Be there or be square!

So it seems only fitting that an exhibition marking the 25th anniversary of EastEnders should include a grisly collection of murder weapons, from the iron that Little Mo used to kill wife-beating husband Trevor, to the doorstop that did away with Dirty Den.

Soap fans don’t need to go to Walford to visit Albert Square – it’s all here in Bradford. EastEnders 25: The Exhibition opened at the National Media Museum yesterday following its London launch, and it’s here for the rest of the year.

Featuring an assortment of props from the BBC1 soap – from Phil Mitchell’s monkey wrench to Mark Fowler’s funeral order of service – it’s a fascinating journey through the dramatic history of the top soap.

I’m old enough to remember the early days of EastEnders, and have watched it on and off ever since, so I found it a little surreal to see Pauline Fowler’s famous overall, Pat Butcher’s garish earrings and Grant Mitchell’s leather jacket up close. As Bianca prepares to marry Ricky once again, there’s a chance to see her wedding dress from when the pair married first time around.

Taking pride of place, nestled between Kat Slater’s leopard-print coat and Sonia Jackson’s trumpet, is the Queen Victoria bronze bust, a mainstay in the Albert Square boozer since Den and Angie Watts were behind the bar. The Queen Vic figure, whose formidable expression could more than match Peggy “get out my pub” Mitchell’s, has had a recent starring role – as the weapon used to kill nasty old Archie on Christmas Day.

Remember Steve Owen bashing his unhinged ex-girlfriend Saskia over the head with an ashtray in the backroom of the E20 club? That very ashtray is right here. As is the urn containing the ashes of poor Barry Evans, who plunged to his death down a Scottish mountain at the hands of scheming Janine.

Then there’s the red bow tie Lucas used to strangle love-rival Owen in a gripping episode screened last autumn.

Further on are the gravestones of Mark Fowler and Den and Angie Watts. Arthur Fowler’s bench – the focal point of the Albert Square gardens where many an illicit kiss and shocking revelation has been played out over the years – stands beneath a Walford Tube timetable. Displayed between Michelle Fowler’s graduation photo and a battered old dog collar belonging to Ethel’s Willy is a letter which starts “Dear Ma”. As ’Enders fans will have guessed, it’s from ‘Nasty Nick’ Cotton to his long-suffering mother Dot –written on prison notepaper of course.

‘Another arson attack on Walford’s hottest pub’ screams the headline from a Walford Gazette news stand.

And locked inside a glass case is a glittering array of awards won by EastEnders over the years, including a Bafta and a British Soap Award.

As I made my way around the exhibition, art mirrored life when EastEnders actors Himesh Patel, who plays geeky Tamwar Masood, and Charlie Hawkins, who plays wheeler-dealer Darren Miller, suddenly appeared.

They were at the museum for a BBC schools project and were posing for photographs on Arthur’s bench. “This has been the scene of many a drama. I’ve slept on it myself a few times,” grinned Charlie.

The exhibition is part of a year-long Soap Season at the museum. It all kicks off next week with family events and workshops celebrating Britain’s longest-running soaps.

Activities include acting and writing workshops, and there’s a chance for visitors to star in and film their very own mini-soap. Think you know your Ena Sharples from your Lou Beale? You can test your soap knowledge with the Big Family Soap Trail or the Super Soap Quiz.

From Tuesday to Thursday, there’s a live interpretation of scenes from EastEnders in the Experience TV Studio, with visitors helping out as floor managers, camera operators or extras. It’s all great fun for soap fans.

Factfile: * EastEnders 25: The Exhibition runs in TV Heaven at the National Media Museum throughout 2010.

* Half-term events run from Monday, February 15 to Sunday, February 21.

* For more information, ring 0870 7010200 or visit nationalmediamuseum.org.uk.