EastEnders has revealed that Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) and Rocky Cotton's (Brian Conley) wedding carriage has a special link to another iconic Walford wedding.
After many ups and downs throughout their relationship, Kathy and Rocky finally tied the knot — but their Walford wedding wasn't smooth sailing. In dramatic soap fashion, Rocky's ex-wife Jo Cotton (Vicki Michelle) made a surprise return and gate-crashed the ceremony to drop a bombshell on the groom.
Throughout the episodes, Kathy and her loved ones were seen riding in a horse-drawn carriage for the ceremony, with Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) and Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) jokingly sharing a kiss while sitting in the back.
In an EastEnders video posted on social media, the soap shared a behind-the-scenes look at Rocky and Kathy's eventful wedding where Brian shared the special connection the horse and carriage has to another legendary marriage.
Brian revealed that the horse and carriage used for Kathy and Rocky's nuptials is the original one used by Frank (Mike Reid) and Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement) on their wedding day in 1989.
"That horse and carriage is absolutely beautiful because that is the original horse and carriage that Frank and Pat Butcher actually used, so I'm chuffed about that," he said.
Frank and Pat Butcher went down as one of the soap's most iconic couples, whose wedding day saw them drive out of Albert Square in a horse-drawn cart in classic East End fashion.
Even Pam St Clement was a big fan of the horse and carriage used for her soap wedding as she told Your Horse: "Apart from the odd scenes in period dramas, in which I merely shared the screen with a horse, I’ve never worked with one. I do remember with fondness the mare who drew the cart that took Frank and Pat to their wedding at the registry office and back for a good old-fashioned East End knees up. She even knew her lines!"
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
