When EastEnders first aired in 1985, it was meant to reflect the heartbeat of working-class London — a gritty yet familiar snapshot of life in the East End. Four decades later, that same version of London has all but disappeared. Yet, on screen, Albert Square still looks and feels like it belongs to another era.

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A Debate Over Representation

Recent comments by Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin reignited debate about how ethnicity is portrayed across British television and advertising. While her remarks drew controversy, statistics do show a growing mismatch between how Britain looks today and how it appears on screen.

Television, in particular, often clings to outdated portrayals of community and culture. And nowhere is that more apparent than in EastEnders.

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A Fictional Square Frozen in Time

Set in the fictional borough of Walford, EastEnders is meant to sit along London’s District and Hammersmith & City lines — roughly near Bromley-by-Bow in the real-life borough of Newham.

But while modern East London has transformed beyond recognition, the residents of Albert Square have remained largely unchanged. Roughly 60 percent of the show’s characters are white, many from the same Cockney families who’ve lived on the square since the series began.

By contrast, Afro-Caribbean characters account for around a quarter of the cast, while Asian representation — particularly South Asian — remains limited.

In reality, Newham today is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the UK. According to the 2011 census, Bromley-by-Bow’s population was 45 percent Bangladeshi and just 20 percent white British. Few black residents live there, and the white British who do tend to be young professionals rather than long-established East Enders.

If the BBC truly wanted to tell stories about the old East End community, as the article suggests, the show might more accurately be set in Essex, where many former London families have relocated.

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How Other Soaps Compare

Interestingly, Coronation Street remains a closer reflection of its real-life setting. The show’s fictional Weatherfield stands in for Salford, Greater Manchester — a city that’s still about 80 percent white.

Meanwhile, ITV’s Emmerdale — originally Emmerdale Farm — has always embraced its rural Yorkshire identity. Its appeal lies in its slower pace and traditional storytelling, deliberately removed from the cultural changes sweeping through Britain’s cities.

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Advertising’s Different Reality

While soaps have largely stuck to tradition, British advertising has taken the opposite approach. Modern commercials often portray far more ethnic diversity than the national average, and sometimes in ways that feel statistically disproportionate.

Advertisers, of course, aim to appear inclusive and modern. But their casting choices also reflect what creative agencies think progress looks like. The result is a heightened emphasis on mixed-race couples and black representation — often more visible in ads than in reality.

This, the article suggests, stems from a desire among Britain’s cultural tastemakers to associate Afro-Caribbean identity with energy, modernity, and rebellion — qualities that advertising prizes.

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The Comfort of Continuity

By contrast, the audiences who still tune in to nightly soaps tend to be older, working-class, and nostalgic for a more familiar world. They value continuity over realism — wanting to see “typical people facing typical troubles,” rather than the fast-changing multiculturalism of modern Britain.

Simply put, EastEnders remains a relic of a London that once was. It may not mirror the city’s current demographics, but it still captures something deeply British: the longing for community, identity, and stories that feel close to home.

Perhaps, then, it’s not about politics or representation at all — but about taste, tradition, and the kind of comfort only a cup of tea and a few minutes in Albert Square can bring.