Western North Carolina EastEnders

It was a hot August night, with the whisper of Hurricane Bill approaching, as 27 eager North Carolina fans, secretly invited by the BBC and armed with photo equipment and autograph-ready memorabilia, suffered the heat in wait of two stars of their favorite show, EastEnders, and their entourage production and film crew at the Mash House in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Weeks prior, an invitation had been offered to North Carolina clubs to gather a small number of fans, as the BBC was coming to America to film the last leg of their “Around the World in 80 Days” program as part of the celebrity challenge in aid of BBC Children in Need 2009. Of course, we all scrambled the Internet for the press release of the event, to find out exactly what was in store for us:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey

With the speed of light, Mel Saunders, President of Charlotte’s EastEnders Fan Club, “The Queen City Vickers”, put together an invitation of a limited number of seats on a “first come-first served” basis and sent it out to each of the known members of the three clubs in the state - their own Charlotte club, the “NC EastEnders Fan Club” of the Eastern part of the State, and the “WNC EastEnders Fanatics” of Western North Carolina. At that time, it wasn’t certain where the event would take place. The locations had gone from Charlotte to Wilmington to Rockingham, and was finally decided upon in Fayetteville. Mel’s husband, Mel, acted quickly to locate a venue just right for the event. It was decided that the Mash House - with their specialty brewery - was the perfect spot.

We were asked to keep the news out of the press until the event concluded, and with the exception of a manageable leak to the Fayetteville Press, we were successful.

In working with the BBC, we weren’t sure if this would be filmed as a club meeting or if they would have a filming agenda for us. We scheduled the use of the patio at the Mash House - not knowing the upcoming weather. We were asked to arrive early and because of the heat and humidity, we tried to remain indoors as long as possible to stay fresh for the filming.

I was our contact with the BBC at the event, as our planner, Mel, was unable to join us due to work issues. Several calls were received that the cast and crew were experiencing traffic delays attempting to reach Fayetteville, so it was decided we would go ahead and dine before they arrived, so the meals would be cleared out of the way and not take any time from the filming.

Because this was a charity event, it had been discussed by several different members of the various groups prior to arrival that a collection for the BBC Children in Need drive would be a nice thank you for all their efforts on our behalf. We decided to use the lovely red hat of Martha’s to collect our donations and have her hide our collection in her hat until delivery during the filming. We were able to raise $500 on the spot, which, when delivered, surprised and delighted the BBC crew and production team.

The time was passing, we were just completing our meals, when two large RV’s arrived around 7:15 pm. Of course, everyone jumped up and headed to the edge of the patio, armed with their cameras and videos. I don’t believe the stars expected the ROAR that brought the roof off the patio as actor/presenter Shane Richie, Alfie Moon of our favorite EastEnders, and actress/comedienne Josie Lawrence, of the current cast of EastEnders (playing Manda Best) and better known for the movie “Enchanted April,” and as part of the ensemble improvisational program “Whose Line Is It Anyway” departed their vehicle. Taken aback by the shouts, the larger-than-life smile appeared on the adorable Shane Richie’s face and the flashbulbs began to pop! They immediately approached and spoke with their fans as they headed toward the entrance of the Mash House.

After giving them a moment to refresh, and the camera crew an opportunity to set up, the stars appeared on the patio to a round of applause and more video and flashbulbs.

They were two of the most patient, engaging individuals I have ever met - standing in place, in the stifling heat, cameras everywhere, while we all asked questions and listened to the stories they told of their travels to date. They talked about their recent visit to Memphis the week of the anniversary of Elvis’ passing - filming bits walking down Beale Street, and in Tupelo, Mississippi - Elvis’ childhood hometown. They asked where we were in our viewing of EastEnders, and Shane seemed surprised to find out he had just recently arrived on the Square here on our own UNC-TV public television. The lovely Josie commented on how neat the “arrival of Alfie” was to EastEnders. And they very graciously allowed us to call the planner of our event, Mel, who was unable to join us, and have each star chat with her as the filming continued.

We were asked to give them a breather and they shared a pint with the crowd as we let them mingle. They were so generous with their time and autographs, as they walked from table to table, talking with the fans. Each brought their own photo cards and Sharpies were at the ready as they signed everything presented to them - private photos, books, EastEnders memorabilia.

They asked many questions about our clubs and said they were genuinely pleased to see people who “knew” them, as they had been incognito for most of their trip. Shane even let slip a few choice “spoilers” about his character and future storylines. The talked of their concerns for the remainder of the trip, due to the incoming Hurricane Bill, and their hope that the storm wouldn’t interfere with the completion of the scheduled filming.

The BBC presented a plaque signed by the current cast of EastEnders, as well as Shane Richie, for our State to use at Festival to raise money to keep EastEnders on the air in North Carolina.

The stars signed several T-shirts created by the fan clubs for use in our future Festivals, and the BBC took several T-shirts signed by our clubs back for their BBC Children in Need fundraiser.
The crew of the BBC asked if they could get a group shot of all of us to take with them. Each of them had their own cameras and their filming cameras and snapped several group shots which they promised to share with us.

We thanked them all for their time and effort in including us in this project for BBC Children in Need and wished them the best in their fund raising efforts. We personally thanked the BBC for their contacts and efforts, which we hope will help us continue to have a line to the BBC for future events in the States.

From the smiles of genuine delight seen in the faces of every fan as they departed, it was felt that many dreams