The changing faces of Walford

With the new guy in town Bryan Kirkwood wielding his axe over Albert Square and some characters retiring we are soon to say goodbye to some old and some not so very old Walford residents. The new EastEnders Executive Producer is having a big ‘spring clean’ of the soap and obviously not all the decisions will be popular with everybody as he continues to sweep more characters away and bring new characters in.

So while we are thinking about characters leaving the show in the present time, hypothetically, I wonder what would happen in the future or even the near future if the more well established cast members suddenly decided to move on to other things, retire from acting or perhaps even get axed. Most be leaving behind legacies (and in some cases maybe even bodies?) For instance if in a few years let’s say that long serving and well loved residents like Dot & Pat followed Peggy and left the Square. They would be hard to simply ‘replace’, but there are bound to be new or existing characters that perhaps will become similar to them over time. Sometimes it’s not so obvious on-screen, but you can see some of the new actors that have arrived on the Square over the years have begun over time to discreetly exhibit the traits and mannerisms of more established characters.

Obviously as time goes on and some of the longest serving cast members get much older it is inevitable that they will eventually want to move on. So it seems we will just have to get used to new characters coming in like those from the E20 spin off programme that have joined the EastEnders ranks. Walford Web recently reported another new addition called Jodie Gold played by young actress Kylie Babbington who will be arriving on the Square in June. Reports suggest that Jodie will become a new love interest in Darren Millers life.

It will be interesting to see how the newer members of the cast develop over time and if they can match the legendary status of some of the longest serving characters we know so well.

Roxy – is she really the new Peggy?

So when we think about ‘replacements’ – we more or less have a prominent one in place already. Roxy Mitchell took over as the new landlady of the Queen Vic pub taking over the job of the very dedicated and legendary Peggy Mitchell. Roxy was left a £3m estate by the late Archie which she has since invested wisely in daily drinks on the house for customers and recently a bubble spa bath mat (with disco lighting).

It didn’t take long before the power went to Roxy’s head and much to Peggy’s dismay and heartache changes were made to the Queen Vic that Roxy said would “attract the younger crowd” – we all know how well that went. Despite Peggy’s attempts to join in and ‘get down with the youngsters’ she came to the conclusion that she was no longer Queen of the Vic and Roxy had taken over. However Roxy has been more accommodating to Peggy in recent times and considers that even though it’s her pub - Peggy remains an important part of it.

So will the new landlady last? Roxy has been throwing her cash around like Victoria Beckham and her bank balance is going down quicker than a double-decker bus in quick sand. With her scheming brother Danny as ‘acting financial advisor’ (and let’s face it you might as well trust a bank robber with your money) the bank of Archie will soon run dry. If things keep on going as they are we may see Roxy lose all her money and end up having to sell the pub – but to whom??

It will certainly be very sad to see Barbara Windsor go. Her character has become a well loved legendary icon and Peggy has had some very sad but also some very funny moments while at the helm of the good ship Vic over the years. Who could forget that double slap she gave to Pat & Frank – I’m told it’s a big hit (no pun intended) with Enders fans on YouTube. It would seem unlikely Peggy will be killed off (It would be a very unpopular decision by the EastEnders production team for many fans if this was the case!) and instead it seems more likely she will leave gracefully allowing the possibility of return appearances in the future.

He’s more like Del Boy than Alan Sugar - but what if Walford’s long time resident businessman Ian Beale left for good?

So who would become the natural ‘new’ Ian Beale type of character if for whatever reason he left Walford? It would be hard (and perhaps worrying) for most Albert Square residents to contemplate another Ian Beale type of person to deal with. Some know him as a tight fisted, manipulative and downright mean businessman – others refer to him as more like Mr Bean. Recently when he treated Jane he got out the credit card from the bottom of a cupboard and dusted it off after spending ages looking for it – this just about sums up his generosity!

His son Peter certainly looks very much like him but when it comes to business the similarities mainly end there. His daughter Lucy however has definitely inherited his mean business acumen and could sniff out a fiver in a force nine gale. In the future EastEnders we might even see Lucy taking over the Beale ‘empire’ perhaps serving up chips, keeping Billy Mitchell in line or working behind the café counter - who knows?

Of course there is already a fledging businessman in Albert Square namely Darren Miller, played by Charlie G. Hawkins. He seems to have the drive and enthusiasm to become Walford’s next big entrepreneur. He’s got the gift of the gab and knows his stuff – unfortunately for him it just doesn’t always work out for the best. Darren has a lot of personal troubles on his plate but then so did Ian Beale when he first started out. He certainly seems to be a similar character to Ian Beale - but perhaps with a little more friendliness!

Would we be better or worse off without them?

There are some characters in the soap that most of us simply couldn’t imagine not being there. Of course there are viewers who could name other characters on EastEnders that they wish were not there at all! Not all of these characters will be around forever and it does make you think what EastEnders would do without the current popular figures of Albert Square. There is certainly talent and potential in the newer characters, it is just a case of waiting to see how they develop.

With all the big changes you could forgive the entire EastEnders cast new or old for feeling very unsure of their futures at Elstree. So if in the near future Dot goes who is going to spread the good word and all the gossip? And what will B&Q do with all those excess shower curtain rings when Pat Butcher goes? Only time will tell.

© 2010 Matt Conder.