EastEnders announces live anniversary episode – with huge twist

EastEnders spoilers follow.

EastEnders announced that there will be another live episode of the show next year – with a major twist.

To mark the soap’s 40th anniversary in February 2025, an episode will be broadcast entirely live from the BBC Elstree Centre.

But this time, the soap opera introduces another layer of danger and gives some of the power to the audience, who will decide the outcome of a plot.

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During the long-awaited anniversary week, there will be an interactive element where viewers can choose the desired outcome of a love story.

Plot details, including who is involved in this love story, remain under wraps for now, but the fate of the couple will remain firmly in the hands of the viewers.

The chosen outcome will then be played out during the live episode, with the cast and crew set to adapt the scene to reflect the outcome voted on by the audience.

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Commenting on the big announcement, Executive Producer Chris Clenshaw said: “The 40th anniversary is a milestone for EastEndersand we’ve been planning this week for a long time to make sure it’s a week full of drama and surprises.

“In fact, as our regular audiences will know, we’ve already seen the return of some familiar faces and we have plenty more nods to our history to come, all of which will contribute to our memorable anniversary week.”

He continued: “This time, in addition to going live, we are adding an extra twist and for the very first time in the history of the show, and as a gift to the viewers, we are giving the audience the power to have a say in deciding the outcome of one of our storylines.

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“While we are still keeping the precise details of the 40th anniversary to ourselves, I can promise you that it will be an unmissable week, full of shocking twists and turns that will change Albert Square, and the lives of those who live there, forever.”

EastEnders first aired in 2010 for the show’s 25th anniversary, where it was revealed that it was Stacey Slater who killed Archie Mitchell.

The most recent live episode of the show was to celebrate 30 years of EastEnders in 2015 with a five-episode set featuring live-action elements, set amid the “Who Killed Lucy Beale” storyline.

EastEnders The show airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One. The show is also available on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes are shown as early as 6am before their TV broadcast.

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