EastEnders will reportedly hold an LGBTQ+ celebration this July to mark London Pride.
Reports claim that the popular BBC One soap – which has been on screens since February 1985 – will host a “huge event” in fictional Walford as the show moves towards a more “multi-cultural London”.
“It’s going to be a huge event on the square filled with joy,” a source told The Sun. “Kate thought that with Walford’s London identity it was a natural fit to tie in the two.”
However, the insider hinted that it was unlikely to be smooth sailing as “there is certain to be plenty of drama alongside the celebration”.
Standard Online has contacted EastEnders for comment.
Her plans for Albert Square’s evolution included a gay bar, which she said would become the hub for several key stories.
Speaking to fans in a Twitter video, Oates said: “I am really interested in bringing some more LGBTQ characters in, and maybe we will have a new precinct for them as well.
“We are looking at opening a gay bar on the square which will be a super-cool precinct where gay and straight characters can all just hang out.
“Loads of stories can cross and should just be something really exciting, really fun, really visual and feel really true to multicultural London.”
In 1987, EastEnders became the first UK soap to feature a gay kiss when Colin Russell kissed Barry Clark on the forehead. Since then, there have been several gay relationships to prominently feature in the soap including Christian Clarke and Syed Masood and Ben Mitchell and Paul Coker.
The bar – added 30 years later - could be part of a major set revamp thought to be going ahead in the near future, despite a watchdog finding it is likely to go £27 million over budget. The report published in December 2018 sparked a debate over whether the licence fee money is being used effectively.
This week, EastEnders racked up 16 British Soap Award nominations as they received a nod in each of the 15 categories, including Best British Soap, Scene of the Year and Best Storyline for the fatal stabbing suffered by Shakil Kazemi.
EastEnders airs Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One
