This was actually written to be the fourth strip, but the strip two was cut by the cartoon editor at the Mirror, and three and four were reordered for narrative clarity. There was a bit of conflict at the beginning about the level of realism in Millie, with the Mirror wanting it to be a realistic strip, and me wanting to go off on flights of fantasy now and again - it's a cartoon after all. It took a while for us to work out what the other wanted and where the boundaries lay.
EastEnders is a long running soap set in the East End of London. It's been going for 25 years but it feels much longer. It is famed for its melodramatic storylines and general air of misery - you can always guarantee that someone will die/get mortally injured/commit suicide/burn their house to the ground during the merry Christmas day episode.
Here's the script of the missing strip:
WEEK TWO
1. Richard is saying his goodbyes to the old home. He stands beside an old oak tree, looking up at an overhanging bough.
RICHARD: GOODBYE, GREAT OAK TREE FROM WHICH I USED TO HANG MY SWING...
2. Richard on the gravel path outside the front of his chocolate box thatched cottage. He is starting to get a tad emotional.
RICHARD: GOODBYE OLD AND FRIENDLY COTTAGE. NO LONGER WILL I LEAVE FOREHEAD PRINTS ON THY ANCIENT BEAMS...
3. Richard on a hillock overseeing is beloved countryside. He addresses the elements in declamatory tones, arms outstretched.
RICHARD: GOODBYE TREES! GOODBYE HILLS! GOODBYE HEDGEROWS!
4. Working up to a climax, his arms are now raised above his head, as a dirty black cloud forms above him.
RICHARD: GOODBY BIRDS OF THE SKY AND ANIMALS OF THE FIELD! GOODBYE O ELEMENTAL FORCES OF NATURE!
5. Reversed out silhouette panel. Richard is struck by a bolt of lightning from the cloud.
SFX: ZAP!
6. Richard sits on the hillock, eyes wide open, his hair on end, his clothes in tatters, gently emitting small clouds of smoke. Millie wanders up behind him, hands in pockets, v. matter-of-fact.
MILLIE: I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GOING TO MISS YOU.
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