Talk:Kelvin Carpenter

Query Trivia Item
Trivia makes this claim: '''The real reason that Kelvin shunned his leaving party is because 'lot recording' (scenes recorded on site in Albert Square) for each weeks episodes, normally occur two weeks before the studio recordings for the same episodes. When the leaving party was recorded in The Queen Vic studio, Paul Medford was already out of contract and had left the show.'''

I question this. It seems unlikely the scriptwriter's plans for the story would be circumscribed by this taping scheduling routine. Characters leave the series all the time and the people scheduling the taping would know when location footage is shot, when studio footage will be shot, and schedule the scenes accordingly. It is true that writers must work within limitations when creating the scripts: limits to the number of locations each episode (which is why we see people who live in the same house deciding to meet up for a chat in the launderette or cafe rather than what would be logical: meet for a chat in their own home) but if the story would have been that he did go to the farewell, they would have taped that in the studio, on a studio taping day, while he was still under contract. Scripts are locked-down, and taping scheduled, long before any scenes are shot. This trivia item makes it sound like they got on set, realised the actor has left the show, so got out a pencil and changed the script to have him not attend the farewell after all. Highly unlikely - especially on a big budget, big studio show like this. Though sometimes of course there are some last minute changes and rewrites, this does not sound like one. Anyway presumably the location footage of him leaving the Square without entering the Queen Vic was already in the can two weeks before the Queen Vic studio scenes were shot without him, so clearly the script must have said that all along. Asa01 06:34, 26 August 2006 (UTC)


 * This bit of information was taken from EastEnders The first 10 years by Colin Brake - I will quote from the book here.


 * "Later in the year Kelvin also moved on, leaving walford to begin a university course in East Anglia. As is often the case, Kelvin's final appearance were lot scens. This is because the lot recording for each week's episodes normally happens two weeks before the studio recording of the same episode. This enables an actor to appear in two weeks' worth of episodes 'lot only' at the end of their contract. So that is the real explanation for Kelvin shunning his leaving party in The Vic - when the party was recorded Paul Medford was already out of contract!"


 * I understand the basis behind your theory, but this proves that it is wrong, unless you have any official evidence to contradict this Gungadin 15:03, 27 August 2006 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the reply. I guess (I did watch this period, but can't remember much of it) this means for his last week of episodes, Kelvin was seen only in outdoors sequences. Asa01 19:05, 27 August 2006 (UTC)