The usual EastEnders credits were replaced with something more fitting to the tone of the episode (Picture: BBC)
There was a big shake up to the credits and theme music during tonight’s (May 31) instalment of EastEnders, with a very poignant reason behind it.
The changes were made in tribute to beloved character Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) who tragically lost her battle with a brain tumour in emotional scenes this evening.
The heart breaking episode took us through Lola’s final hours, as her family gathered to say goodbye.
Meanwhile, Linda arranged a lock in at the Queen Vic, where Lola’s friends and neighbours reflected on her short life.
Right from the beginning, viewers knew that it would be a powerful episode, when the famous title sequence, which shows a birds eye view of the river Thames, was switched for a night time shot.
This much darker version of the title sequence has not been used since the show’s 35th anniversary episode back in 2020, during which the residents of Albert Square were involved in a boating accident.
It was also used once before, during the 30th anniversary flash back episode which revealed Lucy Beale’s true killer.
This was not the only change to the episode, as instead of an image of the Thames as the credits rolled, viewers were faced with a plain black screen.
Lola was diagnosed with a brain tumour last November (Picture: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
The credits were accompanied by Julia’s theme, instead of the usual ‘doof doofs’: a piano version of the famous theme tune which is often reserved for emotional episodes and character deaths.
These changes were made as a special tribute to Lola, who producer Chris Clenshaw described as ‘so well loved’.
It was certainly a powerful end for the ‘well loved’ character, which viewers are sure to remember for years to come.
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It was a very special episode.
