Doof-Doofs

EastEnders - Duff Duff's

Doof Doofs' (sometimes: Duff Duffs) are the drum beats that are used to signify a cliff-hanger at the end of an episode, commonly known as a "Duff Duff moment", for which the camera focuses on the face of the actor receiving the "Duff Duff moment" for around four seconds.

Two documentaries The Greatest Cliffhangers (2010) and 30 Years of Cliffhangers (2015) counted down, which character had the most Duff Duffs'

The sound was actually an accident. Simon May, who composed the piece of music, has revealed that the doofs were originally put in the song as a break between a London-style version and the main part of the tune. He told Inside Soap: "I originally created a longer version of the theme, in which I had a separate section where the EastEnders theme went back in time and was played in a true cockney piano-type style.

"So I asked my drummer, Graham Broad, for a special drum 'fill' to take us from the cockney version back into the main version again. "When [EastEnders creators] Julia [Smith] and Tony [Holland] heard it, they said, 'That's genius – that's the end titles, isn't it?' But it was an accident."

Simon also explained that EastEnders creators actually wanted a "melodic and feel-good" song for the soap, as opposed to the "dark, edgy" tune he composed. "The show was called 'East 8' at that point. We had a delightful conversation," he explained. "I picked up the vibe of it being an edgy, dark show. "So I went back to my studio and wrote an un-cheerful, dark, edgy piece of music. When I went back to play them my work in-progress, Tony and Julia put on their earphones.

"As I pressed the 'play' button, I looked at their faces – and to my horror, they had a kind of glazed expression... "I'd done almost the opposite of what they wanted!"

The Greatest Cliffhangers Count (2010)

The 2010 count is up to Episode 3917/3918 (25 December 2009).

No.	Character	2010 Count
1	Phil Mitchell	206
2	Ian Beale	141
3	Sharon Rickman	138
4	Grant Mitchell	131
5	Pauline Fowler	122
6	Pat Evans	121
7	Michelle Fowler	112
8	Mark Fowler	106
9	Den Watts	103
10	Kathy Sullivan	101
11	Dot Branning	101
12	Peggy Mitchell	82
13	Frank Butcher	73
14	Arthur Fowler	72
15	Billy Mitchell	68
16	Bianca Jackson	66
17	Sonia Fowler	65
18	Alfie Moon	64
19	Stacey Branning	58
20	Kat Moon	57
21	Little Mo Mitchell	54
22	Cindy Beale	53
23	Pete Beale	51
24	Ricky Butcher	51
25	Martin Fowler	50
26	Max Branning	47
27	David Wicks	47
28	Angie Watts	44
29	Steve Owen	44
30	Janine Butcher	44
31	Melanie Owen	43
32	Zoe Slater	42
33	Simon Wicks	40
34	Lisa Fowler	40
35	Ronnie Mitchell	39
36	Dennis Rickman	36
37	Sam Mitchell	34
38	Carol Jackson	33
39	Sean Slater	31
40	Bradley Branning	31
41	Tiffany Mitchell	31
42	Nigel Bates	31
43	Chrissie Watts	30
44	Nick Cotton	30
45	Tanya Branning	30
46	Garry Hobbs	29
47	Roy Evans	27
48	Johnny Allen	26
49	Archie Mitchell	26
50	Jamie Mitchell	25
51	Steven Beale	24
52	Natalie Evans	24
53	Jim Branning	24
54	Matthew Rose	23
55	Kevin Wicks	22
56	Laura Beale	22
57	Jack Branning	21
58	Denise Johnson	21
59	Barry Evans	21
60	Lofty Holloway	20
61	Sue Osman	20
62	Minty Peterson	20
63	Dr. May Wright	19
64	Mandy Salter	19
65	Whitney Dean	19
66	Beppe Di Marco	19
67	Sanjay Kapoor	19
68	Charlie Slater	19
69	Roxy Mitchell	18
70	Dawn Swann	18
71	Gita Kapoor	18
72	Tony Hills	17
73	Paul Trueman	17
74	Terry Raymond	17
75	Ruth Fowler	16
76	Ruby Allen	15
77	Anthony Trueman	15
78	Steve Elliot	15
79	Sarah Hills	15
80	Ethel Skinner	15
81	Irene Raymond	14
82	Alan Jackson	14
83	Vicki Fowler	14
84	Patrick Trueman	14
85	Dan Sullivan	13
86	Andy Hunter	13
87	Heather Trott	13
88	Mary Smith	13
89	Shirley Carter	13
90	Ali Osman	13
91	Lucy Beale	13
92	Lynne Hobbs	13
93	Jane Beale	13
94	Diane Butcher	12
95	Honey Mitchell	12
96	Ben Mitchell	12
97	Robbie Jackson	12
98	Lucas Johnson	11
99	Kate Mitchell	11
100	Clyde Tavernier	11

Episode with no Doof Doofs

Episode with no Doof Doofs, excludes Julia's Theme.

• Note a complete list.

1. 12 September 1985
2. 16 September 1986
3. 27 August 1987
4. 21 January 1988
5. 19 July 1988
6. 9 May 1989
7. 18 September 2020
8. 1 December 2022 - Part 2