Queen Vic Fire Week

"The Queen Victoria" redirects here. For other uses, see Queen Victoria (disambiguation).
"Queen Vic Fire Week"
EastEnders episodes
The Queen Victoria public house was burnt down in an episode of EastEnders to facilitate a transition to high definition.
Episode nos.Episodes 4065, 4066, 4067, and 4068
Directed byLee Salisbury
Written byDaran Little
Simon Ashdown
Original air date6–10 September 2010
Running time130 minutes (3x30, 1x40)
Episode chronology
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Episode 4069

"Queen Vic Fire Week" is a group of four episodes of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, broadcast between 6 and 10 September 2010 on BBC One. The episodes included a fire at The Queen Victoria public house, also known as The Queen Vic or The Vic, and the departure of the character Peggy Mitchell, portrayed by Barbara Windsor, who left the series after sixteen years in the role. During the episodes, Peggy—the pub landlady—has her crack cocaine-addicted son Phil (Steve McFadden) imprisoned in The Queen Victoria, forcing him to go cold turkey. She later learns that her deceased husband Archie (Larry Lamb) was murdered by the person he raped: Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner). Before she can report Stacey to the police, Phil escapes and sets the pub on fire. Stacey and her infant daughter Lily are trapped inside, but are rescued by her lover Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) – prompting Stacey to reveal to him that he is Lily's father. In light of the incident, Peggy decides against reporting Stacey for Lily's sake. She then plans to make a fresh start, bidding her family goodbye and leaving Walford.

The episodes were directed by Lee Salisbury and produced by Bryan Kirkwood. The first was written by Daran Little[1] and the remainder by Simon Ashdown.[2][3][4] Kirkwood intended to give Windsor an "epic and poignant" departure, as befitting her status as the ultimate EastEnders matriarch.[5] The fire storyline was created for her exit, and to facilitate a refurbishment of The Queen Victoria set for the transition to high-definition television broadcasting. The episodes were filmed over seventeen days, more than twice the series' typical filming duration, with the interior set rebuilt on the George Lucas Stage in Elstree for the fire. A special version of the theme tune, called "Peggy's Theme", was created for Windsor's final episode. It was released as an EP, available for download following the episode, and features as the lead track on composer Simon May's album The Simon May Collection. The episodes were accompanied by two documentaries on BBC Three, one following the filming of the fire, and the other examining ten of Peggy's most iconic moments in EastEnders.

Viewership ranged from 8.60–10.09 million, with no episode watched by less than a third of the total viewing audience. They were the most watched programmes on BBC One in the week of broadcast, and the Friday episode was the second-most watched show across all channels. The episodes received a mixed response from critics. Several highlighted inaccuracies and implausibilities in the storyline, including the lack of fire alarms and sprinklers in the pub. Others focussed on Peggy's departure, with James McCarthy of the Western Mail writing that it would "doubtless remain the stuff of EastEnders' legend for years to come,"[6] and Jim Shelley calling it "a good way to go."[7] In contrast, the Daily Mirror's Polly Hudson found Peggy's exit a nonsensical "non event",[8] and Gareth McLean of The Guardian deemed it "suitably sentimental", but several years overdue.[9] The fire was nominated in the "Best Stunt" category at the 2011 All About Soap Bubble Awards.

  1. ^ Director: Lee Salisbury; Executive Producer: Bryan Kirkwood; Writer: Daran Little (6 September 2010). "EastEnders 6/9/2010". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
  2. ^ Director: Lee Salisbury; Executive Producer: Bryan Kirkwood; Writer: Simon Ashdown (7 September 2010). "EastEnders 7/9/2010". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
  3. ^ Director: Lee Salisbury; Executive Producer: Bryan Kirkwood; Writer: Simon Ashdown (9 September 2010). "EastEnders 9/9/2010". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
  4. ^ Director: Lee Salisbury; Executive Producer: Bryan Kirkwood; Writer: Simon Ashdown (10 September 2010). "EastEnders 10/9/2010". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kirkwood interview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference MC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference JS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference PH was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference GM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).