91Èȱ¬

The Mayor of London will receive a real East End welcome when he pays an impromptu visit to Albert Square later this year in 91Èȱ¬ One's EastEnders.

Boris Johnson is unknowingly set to feel the sharp end of Peggy Mitchell's tongue after she's spent a morning trying to track him down during a visit to the famous fictional London borough.

Peggy, played by Barbara Windsor, returns home feeling frustrated having failed to meet the Mayor and tells the Mitchell clan how she'd give him a piece of her mind if she ever sees him.

However, much to everyone's amusement, when Boris Johnson unexpectedly walks into the Queen Vic Peggy is utterly charmed by him, not to mention a little flirtatious.

Clearly Peggy feels that her recent bid to run as an independent candidate in the local election gives her some common ground with the Mayor of London!

EastEnders Executive Producer, Diederick Santer, says: "EastEnders has always had a good relationship with the Mayor's office, and we are delighted that Boris Johnson is coming to spend some time with us.

"EastEnders does its best to reflect contemporary London, and we hope that meeting the Mayor will help us stay ahead with the latest London stories, policies and developments.

"We couldn't let the visit pass without the Mayor entering London's most famous pub, the Queen Vic, and meeting its formidable and politically-active landlady Peggy Mitchell."

Boris Johnson added: "EastEnders is a true London icon and I was delighted to highlight to its huge audience the part the mayoralty plays in the city's rich tapestry.

"It was, of course, a tremendous honour to step inside that most venerable of London landmarks, the Queen Vic, and share a scene with another of the capital's icons, the fabulous Barbara Windsor."

The short scene, filmed last Friday (17 July 2009), will transmit on 91Èȱ¬Â One in the Autumn.

HT