The Reel East-Enders – bridgeman blog

Next month Britain’s favourite TV soap, Eastenders, turns 30. Love or loath it, this long-running soap opera has become an iconic and firmly established feature in British popular culture. Reaching the number-one spot in UK television ratings within eight months of launching, it has since remained one of the nation’s most popular shows. The everyday lives of Albert Square’s famous heroes and villains have, over time, become ingrained in the everyday lives of thousands of devoted viewers.

To celebrate this landmark anniversary of its launch on 19th February 1985, we bring you rare and exclusive archival footage of London’s real East End. Click through to see Brick Lane Market and Petticoat Lane Market in 1963 bustling and bursting with character – definitely a Frank Butcher or two in there! Or back to the 1930s and Billingsgate fish market where “your lunchtime plaice is sold by auction before you fry your morning bloater!”