EastEnders is getting a new gay bar to 'represent London's diversity'

2 January 2019, 11:12 | Updated: 2 January 2019, 11:51

The last gay couple in EastEnders was Sonia and Tina
The last gay couple in EastEnders was Sonia and Tina. Picture: BBC

New boss Kate Oates has said there will be a new hangout - and characters - representing the LBGTQ+ community this year.

EastEnders fans can look forward to a new gay club opening on Albert Square.

It's one of the first big changes brought to the soap by executive producer Kate Oates, who previously headed up Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

She revealed the new nightspot in a video posted on Twitter, saying: “I am really interested in bringing some more LGBTQ characters in, and maybe we will have a new precinct for them as well.

The new bar and characters are the brainchild of Kate Oates
The new bar and characters are the brainchild of Kate Oates. Picture: Getty

“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 and loads of stories can cross and should just be something really exciting, really fun, really visual and feel really true to multicultural London.

“Hopefully that will be something exciting for the next year.”

At the moment, Walford residents have to choose between the E20 or the Queen Vic if they want a drink or a night out.

The last gay couple on the Square were Tina and Sonia, although teenager Bernie has since come out to her mum and fallen in love with her best friend Tiffany Butcher.

The chances are the new gay club will be in the currently empty premises that once housed tragic Vincent Hubbard's bar, The Albert.