EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders has toasted the debut of its new Albert Square set with a few on-air jokes.
The biggest takeaway from the unveiling of the multi-year construction project is that the new Albert Square looks quite a bit like the old Albert Square, albeit with a fresh coat of paint.
Monday's episode began with a sweeping crane shot overlooking the new Square, set to Lily Allen's 'LDN'. This shot panned over the entire Albert Square, before closing in on Sharon Watts' flat.
Sharon went out the front gate with Martin Fowler, stopping to ask if he liked her new coat — giving him an opportunity for a metatextual response.
"It just looks the same as the old one," Martin admitted, in an obvious nod to the new set.
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Sharon then pointed out: "Oi, this is quality. It will last years!"
Martin went his own way with a final joke that at least Sharon's coat didn't have "that funny smell anymore". Two guesses on which part of the old set that joke was referencing?
Producers better hope the new Walford set has some serious life in it because it cost £87 million in all and faced multiple delays before it was first seen on screens on Monday.
However, the new EastEnders set will be on full display this week with an extensive chase scene that has serial killer Gray Atkins racing through the streets of Walford to avoid capture.
Director Richard Lynn recently spoke about how the ambitious chase scene only would have been possible in this new filming space for EastEnders.
"Chase scenes on the old lot would inevitably have gone in one direction only, because there were so many dead ends," he explained.
"There is much more flexibility now – more places for the goodies to hide and the baddies to come together. I'd really like to do a foot chase in the alleys or back gardens."
EastEnders airs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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One of Them: From Albert Square to Parliament Square by Michael Cashman
