EastEnders airs a surprise reference to the General Election as Ian Beale urges Harvey Monroe to vote – adding to the soap’s roster of specially-filmed moments

EastEnders surprisingly referenced the 2024 general election as Britain goes to the polls on Thursday.

The soap, which often makes special additions to major news events, included the scene in the second episode of a double bill, which aired on BBC iPlayer as the polls opened at 7am.

In the scene, Ian Beale tells Harvey Monroe that he is on his way to the polling station to cast his vote. However, Harvey Monroe admits that he had no idea the election was even taking place.

Harvey admitted he was so busy he forgot about the election, adding: “And besides, it’s only one vote. What difference does it make?”

Ian began: ‘You know what, if everyone thought like that…’ before Harvey eventually agreed to go to the polling station, but added that it was unlikely that he and Ian ‘would vote for the same people.’

In the scene, Ian Beale told Harvey Monroe that he was on his way to the polling station to cast his vote, but the latter confessed that he had no idea the election was taking place

It is not the first time that EastEnders has referred to important news moments with specially filmed scenes, with previous scenes specifically referencing the Royal Family.

In 2022, the soap paid tribute to the late Queen, but the episode opened with a scene describing the monarch’s death as “devastating” and as if the entire country had “lost its nan”.

The scene saw Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) adjust a photo of The Queen on the bar of the Queen Vic, before Denise Fox said: “God bless her, she’s been there all our lives. It’s like she’s all we’ve ever known.”

Kathy Beale, played by Gillian Taylforth, responded: “It just feels very personal, doesn’t it? It’s really devastating.”

“It’s like we lost our grandmother,” Diane said

“Well, we have. I mean, the country is lost… we all lost our grandmother. She devoted her whole life to serving us,” Linda replied.

In 2018, EastEnders included a special scene celebrating the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son Archie.

In the scene, which was filmed hours earlier at the Minute Mart and edited for Thursday’s broadcast, the character Honey reads the news about the royal baby on her phone.

Ian began, “You know what, if everyone thought like that…” before Harvey finally agreed to go to the polling station.

This isn’t the first time EastEnders has referenced key moments in the news, with a special scene paying tribute to The Queen following her death in 2022.

“That’s great news about the baby,” she said, as Louise Mitchell entered the store.

Louise looked shocked at Honey, who then continued: ‘The name is perfect, so natural and formal. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

She continued: ‘This is a royal baby. He’s… something in line for the throne. Archie could be our king soon. Isn’t he gorgeous. I can’t help it, I just love babies.’

While they were at it, the producers also referenced Brexit and the current battle between Liverpool and Tottenham for the Champions League Cup.

“People only talk about Liverpool and Tottenham fighting for the League of Champions!” she said.

The BBC soap has often included extra scenes over the years to mark important events, such as the birth of Prince George, the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and the death of the Queen Mother. Last year’s World Cup semi-final was also frequently shown in the soap.

Millions of people will cast their votes between 7am and 10pm, when the polls close.

Opinion polls so far show Labour on course to win a large majority in the House of Commons.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the day represented a “crucial moment” for the future of the country, claiming Labour would use “their unchecked power” to raise taxes if they won a “supermajority”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK “cannot afford another five years under the Conservatives”, adding that Britain can “open a new chapter” under his party.