Star of stage and screen Harriet Thorpe made headlines in 2023 when it was revealed that she was joining Eastenders as the formidable matriarch Elaine Peacock. Just days before this announcement, I had the enormous privilege to welcome her to the podcast for a celebration of her impressive career in comedy following meeting her months before at the Leicester Square Theatre. At this stage I had no idea that within a matter of weeks, she would become the latest incumbent of the iconic Queen Vic at the centre of Albert Square. Following some of the best loved icons of soap including Anita Dobson, Pam St Clement and the legendary Dame Barbara Windsor, Harriet quickly found herself behind the bar in the famous pub which has been the setting for so many seminal moments of British television.
As a fan of the show since its inception in 1985, Harriet is able to strongly recall the excitement in watching this fresh and original show which was firmly rooted in East End tradition and culture. The popular Sunday afternoon omnibus which ran throughout the noughties became appointment to view television for students all over Britain who opted to get their Albert Square fix in a concentrated two hour session. Therefore when the opportunity came to join the show, Harriet jumped at the chance. Yet the character of Elaine had already been portrayed by the star of stage and screen Maria Friedman periodically from October 2014 until June 2017 and therefore had already left her mark on the Square. As an actress, Harriet believes that drama should never be about recreating something that has already been done but breathing new life and your own voice into a role.
Since moving to the Square, Elaine has been involved in many hard hitting storylines which have reflected the changes in modern society and Harriet is proud to have been trusted with such a responsibility. Probably the most personally emotional story remains the double life of Elaine’s late husband John who led a double life and was affected by the AIDS epidemic of the 1980’s. With such vivid memories of such a devastating period, Harriet brought firsthand experience of this tragic disease to the role which added much needed depth to the story. Losing friends to this dreadful illness, he AIDS crisis is forever etched into her psyche and therefore far Harriet, this was an important re-telling of a narrative that remains raw for everyone who lived through it.
Being the daughter of the seminal novelist Gillian Freeman who wrote the influential novel The Leather Boys under the pseudonym of Eliot George (a nod to the trailblazing 19th century author), Harriet had grown up aware of the enormous injustice that the LGBTQ community had endured throughout the years. Therefore she easily related to Elaine’s story and brought firsthand experience to the story which offered it much needed gravitas. This is something that remains close to Harriet’s heart and it was an honour to work alongside Eastenders writers, directors and producers in order to accurately tell this important story.
Beyond gripping, captivating drama, Eastenders has also built a reputation for perfectly balancing light and shade and this is what Harriet relishes most about the character of Elaine. Essentially, life has its happy and sad moments which can sometimes run parallel with each other in a pathetic fallacy. Comedy isn’t about being funny, more about being able to subvert tragedy and that’s what Eastenders attempts to do. Actors with a comedy background may find it easier to grasp this concept and use it as a device to hone the character. Little idiosyncrasies like correcting people who got her name wrong (“it’s Elaine!”) offered her more of a rounded personality than merely a reproduction of a Peggy Mitchell or Pat Butcher.
As an actress, Harriet is extremely proud to be part of a beloved serial drama at such a significant landmark. Forty years of hard hitting, character lead drama is no mean feat and she has seen firsthand the incredible team effort which goes into making Eastenders a success. From fan to leading actress, Harriet is in awe of everyone who has ever worked on the show and loves going to work on one of the best shows in the world. It was a great pleasure to welcome Harriet Thorpe back to Beyond The Title and happy birthday Eastenders!
Beyond The Title