eastenders set tour 2022

EastEnders planning HUGE set expansion with exciting new locations

The EastEnders set is getting a facelift with some exciting new locations.

EastEnders is expanding its set with a new backlot stage to accommodate fresh filming locations.

According to The Sun , the soap is reportedly hoping to add three new sets to the backlot, which is located where the old Albert Square was, along with a huge warehouse set, a parade of shops and houses, and nine shipping containers in a bid to expand their filming locations.

EastEnders also reportedly want to revamp the park to take advantage of the old railings from the previous Albert Square set for the fencing. Meanwhile, the allotment will also get a special renovation treatment as it will be expanded so that there is more outdoor green space for filming.

This planning application is for structures and facades to sit on the previous Albert Square lot. This will maximise the use of the area and provide additional filming locations on-site for the EastEnders team, reducing the need for crew to go off-site for filming and increasing the creative opportunities for production and writers.

In 2018, the soap had a huge renovation project and these upcoming plans are part of that existing funding. 

A BBC spokesperson said: “These plans are part of the continued redevelopment of the Elstree site and sit within the existing budget as set out in 2018.”

The new-look Albert Square aired on our screens in March 2022 and the set's facelift was done so that it would enable improved HD filming and allow new areas to be explored on screen, giving writers, producers and directors more creative freedom. 

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The former Albert Square was built in 1984, ready for the soap’s launch the following year. But it was only ever intended to be used for two years and is no longer fit for purpose.

A source reportedly revealed to The Sun: “Bosses don’t want the old set to go to waste when there’s so much that can be done with it for Walford.

“It’s going to open up the soap’s world even more for more drama and more high-stakes storylines. Corrie  and Emmerdale both have huge sets and expansions and with this there’s no danger EastEnders will be left behind.”

Coronation Street also expanded their set last year as they unveiled the renowned Weatherfield Precinct , complete with shops and flats.

EastEnders  airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our  TV Guide  for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on  BBC iPlayer  now. 

Grace is a freelancer writer with WhatToWatch.com, and she now writes for our sister site TechRadar. She graduated from Anglia Ruskin University in 2020 with a degree in Writing and Film Studies, which only made her love for creative writing, film and TV grow stronger.

You'll usually find her watching the drama unfold in the latest reality series or much-loved UK soaps (usually with chocolate by her side!). She's an expert in EastEnders, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and everything reality-related from Selling Sunset and Married At First Sight UK to 90 Day Fiancé UK. Plus Netflix megahit Virgin River!

Grace also likes to explore new places with her friends and family and, of course, watch and read about the latest films and TV series. 

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EastEnders confirms plans to expand set with new locations

The plans will develop the existing Elstree site.

EastEnders bosses have confirmed plans to continue expanding its set, with redevelopment set to take place at the BBC's Elstree site.

The planned expansion will see new structures and facades placed onto the soap's previous Albert Square lot, including a new warehouse location and a collection of shops and houses.

"The new plans are part of the continued redevelopment of the Elstree site and sit within the existing budget," a BBC spokesperson confirmed to Digital Spy .

Related: EastEnders' Callum has bombshell affair discovery

The plans will provide additional filming locations on-site for EastEnders cast and crew, allowing for creative opportunities for production and writers as well as reducing the need for crew to film off-site.

Redevelopment of the previous Albert Square site comes a year after the soap moved to a brand-new set.

The new, upgraded set sits opposite the previous site at Elstree Studios, allowing for the soap to be filmed in HD. The old set, which had been built in 1984, had only been intended for two years of use.

EastEnders aren't the only soap to receive an upgrade either, with fellow show Coronation Street unveiling a brand-new location last year.

Related: EastEnders duo share message amid baby loss story

The redevelopment plans follow an exciting year ahead on Albert Square, after the soap's anniversary episode teased a huge death twist coming this Christmas.

Show boss Chris Clenshaw expanded on the decision to include the flashforward , explaining that storyline will being to come together across 2023.

"As we saw in the flashforward scene, there are six women stood over a dead body, which we know is male. Over the next ten months, expect to see each of these women have huge stories, involving potential victims, which will all collide at Christmas," he said.

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer.

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This map reveals how to visit the set of TV shows like EastEnders and Only Fools and Horses from your sofa

Have some fun touring the locations of London TV landmarks

• 11:58, 3 JUN 2020

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We may be stuck in our houses, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy a lot of things virtually.

In fact, it means we can make time to do things we've always wanted to do but have never made time for - such as a studio tour of our favourite TV shows .

There are a whole host of top TV classics filmed around London, from EastEnders and Only Fools and Horses to Sherlock and Outnumbered.

For more news and features about London directly to your inbox sign up to our newsletter here .

An now you can visit the set from the comfort of your own home.

UKTV Play has mapped the filming locations of our most beloved London-based TV shows and compiled a guide to how you can tour the sets without leaving your house.

EastEnders - Borehamwood

If you’re missing your regular soaps and limited episodes just aren’t enough, there is a way to visit the set of EastEnders without breaking any government guidelines.

EastEnders’ fictional borough of Walford is actually filmed in Borehamwood, and you can take a nosy around the set on Google maps here and also visit the set via a virtual guided tour on YouTube .

Only Fools and Horses - Acton

Del Boy and Rodney might be known for living in Peckham but the actual tower used for the exterior shots on the show is based in Acton.

Although it was the tower was to be demolished in 2019, fans of the show can still visit it virtually using Google maps here .

Sherlock - Euston

Although the fictional address of Sherlock Holmes is well known as 221B Baker Street in the hit BBC series, the exterior shots were actually filmed right near Euston Square.

To take a tour of the familiar exterior buildings fans can explore the area using Google maps here .

Absolutely Fabulous - Holland Park

Edwina’s house on the popular show AbFab is set in Holland Park and exterior shots for the programme were filmed in the same area.

These were different locations to the ones used in the film which were in Hampstead. You can explore the AbFab house here .

As Time Goes By - Holland Park

Also filmed in the AbFab location was the romantic sitcom which aired from 1992 to 2005 was filmed and set in and around London.

Most of the exterior shots were filmed in Holland Park, and you can explore the exterior location used for Lionel’s flat here .

Other filming locations of our favourite TV shows

Holby City - Borehamwood

As well as fictional Walford, the hit hospital drama was set up in North London, right by Barnet.

Outnumbered - Wandsworth

Possibly the most relatable show ever was set and filmed in a nice semi-detached, three floor house in Wandsworth.

The Bill - Colliers Wood

The fictional Borough of Canley, policed by officers in The Bill, is more like Tower Hamlets - and Sun Hill police station was even once stated as being in Wapping. However, it was filmed in Colliers Wood.

Like the My EastEnders Fans page

For all the latest EastEnders gossip, spoilers, quizzes and nostalgia from MyLondon, just like our dedicated Facebook page .

We'll bring you the latest from the soap so you never miss a thing.

You can also follow us on Twitter .

Ashes to Ashes - Bermondsey

Set and filmed in Bermondsey, Southwark and Lewisham were actually the first places that were scouted as locations. It was perfect as the area looked a little more dated, and wasn't as busy or built up as boroughs north of the river.

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BBC Elstree Centre

Entrance to BBC Elstree Centre, 2010

Studios at Elstree Elstree was a major centre for film production from the early days of cinema. There’s a great deal of confusion about which studios at Elstree were used for which movies / TV shows.

This page covers  BBC Elstree Centre  (also known as Clarendon Road Studios, Neptune Studios, Rock Studios, National Studios, ATV Studios, Central TV Studios).  The location has been used for movie / TV production since 1914 and has been the home of BBC Soap ‘Eastenders’ since 1985 (see below)

Unfortunately there are  no public tours of the Eastenders Sets or of the studio itself at any time .

This gritty and groundbreaking BBC soap opera has been based at the BBC Elstree Centre since day one back in 1985. The soap is based in the fictional London borough of Walford in the east end. The Albert Square permanent exterior set was designed by the late Keith Harris, the senior designer in the EastEnders production team. Extensions including a fictional Tube station have been added over the years. In 2014 it was announced that a new, 20% larger exterior set would be built for EastEnders, within the BBC Elstree Centre grounds. Following planning permission, construction work took place in 2015 & 2016 to prepare the new site. Although it was originally planned to have the new sets operational by 2018, it’s now believed that part of the set will be available from 2019, with the entire development not complete until 2020.

Tours of EastEnders:

Unfortunately there are no public tours of the Eastenders Sets or of the studio itself at any time . This has never been possible due to the production schedule and additional security concerns. Please do not contact this website about tours, as there are none available. Some BBC facilities offer tours (but NOT this location) so please check the BBC Tours website for more information. 

The Eastenders exterior sets with studio buildings beyond – Aerial photo from Windows Live Local

BBC Elstree Centre sign (2010)

More information about the facilities at BBC Elstree Centre

Other studios in the elstree area;.

• Elstree Film Studios  (also known as Shenley Road Studios, British International Pictures, Associated British Pictures, EMI Elstree Studios, Cannon Elstree Studios, Goldcrest Studios, Elstree Film & TV Studios)
• Millenium Studios
• Gate Studios  (also known as Station Road Studios)
• Danziger Studios  (also known as New Elstree Studios)
• MGM Borehamwood  (also known as Elstree Way Studios)

History of the BBC Elstree Centre site

Percy Nash and John East, early British filmmakers, built Neptune Studios at Boreham Wood, near Elstree village. Although conveniently close to London, it was far enough away from the metropolis that the air was clear of smog and traffic fumes. One of the stages was over 70 feet in length and was described as the first ‘dark’ stage in Europe as it had no glazed roof and relied totally on artificial illumination.

Neptune Studios closes due to World War 1, and the site is bought by the Ideal Film Company.

Ideal Films moves out of the premises.

Ludwig Blattner, inventor of an early sound recording system, took over the studios, making them the last in the Elstree area to be converted for sound recording.

The studios are leased by Joe Rock, an American producer, the same year as Blattner committed suicide.

Joe Rock buys the studios outright (now known as  Rock Studios ) and constructs the four main stages, still in use today as studios A-D. This major investment ensured the future use of the studios for many years to come.

The Rock Studios are taken over by  British National Films , and almost immediately, the studios are taken over by the government for war dutues. After the war British National Films continued to make films on the site, now known as  National Studios .

The studios go dark for five years.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr buys the studios. He uses the four stages to make filmed TV programmes for the American company NBC. His initial contract was for an astonishing 39 films as well as many commercials. Many of the short films made for the US market were shown in the UK as part of  Douglas Fairbanks Presents  from 1955 .

May: Lew Grade’s  ATV  purchases the former National Film Studios.

One by one the four studios are brought into use as (at the time) state-of-the-art television studios. Many classic TV series used the ATV facilities:  Robin Hood ,  Lancelot ,  The Saint  (with Roger Moore),  The Persuaders  and TV specials for stars such as Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones. Later,  The Muppet Show started life here, along with  Emergency Ward 10 ,  The Plane Makers ,  The Power Game ,  Sergeant Cork ,  The Golden Shot  (game show),  Sapphire and Steel ,  Tiswas  (Saturday morning kids show) and the first 13 episodes of  Carry on Laughing .

ATV lost it’s London TV franchise and was reshaped into Central TV. Central remained at Elstree while their new facilities in Nottingham were constructed. Many staff (and much equipment) moved to Nottingham when the studios there were finished.  Auf Wiedersehen Pet  filmed at the studio in the meantime.

16th January – The official documents are signed, transferring ownership of the site to the BBC, and it’s renamed  The BBC Elstree Centre . Popular BBC shows including  Grange Hill ,  Top of the Pops  and  Kilroy  move to the new site. The backlot area formerly used as the  Auf Wiedersehen Pet  building site is used to construct the exterior Albert Square sets for  EastEnders .

19 February:  Eastenders  debuts on BBC1 television, and the Albert Square sets are seen for the first time.

Holby City , a spin-off of BBC medical drama  Casualty  (filmed in Bristol) starts filming at Elstree, using Neptune House, one of the existing BBC office buildings, as the hospital.

The Times reports that Eastenders may shift production to another location (e.g. Pinewood Studios) due to the deteriorating quality of the 25 year old sets at Elstree. The original sets were never designed for this length of run, and under the unforgiving HD cameras, the fake brickwork and wooden walls are beginning to be very obvious. >  Link to The Times article 

Eastenders is to remain at Elstree ‘for the foreseeable future’, with sets being upgraded when necessary.

Work is underway to prepare a new site slightly east of the existing location for an expanded Albert Square, with higher quality sets, some of which may be practical. Build cost is believed to be £15million. > Link to The Guardian article about the move > Link to Metro article about delays to the work

The BBC begins the process of selling the studio property to French insurance company Axa. A 25-year lease will be in place for the BBC to lease back part of the facilities to continue to film there. The purchase is due to complete in 2024.  > Link to Financial Times article about the sale

• http://www.elstree.co.uk/index.php?page=history
• http://avengerland.theavengers.tv/studios/defaut.htm
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/
• http://www.doctorwholocations.net/locations/bbcelstree
• http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk

Productions shot at BBC Elstree Centre

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Inside EastEnders’ eerie abandoned set left to ruin after soap moves to new £87m location

• Ellie Henman
• Published : 15:00, 16 Mar 2022
• Updated : 16:29, 16 Mar 2022

EASTENDERS’ fans can now look inside the abandoned set after the BBC moved to their brand new £87million location.

Soap bosses upped sticks earlier this year and are now producing the world famous series from the BBC’s Elstree Centre .

The EastEnders set was deemed no longer fit for purpose back in 2016 and work began on the multi-million pound new location which is suitable for HD filming.

It was originally built when the show launched in 1984 .

The set was only intended to be used for two years but the production continued there for decades.

Workmen were photographed taking down parts of the set at the beginning of the year.

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These new photographs reveal the set is now completely empty – aside from equipment boxes and old props.

Fans had not before seen inside the The Queen Vic’s famous bar - as inside scenes took place at another location - and it's not much to write home about.

Inside the room which sit behind the famous boozer's frontage are just a worn old bar and pieces of wood.

Kathy’s Café is also unrecognisable on the inside and fans will not have seen before the empty shell.

Wires hang down from the ceiling and rubbish litters the floors and window sills.   

Mitchell & Panesar Autos, or as fans know it as The Arches , has hardly changed from the outside.

But after stepping through the doors all the props have been taken away – with just a plastic chair and some old wall insulation left behind.

Elsewhere on the now desolate set, props left behind by the team have been abandoned in crates.

Bottles of milk and cans from the minute mart have been stacked to one side, alongside boxes of wires.

Remnants of old episodes can also be seen, with instructions scrawled onto one of the set walls about not removing props needed for a live episode.

The gym at 9 Turpin Road, known recently as being called Crunch Time, still remain standing.

But rather than running machines inside there are wrapped up props and traffic cones.

On The Spot Cash pawnbrokers has wooden boards lying outside it while Coker & Sons Funeral Directors appears largely untouched.

Walford East Tube Station also appears to have been left almost entirely intact, with the cash machine, newspaper stands and phones still standing.

The police station, the polish delicatessen and the main square are also still in good nick.

EastEnders ’ new updated set is an almost identical replica and includes additions like a block of flats and a railway tunnel.

Announcing the move previously, the BBC said in a statement: “The set of EastEnders was built in 1984 and only intended for use for two years

“Over 30 years later, the show remains one of the BBC’s flagship programmes and yet is filming from a set that is no longer fit for purpose.

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“The new set will be suitable for HD filming for the first time and extend Walford to better reflect modern East End London.”

Filming in the new set started at the start in January and fans can expect to see scenes filmed there in the coming weeks.

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Where is the EastEnders set and can you visit it?

The square is so iconic that it received a special royal visit

• Published : 16:44, 8 Aug 2024
• Updated : 17:54, 8 Aug 2024
• Published : Invalid Date,

ALBERT SQUARE is synonymous with the London and, of course, the East End.

But where is the real set and can Eastenders fans visit the Queen Vic in person?

Where is the EastEnders set?

The real-life Walford is a little bit further out than the fictional square's E20 postcode might suggest.

The actual set is in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, but fans might be surprised to know that there are actual two Albert Squares.

The new Albert Square opened in 2022 and cost a staggering £87 million to build, despite being just up the road from the old Albert Square.

However, the BBC are reportedly planning to sell the set back to insurance giant Axa.

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The BBC confirmed that filming will still take place on the new set, despite the sale.

The set has hosted many celebrity guests and has even had a royal visit from King Charles III and Queen Camila for the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.

Few sets have been home to such drama as this BBC set.

Fans may remember the infamous "you-aint-my-muvva!" scene or the Who Killed Lucy? plotline that gripped the nation in 2014.

Where is the Walford East tube stop?

Of course, Walford East tube stop is based in (where else?) the East End of London.

The actual London Underground stop does not exist, though, and instead replaces Bromley-by-Bow on the map.

Bromley-by-Bow is on the District line and Hammersmith and City line.

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The show suggests that the Walford postcode is E20, since the E postcode used to only go up to 18.

However, E20 is now shared by the fictional Walford and the real-life Olympic Park (as of right now Tom Daley or Rebecca Adlington are yet to make appearances on the Square).

Can you visit?

Unfortunately, fans can't visit the Eastenders set because of the show's constant filming schedule.

The iconic stars of the square, such as the queen of leopard print Kat Slater can film up to 20-30 scenes per day.

This gruelling schedule doesn't leave time to meet fans, but eager viewers can get a glimpse of Albert Square from a hidden park.

To visit, fans need to take a Thameslink train to Borehamwood.

Once there, they'll have to use their sleuthing skills to find Clarendon Park.

In the park, you just need to look up to catch a glimpse of Albert Square's rooftops and maybe even overhear some of the filming.

• TV explainers

Documenting the sets of Britain's favourite television programmes

The old set: proudly captured, in full, before demolition. Enjoy!

BOREHAMWOOD, HERTFORDSHIRE PHOTOGRAPHED IN 2017 & 2022

The EastEnders set was, and still is, based at the BBC Elstree Centre in Borehamwood. Upon purchasing the former Neptune Studios from ATV (later, Central) in 1983, the BBC demolished ITV’s Auf Wiedersehen, Pet [series one] set and replaced it with Albert Square (and Bridge Street) in 1984, making EastEnders the first BBC serial to be given its own permanent backlot. Londonist provides an excellent account of the set’s conception.

Check out the full set of construction images in the BBC Photo Library .

During the 1990s, the lot was extended to include George Street, Turpin Road shops, Walford East tube station, and Walford Community Centre, with studio filming moving into the newly created Stage 1. The early 2000s also saw some additions to the set, including a backlot production gallery, Walford Police Station and Victoria Square, and a new street using commercial façades at the rear of 18-20 Albert Square (former B&B) and 55 Victoria Road. These two houses were themselves added onto the original Albert Square build in around 1990.

HARDCORE FACT: The set was only ever intended to be used for two years and had become weathered and unsafe some 30 years later, despite ongoing maintenance work and projects such as the 2007 Queen Vic refurbishment. In fact, Martin Kempton reports on his excellent website that the backlot cameras were eventually switched from HD to SD so that crumbling bits of set became harder for viewers to spot!

As a permanent solution, the BBC developed plans to build a ‘Front Lot’ to replace what is now known as the ‘Back Lot’. This project, codenamed E20 after the programme’s fictional postcode, was announced in 2013 with a forecasted completion date of 2018. However, this was pushed back to 2020 in 2015 and it wasn’t until January 2022 that filming finally began on the new Front Lot. Further sets representing wider Walford are planned for the cleared Back Lot, however the future of this is now uncertain.

My first visit to EastEnders was in 2017, before revisiting in 2022 to see the Back Lot in its abandoned state. Wanting to capture everything I possibly could, I stayed for a while before the British weather hit. As I headed for shelter, I spotted some people in the distance looking as if they were heading straight for me (probably not, but the adrenaline kicked in) so I made my way to the nearest door for cover, which happened to have some flashing red lights on it.

Panicked, I ignored the lights and headed inside, only to realise that a scene was underway. So I quickly made myself scarce by heading up a small spiral staircase into a viewing gallery, looking out over the indoor sets before making my escape upon hearing “that’s a wrap”.

As I left the studios, about a dozen security guards had flocked around the gates and a police car pulled up outside. To this day, I don’t know if they were there for me although I was reliably informed after the fact that the BBC weren’t too pleased. If you’re reading this, Aunty Beeb, I’m sorry.

As of June 2023, the Back Lot has been demolished in line with the below demolition plan, sourced from an ecological assessment by GS Ecology:

It was announced in January 2024 that the BBC Elstree Centre will be sold to investment managers, AXA IM Alts, in early 2025. The half of the site which houses EastEnders will be leased back to the BBC until at least 2050, with the other half set to be transformed into a new film and television studio complex.

As some of the EastEnders studios are on the half of the site that will not be leased back to the BBC, EastEnders has now taken up residence in Stages 5 & 6 of Elstree Studios across the road. Incidentally, with the last-standing original stages (7, 8 and 9) being demolished due to structural issues and asbestos contamination, Stages 5 & 6 are the only TV-sized stages left at Elstree Studios.

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Major EastEnders star set to exit after two years

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Nish Panesar ( Navin Chowdhry ) is set to leave EastEnders .

The evil character made his arrival in 2022 after being released from prison. Partner to Suki Panesar ( Balvinder Sopal ) at the time, it wasn’t long until a storyline began that focused on Nish’s controlling an abusive behaviour towards the beloved character.

Alongside this plot, Suki began to develop feelings for Eve Unwin ( Heather Peace ). As she slowly started to embrace the person she had wanted to be for many years, Suki decided to begin a relationship with Eve, which meant standing up to Nish and ending their marriage.

On Christmas Day in 2023, Suki became part of The Six, a group of women who were in the Queen Vic pub witnessing Denise Fox ( Diane Parish ) attack Nish and Linda Carter ( Kellie Bright ) kill Keanu Taylor.

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Earlier this year, Nish returned to Walford after allowing Suki and the Panesars to believe he had disappeared for good. He dropped the bombshell that he has a heart condition and is dying but at first, no-one believed him.

After Nish collapsed and was rushed to hospital, the Panesar clan realised he was telling the truth when a doctor confirmed he needs a heart transplant, but may not live long enough to actually get one.

Health storyline aside, Nish is a villain, so he was always going to leave the BBC One soap eventually. Now though, his exit is being teased, with a source telling The Sun it’s currently unknown whether he will die as a result of his heart diagnosis, or leave another way.

‘It’s not known if Nish will be killed off, even though his health is suffering, but expect the exit to be very impactful and dramatic’, they said.

‘Navin has made quite the impact on the show in the two years he has been a part of it, especially as a key part of the huge Christmas storyline with The Six. He’ll be missed by cast, crew and viewers alike.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted EastEnders for a comment.

Elsewhere, the 40th anniversary of EastEnders, which will air in February, will  also include a soap first  – the power of deciding the outcome of one storyline will be bestowed onto the audience.

Follow Metro Soaps on WhatsApp and get all the latest spoilers first!

Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who’s leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale?

Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews.

Simply   click on this link , select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers!

While details are scarce at the moment, we do know that the interactive element will involve your opinion on the desired outcome of a love story – but who?

The outcome will play out during a  live  episode as those on and off-screen adapt to the result of the public vote.

Exciting times for EastEnders fans!

MORE : ‘Thank god I found you’ Beth Cordingly declares love for real-life partner who is an Emmerdale legend

MORE : Sean Wilson breaks silence for the first time since sudden Coronation Street exit

MORE : Suki Panesar shocked by Nish’s latest move in EastEnders – and this time he might be winning

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EastEnders Meet and Greet Tickets and Dates

Sorry, there are no shows for EastEnders Meet and Greet right now.

Past EastEnders Meet and Greet Events

Sun 26 Jun 2016 EastEnders Meet and Greet - 4pm BBC Elstree Studios, Borehamwood

Sun 26 Jun 2016 EastEnders Meet and Greet - 2pm BBC Elstree Studios, Borehamwood

Sun 26 Jun 2016 EastEnders Meet and Greet - 12pm BBC Elstree Studios, Borehamwood