EastEnders rushes to make major episode change as two huge events shake the nation

The residents of EastEnders' Albert Square are often too caught up in their own lives to take notice of what's going on in the outside world - but this week, matters were too large to ignore.

This week saw the tragic death of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne at the age of 76. In the world of sport, England's Lionesses made it to the Euros finals once again beating Italy with a 2-1 win in an epic semi-final.

Despite the soap being filmed around 6 weeks in advance, the events seemed too major to not mention – with producers fitting in a scene at the last minute. It's not the first time the soap have done this. The same happened with the death of Michael Jackson and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

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On Thursday night, Elaine Peacock and Callum Highway were seen stopping for a chat outside the minute mart, as they discussed the results of Tuesday night. As Callum asked Elaine how she was coping after Kat took over the Vic, Elaine responded: "Well, I can’t be too down after that England match. I mean, 2-1?"

"I’m going to tell you something, there’s going to be a lot of kids named Michelle and Chloe in nine months time," she said, referencing players Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly who scored the winning goals for the team.

However, it wasn't the only current affairs event the soap slipped in. Other fans noticed that the soap played a Black Sabbath song in the background, in the wake of Ozzy Osbourne's tragic death. The song Paranoid could be heard in the background of the market.

Fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter to show their appreciation to the soap for the last minute scene. "Love it when they do these," praised one fan. "Can't be easy!"

Another commented: "A beautiful last minute scene! The tribute to Ozzy Osbourne following his death and the nod to the Lionesses making the final of the Euros! Love it when #EastEnders do scenes like this."

"I love how #EastEnders added a blink and you'll miss it tribute to Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne," a third wrote, while another agreed: "omg i loved that new scene put in between callum and elaine, nice touch with ozzy playing in the background."

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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