'EastEnders', BBC's Award-Winning Soap Gets Web Spin-Off

Continuing in the vein of U.S. shows like Harper’s Island and Heroes, the popular and award-winning UK soap EastEnders has announced it will tackle its own internet spin-off. The 13-part EastEnders:E20 web series tracks four new characters who move into Albert Square, the location of the parent show.

Conceived by EastEnders executive producer Diederick Santer as a way of nurturing new, young talent, both on- and off-screen, he also wants the series to explore the stories of the soaps’ anonymous bystanders. Says Santer: “There are always other people (in EastEnders) milling round the market and houses that we never go into. There are four or five parallels you could do. It will be nice to see well-known characters through strangers’ eyes.”

Similarly to Harper’s Island web companion series Harper’s Globe, EastEnders:E20 is designed to be a stand-alone series but with cameos from main cast members to please the hardcore fans. The series aims to hit a younger demographic than the parent show and is being written by a group of Londoners aged 17 to 22 who responded to a writing competition.

The series is set to begin airing in January 2010 three times a week after EastEnders episodes. The spin-off will be available on the EastEnders website and may be put on BBC’s iPlayer as well.