Diederick Santer interview

In Media Guardian, Stephen Armstrong talks to EastEnders' executive producer Diederick Santer.

What he is hoping to do is bring a bit of realism to a depiction of the East End that was criticised by the Commission for Racial Equality for being excessively white. "You have to be careful about being too realistic," he cautions. "It could be argued all these characters wouldn't go to the launderette - they might have washing machines. But then you wouldn't have the same show. Having said that, we have to diversify. We're doing that with the background artists, we've opened a sari and fabric shop, and in ambient ways we're making the show feel more 21st century."