The most anticipated soap week of the year is upon us, as the EastEnders 40th anniversary has finally arrived.

BBC fans will not only be able to enjoy their usual fix of Albert Square drama in Walford, but also an hour-long addition and a special live episode.

Plus, a raft of programming for the show’s four-decade anniversary also includes a 45-minute interview special, hosted by Joe Swash, and a special documentary, EastEnders: 40 Years On The Square, hosted by Ross Kemp.

To mark the BBC soap’s momentous occasion this week, Ross has returned to EastEnders as Grant Mitchell after an absence of almost 10 years, along with several other iconic characters from the past.

As well as all the above, cast members of the show, past and present, starred in special versions of BBC shows Celebrity Bridge Of Lies (February 15) and Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (February 14).

Let’s take a look at the full BBC schedule for the EastEnders 40th anniversary week.

BBC EastEnders 40th anniversary week – episode schedule

Here is when you can expect to see all the EastEnders 40th anniversary episodes airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this week:

  • Monday, February 17 – 7.30pm
  • Tuesday, February 18: 7.30pm
  • Wednesday, February 19: 7.30pm (hour-long episode)
  • Thursday, February 20: 7.30pm (live episode)

Most Popular Soap Operas in the UK

The live episode is “set to change Walford, and the lives of those who live in it forever”.

Plus, during the show's 40th anniversary week, EastEnders is set to reveal the identity of Cindy Beale’s Christmas Day attacker.

After her affair with Junior Knight was sensationally exposed in The Vic on Christmas Day via daughter-in-law turned nemesis, Lauren, Cindy found herself the victim of an attack when she was left for dead in the Square Gardens after being hit over the head by a shovel.

The perpetrator of the attack is currently unknown, but at the time of the event, Cindy found herself with more than one enemy with an axe to grind.

Recommended reading:

Having simultaneously torn the Beale and Knight families apart with her affair admission that wrecked her relationship with long-suffering fiancé Ian, Cindy attempted to turn her back on Walford, her children, and her actions for good.

Each episode during the soap’s anniversary week, starting from February 17, will drop on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 7.30pm.

There will be no 6am iPlayer release this week.