EastEnders' Kat & Alfie Spin-off 'Redwater' Airs Trailer & Release Date - In Ireland

It feels like us ‘Enders fans have been waiting an eternity for a Redwater release date.

The EastEnders spin-off show, which sees Kat and Alfie travel to Ireland to search for her long-lost son, was announced over a year ago and has been months in the planning.

However, last night the very first trailer for the show aired on RTÉ One, the national broadcaster in the Republic of Ireland.

Airing over there on May 14th, there’s no word yet from the BBC about when it’ll be hitting screens in Great Britain – but we assume it won’t be long after.

The show is being billed as a dark and mysterious drama and a huge departure from the usual comings and goings on Albert Square.

The trailer sees Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie in the fictional Irish village of Redwater as well as highly-anticipated appearances from the likes of Fionnula Flanagan, Ian McElhinney and Maria Doyle Kennedy.

Dramatic seascapes, nervous looks, dilapidated barns plus a cameo from a crow and potentially an eel (?) all set the tone for what’s set to be a gripping Sunday-night drama.

Whilst it’s not the first time EastEnders has decamped to Ireland (remember when the Fowlers had their much-maligned holiday in the 90’s?), it’s the only time two key characters have been given their own limited-run primetime drama series.

Speaking to Digital Spy, Shane Ritchie (Alfie) said that you didn’t need to be an EastEnders fan to enjoy the show, and that in fact – Walford doesn’t even get mentioned:

“It is an ensemble piece, it’s not just about Kat and Alfie. And what was interesting about the script was that we make no reference [to EastEnders]. We never mention Albert Square, we never mention Walford.

“There’s just one scene where somebody says: ‘Oh Alfie, have you ever had any experience in a pub?’ and he says, ‘Maybe a little bit!'”

“We’ve got nothing to compare it to because it’s never been done before.”

“None of the soaps have ever done it. They’ve all had that ‘press the red button and there’s a side story’, but to actually take two characters out and put them amongst these other characters.”

We. Cannot. Wait.