Venice

Episodes

• Episode 183 (18 November 1986)
• Episode 184 (20 November 1986)
• Episode 185 (25 November 1986)

Filming EastEnders in Venice

In September 1986 EastEnders was taken to a new territory to film three special episodes that equalled in Venice. They were all written by co-creator/script editor Tony Holland and directed by co-creator/producer Julia Smith. The central plot of the three episodes was the triangle between Den and Angie Watts, and Den's mistress Jan Hammond. Den takes Angie to Venice for a secondary honeymoon after she dropped the hollow bombshell that she had only six weeks left to live, but surprisingly Jan ended up being in the sunny spells of Venice with her old sweetheart Dario Chimisso. It also saw the commencement of the storyline that had the nation gripped on Christmas Day 1986 when Den delivered Angie the divorce papers after eavesdropping in on a conversation between her and a barman on the Orient Express that her illness was a myth to retain Den in tow. Below are some fascinating extracts from 'Julia Smith's Venice Diary':

Saturday, September 20th

We took off from Heathrow Airport at midday. Our party: Jeremy - the Production Manager; Heidi - the Assistant Floor Manager; Sue - the Production Assistant and the three artists Leslie Grantham, Anita Dobson and Jane How - were flying out a day ahead of the rest of the crew so that we can rehearse and familiarise ourselves with Venice.

After a comfortable flight, we landed in Venice at 15:05 (local time). We took two taxis from the airport to our hotel. It was very odd, as a taxi here is a motorboat!

The 'drive' was great fun. I'd been here before on a 'recce', to decide which locations we would use - but I still found it exciting to be speeding into the city by boat.

We checked into our hotel, freshened up and then met for a rehearsal and a chat. Our first evening in Venice ended with a delicious meal.

Sunday, September 21st

This morning was filled with more rehearsals as we awaited the arrival of the rest of the crew - the technicians.

After lunch, we went for a brief walk around some of the locations. Being a Sunday meant that many of the churches were busy, and it was lovely to hear the different church bells ringing. There weren't too many tourists around - although we did occasionally hear the odd squeal of delight as someone recognised 'Angie', 'Den' and 'Jan'.

The crew arrived at 15:05. Jeremy, Sue and Heidi went to meet them and guide them to their hotels. The team had changed at the last minute, and I didn't know some of the replacements. So, we held a long and detailed meeting at which I explained all the scenes we would be shooting during the week. Only after all the details had been thrashed out could we go off to supper. Then it was early nights all round - as we have to be up very early in the morning.

Monday, September 22nd

The first day of filming. Everyone was up with the lark. Our first rendezvous was the landing stage of a hotel on the banks of the Grand Canal. The sun was shining - just - and everyone was excited, anticipating the day's work that lay ahead.

The first location was beside St. Mark's Square, which was almost deserted - except for thousands of pigeons, and a few waiters preparing for their busy day ahead in the many cafes on the square. We were joined there by the handsome Italian actor, Mario Mase, who plays Jan's old boyfriend, Dario.

Things went well, and by the end of the day we'd shot almost everything we'd planned to shoot.

We were joined by a group of journalists and photographers from Fleet Street. They followed us everywhere, hoping to get on an exclusive EastEnders story. I wonder if they'll stay all week?

Tuesday, September 23rd

Venice is beautiful in the early morning light. Our first location today was beside the bridge of Sighs - a very famous landmark and a well-known tourist attraction. The prisoners used to cross it after they were condemned in court - for them, it was the journey to gaol.

The tourists were out in their thousands today. They all seemed to be British and anxious to have their photos taken with Den, Angie and Jan. Quite understandable, of course, but a bit of a nuisance when we are fighting such a tight schedule.

We later discovered why there so many Britons around. It seems that the story of our departure from Heathrow has been in all the newspapers back home, and the news of our arrival in Venice has reached the holiday-makers. So, we became a tourist attraction - something else to tell everyone about when we get back home.

Finished the day off tired. It's lovely here, but with all the problems that were filming abroad brings it is far from the holiday that everyone thinks it is. I was glad to sink into a hot bath to ease my aching feet and bones.

Wednesday, September 24th

I'd hardly seemed to get into bed and fall asleep last night when it was time to get up again! Met up with everyone in the usual place. They all looked as bleary-eyed as I did, so I didn't feel so bad.

Today's schedule was a heavy one, with filming in different parts of the city. The first location was the water-bus stop on what we call 'The Front' (because it looks just like the seaside - in fact, it is the widest part of the Grand Canal). We were shooting a tricky sequence using a real water-bus with real Venetians going about their everyday business. We had to get it right since we could hardly stop and ask them to do it all again. We did have a few of our own 'extras', but there were so many other things to consider, such as the number of boats in the background etc. Fortunately, we'd rehearsed the scene thoroughly, so everyone knew exactly what they were supposed to do - and the sequence was 'in the can' fairly quickly.

Our next location was on board the Orient Express at the railway station. This was a boat ride away - taking us through the back canals, the parts the tourists don't normally see. It was rather pleasant. I'm beginning to get used to travelling everywhere by boat, and I've stopped feeling wobbly every time I get off!

I'd been on the Orient Express before, yet I still wondered at the beautiful craftsmanship which has gone into the buildings of the carriages.

The sequence at the station was quite straightforward and went very well. (We are due back at the station on Saturday to shoot the departure of the Orient Express - and a few of us, the lucky ones, will be filming on board the train on its journey to Innsbruck.)

Next stop - after another boat ride - was the airport, the biggest and most complicated set-up of the day. Filming in any airport meets with many rules and regulations, all of which have to be observed. For instance, we were limited to the number of people allowed onto the tarmac, which meant that a lot of the crew had to sit around just waiting for our return. It's at times like this when people see a film unit and think it's a lot of money being wasted, just paying people to sit around doing nothing. But really, it's unfair to say that. Film and TV people do not enjoy sitting around.

On the way back from the airport - and after an exhilarating race between two of the boats - we picked up shots of beer delivery men off-loading beer crates from a barge.

Then it was time to freshen-up back at the hotel before sampling one of the restaurants recommended by our interpreter, Laura.

Thursday, September 25th

I just knew the weather had been too good to be true. Not wishing to tempt fate. I hadn't commented on it.

But today the rain was coming down in stair-rods. I haven't seen rain like it for ages. Not even back in dear old Britain. Our morning location was the Rialto Market where, fortunately, we could film under cover. But first, there was a bit of hanging around, waiting to see if the rain would subside. It didn't, so we pushed on.

I was wearing a pair of rope-soled shoes and was getting very wet. Morag, the Script Editor - also in rope-soles - went off into the market and bought plimsoles for us both, which did keep our feet a little drier.

The marketplace was exciting. The fish was particularly impressive. Somehow, I've never thought of tuna as being quite so large.

The weather had cleared up by lunchtime. This was good for us as we were due to spend the rest of the day shooting various sequences in a hired water-bus on the canal.

The final sequence of the day was of Den and Angie in a gondola. Something the press - who were still trailing after us - were desperate to photograph. We filmed first on San Giorgio and then moved to a quiet backwater near a place we call 'Swiss Cottage' (because of a Swiss chalet there). En route we managed to lose the gentlemen of the press - so they didn't get their photo after all.

Friday, September 26th

Our last full day of filming in Venice. The first location was a delightful shop which makes and sells the famous Venetian masks, where we were to shoot a short sequence featuring Anita. Each mask was a work of art, and I could easily have spent a small fortune there. In the end, we all limited ourselves to one mask each.

Then it was off to the island of Torcello, one of the beauty spots of Venice. It has a splendid basilica (church) and is a very peaceful, quiet spot. At least, that's what we'd hoped it would be. Tony Holland, who had scripted this episode, had even put in a line saying how quiet and peaceful it is. What we hadn't bargained for was the boatload of British tourists who arrived just as we started to shoot the scene.

Although we saw the funny side of it, we were nevertheless in danger of losing valuable time while waiting for them to look around the basilica. We could hardly ask them to leave, since they had come all this way to see the island, and had every right to be there. All we could do was politely ask them to be as quiet as possible. Fortunately, most of them were EastEnders fans and were only too happy to oblige. The only problem was to keep them from rushing in to have their photos taken with Leslie and Jane.

Eventually we completed the scene and broke for lunch in the restaurant where we were next due to shoot. It was a lovely lunch and I admit I could happily have sat outside in the sunshine for the rest of the afternoon. However, there was work to be done. And we were fast running out of time. Luckily we were able to complete the restaurant scene relatively quickly. The only interruptions came from motorboats chugging up and down a nearby canal. But none were too serious - and at last we had managed to finish the bulk of our filming in Venice.

Saturday, September 27th

Today we shot aboard the Orient Express at the station. It was quite amusing to watch the real people boarding the famous old train - they do dress up for the occasion. By comparison, we looked quite out of place.

Some of the crew had a day off to pack before returning to Britain tomorrow. The rest of us will board the Orient Express to film on board between Venice and Innsbruck. Several of those who were off today came to help us load the equipment and say their goodbyes.

Later, as the world's most famous train pulled out of the city, I felt quite nostalgic in saying farewell to Venice.

Notes

• For the first time in the programme's history, the episodes recorded in Venice were not shot entirely on videotape, as a union role prevented Julia taking a video crew abroad and a film crew had to be used instead.