Live soap episodes may be gimmicky, but fans like them because it injects that sense of jeopardy into traditionally slick and polished TV. You can almost see the fear in the actors’ eyes.
This week’s EastEnders live specials are living up to the hype. Following Tuesday night’s muffled line that left fans wondering who on earth did kill Lucy Beale, there was an even more prominent gaffe on Wednesday night.
Perhaps momentarily confused by the ages-old system of actors pretending to be other people for entertainment, poor Jo Joyner, who plays the magnificently coiffured Tanya Branning, said Ian Beale actor Adam Woodyatt’s name by mistake.
“I couldn’t miss your big day, could I?” she told Ian Beale’s wife Jane, “Even if it does mean bumping into the bald ginger one [ex-husband Max Branning].
“How’s Adam?” she continued, while Jane (aka Laurie Brett) looked at her with a panic spreading across her face. “Please, God,” you can see her thinking. “Please, no.”
You never answered me @LauriebrettX how is @AdamWoodyatt ?... #leastyouknowitslive #gutted
— Jo Joyner (@dollyjoyner) February 18, 2015
The actors laughed it off on Twitter, with Max Branning actor Jake Wood even coming up with a revised script to take account of Ian Beale’s sudden name change.
You seen the rewrite for tomorrow @dollyjoyner @AdamWoodyatt pic.twitter.com/76GEK69c31
— Jake Wood (@mrjakedwood) February 18, 2015
Monkey will be watching again this evening to see if the panic spreads - at this rate the characters will be pratfalling all over Albert Square by the time Friday’s all-live episode comes around.
