BBC Celebrating EastEnders 40th Anniversary with Live Episode

A special episode of EastEnders is slated to broadcast live from BBC Elstree Centre in February in honor of the soap opera’s 40th anniversary.

Leading up to the live episode, viewers are able to vote on the fate of Denise Fox, deciding whether she reunites with her estranged husband Jack or picks her secret lover Ravi Gulati. The winning storyline will play out during the live episode.

“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,” said Chris Clenshaw, executive producer. “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. 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. Whilst 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.”

Also in honor of the series’ 40th anniversary, Ross Kemp will be reprising his role as Grant Mitchell, a character who joined the show nearly 35 years ago. With Grant’s brother Phil currently struggling, his estranged best friend Nigel back on the Square, and his ex-wife Sharon now dating his long-lost cousin, Grant’s return will bring lots of drama.

In addition, the 40th anniversary week will unveil the identity of Cindy’s Christmas Day attacker. The perpetrator of the attack is currently unknown, but at the time of the event, Cindy has more than one enemy, having torn the Beale and Knight families apart with her affair.