EastEnders is set to have its very own gay bar as part of the soap’s permanent set.
Long-time resident Kathy Beale is set to fling the doors open to The Prince Albert after taking over the lease for the building.
Producers of the soap, which has been on screens for more than 34 years, claim Kathy will be looking to overhaul the bar’s image immediately after taking over the venue.
Her purchase of the gay bar comes weeks after she sold a necklace given to her by son Ben before he left for France.
The cafe worker was stunned to discover the piece of jewellery was worth a whopping £100,000, leaving her quids in to make a property investment.
While EastEnders has filmed in a number of gay bar locations in the last few years, it will be the first soap to have its very own resident bar as a permanent feature of its on-screen landscape.
When first opened in 1987, the site was home to the Dagmar wine bar and was run by chief barmaid Angie Watts as a direct rival to the Queen Vic pub.
The bar was previously run under the name ‘The Albert’ by Kim Fox and Vincent Hubbard, although its most recent owner was Irish gangster Aidan Maguire.
Viewers saw Vincent forced to hand over the keys to Aidan in exchange for his life, before vanishing from screens.
It remains unclear when the bar will be up and running, with producers hoping the newest Walford addition will “authentically reflect modern London life”.
And while it’s never been plain sailing for any Albert Square boozer, it is hoped ‘The Prince Albert’ will provide an exciting backdrop for more of the soap’s most dramatic storylines.
