CHRISTOPHER STEVENS critiques EastEnders’ fortieth anniversary particular: Forget Corrie, Walford has introduced again a fair higher particular visitor

EastEnders (BBC1) 

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When Corrie turned 40, a spectacular birthday edition saw the future King Charles make an appearance on the cobbles.

To beat that, EastEnders – the reigning champion of great British soap operas – had to showcase an even more special guest. And it did, with the return of Angie Watts… full perm and all.

Anita Dobson, or Lady May as she is now that her guitar-wielding husband is Sir Brian May, played Ange from the show’s beginning in 1985. 

The Christmas edition in 1986, when her on-screen partner Dirty Den Watts served her with divorce papers, saw the biggest British TV audience ever, with more than 30 million viewers.

But Ange is dead. So to bring her back for this explosive anniversary special, she had to be a ghost. 

No problem – there’s always been a touch of the Dickensian supernatural about this show. Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) has been seeing visions of his dear old mum Peggy all week.

When Corrie turned 40, a spectacular birthday edition saw the future King Charles make an appearance on the cobbles (pictured in 2000)

To beat that, EastEnders – the reigning champion of great British soap operas – had to showcase an even more special guest. And it did, with the return of Anita Dobson as Angie Watts… full perm and all

As the opening credits rolled on an extended one-hour episode, 40 years to the day since its 1985 debut, you could be forgiven if your head was reeling. 

That wasn’t just the aftermath of an explosion that tore the Queen Vic apart on Tuesday night, after loony Reiss (Jonny Freeman) ploughed his Volvo into the pub’s beer cellar and its stockpile of gas canisters.

Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) had just shot her ex-husband Ian in the arm and tried to push him under Reiss’s wheels. Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) was confronting his suicidal brother Phil who was waving a gun around.

And never mind the blazing building: Bianca (Patsy Palmer) was sporting a leopard skin tracksuit that could burn your eyebrows off at 20 paces.

Bits were toppling off the building every couple of moments. It was 20 minutes before the emergency services arrived and, until then, it was up to George (Colin Salmon) to get people to safety. 

Some fled to the caff, but most took shelter in a giant wedding marquee in the centre of the square. When there’s a danger of falling masonry and gas blasts, a tent always offers the best protection.

Not everyone seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation. In the cafe, they were debating whether it warranted bacon sandwiches, or if free tea and biscuits would be enough.

Inside the pub, under the very staircase where Den and Ange had some of their fiercest rows, their daughter Sharon (Letitia Dean) was pinned beneath rubble. 

Anita played Ange from the show’s beginning in 1985 (Leslie Grantham, Anita and Letitia pictured on soap in 1984)

The Christmas edition in 1986, when her on-screen partner Dirty Den Watts served her with divorce papers, saw the biggest British TV audience ever, with more than 30 million viewers (pictured on soap in 1980s)

But Ange is dead. So to bring her back for this explosive anniversary special, she had to be a ghost 

While Anita admitted she had worked very hard to keep her return a secret, only spilling the beans to her Queen rocker husband Brian May (pictured together last month)

She was on the point of giving up, till that unmistakable bubble perm floated into view. Anita Dobson is such a powerful actress, and her unexpected appearance was so poignant, that it was a genuinely emotional moment.

Grant saved Sharon by digging her out with his bare hands and slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of coal. 

But Martin (James Bye) and his ex Stacey (Lacey Turner) haven’t made it out of the Vic yet. They were too busy bickering about whether to rekindle their relationship.

Meanwhile, Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) and Sonia (Natalie Cassidy) were trapped with Bianca in the kitchen, being menaced by Reiss – until the ceiling caved in and he was squashed by a falling bathtub.

Bianca peeped through the plughole, winced and shook her head. At that point, Sonia bellowed, ‘The baybey, it’s coming!’ and went into full Call the Midwife groans.

EastEnders is addictive viewing because the cast throws everything into these moments, and Natalie Cassidy does it better than anyone.

All this was leading up to an all-live broadcast on Thursday, when we’ll discover whether Sonia has to give birth in a bombsite, and if Martin can survive being crushed by a girder.

The fact that the episode has not been pre-recorded will add to the thrill. ‘Live’ begins at 40, you might say.