WALFORD FOUND ON TUBE MAP!

WALFORD FOUND ON TUBE MAP! Diehard readers of the Walford Gazette might remember an interview I did a few years ago with then EastEnders producer Jo Ward, who talked about how at the time the series recently introduced the Walford tube station, and in particular, trains that ran across an overpass.

"At the moment we're still getting letters like 'We're avid trainspotters. Can you tell us which train goes across because we can't find it on any of our timetables.' I have to tell them that the train is graphically reproduced through a computer. We don have expansion on the lot and are building a tube station."

To which I replied, "But it won't connect to London." Without missing a beat, Jo quipped: Well theoretically it won't."

Since then, even we public TV viewers stateside have seen it occasionally used as an external set (e.g., Sonya Jackson busking on her trumpet comes to mind), As a frequent visitor to London, as well as someone who had the privilege several times to tour the BBC set in Borehamwood (no, Walford is not a real place), I can tell you firsthand that it looks fairly authentic.

But what really threw me a few months ago while watching an episode was the brief glimpse of a tube station map that had actually placed Walford East on an East London route. Luckily I had my 35mm camera handy-so here's the proof (upper right).

-Larry Jaffee

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