Joining the writing team of the heavyweight Eastenders in 1989, writer Tony Jordan was drafted in to introduce a slice of authentic East End culture to the show. However, he was carrying an ironic secret which still has the power to shock people into disbelief. Born in Southport in 1957, Tony grew up far removed from the social ecosystem of the east end of London but moved to the capital in his quest to become a market trader . For the first five years of his Eastenders tenure, Jordan failed to disclose his true northern roots which were more akin to Brookside Close than Albert Square. Yet his time in the East End markets proved vital in understanding the world which he was about to develop.
Social drama has forever been a staple of British television since its very inception and can boast a long legacy of gripping plays which helped to define generations. As opposed to other popular genres, soaps may have derived from community culture and the conversations traditionally reserved for the garden gate or allotments. In the age before television, community hearsay provided entertainment for residents of an area as they gossiped and speculated about who was having an affair with who or the latest scandal of a neighbour. When television entertainment became popular in the mid fifties, this gradually reduced as more and more households could afford television sets. Therefore serial drama became the hub in which domestic life became visible and resonated with every household in the country. Sadly, the essence of community culture has become consigned to history and serial drama may be the only arena where we can see this on display. In this context, soaps aren’t so much an evolution of social drama but more of a depiction of social discourse from yesteryear.
From Cathy Come Home to Boys From The Blackstuff, the BBC built a reputation for gritty storytelling surrounding real life events. Up until the 1980’s, despite such a strong legacy of drama, the corporation had failed to find a suitable vehicle to rival the commercial television juggernaut Coronation Street. Tapping into the 1980’s zeitgeist, the show centered on the Beales, Fowlers and the Watts’ coping with life in the fictional London suburb of Walford E20. Grittier than the residents of Weatherfield, Eastenders pushed the boundaries of domestic drama with authentic camera technology and emotive storytelling which helped to bring soap relevant to contemporary culture.
The notion of family has always underpinned the basis of Eastenders and the connections between different clans. While stand alone characters are able to work as devices for drama, having core family units remains vital to the show’s longevity as it means that a multitude of classic story arcs can be played out. The drama ensues when a member of a clan has an issue with a member of another which makes the two clans collide. With this technique, it’s possible to develop ancient narratives of unrequited love, adultery and mixed allegiances all within the confines of the square. This is difficult to execute when a lone character turns up with no concrete ties to anyone as it’s hard to keep where they fit into a story. Whether it’s the Beales, the Mitchells or the Slaters, family dynamics are the glue that keeps them together and thus the drama can ensue.
As a writer, Tony is fascinated by character development and Eastenders allowed him to explore this on a large scale. One of his favourite devices was the battle of the sexes in which he would gather the male and female characters in opposite ends of the Queen Vic and get them to moan about their partners. To Jordan, this is relatable drama at its very best and something that we have all been privy to in social situations. Arguably this would be slightly more difficult to execute in today’s soapland with same sex relationships and more complex dynamics but it would still be feasible. Maybe it won’t be long before we see a 2020 version of the battle of the sexes playing out in Albert Square and it would be fascinating to see just what it would look like.
There are many different aspects that make the East End unique and many of its features have become part of the British identity. The legacy of the Kray twins still lives long in the memory of almost everyone who lived in London during the fifties and sixties but up until 1990 Eastenders had failed to create characters who would be a representation of Ronnie and Reggie. This was all about to change when Tony helped to create two brand new characters. Born and bred East End gangsters, Phil and Grant Mitchell played by Steve McFadden and Ross Kemp weren’t twins but had an unconventionally deep love for each other. Suddenly the show was able to explore family in a way that had rarely been seen on British television. With the casting of the legendary Barbara Windsor as the formidable matriarch Peggy Mitchell offered this family dynamic much needed gravatas. Who better to be the figurehead of this dysfunctional family than a figure who had been in the inner circle of the Kray dynasty?!
Throughout his Eastenders tenure, Tony always pined to write a half hour one-hander centering on just one character but was forever met with barriers. Therefore you could only imagine his excitement in 2008 when he was asked to return to the show to compose a very special episode for the legendary June Brown coping with husband Jim being placed in a care home following a debilitating stroke. For this, Tony wanted to examine Dot’s story and discover the woman behind the cigarettes, curlers and bible. He stumbled across the Al Jolson classic Pretty Baby and began to think about how that defined her life. This wasn’t about Jim at all but about where Dot had come from, how her upbringing had shaped her life as a Christian and how she felt about herself. Together with June Brown’s poignant performance, Tony was able to create something that transcended soap and became a defining piece of television.
Landmarks of television shows are always difficult to mark and for a writer, it’s hard to quantify how to feel. Forty years is a substantial period for a show to constantly be at the top of the tree and despite no longer being a part of it, Tony was still aware of Eastenders’ significant milestone. With a fundamental belief that every episode should be to the very highest standard, he is somewhat perplexed by the special week of episodes and hopes it can continue delivering high quality content under the stewardship of executive producer Chris Clenshaw. It was an absolute pleasure to welcome the great Tony Jordan back to Beyond The Title and may he and Eastenders reign over our television screens for many years to come!
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