I love watching Eastenders and have done so for the last 16 years. However, as a resident of East London, I find the Eastenders experience to be more reminiscent of a visit to the theme park than East London!! This is so for numerous reasons. For starters, the area (Walford) that it portrays does not in any way, resemble reality. Walford, strangely, seems devoid of the monolithic multi-storey council flats and instead, is full of Georgian and Victorian terraces. There are no tramps in the park-benches, no traffic and most importantly, the racial mixture of Walford in no way reflects any part of London. The attempts to portray the racial mix have included Sanjay, Geeta and their respective in-laws, a regular dreadlocked market-trader and a gay doctor (two birds with one stone there). There is just the one pub where the weather outside does not reflect the time of the day that the episode is reflecting. There will be sunlight coming through the windows of Queen Vic at 8.30 pm in the Winter. Everyone who is someone in Walford owns a business that they share with someone else (usually Phil Mitchell). In addition, the residents of Walford only go to a few places
`up West' and `Manchester' and on special occasions, Spain. The final case for weirdness is that in some way, all residents of the square are `related' to each other. However, this drama is a true gem. This is because Eastenders is ironic comedy. The program, in its own unique way, is a short trip away from the reality of inner city. The residents never whinge about traffic, the value of the pound, the cost of living, about a mean boss at work (except where Phil Mitchell is concerned) and they don't use cars although there is a successful motor garage in the Arches. The characters that join the program grow on you by winning your affection or ire. The show is simple and focuses on the trials and tribulations faced by any human. The dilemmas presented are ones that most people will have the (mis)fortune of facing in their lives. This is a truly addictive show that never fails to put a smile on my face (albeit wry sometimes). Watch it a few times and you are in'.
Review of EastEnders
