EastEnders is a long-running, popular British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985. It currently ranks as one of the most watched shows in the United Kingdom.

EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End of London.

Where is the true East End of London?

The East End is the area east and outside of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames.

People who live in the East End are known as East Enders

Many East Enders are 'Cockneys'.

What or who is a Cockney?

The term cockney refers to an East London accent.

A cockney traditionally is a person born within hearing distance of the sound of Bow bells, meaning within the sound of the bells of the Church of St Mary Le Bow in Cheapside, London.

To most people living outside London the term Cockney means a Londoner.

What is Cockney Rhyming Slang?

Cockney Rhyming slang is a coded language invented in the nineteenth century by Cockneys so they could speak in front of the police without being understood. It uses a phrase that rhymes with a word, instead of the word itself. For example:

'stairs' becomes '‘apples and pears',

‘phone’ becomes ‘dog and bone'

‘word’ becomes ‘dicky bird’.

Follow this link to see more examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang

Interesting Fact:

Museum of London archaeologists uncovered 3000 years old skeletons of early Eastenders buried in graves dating back to the Iron Age on the London 2012 Olympic Park.

Also on this day....

Kissing Friday (the Friday after Ash Wednesday)
On the Friday of Shrove Week, English schoolboys were once entitled to kiss girls without fear of punishment or rejection, a custom that lasted until at least the 1940s.

19 February 1910: Manchester United played its first game at Old Trafford.

19 February 1960: Birth of Prince Andrew, second son of Queen Elizabeth II.