This article contains spoilers for tonight’s episode of EastEnders, which airs at 7.30pm on BBC One or can be streamed now on iPlayer.
If you’re tuning into EastEnders today, you may notice a subtle difference.
The show’s iconic opening titles and theme tune have been overhauled, and for a very special reason.
The intro is presented in a retro 4:3 aspect ratio, and it’s possible that you’ve spotted some of the capital city’s most famous landmarks have disappeared – such as the O2 Arena and Olympic Park.
Featuring a long-outdated map of London and the River Thames, plus a slightly different arrangement of the classic music, these are actually the original titles from 1985.
There’s even a serious lack of ‘doof doofs’ at the beginning, which were only used in the closing credits back then.
But why has this happened, and have they been changed before?
Why have EastEnders’ original titles returned?
In tonight’s episode, most of the action takes place forty years ago, as Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) suffers troubling flashbacks and hallucinations to his youth.
The Albert Square hard man’s mental health has been spiralling for months, and more recent scenes have shown him suffering signs of psychosis.
Earlier this week, ex-wife Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) noticed he was absent from Billy and Honey Mitchell’s (Perry Fenwick and Emma Barton) joint stag and hen do.
She rushed off to find him, only to discover his house was completely empty.
We then saw Phil knocking on the door of his childhood home, and mum Peggy (Jaime Winstone) welcoming him in.
With the instalment mostly set in 1985, the return of the original opening sequence is a nod not only to the era in which we see Phil interact with his nearest and dearest, but also to the soap’s 40th anniversary next week.
Have the titles changed before?
The original design was used between 1985 and 1993, and was created by Alan Jeapes.
Speaking of his work, Alan said: ‘I was aiming for simplicity in the titles, as the sequence for a long-running serial must be continually interesting without dating.
‘The lower reaches of the River Thames, which have a close and continual link with the history of the East End, have such an eye-catching shape on the map that the winding course, docks and tributaries become a graphic theme in themselves.’
With limited computer graphic technology, he had to stitch together thousands of black and white aerial photographs of London to make one big image.
He then painted the Thames blue to hide the joins in the picture.
When they were eventually replaced, fans were divided with their opinions. This was because composer Simon May had made a new, soulful theme tune that has been dubbed the ‘jazzy theme.’
After just a year, a new arrangement, more faithful to the original, was introduced.
In 1999, the view was updated to include the Millennium Dome.
EastEnders 40th anniversary – Everything we know so far
Here’s what EastEnders fans can expect as the soap celebrates its 40th anniversary on 19 February 2025:
A live episode
Having previously gone live for the 25th and 30th anniversaries in 2010 and 2015, the soap will be beaming live to the nation once again during the 40th week.
This instalment will air one day after the big 4-0, on Thursday February 20.
The episode will also mark a huge EastEnders first as bosses are giving the audience the power to vote on the outcome of one storyline, with the actors having to react to the result live on air – speaking of which…
Denise Fox decides… sort of.
With Denise Fox (Diane Parish) having found herself in a love triangle with Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), fans will decide whether she reunites with her estranged husband Jack or picks her secret lover.
We also know that another ‘history making’ decision will be left to audiences to decide, with details yet to be announced.
Grant Mitchell returns
Ross Kemp will be reprising his role as the legendary Grant Mitchell to play a significant part in the 40th celebrations.
‘Grant has never been far from the action and let’s just say, this time is no different as he certainly comes back with a bang,’ Ross teased.
Cindy Beale’s attacker revealed
Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) was left for dead when she was whacked over the head with a shovel by a mystery assailant on Christmas Day after the truth about her affair with former stepson Junior Knight (Micah Balfour) exploded.
With the finger of suspicion currently pointing at numerous characters, Cindy’s attacker will be unmasked at last during the anniversary week.
Special programming
Ahead of the big week, BBC Four will broadcast EastEnders Sings at the BBC, a look back at archive performances from cast members from Top of the Pops.
Ross Kemp will take a trip down Walford memory lane with a special hour-long documentary called EastEnders: 40 Years on The Square, taking fans behind the scenes as he delves into the show’s history and relieves some of the most memorable moments.
BBC Three will also offer viewers a look at the explosive anniversary storylines with a 45-minute interview special – EastEnders Revealed: The Lock In – hosted by Joe Swash as he chats to some of the actors who find themselves at the heart of the anniversary drama.
The Queen Vic explodes
As Billy and Honey Mitchell (Perry Fenwick and Emma Barton) prepare to walk down the aisle, their favourite boozer The Queen Victoria will burn to the ground.
Aerial pictures from filming show the pub blown to smithereens, with a car crashed into the side. There’s also a marquee in the middle of the Square Gardens – is this from the wedding?
Ten years later, the current look was introduced, with a minor tweak in 2012 to mark the new Olympic stadium. The BBC logo was amended last year.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary in 2010, the Thames transformed into a big, blue ribbon that wrapped around the logo, and a night-time view of the city has been used on a number of episodes since.
The most striking change occurred in 1998, when Roy Evans (Tony Caunter) took wife Pat (Pam St Clement) to Paris to see the World Cup final.
Instead of the Thames, we saw the Seine in the end credits instead.
It’s assumed that the normal titles will return next week, though it’s possible that we could see the ruby coloured ’40’ added.
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