Albert Square is about to crown a new Queen of The Vic, as Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) and Elaine Knight (Harriet Thorpe) tenure at the helm of the iconic EastEnders boozer comes to an end.
Last month, the BBC soap’s social media team made somewhat of a blunder.
Posting a behind the scenes video to TikTok, a ‘for sale by auction’ sign was clearly visible hanging off the pub in the background. Oops.
Fans flocked to social media to pick up on the gaffe, realising that the clip was swiftly deleted to conceal the huge spoiler.
The next day, realising that all and sundry had picked up on the huge revelation, the crew responded by poking fun at themselves.
They shared a new photo of actors Tameka Empson, Emma Barton and Elijah Holloway, who play Kim Fox, Honey and Harry Mitchell, all glancing down towards a phone.
The post was captioned: ‘Desperately searching for clues in Behind The Scenes #EastEnders content…’
In the back of shot, directly behind the three, was the ‘auction’ sign.
Now, the new licensee has been ‘revealed’, with The Sun reporting that a familiar face is about to return to her place behind the bar.
It’s none other than Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace)!
A source told the publication: ‘This will be Kat’s third time working in the Queen Vic, but this will be her first time at the helm.
‘It’s a full-circle moment for the character, as when she first moved on to Albert Square in 2000, Kat gained employment as a barmaid at the pub. Then, ten years on, she helped Alfie.
‘But now she’s going to be the sole licensee of the boozer and it will kick-start a whole new chapter for the pub.
The Queen Vic’s owners and licensees across the years
Between 1985 and 1991, the pub was owned by fictional brewery Luxford & Copley, with the following in charge:
- 1985-1988, 2005: Den Watts
- 1988-1990: Frank Butcher
- 1990-1991: Eddie Royle
Sharon Watts, Phil Mitchell and brother Grant then bought the famed boozer, and it has been in private ownership ever since. Below are the names above the door.
- 1991-1995, 2001-2002, 2020-2021: Sharon Watts
- 1995-2001, 2002-2004, 2005-2009, 2010: Peggy Mitchell
- 2005: Chrissie Watts
- 2009: Archie Mitchell
- 2010, 2013: Roxy Mitchell
- 2010-2012: Kat Moon
- 2010-2013: Alfie Moon
- 2013-2020, 2021-2022: Mick and Linda Carter
- 2013-2020: Shirley Carter
- 2022-: Linda Carter
- 2023-: Elaine and George Knight
‘Kat follows in the high heels of the Square’s most formidable women – Angie Watts, her daughter Sharon and Peggy Mitchell – and puts her at the centre of the action.’
But why do the Carter-Knights sell up, and why isn’t Kat joined by her partner – and soon to be husband – Alfie Moon (Shane Richie)?
Given what we see in this week’s episodes, it’s likely that Elaine’s cheating has forced her to start afresh in The Square.
We know that in upcoming scenes, she’ll leave the lion’s share of the work to Linda amid her separation.
As for Kat and Alfie, their wedding doesn’t go without a hitch – as you can see on iPlayer now.
An EastEnders spokesperson declined to comment when approached by Metro.
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