| "EastEnders Live" | |
|---|---|
| EastEnders episode | |
 Stacey Slater confesses to killing Archie Mitchell | |
| Episode no. | Episode 3952 |
| Directed by | Clive Arnold |
| Written by | Simon Ashdown |
| Produced by | Diederick Santer |
| Production code | DRAB183J[1] |
| Original air date | 19 February 2010 |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
"EastEnders Live" is a live episode of the British television soap opera EastEnders, broadcast on BBC One on 19 February 2010. It was also simulcast to Irish viewers on RTÉ One. The episode was commissioned as part of the show's 25th anniversary celebrations, and was the first EastEnders episode to be broadcast live. It was the series' 3,952nd episode,[2] and was written by Simon Ashdown, directed by Clive Arnold and produced by Diederick Santer. The episode concludes a "Whodunit" storyline "Who Killed Archie?", about the murder of Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb), revealing his killer to be Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner). It also sees the exit of Charlie Clements as Stacey's husband Bradley Branning, who dies after falling from the roof of The Queen Victoria public house.
Turner only learned that Stacey was Archie's killer half an hour before the episode aired, in a bid by the production team to maintain the storyline's secrecy. 51 EastEnders cast members appeared in the episode, with several expressing trepidation about performing live prior to the broadcast. Cast members had two weeks to rehearse the episode, with one rehearsal filmed in case of any serious problems during transmission. When Turner fell ill with the flu on the day of broadcast, it was feared the producers might need to use the pre-recorded tape, but in the event she recovered enough to appear.
"EastEnders Live" was Santer's final episode as EastEnders' executive producer. He expressed his pleasure with the episode, despite several errors during transmission, including mis-delivered lines and some problems with sound and camera shots. Viewers gambled on the identity of the killer, with bookmakers Ladbrokes experiencing record levels of gambling on a television series, and William Hill taking £500,000, surpassing the amount placed on the outcome of Dallas' Who shot J.R.? storyline in 1980. The episode was watched by 19.9 million cumulative viewers, becoming the most watched show of the year to date. EastEnders Live: The Aftermath, a documentary which followed the episode on BBC Three, was seen by 4.54 million viewers, drawing the station's highest ever ratings. "EastEnders Live" received mixed reviews from critics. It was described as "a triumph" by Shane Donaghey of The Belfast Telegraph,[3] praised by Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent for including stunt work, and commended for Clements and Turner's acting by Tim Teeman of The Times. In contrast, however, The Guardian's Nancy Banks-Smith felt that viewers would be "incredulous" with the episode's outcome,[4] and Cate Devine of The Herald criticised problems with lighting and sound effects.
- ^ "EastEnders Live". Getty Images. 10 December 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ "EastEnders live episode reveals Archie's murderer". BBC News. BBC Online. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
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