minority ethnic characters in the Square, by concentrating on a very narrow age range of characters it'll make it all the harder for any new blood to effectively mesh into the full show."
In April 2011, EastEnders: E20 was nominated for a Webby Award in the Drama category. Sathe commented on this: "I am so proud of what we have achieved with EastEnders: E20, and to be nominated for a Webby proves how far the series has come." The show went on to win the award, on which Yorke stated, "To win such a prestigious award is a huge honour for all the team—and proof that the EastEnders brand is as brave and innovatory as it was when it first started, a quarter of a century ago."
See also
- EastEnders spin-offs
- List of teen dramas
- List of television programmes broadcast by the BBC
External links
- Godlypodly, Fatboy and Mercy's website from Series 1 Episode 1