This gong isn’t handed out every year but solely at the discretion of the judging Committee. It’s being awarded in recognition of 40 years of tireless effort by thousands of individuals – including a few household names, but the majority unknown – to bring the stories of Albert Square and its residents to the screen.
Soaps have long been perceived the poor relation in the TV firmament. Their storylines – always vacuum-packed with tales of marriage and murder, burglaries and betrayal, and more recently documenting social challenges such as drug addition, domestic violence and even euthanasia – would quickly win awards if presented via contemporary drama. I suppose this oversight is purely because they always seem to be on TV, and familiarity breeds at least complacency.
The soap is being awarded a Special Bafta for its nurturing of talent both in front of and behind the camera (Photo: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)Where else are the stories of human lives told so richly, crossing class, racial or generational divides, and particularly those of complex, strong-willed, witty women? Among the rare and special two-hander episodes, the one shared by June Brown and Gretchen Franklin (Dot and Ethel), and another starring Pam St Clement and Barbara Windsor (Pat and Peggy) matched anything served up by Harold Pinter on the West End stage. More recently, Lacey Turner’s chronicle of bereavement as Stacey Slater would surely have secured a BAFTA had this been Elizabeth R and not EastEnders. For many people watching, these characters remain as familiar, and sometimes more loved, than relations. Bringing them to life is no small task.
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One such young writer was Sarah Phelps, who has gone on to great things, including the critically acclaimed Sixth Commandment, as well as adapting Agatha Christie for the BBC. She told the Radio Times recently, “EastEnders is Greek tragedy, but the Furies have acrylic nails.”
With such a bon mot, she cut to the heart of the soap’s enduring success: offering characters who feel real and accessible, and memorable stories that capture the viewers’ imagination. To ride these two horses is far more difficult than it appears – to do it for 40 years is worthy of a BAFTA special award at the very least.
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