Boris Johnson films 'EastEnders' cameo

[Perdita]

Mayor of London Boris Johnson is to make a small cameo appearance in BBC One's flagship soap EastEnders.

The 45-year-old - who assumed the mayoral office on May 4, 2008 - filmed a short scene with the show's matriarch Barbara Windsor on Friday for an episode to air in a few months' time.

When The Queen Vic's landlady Peggy Mitchell (Windsor) discovers that the Mayor is paying a visit to Walford, she spends an entire morning searching for him. However, she's frustrated when she returns home having failed in her mission.

She goes on to rant to the locals about what she'd say to him if they ever came face-to-face but she's taken aback when he wanders into the pub unannounced. Captivated by his presence, Peggy turns on the charm and begins flirting.

A recent storyline saw Peggy run as an independent candidate for the local council elections. However, she pulled out of the race for office when her husband Archie (Larry Lamb) piled on the pressure for her to stand down ahead of their wedding.

Speaking of his cameo, Johnson said: "EastEnders is a true London icon and I was delighted to highlight to its huge audience the part the mayoralty plays in the city's rich tapestry."

He added: "It was, of course, a tremendous honour to step inside that most venerable of London landmarks, The Queen Vic, and share a scene with another of the capital's icons, the fabulous Barbara Windsor."

Of Johnson's cameo, executive producer Diederick Santer commented: "EastEnders has always had a good relationship with the Mayor's office, and we are delighted that Boris Johnson is coming to spend some time with us. EastEnders does its best to reflect contemporary London, and we hope that meeting the Mayor will help us stay ahead with the latest London stories, policies and developments."

He continued: "We couldn't let the visit pass without the Mayor entering London's most famous pub, The Queen Vic, and meeting its formidable and politically-active landlady Peggy Mitchell."

Johnson's scene will air in the autumn.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a166023/boris-johnson-films-eastenders-cameo.html

[LostVoodoo]

its nice to know he's really getting in with the series issues he's paid to work on...

[matt1378]

great stuff :)

[Pinkbanana]

Sounds a laugh... :D

[Abbie]

Ive got no idea who he is

[Perdita]

Abbie :eek:

From Wiki, just so you know:

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is an English politician and journalist. The current Mayor of London, he previously served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Henley-on-Thames and as editor of The Spectator magazine.

Johnson was educated at European School of Brussels, the independent Ashdown House School in the village of Forest Row in East Sussex, then at Eton College in the town of Eton in Berkshire, and finally at Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Classics. He began his career in journalism with The Times, and later moved on to The Daily Telegraph where he was assistant editor. In 1995 a recording of a telephone conversation was made public revealing that he was involved in a plot to physically assault a News of the World journalist, but he retained his job at the Telegraph. He was appointed editor of The Spectator in 1999. In the 2001 general election he was elected to the House of Commons and became one of the most high profile politicians in the country, partly because of his distinctive appearance and persona. He gained praise for several appearances on the Have I Got News for You television programme, but received negative headlines in October 2004 after an editorial column in The Spectator criticised the people of Liverpool after the death of Kenneth Bigley. He has also written several books.

Under Michael Howard, Johnson briefly served on the Conservative front bench as the Shadow Minister for the Arts from April 2004 until November 2004 when he was sacked after allegedly lying to Howard when denying he had had an affair with Petronella Wyatt. When contemporary David Cameron was elected leader of the Conservative Party in 2005, Johnson was re-appointed to the front bench as Shadow Minister for Higher Education and resigned as editor of The Spectator to concentrate on his new role. In September 2007 he was selected as the Conservative candidate for the 2008 Mayor of London election. Johnson defeated Labour incumbent Ken Livingstone and was elected Mayor, after which he resigned as an MP.

[Abbie]

Oh right

Yeah I still have no idea

[Hannelene]

The Mayor in Eastenders?
Whatever next?!

[Abbie]

I recongise the pciture but thats it

[Hannelene]

I recognise him from his appearance on the show ' have I got news for you' He was a great guest presenter

[StarsOfCCTV]

I still can't believe London elected him Mayor. Although he is phasing out bendy buses which is good but I can't really see what else he is doing for London...

[Hannelene]

It feels like he is planning his own film/tv career then being mayor of London

[di marco]

EastEnders star Barbara Windsor has revealed that Boris Johnson struggled with his lines when he filmed his cameo appearance on the soap.

The Mayor of London visited the show's set last month to shoot a short scene with Windsor's character Peggy Mitchell in the Queen Vic.

Windsor told The Mirror: "Boris said to me, 'I think I know my lines,' but we got a little bit of comedy accidentally. He did something then said, 'Oh I shouldn't have done that!' But I told him to keep it in on the take."

The 71-year-old actress added that the programme's producers kept Johnson's cameo under wraps until the last minute.

She commented: "It was a big secret until two days before and I thought, 'Why have I got this blank page?'"

The storyline sees Peggy meeting the politician unexpectedly when he decides to pay a visit to Walford.

Windsor confirmed: "He walked in and he only had an hour and he came on his bicycle. He shook hands with everyone. He was absolutely superb."

Johnson's episode is expected to air next month.

[Perdita]

Boris Johnson has spoken out in defence of his EastEnders appearance, claiming that it was a worthwhile opportunity to promote arts and culture in the capital.

The Mayor of London filmed a scene with Barbara Windsor (Peggy Mitchell) for the BBC One soap in July. His cameo airs in tonight's instalment.

Speaking to BBC News about his decision to appear, Johnson insisted: "To those who say it is not much of a matter to appear with Barbara Windsor, she is a landmark of our culture.

"The arts, culture and media sectors in this city generate about £9bn worth, it is my job promote them just as much as anything else."

Johnson's short storyline sees him confronted by Peggy in the Queen Vic after he decides to pay a visit to Walford. The Albert Square matriarch has become involved in local politics in recent months.

The politician's predecessor Ken Livingstone recently accused the BBC of bias over its decision to recruit Johnson.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a179977/boris-johnson-defends-enders-cameo.html

[Perdita]

Boris Johnson's cameo on EastEnders reportedly had to be toned down because of the flirty chemistry between the Mayor and Barbara Windsor.

Original scripts saw Windsor, who plays Peggy Mitchell on the BBC One soap, claiming to fancy Johnson and admitting that she would happily become "the next Mrs Johnson".

The News of the World reports that writers later watered down the exchange, during which Mitchell would have told a friend: "You think you're joking - but if I was 15 years younger..."

The London Mayor, who is married with four children, made his cameo on the soap in September, defending the appearance as a good opportunity to promote arts and culture in the capital.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s2/eastenders/news/a191164/johnsons-eastenders-cameo-toned-down.html