EastEnders favourite Jane Slaughter has landed a special spin-off series for her legendary character, Tracey the barmaid.
BBC Studios, which produces EastEnders, has carried out three training initiatives this year to help bring new talent into
the industry.
One, titled the EastEnders Multi-Camera Course, took place over a month and taught seven successful applicants the skill of soap directing.
The directors shot a special online mini-series centred around Tracey, which featured guest appearances from actors Adam Woodyatt (Ian Beale), Kellie Bright (Linda Carter) and Harriet Thorpe (Elaine Peacock).
Speaking about the unique opportunity, Jane commented: “It was a fantastic experience to work on this project and to work with such talented directors, actors and crew – the collaborative experience was second to none and I was delighted to be a part of it.”
The shorts, which see Tracey celebrating her 60th birthday, can be watched here on the BBC Studios website (scroll down to ‘Training Videos’). They’re a true treat for fans, who have always been intrigued by the often-silent Queen Vic barmaid.
The seven directors in question – Danny Albury, David Bispham, Benedict Cohen, Nicole Charles, Kerri McLean, Emma Reynolds and Maninderpal Sahota – will all now go onto direct episodes of EastEnders itself.
Meanwhile, the other two training initiatives focused on scriptwriting and acting.
An open call was put out for aspiring scriptwriters to join The Writers Studio, searching for the next generation of writers to join the EastEnders team.
Afterwards, a group of eight were invited to attend an EastEnders bootcamp in August, which included a story and pitching masterclass led by BBC Studios’ head of drama Kate Oates and executive producer Chris Clenshaw.
The eight writers – Karen Featherstone, Niall Grant-Rowlands, Anna Mason, Nk’iru Njoku, Charlotte Pattullo, Katrina Smith-Jackson, Ali Taylor and Chloe Timms – will a
ll now work on paid trial scripts, with producers ultimately deciding which will proceed to an official commission.
Finally, the ‘Ascend’ Acting Workshop led to two attendees, Prabhleen Oberoi and Eva Tritschler, being cast for guest roles in upcoming episodes of EastEnders.
Kris Green, training executive for BBC Studios Drama Productions, said: “EastEnders sits pride of place at the heart of the scripted industry and we’re incredibly proud that the show – alongside its regional soap counterparts across the UK – continues to play such a pivotal role in developing, nurturing and elevating new voices, both on and off screen.”
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Chris Clenshaw added: “EastEnders has a rich history of championing new creative voices and the show often provides writers, directors and actors with their first credit. We’re really excited to be working with such exciting talent as the show prepares to celebrate its milestone 40th anniversary.”
