Urban Fantasy

One of the longest-running and most successful fantasy series in the world runs on the BBC. It is a unique programme, which inspires much imitation and discussion, not to mention derision. It continues to enthral, entertain and move viewers even now, many years after its inception. The programme in question is, of course, 'Eastenders'.

Now, you may cry in protest that 'Eastenders' is not in fact a fantasy series, but WAKE UP begs to differ. The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms defines "fantasy" as "a general term for any kind of fictional work that is not primarily devoted to realistic representation of the known world". 'Eastenders' fits quite snugly into this category; its peculiar melodrama bears little resemblance to any realistic representation of the world, and its many absurdities contribute to this impression.

Let us take for example one of these absurdities: the houses of Albert Square appear to have TARDIS-like capabilities. From the outside, they appear to be perfectly ordinary terraced houses, as can be found in any British or Irish city. Yet there is something peculiar about these houses: impossibly large groups of people (seemingly up to a dozen) seem to be capable of staying in each one quite comfortably, even though from the outside it appears that each house should contain no more than two or three bedrooms. The logical conclusion is that the houses of Albert Square are bigger on the inside, and were in fact built by Time Lords for some unknown purpose. Surely we cannot be far away from the day a resident fiddles with the heating, and ends up hurtling through time and space.

If this concept seems ridiculous, think of some of the plots that have been seen on 'Eastenders' in the past. Recently, a dramatic police chase culminated in a character being killed by falling off a roof. Some years ago, a character seemingly returned from the dead, only to be killed (again?) by being beaten over the head with a wooden doorstop. In the last week, a drug addiction plot resulted in the burning of one of the Square's landmarks. Why anyone lives in such a hotbed of tragedy and death is a wonder, especially given that these are the big plot moments; the day-to-day melodrama and heightened emotion are almost as ridiculous.

Fantasy is a genre that, for better or worse, tends to live and die by certain conventions; plot landmarks and character archetypes, set down most notably by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. While this is not necessary to the fantasy genre (and more contemporary authors tend to delight in subverting these archetypes and conventions), it should be noted that 'Eastenders' has enough of its own conventions to form its own sub-genre. To give a few examples, there is the necessary gathering of every character (plus the odd extra) in the pub for any dramatic moment. For a wedding or funeral, this is understandable, but why on earth is the entire neighbourhood generally present for an emotional confrontation? Of course, once said confrontation is finished, the injured party (or one of them; few people escape injury for long in 'Eastenders') generally goes outside for a good cry, often to the single bench in the centre of the Square. After all, who among us doesn't seek out the most exposed place imaginable for our most vulnerable moments?

Another notably odd thing about Albert Square is that it seems to be the most insular community imaginable. No-one ever seems to work elsewhere; half the residents of the Square own the local businesses – the café, the pub, the launderette, the nightclub and so forth. About the only people who ever seem to travel on a regular basis are children going to school (though they do seem to be home a large proportion of the time anyway). It is a wonder that the occasional new residents aren't greeted by stunned silences and unwelcoming stares from their new neighbours. Of course, people do leave occasionally; either in a taxi, so that they can stare, misty-eyed, at their now former residence (when surely the logical reaction would be to celebrate leaving such a place), or else via the local Tube station, which is normally to facilitate a lover's last-minute rush to said station for a tearful goodbye.

Perhaps the most compelling piece of evidence that 'Eastenders' is a sci-fi/fantasy series is the fact that in the early '90s, it had a crossover with 'Doctor Who'. Yes, really. That statement deserves repetition: 'Eastenders' did a crossover with 'Doctor Who'. Even more remarkably, the latter hadn't been on the air for a few years at the time, which serves to strengthen the already-obvious bond between them; Time Lords are drawn to Albert Square. In the crossover (a Children in Need special called 'Dimensions in Time'), the Doctor and his companion are trapped in Albert Square, where they encounter the residents of the place, along with various monsters including a Cyberman and a Sea Devil. If this is not clinching evidence that 'Eastenders' is really a science fiction series, then it is impossible to imagine what is.

That said, another possibility remains. Perhaps all these ridiculous circumstances, all the repeated actions and indeed the constant depression, actually point to 'Eastenders' being a piece of Beckettian absurdism. Perhaps the programme is in fact based in 20^th-century existentialism, and seeks to satirise modern life through showing up the sheer bleakness and futility of the characters' lives. The "crying bench" is their way of finding regular support in a harsh world; the TARDIS-like houses are a commentary on overpopulation. After all, the most affecting (and sometimes the daftest) storylines are often succeeded by the entreaty to call a support line "if you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this programme". Perhaps, as well as a piece of absurdist art, 'Eastenders' is intended to be a kind of panacea. "No matter how bad your life is," it seems to say, "you're better off than these poor buggers".

If this is the case, then 'Eastenders' is a true triumph of modern art. It can be appreciated from many aspects. It may be a speculative fantasy series, imagining life in a heightened form of reality (which may in fact be a Time Lord experiment). It may be an absurdist satire of modern life, highlighting the futility of existence. It may also be a means of combating depression by making viewers value the distance between their own lives and those of the residents of Albert Square. All of this goes to explain why 'Eastenders' is so remarkably popular: BBC viewers appreciate multi-faceted postmodern art.