How will the 40th anniversary episode of EastEnders, er, end? Viewers will be given the chance to vote on it, the BBC has announced.
Will Denise go back to her husband, Jack, or cleave instead to her old flame, Ravi? Ordinarily, EastEnders' writers would decide on the matter. But in a vaguely experimental first for the long-running soap opera, viewers will be given the chance to vote on Denise’s romantic fate.
This new, interactive angle is all part of EastEnders' 40th anniversary celebrations, which are due to kick off at some point in mid-February – the month the series first began in 1985. The result of the vote will be revealed in a special live anniversary episode, which will likely air on the week commencing 17th February.
What hasn’t been announced is how viewers will actually vote. In 1988, DC Comics set up a telephone number, allowing readers decide on the fate of Batman sidekick, Robin (civilian name: Jason Todd). Those readers subsequently – and rather harshly – voted that Robin should die. The resulting fate played out in the final issue of the A Death In The Family storyline.
Given it’s the 21st century, the BBC’s more likely to have viewers text their favoured EastEnders story route from their mobile phones, or maybe make their decision online.
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Alternatively, the corporation could take over local village halls and school gymnasiums and have the public vote the old-fashioned way with paper ballots shoved into black boxes. The results would then be counted on a live broadcast, with Jeremy Vine providing updates and tracking the numbers via a swingometer.
Voting would be extremely close, with 52 percent deciding that Denise should leave Jack and 48 percent declaring that she should remain. The result would create a societal rift for years afterwards, bringing down a succession of bosses at the BBC and greatly affecting the cost of imports.
“We’re all so excited to give our audience their first ever chance to decide how one of our big storylines plays out,” said EastEnders' producer Chris Clenshaw said in a BBC statement. “Their votes will determine whether Denise picks Jack or Ravi, with the outcome being revealed as part of our live episode. There is a lot to come over the next few weeks for all three involved, so it’ll be extremely exciting to see which way the audience choose to take the story!”
