EastEnders return kissing social distance
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EastEnders stars’ real-life partners used for kissing scenes

The show has come up with some clever ways to keep the cast safe

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EastEnders has revealed that actors’ real-life partners are being used as body doubles for kissing scenes.

The BBC soap returned to filming in June after production was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With the return, came new filming rules and social distancing measures. However, these rules have made intimate scenes difficult to film.

Intimate scenes can be filmed but the soap will use a new method (Credit: BBC)

But it seems as if bosses have found a way to work around some of the restrictions safely.

As well as using transparent screens, bosses have also called cast members’ real-life partners to come on set and act as body doubles for the more intimate scenes.

EastEnders: Real life-partners used for kissing scenes

Boss Jon Sen said: “To reflect the world outside, we use support artists from the same household.

“We have supporting artists who are in a house of students or a husband and wife, who can be seen walking together and can kiss in the street.

“For those really crucial moments where two characters kiss, we’ve invited real life partners of the actors on to the set to cheat those kinds of moments.

EastEnders Phil and Sharon
Real-life partners will be used for kissing scenes (Credit: BBC)

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Jon added: “With Perspex screens, you can bring people really close together.

“That’s good because it gives an intimacy to the performance.”

It was also recently explained that stars will also be kissing through plastic screens to get around social distancing.

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Jon also explained how scenes were being filmed to make it seem as if actors are closer than they actually are.

Behind the scenes of EastEnders – Clay Milner Russell and Milly Zero filming with perspex screens (Credit: BBC)

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He said: “We also use plate shots, where two actors look like they are sitting at the same table but they have been filmed in isolation.

“You put the shots together.”

An example of this was show in a new EastEnders behind the scenes video, which was shared to the soap’s official Twitter account.

EastEnders returns Monday September 7. 

Are you looking forward to EastEnders return? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.


Charlotte Rodrigues
Soap Contributor
Charlotte Rodrigues joined Entertainment Daily in April 2018, as Audience Engagement Executive. A huge soap fan, Charlotte then became Senior Soap Writer, delivering the latest storylines and spoilers to our followers.

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