Walford East is the name of a fictional London Underground station on the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. In the story the station is located a short distance from Albert Square. While sounds from the station and trains running on its associated rail lines can often be heard on the show, these are artificial and added to the soundtrack of episodes in post production as the station itself is a mock-up. The station first appeared in late 1985, when Lou Beale collapsed outside it, and was then aided by Sue Osman, who had just left the station, and Nick Cotton, who was nearby. The train sound was first heard in 1987 and the train's first appearance was in 1988 at Lou Beale's funeral. Trains did not appear again until 4 February 2010, when CGI was used in the show for the first time.
Several key scenes have occurred at this location, especially character arrivals and departures. It was the setting for the arrival of Alfie Moon, Stacey Slater and Bert Atkinson, and the setting of the exits for Zoe Slater, Little Mo Mitchell, Steven Beale, Yolande Trueman, Charlie Slater, Jodie Gold and Anthony Moon. Charlie's exit is the first time the platform has been seen.
It is supposedly on the District and Hammersmith & City Lines, and on the tube map on the wall of the station, it is shown to replace the real station of Bromley-by-Bow, being located between Bow Road and West Ham. In 2009, a Walford West tube station was mentioned on screen by character Denise Fox. Walford West has not been seen.
Famous quotes containing the words east, tube and/or station:
“The East Wind, an interloper in the dominions of Westerly Weather, is an impassive-faced tyrant with a sharp poniard held behind his back for a treacherous stab.”
—Joseph Conrad (1857–1924)
“One of the great natural phenomena is the way in which a tube of toothpaste suddenly empties itself when it hears that you are planning a trip, so that when you come to pack it is just a twisted shell of its former self, with not even a cubic millimeter left to be squeezed out.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)
“How soon country people forget. When they fall in love with a city it is forever, and it is like forever. As though there never was a time when they didn’t love it. The minute they arrive at the train station or get off the ferry and glimpse the wide streets and the wasteful lamps lighting them, they know they are born for it. There, in a city, they are not so much new as themselves: their stronger, riskier selves.”
—Toni Morrison (b. 1931)