The Queen Vic to burn down

I've popped this in its own thread, but if the mods would like to merge it, go ahead.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10376168.stm

EastEnders scriptwriters have revealed the Queen Victoria pub will be burned down as part of a major storyline later this year.

The scenes will spell the end of the current pub set ahead of the soap's move to high definition in the autumn.

It has not been announced whether any characters will die in the blaze, although several are being written out, including landlady Peggy Mitchell.

Actress Barbara Windsor is leaving the BBC One soap after 16 years.

In October, Windsor revealed she planned to leave the show, saying she would be "so sad to leave Peggy behind".

"EastEnders has been wonderful to me and it's no secret that it changed my life all of those years ago," she said.

Since then it has also been announced that Minty Peterson, played by Cliff Parisi, taxi driver Charlie Slater (Derek Martin) and student Libby Fox (Belinda Owusu) are also being written out.

In April, Lacey Turner - who plays Stacey Branning, announced she would also be leaving the soap.

The Queen Vic has been the scene of many memorable EastEnders moments, including the recent demise of Archie Mitchell.

In 1986, Den Watts famously handed divorce papers to wife Angie in the pub and in 1994 Grant Mitchell exposed his brother Phil's affair with Sharon to customers.

This year, EastEnders marked its 25th anniversary with a live episode.

Shame the whole was not to be brunt down

Well anyways will the shop / Launderette next door be affected by this?

Didn't it burn down in 1992 as well ? The insurance company would be fools to insure it a third time.

I hope they keep the same 'style' of building but repaint it into the original brown and cream colours or even the later green and yellow colours as I do not particularly like the red they have going at the moment as all the worst periods that EastEnders has been through happened whilst the Public House was red.

I'm sure they'll happily insure it - but they might not pay out.

I suppose not, what with all the overwhelming video evidence too.

Hey, I feel a great EastEnders storyline coming on.

Oh no wait, its just gas.

Sounds like an Eastenders story.

they have to burn it down so they can rebuild the outside set it in brick so it looks like a real building on HD, not balsa wood attached to scaffolding, the would have to do this for the whole of the square and bridge street though

Um, yes.



Not balsa wood. Marine plywood, probably. Balsa is super-light weight and far too flimsy.

They won't necessarily build in brick though. There's lots of materials that hold sufficient detail but are cheaper, lighter and easier to construct with. You can cast whole "brick" panels from resin and it looks amazingly real.

If you're ever in Disneyland (etc) you'll see how good it can look.