EastEnders

Incidentally the Minute-Mart has a new set that was shown tonight. More like a trendy hipster General Store type place than before.

There are certainly some moments like that which stand out, but on the whole, I have to say I'm finding their Covid-safe shooting quite effective. For whatever reason, it seems slightly better than what Corrie are doing. There is some nice use of body doubles and cutaway shots in EE, too - not invisible, but good enough that you can suspend disbelief.

Obviously this isn't a patch on the real thing - there have been a couple of episodes where actors have formed bubbles to shoot more intense scenes; Danny Dyer/Simone Lahbib, and Adam Woodyatt/Letitia Dean, I think. Everything goes up a level whenever that occurs. Oh for the day that they can all kiss and punch each other again!

(Sorry, I clearly took too long typing that, the thread moved on!)

I think there's a fair amount of single camera shooting going on which clearly improves the look of the show, though obviously is more time consuming, so not sure they'll keep it up once covid is relaxed.

Though The Bill seemed to manage getting two hour long episodes a week out with single camera shooting, so who knows.

The fact it hadn't been changed in over 20 years means it was well overdue a change! Would have been tatty as hell if it was a real life shop that had gone that long without a refit.

Still interesting how in the first year or so of EE it was basically an open air shop with no doors or windows.

It does seem like a soap thing for places to stay the same for large amounts of time though! After the Rovers fire in 1986, it wasn't refurbished again until 2008, discounting the glass dividers which changed in 1994. Considering especially this was pre-smoking ban (bar the last 6 or so months), it's amazing how the wallpaper and upholstrly mananged to remain in such good condition for that long without being discoloured by tar and riddled with fag burns.

And then after the 2008 refurb, the wallpaper changed again overnight a few months later with no on-screen explanation...

EE looks better with Covid filming because the enforced break gave them time to come up with a number of ideas, rather than just having two characters awkwardly standing at opposite ends of a room.

I wonder if the Minute Mart change was done to create more possible space due to covid, as its one of a handful real sets used.

First sighting of Walford East tube station on today's first Drama episode, though the way we only saw it briefly, shot from above, suggests they hadn't finished building it at this point.

I noticed the row of shops opposite the Cobra Club made its debut relatively recently. Previously there was nothing at all there (as seen in a number of shots over the years). I’m surprised it was as late as 1996 when they appeared.

Have noticed today's 1st ep (24/9/1996) on Drama appears to be music/sfx free which makes scenes strange without them.

Somehow I failed to notice that! Though something similar happened to a 1992 episode, which had characters dancing to nothing.

Funny how it changes the context of the scene when the set is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Drama viewers may have thought Cindy and the hitman were being stupidly careless by discussing a murderous plan in a backstreet pub that was totally silent, thus allowing the other customers to clearly hear their conversation.

Also the "doof doofs" at the end were partially missing (but are correct on the original version on YouTube), as though the closing theme was also missing and Drama added it themselves (badly).

Looks like the Elstree car park in today's episode.

We'll be able to say that about every episode if they ever get that new set finished.