EASTENDERS fans have been given their first look at the pic 87m set revamp which shows Albert Square like never before with Queen Vic and famous station overhauled.
The BBC One soap has built an entire new set at Elstree Studios, diagonally opposite the current one seen on screen.
Plans were first submitted four years ago and new drone pictures show that the all-new HD-ready Walford is really starting to take shape.
However, the replica is believed to have gone 27 million over budget – costing around 87m in total – with completion pushed back by two and a half years.
Viewers will now have to wait until around 2023 to see the residents of Albert Square in their new home.
But huge progress has been made this year, with the famous Queen Vic pub and its surrounding houses really taking shape but still surrounded by scaffolding.
Fans will also get some new additions to the Square, with a block of luxury flats, a railway tunnel and line also being built on the plot.
The new set will replace the show’s original one, which was built in 1984 from steel frames, plywood and plaster brick panels.
EastEnders isn’t currently filmed in HD as show bosses fear it would highlight the materials used for the set to viewers at home.
Instead, the new set – known as the ‘front lot’ – will be built from brick and will allow the show to be filmed in high definition.
There will also be a ‘back lot’ which will give the show extra locations to film in and will “better reflect modern East End London”.
The BBC said in a statement: “The set of EastEnders was built in 1984 and only intended for use for two years.
“Over 30 years later, the show remains one of the BBCs flagship programmes and yet is filming from a set that is no longer fit for purpose.
“The new set will be suitable for HD filming for the first time and extend Walford to better reflect modern East End London.”
