We live in the REAL EastEnders town – we're always spotting stars… but it's hiding a dark secret | The Sun
RESIDENTS living in the 'real' EastEnders town say they're always spotting TV stars – but beneath the glamour lies a dark underbelly of crime.
The popular TV soap is filmed in Watford, Herts, despite being set in the East End of London.
Away from the glitz and glamour of filming and famous faces, the town has contended with a number of social issues in recent years.
Violence and sexual assaults were the most common of the 4,028 reported crimes in 2021.
Meanwhile, in 2022, it was reported that one in five children were living in poverty, constituting a shocking total of 6,200 kids affected.
Stephen Stilton, 64, a former firefighter, reveals gang culture presents an ever-growing threat.
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He said: "Watford is lovely but it's definitely going downhill.
"It really is getting more and more violent – and there are a lot of gangs around here."
Unlike a lot of shows, Albert Square has its own purpose-built set at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, also in Hertfordshire.
The layout for the set was inspired by Fassett Square in Hackney.
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While Watford is located in the same county as the fictitious east-end space, the name is also conspicuously identical to the imagined borough, Walford.
Dotted spots where scenes were shot included the Magistrates Office, a cemetery, and the snooker club Shots.
A number of famous names have been seen around the town by local residents.
Stephen Stilton revealed that he was startled by encountering one character in particular when leaving his York Road house.
Stilton told Sun Online: “Yeah, Minty was in a car on my road and I didn’t realise it was him. I looked and he was sat there literally outside my house.”
The lovable character, played by Cliff Parisi, was a friend of bad boy Phil Mitchell and starred in the square for eight years.
While a bevy of scenes were filmed on York Road, it isn't the foremost attraction in the town.
A resident said: "Oh yeah, we were always seeing members of the cast around the town, around the shopping centre.
"But yeah, St John's Church is very well-known here. It's where Alfie married Roxy before Kat turned up."
Despite the media attention on the town, many residents discussed their indifference to the soap.
One said: "I haven't watched EastEnders for years!"
Another local agreed: "It used to be good back in the day with Dirty Den and everyone, but no one really watches it anymore."
It comes as soap viewership in the UK continues to spiral downwards.
EastEnders' 16-34 viewership fell from 1.3 million people in 2017 to just 447,000 this year, while Coronation Street's has dropped to 459,000, from 1 million in 2017.
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