Queen Vic to go up in smoke

[Siobhan]

How do you know?

I thought it was left open for her return but death I guess can't prevent a return in EE (Dirty Den)

It is in week 37 spoilers "how will Pat cope without her best friend"

[Dazzle]

It is in week 37 spoilers "how will Pat cope without her best friend"

That sentence doesn't necessarily mean she's dead though - just that she's left Albert Square - either feet first or in a black cab.

[alan45]

That sentence doesn't necessarily mean she's dead though - just that she's left Albert Square - either feet first or in a black cab.

Hopefully the former

[Ruffed_lemur]

How do you know?

I thought it was left open for her return but death I guess can't prevent a return in EE (Dirty Den)

I thought that too. Wasn't she supposed to be taking 2 years off?

[Dazzle]

I thought that too. Wasn't she supposed to be taking 2 years off?

Yeah, I remember that being said when it was first announced she was leaving. No mention has been made of it recently, though.

[Siobhan]

That sentence doesn't necessarily mean she's dead though - just that she's left Albert Square - either feet first or in a black cab.

Could just mean Pat can't cope without her best friend the Vic.. we all know she likes a drink!!

[Dazzle]

Could just mean Pat can't cope without her best friend the Vic.. we all know she likes a drink!!

Ha ha...yeah, she'll be heartbroken.

[Perdita]

BBC soap EastEnders will screen some of its most-anticipated episodes of the year next week as crack addict Phil Mitchell sets fire to the Queen Vic. As the flames quickly spread and the pub's locals try to make their escape, emotions run high and lives are put on the line during the spectacular scenes. The shock storyline ties in with Barbara Windsor's departure from the role of Walford icon Peggy Mitchell, though details of her final moments in the Square are still being kept closely under wraps. Lee Salisbury (pictured with Barbara Windsor) directed all four of next week's episodes, so DS recently chatted to him to find out more.

When did you first learn that you'd be directing the Queen Vic fire week?
"It was only about three weeks before I started work on the episodes, actually! It was at the British Soap Awards - I met up with Bryan Kirkwood and I was working on Emmerdale at the time. I knew that I was coming back to do more work on EastEnders, but that was the night when they told me what I'd actually be doing. I was slightly shellshocked. I'd only learned that night that there was going to be a big fire and that it was going to be Barbara Windsor's leaving week as well, so I was a bit dumbstruck!"

Were you proud to be chosen for such a big moment?
"Oh God, yeah! It's an amazing block to be given. EastEnders' big weeks are always massive, but to be involved in such an iconic character's departure was just great. You do feel like you've made a piece of TV history, so it was very nice that I got it."

Everyone tries to evacuate the pub.
What were your main aims when you started to make plans for the fire episode?
"Well, a fire is probably the hardest thing to film because obviously you can't actually set fire to stuff, so to make it looks real is the hardest thing. I think if anybody's actually been in a fire, they'll know that fire spreads and takes hold so quickly, so my main aim was to show the fear, panic and pandemonium that goes on in a fire instantly. The fire had to take hold and literally just consume everything really quickly. I also think that a big stunt has to focus around the actual characters and be character-led, rather than being led by the fire. If you're concentrating on the characters and their stories, the fire almost becomes a backdrop - you're missing all of the special effects and you're just in the journeys of the characters. I think the best thing about this episode is that the Queen Vic actually becomes a character itself, and it's really emotional to watch."

How long did it take to film the episode?
"We had 17 days to film the entire week's worth of episodes. Normally we have eight days to film four episodes, so we did have a big chunk of extra time. As for the fire itself, we had five night shoots where we shot the exterior of the fire, and for the other scenes we were using the Elstree Film Studios. We built the interior of The Vic there on a big fire stage. We had four days filming there as well, so the fire itself took around nine days of shooting."

Peggy runs back into the Vic.
Were there any particular challenges or surprises during filming?
"The one thing that we didn't expect happened on the night we did the actual big explosion at the end. We'd got all of the cast members who were involved to watch, because obviously we had to film all of their reactions separately. We were sitting there and it was about 10.30pm and Big Brother films down the road from us. Barbara was sitting next to me and she suddenly said, 'Oh, it's really quiet', because we'd expected it to be quite loud because of the eviction. Then, all of a sudden, all of the power went off in Albert Square and we were all plunged into complete darkness! It was a big shock and all of the special effects guys were in the pub, so they obviously had to get everything turned off before it exploded and we couldn't run on it!"

You mentioned trying to find the right balance between the characters' stories and the stunt itself - how hard is it to strike that balance?
"It is quite hard. It's interesting reading all the buzz about the fire on forums, because I think most people think it's just going to be a big explosion at the end of the episode and that's it. But the fire actually lasts for a while and I don't think that's really been done before. It's a huge length of time. Knowing that it was going to be like that meant it could be really pacey and we could divide the characters' scenes up into tiny bits. Bryan Kirkwood, the writer and myself also wanted it to be an episode where things kept happening and the audience would keep thinking, 'Wow, that must have been the explosion' or 'That must have been the stunt'. But more things keep happening and happening, and I think that's what people will find really shocking."

The tension between Phil and Peggy explodes.
What's the build-up to the fire like?
"The week itself really builds - there's a lot going on with Stacey, there's a lot going on with Ryan and Janine, and a lot going on with Peggy and Phil. The amount of stories that are so up in the air when the fire starts means that it's so much more exciting, because of the relationships between people and how they're put in jeopardy by the fire. It's compelling because there's not just one person who you're focused on in the fire - it's literally the whole cast who are involved."

Now that you've seen the finished episode, are you proud of it and do you think it can live up to the hype?
"That was the biggest thing for me when I took it on - knowing the hype that would be around it, along with the pressure and expectation from everyone. I think that now the audience is used to watching so many films and blockbuster movies, the expectations when it comes to special effects are so high. But I'm really proud of the finished product. Like I said, my aim was to make it really quick, to really grab people and make it feel like the viewer is really with the characters, so I didn't go in wanting to do big, sweeping arty shots. I think that the episode will be quite different to what people are expecting it to be."


I recently had a chat with EastEnders director Lee Salisbury to discuss his work on the Queen Vic fire week, which starts airing tomorrow.

Click here to read the main part of the interview, which sees Lee reveal what his aims for the fire episode were and what fans can expect from the dramatic scenes.

Alternatively, read on for bonus bits from the chat, including Lee's thoughts on what the future will hold for Albert Square following the loss of The Vic in its current form…

How did working on this episode compare to directing the church fire on Emmerdale, which you did last year?
"It was similar in the way that it was a fire and, as I said earlier, it's the hardest thing to do because you can't set fire to things! But the church fire was never really supposed to be a huge event - it was more about the relationship between Laurel and Sally. Working on this one meant that we could go much more to town with special effects, so it was a lot different. I did the frozen lake stunt on Emmerdale as well, and I'd say that compares more to it because that was something that was really, really tricky, and there was a big budget for that, so there was more time and money to play with to make it look better."

When you were planning the episode, did you look back at any previous soap fires to see how you could do better?
"I did, but it's a bit like an actor who's going for a part that's already been played before - sometimes it's good to look and sometimes it's not. I got the scripts, came up with my vision and planned it before I watched anything else. Then after that I made the effort to watch a couple of EastEnders fires, I watched a couple of fires that people had mentioned to me that weren't just on soap. I'd obviously also done one myself and there was a recent one on Corrie that I'd watched as well. But my vision was already there."

Given that the producer and writer also have their own vision, as a director, how much freedom do you get to put your own stamp on an episode like this?
"You get a lot of freedom, actually. But it's a real team effort and you're constantly going back and forth with suggestions - it's very much an open table. I think when it comes to a stunt, it does fall more to the director in a way, because it's a lot more visual and it's the director who knows how it's all done and what's possible."

Peggy Mitchell in front of the burning Queen Vic in EastEnders
Do you think the fire will have a long-lasting effect on Albert Square?
"Oh yeah, it'll be huge. On the night that it happens, it's a huge effect - we had literally every cast member there, so almost every character is involved in the fire. There'll be huge ramifications and obviously it ties in with Barbara Windsor's departure, which in itself will have a huge effect on Albert Square. It leaves the questions of what will happen to the pub and what will happen to the Mitchells. And obviously Kat and Alfie are coming back, so it paves the way for that. I think in the fire, The Vic becomes such a character and it's actually really, really sad watching it go! When we filmed it, some of the actors who had been in EastEnders for a long time had tears in their eyes when we filmed the explosion. It's a huge part of EastEnders that has come to an end in its current state."

Have you enjoyed working with Bryan Kirkwood?
"Yes, I have. I'd only done a tiny bit of work on EastEnders before he arrived, so I can't really compare Bryan to anyone else. But I'd never worked with Bryan before and he's just an amazing person to work with. He's got a really strong vision, but at the same time he lets you be really creative as well. It's a 'round the table' process, which is the best way to be. I've got so much respect for Bryan and the work he did on Hollyoaks, and in my job I really want to impress him as well. It's great to be in a situation where you respect your boss so much."

[alan45]

More overacting by the Poison Dwarf

[TreyAtwood]

Aww no those pictures are making me worry! I dont want her to die! So gonna miss Peggy, dont get why people are coming up with Poison Dwarf, she's a great actress and a great character.