In a rare admission that its storylines aren't the only thing stretching credibility, the BBC's long-running soap opera EastEnders has been forced to dirty up its brand new London Underground set after viewers complained it was unrealistically clean.
Fans Mock 'Sparkling' Fictional Tube
The show, which is set in the fictional east London borough of Walford, filmed multiple scenes inside a Tube carriage this year. However, the set's sparkling interior, free of litter, gum, or graffiti, immediately broke the illusion for savvy Londoners.
One viewer moaned earlier in the year: 'You know it’s fictional when the tube train is this clean. No gum on the seat, graffiti, the lights work and the floor is clean.' Another simply stated it was the 'cleanest tube carriage in all of London.'
New Boss Orders a Dose of Reality
The show's new executive producer, Ben Wadey, who took over in June 2024, took the fan feedback on board. He has now instructed production staff to make the carriage more authentic by adding three graffiti 'tags' – the stylised signatures of graffiti artists.
An insider on the show revealed: 'Every time we used the new carriage set, viewers would write in saying they wished the Tube was that clean. It was honestly becoming a bit of a running joke with even the cast laughing about it. So Ben instructed staff to dirty the carriage to make it more realistic of what public transport is like in London.'
Mirroring a Real-Life London Problem
The fictional clean-up operation ironically highlights a genuine and growing issue for the capital's transport network. Under Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has been chairman of Transport for London (TfL) since 2016, policy has changed so that carriages with interior graffiti are no longer automatically taken out of service.
This shift comes despite a acknowledged 'significant' rise in vandalism. Trains are now typically only cleaned overnight, leading to more graffiti being visible to passengers throughout the day.
Last week, TfL Commissioner Andy Lord confirmed there has been 'quite a spike' in tagging, which costs the organisation between £10 million and £11 million annually to remove. Conservative MP Dr Neil Hudson commented that conditions on the Tube were 'getting worse day by day,' comparing it to travelling in 'a scene from Batman in Gotham City.'
The set adjustment comes during a period of change for EastEnders. The BBC sold the show's famous Albert Square set to insurance giant AXA as part of cost-saving measures and now leases it back. The soap, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, was the eighth most-watched programme on Christmas Day 2024, attracting 2.85 million viewers.
