Times Square to Albert Square: American EastEnders superfan sets up a newspaper for the soap The Walford Gazette

WHICH would you pick, Times Square or Albert Square?

Well, for native New Yorker Larry Jaffee, there’s no competition it’s Walford all the way!

Larry is just one of millions of EastEnders fans in America who can’t do without their regular dose of goings- on at the Queen Vic.

And such is the college professor, journalist and PR professional’s devotion to Den and Dot, he set up a newspaper for fans 23 years ago, named The Walford Gazette, in honour of the show’s fictitious local rag.

“I was living in Washington DC when EastEnders debuted in the United States in late 1987,” recalls Larry, author of two books on the show, Walford State Of Mind and Albert Square & Me.

“I just stumbled upon it. I was immediately interested because I’m a sucker for a British accent!

“I grew up on Monty Python, anything British-oriented I’m kind of interested anyway but I was immediately hooked.

“I’ve since met almost every person in the first episode and my lasting impression of it was when there was a fight in the pub and Den was wearing a crisp, white Oxford shirt.

“He’s trying to break up a fight between Nick Cotton and Ali and just says: ‘There’s blood on my shirt!’.

“The Walford Gazette came about by accident.

“I started a new job in a New York publishing company in 1992 and in the cubicle next to mine were two guys who were discussing EastEnders.

“I said: ‘I watch that, too’ and they couldn’t believe there was another fan in the office.

“The next day, one of them emailed me a memo of his insight into the previous night’s episode and every other line simply read: ‘Ian should be shot!’

“His name was Dan Abramson and he later claimed I said: ‘I bet you we could make money out of this’ and we turned that idea into an actual newspaper.

“Dan, who died in 1999, was friends with Freddie Hancock, the widow of Tony Hancock the great British comedian, who was based in New York working for the BBC so he was able to cut through the red tape to get permission to do the newspaper.

“Freddie arranged our first interview which was with Nick Berry (Wicksey).”

To be honest, I’m struggling to see why EastEnders seems so bizarrely popular across the Pond.

But Larry explains: “It’s unlike anything on American television. We have very few programmes that deal with working-class people, either fiction or non-fiction. Most of our reality shows are about rich people.

“Another difference is that Americans who appreciate EastEnders consider it to be a drama, not a soap opera.

“It’s an acquired taste though most of my readers all watch Downton Abbey as well and we’ve had a couple of articles comparing the two.

“The similarities are there, such as the servants being working class, and look at the matriarchs of Downton Abbey, they’re very powerful women and EastEnders has those, too Lou Beale, Pauline Fowler, Dot Cotton.

“It’s escapism. Despite what Cheers would have you think, we don’t have bars where everybody knows your name, unlike the Queen Vic.”

Larry’s interviewed most EastEnders cast members, and has struck up firm friendships with some.

“I’m friendly with John Altman who plays Nasty Nick, and Deepak Verma who used to play Sanjay,” adds Larry.

“Even though he’d been off the show for 10 years at one point, he was hassled constantly ‘Hey, Sanjay, where’s Gita?!’.

“My father was a taxi driver, so I liked Charlie Slater but I think Den Watts is my favourite character. He brought a Humphrey Bogart swagger to Albert Square and Den was probably my favourite interview that I did.

“I appreciate Dot Cotton but I’d be afraid of Grant and Phil!”

To see the online edition of The Walford Gazette, visit the website www.wgazette.com.