EastEnders has announced that there will be another live episode of the show next year – with a major
twist. To mark the soap’s 40th anniversary in February 2025, there will be an
episode which is broadcast fully live from BBC Elstree Centre.
But this time, the soap is introducing another layer of jeopardy and is handing over some of the power to the audience, who will decide the outcome of one storyline.
During the much-anticipated anniversary week, there will be an interactive element where the viewers will be able to choose their desired outcome of a love story.
Details of the storyline, including just who that love story involves, remain under wraps for now, but the couple’s fate will remain firmly in the hands of the viewers.
The chosen outcome will then play out during the live episode, with the cast and crew prepared to adapt the scene to reflect the result that is voted for by the public.
On this big announcement, executive producer Chris Clenshaw said: “The 40th anniversary is a milestone event for EastEnders, and we have been planning this week for a long time to ensure that it’s a week full of drama and surprises.
“In fact, as our regular audience will know, we have already seen the return of familiar faces and have many more nods to our history to come, which will all build up to our momentous anniversary week.”
He continued: “This time, as well as going live, we are adding an extra twist and for the very first time in the history of the show, and as a gift to the viewers, we are giving the audience the power to have their say in choosing the outcome of one of our storylines.
“While we’re still keeping the finite details of the 40th close to our chest, I can promise that it will be an unmissable week full of shocking twists that will change Albert Square, and the lives of those who live in it, forever.”
EastEnders first went live back in 2010 for the show’s 25th anniversary, where it was revealed that it was Stacey Slater who killed Archie Mitchell.
The show’s most recent live episode was to celebrate 30 years of EastEnders in 2015 with a set of five episodes which had live elements, amid the ‘who killed Lucy Beale’ storyline
