New EastEnders boss Kate Oates appears to be sticking to her word when it comes to making Albert Square a more diverse place, as reports have emerged about plans for a Walford Pride parade.
The parade will take place in July, to coincide with the real-life London LGBTQ+ celebration, according to The Sun.
Charity Stonewall have praised EastEnders for the plans, with a spokesperson stating: “It’s been more than 30 years since EastEnders featured the UK’s first on-screen same-sex kiss.
“So it’s great to hear Walford will be celebrating Pride.”
London’s annual Pride event will take place on Saturday, July 6 this year. The EastEnders special is expected to air the evening before.
Earlier this year, showrunner Kate revealed that she was hoping to open a gay bar on the Square and make the show “feel really true to multi-cultural London”.
“I am really interested in bringing some more LGBTQ characters in, and maybe we will have a new precinct for them as well,” she said in January (via the Guardian).
“We are looking at opening a gay bar on the square, which will be a super-cool precinct where gay and straight characters can all just hang out.
“Loads of stories can cross and should just be something really exciting, really fun, really visual.”
Kate took over as EastEnders executive producer last year and she also oversees Holby City and Casualty. Her first episode aired in February.