The Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria, as it appeared from November 1992 to September 2010
SeriesEastEnders
First appearanceEpisode 1
19 February 1985 (1985-02-19)
In-universe information
TypePublic house
Founded1860 (In-universe)
Address46 Albert Square, Walford, London, E20 6PQ

The Queen Victoria (more often referred to as The Queen Vic or The Vic) is the Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.

Appearance and development

The former College Park Hotel in Harlesden, on which the design for The Queen Victoria was based.

In the series' backstory, Albert Square was built in the early 1860s during the reign of Queen Victoria. In February 2020, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) revealed that the original landlords of The Queen Victoria were a Mr and Mrs Bagstock, and that he had drowned his wife in the bath.

Originally, the pub was to be called The Balmoral Arms, but after the death of Prince Albert, it was renamed as a tribute to the mourning Queen. In reality, Albert Square is based on the real Fassett Square in Hackney, but there is no pub there, so The Queen Victoria is based on what was once College Park Tavern on Harrow Road in Harlesden.[1] Initially, the pub's exterior is first seen painted brown. This is later changed to a green and cream colour scheme in late 1990, before Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) sets alight to the Queen Victoria in 1992, after which it is painted red. Following another blaze in 2010, started by Grant’s brother Phil, the pub is painted red, green and cream. On Boxing Day 2013, the new family to the square, the Carters, took over the Queen Vic, and since then it has had a refurbishment and has been painted red once again.

During the first months of the show, The Queen Victoria has a partition wall down the middle of the bar, which separates it into two sections. The smaller section, known as the 'snug', houses a dart board and fruit machines, whilst the larger section, known as the saloon bar, is used primarily as the customer seating area. Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) gets permission from the brewery to remove the partition in 1985, and hires Tony Carpenter (Oscar James) to do the job. In 2007, the pub has its first major refurbishment in 15 years, and another in late 2010 following another fire.

In reality, the pub exterior shell on the outdoor permanent set was built during 1984 for the new series, which began the following year. The exterior shell was made to look as though it had stood for over 100 years. The internal sets are in a studio separate from the building situated in the Square.

Inside Soap said that the pub was the most "haunted" location in EastEnders, considering the number of characters who have died in or outside the building, including Den, Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb), Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements), Tiffany Mitchell (Martine McCutcheon) and Tom Clements (Donald Tandy).[2]

2010 fire

Exterior of The Queen Victoria as it appeared 2010–2014

In a storyline shown during September 2010, The Queen Victoria was severely damaged by a fire. This allowed for a subtle redesign and upgrade of the set; required when high-definition broadcasting commenced.[3] A separate set was built on the George Lucas sound stage at Elstree Studios to enable the pub interior to be set alight safely.

A team of more than 40 crew members were involved in the filming of the fire including makeup, stunt team, fire safety officers, cameras, lighting, sound and the costume department.[4] The exterior scenes took five half days to shoot (as it could only be shot at night) and were shot at the BBC studios in Borehamwood. The interior scenes were shot a week after and took three days to film.

Safety necessitated having the set re-created at the Elstree Film Studios stage facility that is designed and equipped to film fire scenes.[4] EastEnders Production Manager Rona McKendrick said "Potentially hazardous scenes like this always require specialist knowledge and we rely on their experience and advice to ensure that everything is achieved as safely as possible. We had a Stunt Team comprising Lee Sheward, our Stunt Co-ordinator and his team of Stunt Doubles. A Visual FX team designed and executed all the fire sequences and we had specialist Fire Officers providing out of vision fire cover / safety."

Of the fire itself, McKendrick said "Everyone was very sad to see The Vic taken out of Stage One and moved to Elstree Film Studios for the burn, I've known the set for 18 years and to see the enormous space it left was as if a piece of history had been removed".[4]

Storylines

As one of the show’s focal points, the pub has been the scene of many of the biggest storylines.

In the EastEnders series spin-off CivvyStreet (1988) life in Albert Square is featured between 1939 and 1945, and The Queen Victoria (The Queen Vic) freehold is owned by the brewery, Luxford & Copley. Ray and Lil Sewell (Robert Putt and Frances Cuka) are the landlords. When the series begins, the brewery remain owners and Den (Leslie Grantham) and Angie Watts (Anita Dobson) have been landlords for ten years; previous landlords alluded to in conversation include Gus and Flo Leonard and Alf and Polly Barrett. In 2020, the first landlords of the pub are mentioned as being Mr and Mrs Bagstock; Mrs Bagstock having been drowned by her husband in the bath.

Angie is served with divorce papers by Den on Christmas Day 1986 and two years later he passes control to Frank (Mike Reid) and Pat Butcher (Pam St. Clement). In 1990, Frank and Pat hand over the pub to Eddie Royle. Eddie is murdered by Nick Cotton (John Altman) the following year, and the daughter of Den and Angie, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), becomes the first licensee when she buys the freehold of The Queen Vic with the assistance of her husband Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and his brother Phil (Steve McFadden); the three live there. Grant sets fire to the pub in 1992 in an insurance scam and it is refurbished. Grant and Sharon divorce in 1995 after her affair with Phil was exposed and their share of The Queen Vic is sold to Grant and Phil's mother, Peggy (Barbara Windsor). Peggy marries Frank in 1999 and he again becomes a landlord. When Grant leaves Walford soon afterwards, Peggy's alcoholic son Phil sells his share of the pub to Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass) for a mere £5 to spite his domineering mother. However, he subsequently buys back his share and evicts Dan from The Queen Vic. After Frank leaves in November 2000 and leaves her penniless, Peggy is soon left with no option but to sell the pub. The new buyer is revealed to be Sharon, in partnership with Steve Owen (Martin Kemp). Steve soon has to sell his share to raise ransom money for his wife Mel (Tamzin Outhwaite) and Phil buys back part of The Queen Vic. In 2002, Sharon also sells up to Phil and the pub returns to the control of the Mitchells. Peggy appoints Alfie Moon as manager later that year.

On Christmas Eve 2004, Den tricks his way back into ownership of The Queen Vic, but within two months he is killed by his second wife, Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman), who buries his body in the cellar of pub. Chrissie forges his signature on a deed of transfer and tells the customers that he has left her for another woman, signing The Queen Vic over to her. Six months later, Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) digs up Den's body and Chrissie, in a plan to escape, sells the pub to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and is subsequently arrested for murder. Her confessing to forging his signature nullifies the sale to Ian and ownership reverts to Sharon, Den's heir. Sharon returns The Queen Vic to Peggy and Phil. When Sam (now played by Danniella Westbrook) breaches her bail conditions in 2009, the family goes into debt. Phil secures The Queen Vic against a loan from Ian, who is forced to sell it to Peggy's ex-husband Archie (Larry Lamb). The Mitchells initially continue running the pub but Peggy relents and hands over control to Archie and his fiancée Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) after her step daughter Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack) suffers a miscarriage during a confrontation with her father Archie. After Archie is murdered on Christmas Day, his daughter Roxy (Rita Simons) inherits The Queen Vic. When Roxy tries to sell it on, Peggy objects, and Roxy signs over the pub to her. Later in 2010, Phil develops a drug addiction and is locked in a room in the pub by Peggy. After he escapes, he argues with his mother and sets fire to the pub as an act of revenge. The fire traps him and Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) along with her baby Lily, but they all manage to escape.

Again, fire destroys The Queen Vic and Peggy transfers ownership to Phil before she leaves Walford. Phil renovates the pub and rents it to Alfie Moon and his wife Kat (Jessie Wallace). Kat is away temporarily in 2012 when Roxy again is landlady but upon Kat's return, The Queen Vic is forced to close down due to an outbreak of bed bugs, the source of which was thought to be Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), who has been staying. Instead, it was found that the source was the flat where Kat was meeting her lover Derek Branning (Jamie Foreman). The Queen Vic returns to Phil when Kat and Alfie fail to pay rent and Roxy is again made manager. However, Phil has a change of mind about Kat and Alfie when he finds out from Kat about her affair and subsequent attempt to save her marriage, all the while leaving Roxy as manager. During Christmas 2012, Alfie finds out about the affair, they separate and Roxy and Amy move back to The Queen Vic. Roxy replaces Kat as the joint licensee of the pub with Alfie, but leaves after Alfie reunites with Kat on the day of his and Roxy's wedding. As an act of revenge against the Moons, Phil decides to sell the pub and Alfie and Kat are forced to move out. Janine initially tries to buy the pub, but is arrested for murder before paying Phil. Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) buys The Queen Victoria on Christmas Day, 2013, and the following day moves into the pub with his wife Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) and son Johnny Carter (Sam Strike). Phil is surprised to discover that Mick is Shirley's brother. When Shirley persuades their estranged father into giving them £10,000 to repair the rising damp in the cellar, Mick and Linda give Shirley a 10% stake in the pub.

In 2016, Mick and Linda's son, Lee Carter (Danny-Boy Hatchard) gets into debt, and Mick pays it off by taking out loans. The family struggle to pay for court fines after Babe Smith (Annette Badland) sells alcohol outside of licensing hours, repairs to a leaking roof, for Sylvie Carter's (Linda Marlowe) funeral, and vets bills for their dog, Lady Di (Hot Lips). While Linda and Mick are away, Linda sends Woody Woodward (Lee Ryan) to look after the pub as a manager. Max Branning (Jake Wood) hears of the Carters' financial problems and suggests to Shirley that they sell the freehold of the pub. Shirley convinces Linda but they do not tell Mick, and Shirley forges his signature. The new freeholders, Grafton Hill, send Fi Browning (Lisa Faulkner), a business consultant, to look at ways to maximise profit at the pub, and she concludes that two members of staff need to be made redundant, but insists that the freeholders want Woody to stay, so Sharon, and barmaid Tracey (Jane Slaughter) are made redundant. It then emerges that the company Max works for, Weyland & Co, are involved and they have a mole in the pub, as the company is planning to redevelop the local area and The Queen Vic is their first target. It is soon revealed that Fi is the mole, and Grafton Hill makes them pay for further repairs. Fi tricks the Carters into thinking the debt is less, so when they fail to pay, they are given a month to leave and it is revealed that Fi's father, James Willmott-Brown (William Boyde) is the owner. However, after Fi realises that James is a rapist, who had raped Kathy back in 1988 and he is arrested for fraud, she offers the Carters the chance to buy the Vic back, which they are eventually able to do.

In 2020, after Linda struggles with alcoholism, Mick decides to sell the pub in order to help Linda recover. Phil tries to buy the pub in order to repair his marriage to Sharon, but after he kicks her out, Linda refuses to sell to Phil. The pub is therefore sold to Ian, who installs Sharon as the landlady and she moves in with her son, Albie Watts. In 2021, after Ian disappears from Walford, he transfers ownership over to Sharon. After being blackmailed by Max, Phil convinces Sharon to sell the Vic back to Mick and Linda.

In 2022 on Christmas Day, Mick vanishes at sea, and is presumed dead, leaving Linda as the joint owner with Janine as Mick's personal representative to his estate.

Employees

Current staff

CharacterJob roleYears
Linda CarterLandlady2013–present
Elaine PeacockLandlady2023–present
George KnightLandlord2023–present
Gina KnightBarmaid2023–present
Anna KnightBarmaid2023–present
TraceyBarmaid1988–present
Patrick TruemanPotman2017, 2023–present
Jean SlaterCleaner2018–present
Bernadette TaylorCook2023–present

Previous staff

Job roleCharacters
OwnersLuxford and Copley, Grant Mitchell, Dan Sullivan, Steve Owen, Sam Mitchell, Den Watts, Chrissie Watts, Archie Mitchell, Roxy Mitchell, Peggy Mitchell, Phil Mitchell, Grafton Hill, Fi Browning, Ian Beale, Sharon Watts, Mick Carter, Janine Butcher
LandlordsMr and Mrs Bagstock, Ray Sewell, Lil Sewell, Gus Leonard, Flo Leonard, Alf Barratt, Polly Barratt, Jan Hammond, Angie Watts, Pat Butcher, Eddie Royle, Grant Mitchell, Dan Sullivan, Frank Butcher, Den Watts, Chrissie Watts, Phil Mitchell, Archie Mitchell, Peggy Mitchell, Roxy Mitchell, Alfie Moon, Kat Slater, Shirley Carter, Ian Beale, Sharon Watts, Mick Carter
Managing supervisorsJames Willmott-Brown, Sam Mitchell, Ronnie Mitchell, Sharon Watts, Fi Browning
Bar managersSimon Wicks, Sharon Watts, Barry Evans, Dave Roberts, Alfie Moon, Roxy Mitchell, Woody Woodward, Janine Butcher
BartendersDen Watts, Angie Watts, Kathy Beale, Lofty Holloway, Arthur Fowler, Simon Wicks, Jan Hammond, Donna Ludlow, Pat Butcher, Pauline Fowler, Cindy Beale, Sharon Watts, Mo Butcher, Clyde Tavernier, Shelley Lewis, Binnie Roberts, Peggy Mitchell, Phil Mitchell, Grant Mitchell, Tiffany Mitchell, Lorraine Wicks, Steve Elliot, Michelle Fowler, Ricky Butcher, Mary Flaherty, Dan Sullivan, Josie McFarlane, Nina Harris, Mel Owen, Natalie Evans, Trevor Morgan, Sam Mitchell, Billy Mitchell, Spencer Moon, Little Mo Mitchell, Jake Moon, Dennis Rickman, Chrissie Watts, Honey Mitchell, Dawn Swann, Sean Slater, Roxy Mitchell, Ronnie Mitchell, Billy Mitchell, Archie Mitchell, Christian Clarke, Danny Mitchell, Glenda Mitchell, Ryan Malloy, Chelsea Fox, Jean Slater, Eddie Moon, Tyler Moon, Jodie Gold, Kim Fox, Mo Harris, Ray Dixon, Fatboy, Kirsty Branning, Lee Carter, Babe Smith, Stacey Slater, Johnny Carter, Masood Ahmed, Stuart Highway, Tina Carter, Kat Slater, Callum Highway, Whitney Dean, Janine Butcher, Nancy Carter, Frankie Lewis, Shirley Carter, Alfie Moon
CleanersEthel Skinner, Pat Butcher, Pauline Fowler, Little Mo Mitchell, Rosie Miller, Juley Smith, Danielle Jones, Julie Perkins, Billy Mitchell, Bianca Jackson, Lauren Branning, Shirley Carter, Denise Fox, Stacey Slater, Mo Harris, Kat Slater
PotmenTom Clements, Jim Branning, Charlie Slater, Ted Murray
CooksEthel Skinner, Debbie Wilkins, Magda Czajkowski, Mo Butcher, Cindy Beale, Hattie Tavernier, Ian Beale, Christian Clarke, Jane Beale, Jean Slater, Ray Dixon, Babe Smith, Abi Branning, Callum Highway, Zack Hudson
Events managersJean Slater, Babe Smith

Key events in The Queen Victoria

The Queen Victoria's bust of Queen Victoria (pictured on display at the Elstree and Borehamwood Museum) was used from 1993 until 2010, and from 2012 onwards.
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s


See also

References

  1. ↑ Hassell, Katherine (15 February 2015). "The most memorable moments of EastEnders". Daily Express. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  2. ↑ "Soap's Most Haunted!". Inside Soap. 2016 (43): 49. 4 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Green, Kris (22 June 2010). "'EastEnders' pub to burn down in blaze". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 Conder, Matt (15 September 2010). "Walford Web – Walford Lite – The Great Fire of Walford – Behind the Scenes". Walford Web. Archived from the original on 1 December 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
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