According to Sky News, negotiations are now at an “advanced stage” for the Olympic torch to visit Dublin prior to the London Games next year.
The news has already caught fire on Twitter, with ‘prior’ ‘negotiations’ ‘@skynewsbreak’ and ‘torch’ all becoming separate trending topics in Dublin within the past hour.
Before we all get too excited and start believing that we’re receiving an extremely special honour, the news should be tempered by the revelation that the torch relay will also turn up on Eastenders. Yes, seriously.
It has been announced this morning that the show’s characters Fat Boy and Billy Mitchell will discover that they’ve been nominated as torchbearers, with the Olympic Flame eventually passing through the show’s Albert Square.
While the episode will be filmed in advance, a few minutes of the relay will be broadcast live in the UK on July 23, four days prior to the Opening Ceremony.
‘When we first discussed the storyline, my initial thought was that I’ll now have to get fit,” said Perry Fenwick, who plays Billy Mitchell.
“While this may be a fictional one-off for Billy Mitchell, it’s a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and I am thrilled that Walford and Albert Square will be part of this amazing event.”
In other words, while we’re excited that the torch may make it to our capital, the fact that’s it’s going to also be on one of Britain’s biggest soap operas slightly spoils the fun.
