Bosses at EastEnders are set to defy the government ban on smoking in the workplace that comes into force on July 1. The law extends to film and television sets but senior executives at the BBC One soap have said they will allow characters such as Dot Branning, played by June Brown, to light up. A show boss told The Sun: "We will fight it. We don't care if police try to come on set - let them try. We have to portray real life - and people smoke." If they go ahead, every time a character sparks up a fag, the Beeb could be fined up to £2,500. It's also rumoured that the soap's bigwigs are keen for punters at the Queen Vic to puff away too. However, the ruling also applies to the inside of characters' homes. EastEnders isn't the only TV show affected by the upcoming ban. Reports suggest that the Big Brother house will also be a smoke-free zone. It's doubtful whether the cast members of EastEnders who partake of the evil weed will go the way of BB5 winner Nadia, who threw a wobbler when she was denied fags.
