The BBC flagship continuing drama EastEnders (1985-) is widely accepted as an exemplar of the ‘entertainment-education’ approach, embodying a strong public service ideology and rooted in Reithian values. In this paper, I explore the definitional role of the programme in addressing environmental issues in the digital age and argue that this is a novel opportunity to examine the limits and possibilities of the genre to engage with anthropogenic crises. My analysis is informed by the perspectives of EastEnders scriptwriters/consultants and sustainability professionals who perceived prime time drama as providing a unique tool to engage distinctive diverse audiences who are marginalised by blue-chip nature series. For the first time, I address the context in which popular environmental storylines are produced in the UK and identify how storytelling is mediated by the contemporary hostile television environment with intense competition from streaming channels and social media platforms. I outline how the dynamics of environmental storytelling are shaped explicitly by external factors including organisational commitment to climate content and the perceived role of the BBC in catalysing a ‘national conversation’. Powerful tacit assumptions concerning ‘good stories’ being rooted in interpersonal friction potentially risk presenting a false equivalency – given that environmental scientists are reluctant to collaborate with this ‘low status’ media product. Continuing drama facilitates distinct opportunities to connect climate crisis to the lived experience through human-centred narratives but the contemporary television production context is in a state of flux and dated assumptions concerning its role in constructing public attitudes and beliefs need to be revisited.

中文翻译：

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EastEnders 与环境：在黄金时段传达地球危机？

BBC 的旗舰连续剧 EastEnders （1985-） 被广泛认为是“娱乐-教育”方法的典范，体现了强烈的公共服务意识形态并植根于 Reithian 价值观。在本文中，我探讨了该计划在解决数字时代环境问题方面的定义作用，并认为这是一个新的机会，可以审视该类型在应对人为危机方面的局限性和可能性。我的分析来自 EastEnders 编剧/顾问和可持续发展专业人士的观点，他们认为黄金时段的戏剧提供了一种独特的工具，可以吸引被蓝筹自然系列边缘化的独特、多样化的观众。我首次讨论了在英国制作流行环境故事情节的背景，并确定了当代敌对的电视环境如何与来自流媒体频道和社交媒体平台的激烈竞争来调解故事。我概述了环境叙事的动态如何受到外部因素的明确影响，包括组织对气候内容的承诺以及 BBC 在促进“全国对话”中的感知作用。关于“好故事”植根于人际摩擦的强大默认假设可能会呈现出虚假的等同——因为环境科学家不愿意与这种“低地位”的媒体产品合作。持续的戏剧性促进了通过以人为本的叙事将气候危机与生活经验联系起来的独特机会，但当代电视制作环境处于不断变化的状态，关于其在构建公众态度和信仰中的作用的过时假设需要重新审视。