It's an EastEnders storyline that may have passed you by: Libby Fox and Tamwar Masood, the brainiest teenagers in Walford, are considering applying to Oxford and Cambridge. But when the universities' press officers got wind of it, their hearts leaped into their mouths.
It could be their dream storyline: clever state school kids can get a place. But it could also be their worst nightmare. Young Libby is already revealing concerns that she might not be able to afford to go to the university.
Both universities' press offices fired off letters to the script editors: did they know about the generous bursaries and seemingly bottomless pit of cash available to help students from low-income homes stay on their courses? Could that be mentioned?
Cambridge officials may also have been somewhat peeved that Eastenders had stolen their thunder — for they had the idea first. It transpires that they are busily approaching scriptwriters for a range of TV soaps and dramas suggesting storylines with a positive spin about the university.
What we don't know is what these storylines might be. Dot Cotton becomes a mature learner? Ken Barlow enrolls for a PPE? The Hollyoaks cast crash a May Ball? Any better suggestions?
