The residents of Albert Square were as hooked as the rest of the country.
Tonight’s episode of EastEnders will include a mention of yesterday’s climactic Euro 2020 final, in which England lost to Italy in a heart-wrenching penalty shoot-out.
The scene was rapidly written and filmed today, featuring Albert Square residents Billy (Perry Fenwick), Kim (Tameka Empson), and Bobby (Clay Milner Russell) weighing in on the epic match.
The Euro 2020 discussion is not included in the episodes currently available on BBC iPlayer, but will be edited into them after the terrestrial broadcast at 8:05pm tonight on BBC One.
Executive producer Jon Sen said: “Although it’s only a small scene, with England’s performance in the Euro’s capturing the hearts of the nation over the past month it’s only right that the residents of Walford would be talking about last night’s historical match.”
It’s no surprise that the characters of Walford would have tuned into the big game, given that overnight ratings peg viewership to have been just shy of 31 million – in other words, 82 per cent of everybody watching television in the UK at that time.
It’s not yet known exactly what will be said in the scene, but if the writers are looking to reflect the mood of the nation, we’d expect some heartache over the loss mixed with pride at the tremendous success of the Three Lions.
Indeed, many football fans have made efforts to condemn the racist abuse levelled at penalty takers Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, with #SakaYouDidGreat among the top trending terms on Twitter this morning.
Euro 2020 marked England’s first final at a major international tournament since 1966, stoking anticipation for the team’s performance at next year’s World Cup.
EastEnders has previously referenced real-world events on many occasions, with recent examples being the COVID-19 vaccination rollout and the 2019 General Election result.
EastEnders airs tonight at 8:05pm on BBC One. Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.