EastEnders 40th Anniversary Week is a group of five episodes of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, broadcast on BBC One. Devised to celebrate the programme's 40th anniversary, the episodes were broadcast on each day from 17 to 20 February 2025, including a double episode on 19 February and a live episode on 20 February. During the episodes, which take place over the course of Billy (Perry Fenwick) and Honey Mitchell's (Emma Barton) wedding, Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) attempts suicide, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) learns that Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) was the culprit of her attack on the previous Christmas, Denise Fox (Diane Parish) chooses to rekindle her relationship with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) over Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) gives birth to a baby girl, Julia. The episodes also feature the Queen Victoria public house explosion, resulting in the deaths of Martin Fowler (James Bye) and Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman).
The episodes were directed by Lance Kneeshaw and produced by Chris Clenshaw. Bryan Kirkwood and Simon Ashdown respectively wrote the first two episodes on 17 and 18 February, whilst Kevin Rundle wrote the hour-long episode broadcast on 19 February. The live episode, the show's fourth overall and first since 2015, was written by Lauren Klee. After Bye told Clenshaw he planned to leave his role as Martin, Clenshaw decided to incorporate his departure into the live episode as Martin was an important character in the show's history. In a first for the show, viewers had an interactive role, as they were given the opportunity to choose which man Denise chooses to pursue a relationship with, out of Jack and Ravi. They were also given the choice of the name Sonia chooses for her daughter, between Julia and Toni, both names referring to the show's creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland. The results of both votes were revealed in the live episode, turning out to be Jack and Julia, respectively. To promote the anniversary, two documentaries were released that covered the show's history and cast members made appearances in other media.
The episodes were a ratings success, all receiving more than four million viewers and ranked in the week's top fifteen highest-viewed broadcasts. Critics praised Anita Dobson's cameo appearance as Angie Watts, the conclusion to Phil's mental health storyline, Bye and Lacey Turner's performances, Martin's death scene, and the lack of technical errors in the live broadcast; however, it did receive some criticism for being unrealistic.
Plot Episode 7068 (17 February 2025) As Billy (Perry Fenwick) and Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) celebrate their second wedding, the residents of Albert Square gather for the occasion. However, Billy's cousin Phil Mitchell's (Steve McFadden) struggles with depression and suicidal ideation persist, though he masks his pain in front of his brother, Grant (Ross Kemp). When Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley) raises concerns about Phil's mental state, Grant dismisses them. As Phil arranges suicide notes addressed to his loved ones, he is interrupted by his granddaughter, Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown), who asks for help writing a wedding speech. Meanwhile, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) remains adamant that her ex-husband Ian (Adam Woodyatt) was behind her attack on Christmas Day 2024. Her obsession with finding the truth leads her to cause a scene at the wedding reception in the Queen Victoria public house, resulting in her being thrown out. Desperate for revenge and fearful of her safety, she asks Phil for a gun, but he refuses. Unbeknownst to him, she later steals it from his safe. Later, Cindy breaks into the Beale family home in search of proof of Ian's guilt. There, she encounters an unseen figure holding her missing locket that she lost on the night of her attack, and promptly raises the stolen gun in their direction.
Episode 7069 (18 February 2025) Ian is found holding Cindy's locket but denies attacking her. His mother Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) then arrives and reveals that she was Cindy's attacker, blaming Cindy for negatively impacting Ian's life. A struggle ensues over the gun, resulting in Ian being shot in the arm. Cindy flees and hands the gun to Phil. Meanwhile, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) discovers Phil's suicide notes and enlists Grant and Nigel to help find him. They track him to The Arches, where they break in and find him preparing to take his own life with the gun. Elsewhere, Martin Fowler (James Bye) struggles with his feelings for both his ex-wife Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and current partner Ruby Allen (Louisa Lytton). Stacey confesses her love, but Martin rejects her. Meanwhile, Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman), on the run for murder, breaks into Bianca Jackson's (Patsy Palmer) home. She catches him, but he escapes. As Reiss attempts to flee, Cindy shoves Ian into his path, causing him to swerve and crash into The Queen Vic. The impact ignites nearby gas canisters, resulting in an explosion that collapses the pub's roof. George Knight (Colin Salmon) rescues Reiss from the wreckage and he escapes again.
Episode 7070/7071 (19 February 2025) Everyone inside the pub survives the explosion, and survivors inside escape through a shattered window. Martin helps several people out, but stays behind to try and rescue Stacey, who is trapped under debris in the bathroom. At the garage, Phil attempts to end his life but finds the gun is empty. Grant, overwhelmed by Phil's state, leaves to assist in the rescue efforts. Linda stays with Phil while Nigel convinces him to seek medical help, revealing that he has been secretly suffering from early-onset dementia. Firefighters arrive to secure the pub while the police continue searching for Reiss. Inside, Kathy, who was trapped under the bar with Cindy, escapes and pulls her to safety. Cindy, severely injured, is taken to the hospital. Martin rescues Stacey, but they are soon trapped by more debris. Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), whom nobody has realised is trapped on the staircase, has a vision of her deceased adoptive mother Angie (Anita Dobson) before Grant finds her and saves her. Meanwhile, cousins Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) and Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), both pregnant, are stuck in the kitchen as Sonia goes into labour. Bianca joins them and assists with the birth until Reiss, injured but desperate, blocks their escape. A struggle ensues with Bianca pushing him into a wall, causing the top floor to collapse with Reiss being crushed to death by a falling bathtub. Martin confesses his love to Stacey before the roof caves in, crushing his legs under a large beam.
Episode 7072 (20 February 2025, Live) Trapped under the beam, Martin shouts in agony as Stacey desperately tries to lift it. Lauren finds towels to wrap the baby in, while Bianca helps Sonia give birth. The baby is unresponsive at first, but Sonia revives her, breaking down in relief when she finally hears her daughter's cries. Outside, Linda encourages Denise, who is torn between pursuing a relationship with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) or Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), to choose the man who makes her happiest. Denise chooses Jack and they decide to give their marriage another chance. Survivors gather outside the pub to wait for news and encourage those who remain trapped. Inside, Martin confesses he never truly loved Ruby and proposes to Stacey, who accepts. As they dream of a fresh start away from Walford, medics warn Stacey that Martin is suffering from crush syndrome. Sonia, Lauren, and Bianca escape, and Sonia names her daughter Julia as Phil is admitted to a mental health hospital. When the firefighters lift the beam, Martin suffers a cardiac arrest and dies, despite paramedics' attempt to revive him. Stacey's anguished cries are heard by onlookers, leaving Ruby devastated.
Cast and characters
Production Origins In an interview with Digital Spy in October 2023, EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw confirmed that production for a 40th anniversary celebration for the soap was underway. During creation, Clenshaw cited the theme of community pushing through hardship as a key topic for the week. On 9 September 2024, the BBC announced that the show would broadcast a live episode to celebrate the occasion. The episode would be part of a "special week" of episodes to celebrate the milestone. This would be the fourth occasion of a live broadcast for the soap, and the eighth individual episode to be broadcast live. The episode also marked the serial's first one in ten years; with the last incident being a special live week in 2015 for the conclusion of the "Who Killed Lucy Beale?" storyline. The air date was set for February 2025, with the episode to be filmed and broadcast from the BBC Elstree Centre. The upcoming episode was also set to be the first interactive episode in the show's history, as viewers would be able to vote on the outcome of a storyline. Clenshaw said that the 40th anniversary would be a "milestone event" for the soap. Clenshaw disclosed that the episode had been planned for weeks prior to the announcement and kept details of the episode's plot a tight secret, but promised viewers it would be "full of drama and surprises" and "an unmissable week full of shocking twists that will change Albert Square, and the lives of those who live in it, forever".
Cast
Upon the announcement, Clenshaw addressed that the show had begun bringing characters back for stints and promised more to build up to the week of the anniversary. Shortly before, it was reported that actress Louisa Lytton would be returning to her role as Ruby Allen after three years of absence. In December 2024, it was announced that the anniversary would feature a return of Paul Bradley as Nigel Bates after more than 26 years. The trend of returning characters continued when it was confirmed that Ross Kemp was returning to his role as Grant Mitchell for a short stint covering the anniversary, in which he was teased to play a "significant role". In an unannounced surprise, Anita Dobson reprised her role as Angie Watts on the 19 February episode, a cameo appearance 37 years after the character's departure.
After James Bye told Clenshaw that he wanted to leave his role as Martin Fowler, Clenshaw decided that the character had earned a significant, dramatic exit as Martin was the first character to be born on-screen, so decided to have the character killed off in the live episode. Cast members expressed mixed emotions towards filming a live broadcast. At the 29th National Television Awards, cast members Diane Parish and Scott Maslen were asked about the upcoming anniversary. As both had starred in previous live episodes for the soap, Parish admitted she was "a bit terrified" to do another one while Maslen, having incorrectly delivered a line in the 25th anniversary live episode, expressed stress. Jacqueline Jossa voiced excitement to film another, opining: "there are many things that EastEnders does well and a live episode is definitely one of them". Perry Fenwick said he was "terrified" to feature in a live broadcast, having exclusively worked on EastEnders for years. Harriet Thorpe commented that "everyone [was] anxious" to record a live episode, but called it "thrilling and exciting" due to her past theatre experience. Adam Woodyatt recalled that after the cast read the scripts for the first time, the cast's collective feeling was a bewildered "what the fuck?" as they were unsure how the live element would be filmed. Jessie Wallace's character Kat Slater was absent from the week in the first three episodes; she later returned during the live episode, explaining that she had been out of town for a few hours.
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