EastEnders plans live episode to celebrate 30th anniversary in February

EastEnders is once again going live to celebrate an anniversary, its 30th, with a live episode planned in February 2015 plus a series of live elements in all the episodes that week.

Charlotte Moore, controller of BBC One, said: "BBC One will bring the nation together to celebrate 30 years of EastEnders by going live across the anniversary week. Next February will mark a massive event on the channel by creating the ultimate ‘doof doof’ and finally reveal who killed Lucy Beale.”

EastEnders added that the anniversary week would mark its past as well as welcome the future. With big storylines, momentous events happening, they're promising the 30th anniversary 'will take its place in television history'.

EastEnders boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for EastEnders to create a massive national event and one that will enable us celebrate 30 years of EastEnders in spectacular style. With live elements to each episode as well as a half hour live episode, it allows us to have a huge amount of surprises for the audience.”

Ben Stephenson, BBC controller of drama commissioning, said: "'Live week' allows us to keep loads of secrets from the cast, crew and the audience until the very last minute. With shocking reveals and unguessable twists it's going to be a week that will change Albert Square forever."

EastEnders last went fully live when it celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2010.

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.