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EastEnders: Secrets from the Square is a 2020 British television documentary series celebrating the British soap opera EastEnders and its history. Hosted by television personality Stacey Dooley, the programme features two cast members being interviewed about their experience on the soap and sharing its "best-kept secrets". After it became apparent that EastEnders would go on a transmission break, having paused production in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans were developed by BBC Studios, BBC Entertainment and the EastEnders production team to fill the gap in the schedule. Consequently, EastEnders: Secrets from the Square was commissioned for fourteen episodes, airing while the show is on a tranmission break.

The show was announced on 3 June 2020 and begins broadcasting in the United Kingdom on 22 June 2020 with episodes airing weekly on BBC One, in the timeslot normally occupied by EastEnders. Filming for the show took place on the set of EastEnders, marking the first time cast had returned to set, and each episode was filmed across a single day. Cast and crew had to comply with the British government's enforced social distancing measures and only a small production team was involved. EastEnders: Secrets from the Square was promoted through a promotional trailer and press and media interviews. Additionally, clips from the show were regularly released. The show received a positive response from television critics with Stephen Patterson of the Metro opining that the show is "a perfect way to fill that EastEnders-shaped hole".

Background
Production on the BBC soap opera EastEnders and other BBC Studios continuing dramas, including Casualty and Holby City, was suspended on 18 March 2020, following new government guidelines about the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, EastEnders reduced its episode output from four to two 30-minute episodes per week, now broadcast on Mondays and Tuesdays. The decision was made to reduce transmission so that episodes could be broadcast for a longer period of time. When episodes filmed before production paused ran out, the show had to go on a transmission break until new episodes could be filmed. The transmission break commenced following the broadcast of episode 6124 on 16 June 2020.

Plans to resume filming on the soap were announced by Charlotte Moore, the BBC's director of content, in May 2020, with filming set to recommence towards the end of June. Moore explained that social distancing measures would be utilised on-set and the show's cast would be required to do their own hair and make-up, which would usually be done by a professional make-up artist. Johnathon Hughes of the Radio Times expected the transmission break to last until August 2020, and on 16 June 2020, actor Dayle Hudson leaked on his Instagram story that the soap would return to broadcast by 8 September 2020. Filming recommenced on 29 June, and the first preview of the episodes was aired during the seventh episode of EastEnders: Secrets from the Square.

Conception and development
When it became apparent that EastEnders would run out of episodes and require a transmission break, the show's production comapny BBC Studios worked with the show's production team and BBC Entertainment to develop plans to fill the gap in the schedule. They consequently created EastEnders: Secrets from the Square, a behind-the-scenes series which celebrates the soap and its history, and it was then commissioned by Kate Phillips, the controller of BBC Entertainment, and Rachel Ashdown, the commissioning editor for BBC One.

Phillips opined that the transmission break created "the perfect opportunity to celebrate the show". Suzy Lamb, the managing director of entertainment and music at BBC Studios, was "keen" to work with the team at EastEnders and found the documentary to be a "special opportunity". She added, "I know this will be a fun and revealing look back and forward at the residents of Albert Square." Jon Sen, the executive producer of EastEnders, expressed his excitement at being able to present the experience of being part of the soap.

The series offers an insight into EastEnders, including the production of the show and its set, and features exclusive interviews with members of the show's cast. Lamb explained that the show would explore "the wonderful characters and great moments from the last 35 years". Cydney Yeates of the Metro revealed that the documentary would expose "some of EastEnders’ best-kept secrets" and reveal some "juicy behind-the-scenes gossip". Caroline Wright acts as the show's executive producer, on behalf of BBC Studios Entertainment, and Liza Mellody was employed as the show's consultant executive, on behalf of EastEnders.

Television personality Stacey Dooley was hired to host EastEnders: Secrets from the Square. Dooley, who is a fan of the show, expressed her delight at presenting the series; she found being on the show's set and interviewing the cast a "surreal" experience. Each episode features two actors from the show's regular cast, who are interviewed by Dooley and share stories from their time on the soap, as well as teasing future storylines. Dooley told Steve Wright on his radio show Steve Wright in the Afternoon that the cast explain "what EastEnders means to them".

The fourth episode was included in the BBC's LGBTQ+ programming collection, and features a selection of clips of LGBTQ+ characters from the soap's history. Both the sixth and ninth episodes of the series were billed as special editions. Episode six focuses on mother and son duo Kathy Beale and Ian Beale, while episode nine focuses on the landladies of The Queen Victoria, the show's fictional pub. Actresses Kellie Bright and Letitia Dean star in the episode and Dooley liked working with them and filming the episode. She dubbed this her "favourite" episode and found working with the pair "really good fun", stating that she had "the most brilliant afternoon with them".

It was initally announced on 3 June 2020 that three episodes of EastEnders: Secrets from the Square had been commissioned, with a further two episodes announced on 15 June 2020, and four more episodes announced on 22 June 2020. Joe Anderton, reporting for Digital Spy, revealed that more episodes had been comissioned and would be announced at a later date, while the Radio Times confirmed that fourteen episodes would be included in the series. Each episode was accompanied by an "iconic" EastEnders episodes, broadcast on the following day, and a selection of episodes originally broadcast in 2008, which were uploaded to the BBC's on-demand service, BBC iPlayer.

Cast
The programme features a range of EastEnders cast members with two cast members appearing on a single episode. Featured cast members were announced over multiple weeks. Having watched older eras of EastEnders, Dooley enjoyed talking with the younger members of the cast, who were new to the show. She liked that they respected the "enormity of the show" and the "legends that have been before them". The first episode features an interview with on-screen couple Kellie Bright (Linda Carter) and Danny Dyer (Mick Carter), who have appeared on EastEnders since 2013. Bright found the interview "nostalgic" and enjoyed revisiting her first scenes on the soap. She was also pleased to be reunited with Dyer, and liked the opportunity to showcase their bond and their respective characters. The actress explained that in her interview, she reveals things which she did not want people knowing. She added, "You'll feel like you're there sat down having a chat." Dooley liked interviewing Bright and Dyer, calling them "two complete dreams". She and Bright knew each other before the series as Bright had danced with Dooley's partner, Kevin Clifton, on the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. Bright appeared again in episode nine for the landladies special episode.

Original cast member Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale) stars in the second and sixth episode. His long-term co-star Letitia Dean (Sharon Watts) also features in second episode, as well as the ninth episode for a landladies special episode. Dean enjoyed watching clips of her time on the soap, calling it "quite special", especially alongside Woodyatt. She felt apprehensive about the interviews because she found it "different being yourself" and also had to prevent herself from swearing in the interviews. The actress enjoyed meeting Dooley, who she dubbed her "girl crush", and opined that the presenter "exuded warmth", which eased her into the interview. Similarly, Dooley enjoyed interviewing Dean, who she called "incredible" and "a scream". She added that she loved meeting the actress, who was "on great form". In an interview with BBC Online, Dooley opined that Dean "exceeded expectations" and was "magic", adding that she was "instantly very found of [her]".

Episode three sees James Bye (Martin Fowler) and Davood Ghadami (Kush Kazemi) appear on the series. Both actors have appeared on EastEnders since 2014. They were dubbed "the naughty kids at the back of the class" by the EastEnders production team. Bye and Ghadami are close friends and enjoyed appearing on the show together. They wanted to showcase how their on-screen relationship was not fake. Ghadami was pleased to reunite with Bye and the production crew, and felt that Dooley was the "perfect person to sit and chat with" about his experience on EastEnders. Bye liked working with Dooley and felt she put him at ease, especially since he dislikes interviews. He also enjoyed watching clips from the soap and discussing them with Ghadami and Dooley.

Ben Mitchell and Callum Highway actors Max Bowden and Tony Clay, respectively, are interviewed on the fourth episode. Dooley enjoyed interviewing Clay and admired him, calling him "a real gent". The following episode features a reunion for on-screen sisters Diane Parish (Denise Fox) and Tameka Empson (Kim Fox) and Yeates (Metro) teased that "hilarity ensues" during their interview. Original cast member Gillian Taylforth, who portrays Kathy Beale, appears in the sixth episode. The seventh episode stars on-screen brothers Jake Wood (Max Branning) and Scott Maslen (Jack Branning), while actors Maisie Smith (Tiffany Butcher-Baker) and Zack Morris (Keegan Butcher-Baker) appear in episode eight. Karen Taylor actress Lorraine Stanley features in both episodes eight and eleven. Linda Henry and Luisa Bradshaw-White, who portray sisters Shirley Carter and Tina Carter, respectively, star in the tenth episode, followed by Jessica Plummer and Toby-Alexander Smith, who portray couple Chantelle Atkins and Gray Atkins, respectively, in episode 11. In the twelfth episode, Shona McGarty (Whitney Dean) and Natalie Cassidy (Sonia Fowler) are interviewed by Dooley, and Lacey Turner and Jessie Wallace, who play Stacey Fowler and Kat Slater, respectively, appear in the final episode.

Filming
EastEnders: Secrets from the Square was filmed during the pandemic when government guidelines instructed people to social distance from others outside their household, and therefore, filming complied with these guidelines. Each episode was filmed across a single day and there was only a small production team involved in each episode. The show was filmed on the show's set at BBC Elstree Centre in Hertfordshire, London, with cast member interviews taking place on the set of Walford East restaurant. Additionally, actors took Dooley on tours around different parts of the set. She found the experience surreal and unbelievable, and thought the detail of the show's set was "impressive". She described being able to look around the show's set as "incredible" and "a real treat". The sets featured in the tours include The Queen Victoria pub set, the Bridge Street café set, the Bridge Street market set, and The Prince Albert bar set.

Filming of the show marked the first time the actors had returned to set since EastEnders paused production, although the set had been used during the filming of Talking Heads. Bright felt "emotional" returning to the set and found it hard knowing that she could not hug her colleagues. However, she did find the day of filming to be "a breath of fresh air" admist the pandemic.

Post-production
Post-production company Storm were hired to manage the post-production of EastEnders: Secrets from the Square. The post-production team comprised of a finishing editor, two dubbing mixers, two technical assistants and two members of a post producing team. The team worked simultaneously from remote locations across Britian due to the government guidelines surrounding the pandemic. Using five remote edit suites, the producer-director was able to watch the work of the editor, and was also granted the ability to access editorial management for the creation of press and promotional material. The dubbing mixers worked to mix audio from their iPhones.

Promotion and broadcast
EastEnders released a promotional trailer, which was led by Dooley, on 16 June 2020 previewing its plans for the show's transmission break. The trailer included clips from EastEnders: Secrets from the Square and scenes from the "iconic" episodes which were to be broadcast. Dooley appeared on the BBC Radio 2 talkshow Steve Wright in the Afternoon on 17 June 2020 to promote the documentary series, and on 22 June, Dooley and Bright were interviewed by Dan Walker and Louise Minchin on BBC Breakfast to promote the show. An interview with Dooley by BBC Online was released on 3 July 2020. To promote the fifth episode, Parish and Empson were interviewed by Nadia Sawalha, Jane Moore, Gloria Hunniford and Judi Love on Loose Women on 16 July 2020.

A preview clip for the opening episode, featuring Dyer and Bright being interviewed by Dooley, was released on 16 June. Two days later, the BBC released a preview clip for the fourth episode, featuring Bowden and Clay discussing their first on-screen kiss. A clip of Bright discussing her character's alcoholism storyline was released on 22 June 2020. Following the broadcast of the first episode, a clip of Dooley, Woodyatt and Dean from the following episode was released, with a second clip from the episode, of Dean discussing the "Sharongate" storyline, released on 29 June 2020. That evening, a preview clip for the third episode was released, which was followed by a second clip from the episode on 3 July 2020. A preview clip from the fourth episode, featuring Clay discussing his original stint on EastEnders, was released on 6 July 2020, following the broadcast of episode three. Four days later, a clip of Bowden discussing the casting process was released. A preview clip from the fifth episode, featuring Parish and Empson reuniting, was released on 16 July 2020, with another one following on 20 July. A day later, a clip promoting episode six was released, which features Taylforth and Woodyatt discussing their relationship.

The episodes are broadcast weekly in the United Kingdom on BBC One from 22 June 2020. Most episodes were broadcast on a Monday night in the 20:00 timeslot, although episodes 11 and 13 were broadcast on a Tuesday night in the 19:30 timeslot. Each episode lasts 29 minutes in length with the exception of the second episode, which is an extended 41 minutes in length. The episodes were then made available to watch on catch-up service BBC iPlayer for a year after its original broadcast.

Reception
Radio Times' Joe Julians expressed his delight about EastEnders: Secrets from the Square and stated that he was most looking forward to episode 5, featuring Parish and Empson. He was also excited about the second episode, featuring Dean and Woodyatt, who he called "true EastEnders royalty". He expected that they would have "no shortage of things to discuss" given their history on the show. Julians' colleague, David Brown, thought that the programme would be a good opportunity to create a new viewing audience, ahead of the BBC One's "meagre" autumn drama line-up which he believed could see EastEnders become "the most high-profile returning series it has to offer". Brown labelled the programme "methadone EastEnders" and thought it was creating "something outa nothing", referencing the 1986 EastEnders song of the same name. Steven Murphy, the editor of Inside Soap, expressed his excitement at watching the show and thought that the first episode, featuring Dyer and Bright, was "bound to be entertaining". His colleague, Alice Penwill, thought the series "provided a fresh insight into some of your favourtie characters" and noted that viewers were "having a lot of fun" watching the programme.

Stephen Patterson of the Metro dubbed the programme "fabulous", and quipped, "What a time to be an EastEnders fan!" Following the opening episode, he wrote a positive review, opining that the programme is "a perfect way to fill that EastEnders-shaped hole — both in your life, and the telly schedules.". He liked the show's format, which he deemed similar to EastEnders: Back to Ours, and thought that the social distancing was not "noticeable". He also praised Dooley as the host and wrote, "her enthusiasm and joy for the subject matter aided in making the programme an incredibly enjoyable watch". Patterson observed that EastEnders: Secrets from the Square succeeds in being nostalgic, exploring EastEnders characters and previewing future stories. He opined that Dyer and Bright were "the perfect combination" to start the show, and thought they had "great chemistry", believing that "their camaraderie provided for many a laugh-out-loud moment". Patterson later stated that EastEnders: Secrets from the Square occupied the Monday timeslot formerly held by EastEnders "successfully". Patterson's colleague, Duncan Lindsay, was surprised to learn that Henry would give a "rare interview" on the show. He joked that he would "not be able to look Stacey Dooley in the eye for the next few months without exploding with envy".

Following the second episode, author Melanie Blake criticised Dooley for not researching EastEnders before presenting the show after she asked Woodyatt and Dean who Julia Smith, the co-creator of EastEnders, was. Dooley responded to Blake's criticism, explaining that she knew who Smith was but the director asked her to confirm it for the audience. She added, "It's my job to ask the questions, not display my in depth knowledge of a soap opera." Following Dooley's response, Blake stated that the editing made her "look like [she] didn't know" and that it looked poor on-screen.