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).
Episode with no Doof Doofs[]
Episode with no Doof Doofs, excludes Julia's Theme.
- Note a complete list.