The Queen Victoria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. Please help rewrite it to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. (October 2009)

For the Queen, see Victoria of the United Kingdom. Queen Vic is also the nickname of the Queen Victoria Market.

When EastEnders began, the outside of The Vic was painted brown. In the early 90s it was repainted green, which lasted until 1992, when it was repainted to its current colour, red.

The Queen Victoria (often referred to as The Vic or The Queen Vic) is the fictional Victorian public house in the popular BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.

[edit] Story and appearance

In the show's story, the Square was built during the reign of Queen Victoria. Originally, the pub was to be called The Balmoral, but upon the death of Prince Albert, it was re-named as a tribute to the mourning Queen.

As originally seen in the series, the exterior was brown. It was later painted green and cream until Grant Mitchell set fire to the pub for insurance money on Sharon Watts's birthday in 1992, after which it was painted red.

During the early years of the show, the Queen Vic had a partition wall down the middle of the bar, which separated it into two sections. The smaller section, known as the 'snug', housed a dart board and fruit machines, whilst the larger section, known as the saloon bar, was used primarily as the customer seating area. Den Watts got permission from the brewery to remove the partition in October 1985, and hired Tony Carpenter to do the job.

In reality, the pub exterior shell on the outdoor permanent set was built between 1984 and 1985. The exterior shell was made to look as though it had stood for a hundred years. The internal sets are in a studio separate from the building situated in the Square.

In the fictional storyline, The Queen Vic was originally owned by a brewery who leased it to the occupying tenants. With the help of Grant and Phil Mitchell, Sharon Watts bought the freehold of the pub in 1991, and it has remained a free house ever since. In June 2007, as part of a story arc, the pub had its first refurbishment in 15 years.

[edit] Landlords

When EastEnders first began in 1985, the pub was owned by the brewery, Luxford & Copley, and managed by Den and Angie Watts.

Before Den and Angie, Gus and Flo Leonard were the landlords, until 1950, when Alf and Polly Barrett took over. They, in turn, relinquished control of the pub in 1975 when Den and Angie took over. Their marriage ended in divorce on Christmas Day 1986, in an episode that attracted 30.15 million viewers who tuned in to see Den Watts hand over divorce papers to wife, Angie. This remains the highest rated episode of a soap in British television history.

Den remained in control for almost two years afterwards, when he passed control to Pat and Frank Butcher. They were in charge for just two years, when in 1990 Eddie Royle became the new landlord. Eddie was murdered by Nick Cotton after just one year as landlord, and Sharon Watts took over. She lived there with her husband, Grant, and his brother, Phil, until her marriage to Grant collapsed after just three years. Sharon then left, and the pub was sold to Grant's mother, Peggy.

Peggy married Frank Butcher in 1999, and they ran the pub together. When Grant left, Phil sold his share of the pub to Dan Sullivan for a mere £5, mostly to spite his domineering mother, but also because he was in the throes of serious alcoholism at the time. Eventually, Phil bought back his share and threw Dan out.

Peggy was forced to sell the Vic in early-2001, after Frank did a runner and left her penniless. Peggy was shocked when Sharon returned as the new co-owner of the pub with business partner, Steve Owen. Steve later sold his share to Phil when he was trying to raise ransom money when his wife, Mel, was kidnapped.

In 2002, Sharon sold her share back to the Mitchells, and Peggy appointed Alfie Moon as manager. In late-2004, Den Watts tricked his way back behind the bar, but in early-2005, he was killed by his second wife, Chrissie, who then forged Den's signature on a deed of transfer, telling customers that Den had left Walford and signed the pub over to her.

Just before being arrested for Den's murder in November 2005, Chrissie sold the Vic to Ian Beale, but this sale was nullified after Chrissie admitted to forging Den's signature on the deed of transfer. The pub's ownership, therefore, reverted to Sharon, who should have inherited it on Den's death; she handed the pub back over to Phil and Peggy Mitchell. Peggy is now the licensee.

[edit] Employees

[edit] Current employees

• Landlady: Peggy Mitchell
• Barmen: Phil Mitchell, Ryan Malloy
• Barmaids: Tracy, Roxy Mitchell and Ronnie Mitchell
• Cleaner: Tracy

[edit] Past employees

• Landlords: Gus Leonard, Alf Barrett, Den Watts, Eddie Royle, Frank Butcher, Grant Mitchell, Dan Sullivan
• Landladies: Flo Leonard, Polly Barrett, Angie Watts, Pat Butcher, Sharon Watts, Chrissie Watts
• Managers: Alfie Moon, Barry Evans, Dave Roberts
• Bartenders: Lofty Holloway, Arthur Fowler, Nina Harris, Sam Mitchell, Ricky Butcher, Little Mo Mitchell, Kat Moon, Spencer Moon, Jake Moon, Simon Wicks, Melanie Healy, Trevor Morgan, Donna Ludlow, Kathy Beale, Clyde Tavernier, Michelle Fowler, Cindy Beale, Steve Elliot, Tiffany Mitchell, Debbie Wilkins, Lorraine Wicks, Jan Hammond, Binnie Roberts, Josie McFarlane, Mary Flaherty, Shelley Lewis, Dennis Rickman, Honey Mitchell, Sean Slater, Shirley Carter, Dawn Swann, Billy Mitchell
• Cleaners: Ethel Skinner, Pauline Fowler, Little Mo Mitchell, Rosie Miller, Juley Smith, Shirley Carter, Danielle Jones
• Potmen: Tom Clements, Jim Branning
• Caterers: Ethel Skinner, Debbie Wilkins, Magda Czajkowski, Cindy Beale, Hattie Tavernier
• Bookkeeper: Natalie Evans

[edit] Key events in the Vic

The Vic's bust of Queen Victoria.

• 1985: Den Watts slept with his daughter's best friend, Michelle Fowler in the bar, resulting in Michelle becoming pregnant.
• 1986: Den Watts served Angie with divorce papers, on Christmas Day.
• 1988: Potman Tom Clements died in the gentlemen's toilets, of a heart attack, on 21 April.
• 1992: Grant Mitchell set fire to the Vic in order to claim money on the insurance, with his wife, Sharon, trapped inside.
• 1994: Michelle Fowler is shot by Dougie Briggs.
• 1994: "Sharongate": Sharon Mitchell was caught out, when a taped confession of her affair with Phil was played in the bar at Phil and Kathy's engagement party, by Grant.
• 1996: Grant and Michelle sleep together in the bar of the Vic, resulting in Michelle getting pregnant again.
• 1998: Tiffany Mitchell fell down the stairs and falsely accused Grant of pushing her.
• 2000: Pat Evans and Frank Butcher were humiliated by Peggy Mitchell, when she exposed their affair by reading out a goodbye letter from Frank.
• 2003: Little Mo Mitchell was raped - and impregnated - by Graham Foster.
• 2003: Kat and Alfie Moon were married on Christmas Day.
• 2005: In the soap's 20th Anniversary episode, Den Watts was killed by wife Chrissie with Pauline Fowler's dog-shaped doorstop; he was later buried in concrete in the cellar.
• 2005: Den's body was uncovered, by Sam Mitchell, on the day of Sharon and Dennis Rickman's wedding.
• 2007: The pub was raided by Terry Bates and his gang, who were looking for Jase Dyer; windows, the bar, jukebox and fruit machine were destroyed.
• 2008: On Christmas Day Sean Slater discovered that he wasn't Amy's father and that the real father was Jack Branning.
• 2009: During Archie and Peggy's wedding reception, Ronnie Mitchell discovers that Danielle Jones is her daughter.

[edit] External links

• The Queen Victoria BBC EastEnders profile