Original production designer Keith Harris left the show, and co-creators Tony Holland and Julia Smith both decided that the time had come to move on, too; their final contribution coincided with the exit of one of EastEnders' most successful characters, Den Watts (Leslie Grantham).

[1] Producer Mike Gibbon was given the task of running the show and he enlisted the most experienced writers to take over the storylining of the programme, including Charlie Humphreys, Jane Hollowood and Tony McHale.

[1] According to Brake, the departure of two of the soap's most popular characters, Den and Angie Watts (Anita Dobson), had left a void in the programme, which needed to be filled.

[1] In addition several other long-running characters left the show that year, including two original cast members, Sue and Ali Osman (Sandy Ratcliff and Nejdet Salih), and their family; Donna Ludlow (Matilda Ziegler); Carmel Jackson (Judith Jacob); and Colin Russell (Michael Cashman).

[1] Such characters included Julie Cooper; Marge Green – a batty older lady played by veteran comedy actress Pat Coombs; Trevor Short (Phil McDermott), the "village idiot", and his friend northern heartbreaker Paul Priestly (Mark Thrippleton); wheeler-dealer Vince Johnson (Hepburn Graham); and Laurie Bates (Gary Powell), who became Pete Beale's (Peter Dean) sparring partner.

The casting director was initially dubious about giving her the role, as Plowright, then thirty-three, didn't look "old enough or tough enough to play this serious man eater".

He has classed 1989's changes as a brave experiment, and has suggested that, while some found this period of EastEnders entertaining, many other viewers felt that the comedy stretched the programme's credibility somewhat.

[1] Although the programme still covered many issues in 1989, such as domestic violence, drugs, rape and racism, Brake reflected that the new emphasis on a more balanced mix between "light and heavy storylines" gave the illusion that the show had lost a "certain edge".

[1] A new era began in 1990 with the introduction of the Mitchell brothers, Phil (Steve McFadden) and Grant (Ross Kemp), successful characters who would go on to dominate the soap thereafter.

[2] She leases a vacant property and employs handyman, Paul Priestly (Mark Thrippleton), and his friend, Trevor Short (Phil McDermott), to renovate it, leaving many locals wondering what sort of business Julie is intending to open.

Dot Cotton (June Brown) jumps to the wrong conclusion when she sees a flier advertising Julie's "personal services" and assumes she is opening a brothel.

Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully) becomes the salon receptionist and a young trainee named Marie Davies (Vivien Heilbron) is also employed but doesn't stay long as she regularly clashes with Julie.

Their affair continues for several weeks, much to Diane's annoyance, but ends when Paul begins suspecting that Julie is using him to get a cheap deal on the work he is doing on the salon.

Meanwhile, Julie turns her attentions to new market trader, Laurie Bates (Gary Powell), but he is more interested in Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth).