User:AnemoneProjectors/Disaster Week

"Disaster Week"
Episode nos.	Episodes 5430–5432 (3 episodes)
Directed by	Toby Frow Richard Lynn
Written by	Daran Little Matt Evans
Produced by	Sean O'Connor
Original air date	23–26 January 2017
Running time	90 minutes (3x30)

"Disaster Week" is a group of three episodes of the BBC soap opera EastEnders, episodes 5430, 5431 and 5432, broadcast between 23 and 26 January 2017 on BBC One. The episodes include a bus crash in Albert Square during which several characters are hurt. During the episodes, Max Branning (Jake Wood) organises people to lift the bus to save Martin Fowler (James Bye), who is trapped underneath it, but a final scene sparked speculation that Max had organised the crash as a form of revenge for being wrongly sent to prison in a previous storyline, "Who Killed Lucy Beale?".

Plot

Episode 5430 (23 January 2017)

Following on from the previous episode, in which Kim Fox-Hubbard (Tameka Empson) disowns her sister Denise Fox (Diane Parish) for having her baby adopted, saying she is "dead" to her, Kim asks their mother, Emerald Fox (Doña Croll) to move out for taking Denise's side; she moves in with Denise and her father figure, Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker). The market traders hear that the market may be moved, so Martin Fowler (James Bye) attempts to get the other traders to strike, but they refuse, and Martin's wife Stacey Fowler (Lacey Turner) is also against it as the family needs the money. Whitney Carter (Shona McGarty) tells her husband, Lee Carter (Danny-Boy Hatchard), that her brother, Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott), has invited them to visit him in Wakefield to celebrate his engagement, but Lee is against it because of the costs involved. Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick), who is a registered sex offender, looks for a new home because he can no longer live where he currently is. He and his funeral director boss, Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick), travel to near the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to collect a corpse, and get stuck in traffic on the way back. Jay fears he will never find a relationship because of his situation, but Billy tells him that the right woman will see that he was not at fault; Jay receives a text message from a nurse Billy gave his number to, but Jay refuses to respond.

Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) wins a competition to have a family photo taken, so takes her mother, Sylvie Carter (Linda Marlowe), and sister, Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), for the photo but they find out it was a scam. Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield) tells off her former boyfriend, Shakil Kazemi (Shaheen Jafargholi) for standing by while Keegan Baker (Zack Morris) made fun of her best friend Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper) in the previous episode, and Keegan continues to tease Louise. The school closes early due to a broken water supply, so several students get the bus home, including Louise, Bex, Shakil and Keegan. Denise is also travelling on the bus, and she worries when the bus driver (Jim Dowdall) appears ill and drives the wrong way. Tina, Sylvie and Shirley travel back towards Walford on the tube. While Martin continues to protest, the bus driver suffers a heart attack. Denise is thrown to the floor of the bus, and the bus crashes through the market and into the rail bridge.

Episode 5431 (24 January 2017)

The market is devastated, and many people are injured. The students are trapped at the top of the bus but gradually escape from the emergency exit at the back, though Louise is scared, but Shakil assures her. She tells Bex that Shakil saved her life. Keegan films the incident on his mobile phone. Johnny Carter (Ted Reilly) calls the emergency services. Café worker Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) and the café's customers are trapped inside by a market stall. Kathy makes a call to make the trains are stopped from crossing the bridge. The underground train stops at a red light, so Shirley, Tina and Sylvie speculate as to what has happened.

Kim's husband, Vincent Hubbard (Richard Blackwood), sees Denise on the bus and Kim screams; Denise is bleeding from her head. Vincent then finds the wheel to his foster sister Donna Yates's (Lisa Hammond) wheelchair and frantically tries to find her. Jay arrives back on Albert Square and sees Martin is trapped under the bus, and says that the emergency services will be delayed due to the traffic jam he was stuck in. A woman, Mary Scholes (Victoria Gee) has lost her son, Lewis. Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell) and Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) arrive on the scene, but Steven does nothing until Lauren says they must help, later asking him why. Martin asks for Stacey, and when she arrives, she begs for people to help free him.

Kim thinks Denise is dead because of what she said, but Denise regains consciousness and manages to open the door and exit the bus, though she is disorientated and confused. Denise rejects Kim, despite Kim's regret. Donna insists she does not need to go to the hospital, while Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) becomes hysterical. Max Branning (Jake Wood) decides to gather people together to try to lift the bus and get Martin out. A paramedic, Debbie Frith (Hester Ruoff), arrives, calling in a major incident. Emerald catches f trying to loot the local shop, and he pushes her against the shelves when she tries to stop him. A large crowd manage to lift the bus enough for Martin to be pulled free. As an ambulance arrives, Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) hears a phone ringing; he recognises the ring tone as Whitney's, and fears she is also trapped under the bus.

Episode 5432 (26 January 2017)

Fire crews and ambulances arrive on the scene and Whitney is rescued from under the bus. Martin is taken to hospital, where he has a scan to reveal if there is any damage to his kidneys from the pressure on his abdomen. Later, Stacey tells him she wants a baby with him and he happily agrees. Denise has a mild concussion but is discharged from the hospital. Keegan tries to sell stolen goods to Lee in another café, and when Shakil arrives, Lee learns of what happened; he rushes to hospital to see Whitney. Before he gets there, Whitney regains consciousness and tells Mick she has doubts about her and Lee's relationship, but Mick assures her that Lee will now realise how much he loves her. Whitney kisses Mick, which is seen by Denise. Lee arrives moments later, unaware of the kiss. Mick tells Whitney to forget about what happened for the time being.

Shakil tells Bex he thought he was going to lose her, but Louise tells him to leave. Mary is reunited with her son, Lewis, and all the locals appear to be safe, though there is initially doubt about where Dot Branning (June Brown) is until Patrick says he took her home earlier, but the bus driver is dead. Tina, Shirley and Sylvie hear there was a crash on Bridge Street, but they safely make it back. Babe Smith (Annette Badland) tells Sylvie, her sister who has dementia, that the crash was her fault for running in front of the bus with her dress over her head. Kim watches Denise with her family on the square. Stacey leaves Max a voicemail, thanking him for saving Martin, and saying she is glad he returned to Walford. Max meets the chairman of a company called Wayland & Co at the top of The Shard. The man tells Max he grew up in east London and expresses happiness that people now aspire to live there, but states that some people are stuck in the past. The man says that Max has connections in Walford, which Max says will not be a problem, which pleases the man, who does not want emotions to get in the way of progress. The man asks Max about The Queen Victoria pub, to which Max says it "next on my list" and it can "burn, for all I care".

Characters and cast

The cast lists for the first two episodes were released prior to the broadcasts, but the cast list for the third episode was not released. Most of the regular characters were included, with 34 characters on the list, with the only ones missing being Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald), Sharon Mitchell (Letitia Dean), Dot Branning (June Brown) and Jane Beale (Laurie Brett), though Daniel Kilkelly from Digital Spy pointed out that they could still appear in the third episode, or may have been omitted deliberately to mislead.

Claire Corkery from the Daily Express speculated that, as the cast list for first episode featured Babe Smith (Annette Badland) at the top of the list, while the second featured Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) at the top, it could be a clue to the fate of those characters, as "Usually the name that appears at the top of the list is the character that gets the last scene of the episode, leading to speculation that their characters will die."

Cast list

• Martin Fowler – James Bye (3 episodes)
• Stacey Fowler – Lacey Turner (3 episodes)
• Bex Fowler – Jasmine Armfield (3 episodes)
• Louise Mitchell – Tilly Keeper (3 episodes)
• Jay Brown – Jamie Borthwick (3 episodes)
• Billy Mitchell – Perry Fenwick (1 episode)
• Honey Mitchell – Emma Barton (3 episodes)
• Denise Fox – Diane Parish (3 episodes)
• Libby Fox – Belinda Owusu (2 episodes)
• Patrick Trueman – Rudolph Walker (2 episodes)
• Kim Fox-Hubbard – Tameka Empson (3 episodes)
• Vincent Hubbard – Richard Blackwood (3 episodes)
• Donna Yates – Lisa Hammond (3 episodes)
• Kush Kazemi – Davood Ghadami (3 episodes)
• Johnny Carter – Ted Reilly (3 episodes)
• Shakil Kazemi – Shaheen Jafargholi (3 episodes)
• Carmel Kazemi – Bonnie Langford (3 episodes)
• Kathy Beale – Gillian Taylforth (3 episodes)
• Shirley Carter – Linda Henry (3 episodes)
• Tina Carter – Luisa Bradshaw-White (3 episodes)
• Sylvie Carter – Linda Marlowe (3 episodes)
• Babe Smith – Annette Badland (3 episodes)
• Mick Carter – Danny Dyer (3 episodes)
• Whitney Carter – Shona McGarty (2 episodes)
• Lee Carter – Danny-Boy Hatchard (2 episodes)
• Max Branning – Jake Wood (2 episodes)
• Ben Mitchell – Harry Reid (2 episodes)
• Michelle Fowler – Jenna Russell (2 episodes)
• Ian Beale – Adam Woodyatt (2 episodes)
• Steven Beale – Aaron Sidwell (2 episodes)
• Lauren Branning – Jacqueline Jossa (2 episodes)
• Jack Branning – Scott Maslen (2 episodes)
• Emerald Fox – Doña Croll (3 episodes)
• Keegan Baker – Zack Morris (3 episodes)
• Amy Mitchell – Abbie Knowles (1 episode)
• Ricky Mitchell – Henri Charles (1 episode)
• Shrimpy – Ben Champniss (2 episodes)
• Madison Drake – Seraphina Beh (1 episode)
• Alexandra D'Costa – Sydney Craven (1 episode)
• Travis Law-Hughes – Alex James-Phelps (1 episode)
• Mr Gethin Pryce – Cerith Flinn (1 episode)
• School tannoy announcer (voice) – Kirsty Woodward (1 episode)
• John Dixon – Kieron Jecchinis (1 episode)
• Bus driver – Jim Dowdall (2 episodes)
• Debbie Frith – Hester Ruoff (2 episodes)
• Mary Scholes – Victoria Gee (2 episodes)
• Tube driver (voice) – Grant Davis (2 episodes)
• Tom Pepper – Tristam Summers (1 episode)
• Fire chief – Will Kenning (1 episode)
• Dr Michael Osoba – Hainsley Lloyd Bennett (1 episode)
• Mr Colin McWerther – Robert Hands (1 episode)
• Nurse Olivia Song – Mia Foo (1 episode)
• Nurse Laura Barnes – Nicola Weeks (1 episode)
• Chairman, Wayland & Co – Simon Williams (1 episode)

Background

On 16 January 2017, it was announced that EastEnders had filmed a "disaster" to be broadcast the following week, but details were kept to a minimum so as to surprise the viewers, and upcoming spoilers did not reveal what would happen or which characters would be involved. It was reported that the event would happen at the end of 23 January's episode, with "dramatic repercussions" being explored in the next two episodes. The day before, on 15 January, an aerial photograph emerged on Twitter apparently showing a crashed double-decker bus on the EastEnders external set, near the market, with emergency services vehicles also on set. A spokesperson said, "We know how much our audience hate to have any future storylines spoilt so we will not comment on speculative stories." Director Toby Frow said that the episodes start with characters in conflict with each other but after the disaster, they "find all the things that unite them rather than divides them." He said that the week is about "being in touch with what makes you human at the end of the day" and, "People are just reacting instinctively to help people they know and that they don't know. I guess that's the over-arching theme of the week, the humanity."

Production

Private Eye reported that the episides were brought forward after Charlotte Moore, BBC Director of Content, and Piers Wenger, BBC Head of Drama, informed Sean O'Connor, executive producer of EastEnders, in December 2016, that four episodes due to be broadcast in January 2017 were "not up to scratch" and would be scrapped, meaning that the planned bus crash had to be brought forward, and the stunt was therefore filmed only two weeks in advance rather than the usual six.

Writing

The first two episodes were written by Daran Little, while the third was written by Matt Evans.

Filming

The three episodes were directed jointly by Richard Lynn and Toby Frow. Frow explained that the episodes were trying to show the human side of the crash, to make it different from other EastEnders episodes, and other television shows and films. Two directors were used instead of the usual one, "to achieve the breadth of different things we were trying to do." Stunt co-ordinators were involved and the production team considered how to film the crash safely but to still make it dramatic while making it a story about the people involved, as the plan was to make sure the viewers were "totally immersed in the fear and the experience of living through something like this."

The directors used different styles of shooting to normal EastEnders filming and different equipment was also used, to give a range of different responses to what was happening. The crash was filmed from several angles so as not to compromise any key shots. GoPro cameras were also used, which were worn by stunt actors, who waited as long as possible for the bus to come towards them. Frow said the GoPro footage, showing the chaos of the event, "is what makes it powerful. It's much more than a bunch of special effects or sparks flying, there are people involved." Scenes around the bus were filmed almost entirely on a single camera because the bus was in the way and there were several people running around. Slower shots were used to convey moments when it feels that time stands still for Carmel at the start of the second episode and Mick at the end. These shots were filmed on a different camera and the production crew were able to "play with sound in a way you don't normally get to on this show." The filming of the crash scenes took up an entire shoot, meaning a second unit was needed to film the tube and interior scenes.

Every time a character jumped from the bus, this was considered a separate stunt. Each one was filmed in a different way, with Louise's exit being filmed on Keegan's phone, Bex's being filmed from above to emphasise her fear of falling, and Keegan's being filmed with a wide shot and a stunt double. The cast were told that told that a crane would be used to lift the bus, and that they needed to make it look like they were really lifting it, but the first shot was filmed without the crane and the cast lifted the bus an inch off the ground. Frow said of this moment, "It was pretty remarkable. It was a symbol of how much commitment everyone threw into the entire thing. They gave everything they had for the entire shoot and threw themselves into it. It crystallised in that moment when the bus lifted. It was amazing."

Continuity

The three episodes are all set on the same day. This explains why events in previous episodes appeared to occur on the wrong date, such as the birthdays of Mick Carter and Phil Mitchell. These were originally scrutinised by some viewers as continuity errors, but Kilkelly explained that "it's pretty common that soap episodes aren't necessarily set on the exact day they air—and things will get back on track next week with three episodes based around the disaster." A spokesperson for the show said, "As a continuing drama, it is not uncommon for events to be moved in order to tie in with other storylines. Next week sees disaster strike in Walford, and these episodes all take place over one day, so in order for events to be played out in this way, other moments need to be moved slightly for story purposes."

Reception

Ratings

Official ratings from the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board showed that the first episode was watched by 7,537,000 people on BBC One and BBC iPlayer within seven days of the original broadcast, making it the sixth most-watched programme on BBC One in the week of 23 to 29 January 2017. The second episode was watched by 6,887,000 people and was the eighth most-watched programme on BBC One that week. The third episode was the most-watched of the three episodes, with 8,225,000 viewers; it was the third most-watched programme on BBC One that week. Same-day repeats of the episodes on W received viewers of 147,000, 236,000 and 183,000 respectively. Within 28-days of the original broadcast, the BBC ratings for the first episode had increased to 7,594,000, with a total of 6,970,000 viewers for the second episode and 8,275,000 for the third. The ratings on W for the second episode increased to 237,000, while the other two episodes ratings for W had not changed.

Episode ratings for "Disaster Week"

Episode date	7-day ratings				28-day ratings
	BBC One	W	W total	Total	BBC One	W	W total	Total
23 January 2017	7,537,000	147,000	150,000	7,687,000	7,594,000	147,000	150,000	7,744,000
24 January 2017	6,887,000	236,000	246,000	7,133,000	6,970,000	237,000	247,000	7,217,000
26 January 2017	8,225,000	183,000	183,000	8,408,000	8,275,000	183,000	183,000	8,458,000

Pre-broadcast

Upon the announcement of the disaster plot, Kilkelly said that the "high-stakes storyline" would be a "real treat" for viewers and the scenes would be "unmissable". Charlotte Tutton from OK! said that the disaster would "no doubt see viewers on the edge of their seats."

Post-broadcast

In December 2017, Inside Soap said the bus crash was the "most OMG! moment" of the year in EastEnders.

External links

• "Episode 5430" at BBC Online
• "Episode 5431" at BBC Online
• "Episode 5432" at BBC Online

Category:EastEnders episodes Category:EastEnders storylines Category:2017 British television episodes