Editing EastEnders (section)

=== Changes in the 1990s ===
A new era began in 1990, with the introduction of [[Phil Mitchell]] ([[Steve McFadden]]) and [[Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)|Grant Mitchell]] ([[Ross Kemp]])—the Mitchell brothers—successful characters who would go on to dominate the soap thereafter.<ref name="First10Years p91">{{Harvnb|Brake|1995|p=91}}</ref> As the new production team cleared the way for new characters and a new direction, all of the characters introduced under Gibbon were axed from the show at the start of the year.<ref name="First10Years p90">{{Harvnb|Brake|1995|p=90}}</ref> Ferguson introduced other characters and was responsible for storylines including HIV, Alzheimer's disease and murder. After a successful revamp of the soap, Ferguson decided to leave ''EastEnders'' in July 1991.<ref name="First10Years p100">{{Harvnb|Brake|1995|p=100}}</ref> Ferguson was succeeded by both [[Leonard Lewis]] and [[Helen Greaves]], who initially shared the role as executive producer.<ref name="First10Years p104">{{Harvnb|Brake|1995|p=104}}</ref> Lewis and Greaves formulated a new regime for ''EastEnders'', giving the writers of the serial more authority in storyline progression, with the script department providing "guidance rather than prescriptive episode storylines".<ref name="first10years" /> By the end of 1992, Greaves had left, and Lewis became executive and series producer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/LDSC832L |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709155217/http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/LDSC832L |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 July 2012 |title=EASTENDERS: 11 February 1993 |publisher=catalogue.bbc.co.uk |access-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> He left ''EastEnders'' in 1994 after the BBC controllers demanded an extra episode a week, taking its weekly airtime from 60 to 90 minutes.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news|url= http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/obituary/0,,1683678,00.html |title= Leonard Lewis|newspaper=[[The Guardian]] | author = Alan Plater | date = 11 January 2006| access-date=1 October 2007 | location=London}}</ref> Lewis felt that producing an hour of "reasonable quality drama" a week was the maximum that any broadcasting system could generate without loss of integrity.<ref name="guardian" /> Having set up the transition to the new schedule, the first trio of episodes—dubbed [[#Setting|The Vic]] siege—marked Lewis's departure from the programme.<ref name="First10Years p129">{{Harvnb|Brake|1995|p=129}}</ref> [[Barbara Emile]] then became the executive producer of ''EastEnders'',<ref>"[https://archive.today/20120708085230/http://catalogue.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/programme/LDSE135S EASTENDERS]", BBC. Retrieved 11 November 2007.</ref><ref>"[http://www.wgazette.com/sum00-yorkepaul.html John Yorke – The New EE Boss] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212842/http://wgazette.com/sum00-yorkepaul.html |date=3 March 2016 }}", Walford Gazette. Retrieved 11 November 2007.</ref> remaining with ''EastEnders'' until early 1995. She was succeeded by [[Corinne Hollingworth]].

Hollingworth's contributions to the soap were awarded in 1997 when ''EastEnders'' won the [[British Academy Television Award|BAFTA]] for Best Drama Series. Hollingworth shared the award with the next executive producer, [[Jane Harris (producer)|Jane Harris]].<ref name="baf">"[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0391158/awards IMDb awards]", IMDb. Retrieved 6 May 2007.</ref> Harris was responsible for the critically panned [[EastEnders episodes in Ireland|Ireland episodes]] and [[Cindy Beale]]'s ([[Michelle Collins]]) attempted assassination of [[Ian Beale]] ([[Adam Woodyatt]]), which brought in an audience of 23 million in 1996, roughly four million more than ''Coronation Street''.<ref name="family">"[http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article264624.ece It's got murder, a stalker, incest (kind of), and bulimia. What more]{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}", [[The Independent]]. Retrieved 6 May 2007.</ref><ref>"[https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-61058550 WHAT A LOAD OF PORK PIES; Ireland's full of drunkards, dimwits and donkeys according to EastEnders]{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}", ''The Mirror''. Retrieved 18 July 2007.</ref> In 1998 [[Matthew Robinson (producer)|Matthew Robinson]] was appointed as the executive producer of ''EastEnders''. During his reign, ''EastEnders'' won the [[British Academy Television Award|BAFTA]] for "[[British Academy Television Award for Best Soap and Continuing Drama|Best Soap]]" in consecutive years 1999 and 2000 and many other awards. Robinson also earned tabloid soubriquet "Axeman of Albert Square" after sacking a large number of characters in one hit, and several more thereafter. In their place, Robinson introduced new long-running characters including [[Melanie Healy]] ([[Tamzin Outhwaite]]), [[Jamie Mitchell]] ([[Jack Ryder (actor)|Jack Ryder]]), [[Lisa Fowler|Lisa Shaw]] ([[Lucy Benjamin]]), [[Steve Owen (EastEnders)|Steve Owen]] ([[Martin Kemp]]) and [[Billy Mitchell (EastEnders)|Billy Mitchell]] ([[Perry Fenwick]]).