Albert Square's iconic Queen Vic pub has seen its fair share of platinum barnets - from Sharon Watts to Roxy and Peggy Mitchell. But a blond with a difference came through the establishment's hallowed doors this week when London Mayor Boris Johnson sauntered in for a pint in front of eight million viewers.
In the episode – filmed in July and screened on Thursday night – the Eton-educated Conservative wanders in after his bike gets a puncture. And no one is more shocked than landlady Peggy, played by Barbara Windsor. In the episode, knowing he was visiting the area, Peggy spends the day trying to find him to no avail and threatens to give him "a piece of my mind" about rubbish in the neighbourhood if she sees him.
But when Boris turns up in the Vic she changes her tune, telling him: "It is such an honour to have you here Mr Mayor." And the 45-year-old politician replies: "Oh please, call me Boris," before handing over his number after she tells him she nearly went into politics herself. "Really. Well if you have any ideas how I could help Walford, here's my card," he tells her.
Mr Johnson's cameo is the first time a statesman has ever appeared on the BBC1 soap. While it's his first acting assignment, he's already had experience in entertainment, appearing on Have I Got News For You and fronting his own historical documentary series on BBC2.
