EastEnders‘ 40th anniversary episode was full of surprises, and they didn’t stop when the episode was over. As eager fans headed to the BBC website to vote for Denise’s love interest at 8.30, they were surprised with another vote. What Sonia Fowler should call her daughter.

During last night’s hour long episode, viewers saw Sonia go into labour while still stuck in the burning Queen Vic – as Reiss Colwell was crushed right in front of her. As Lauren Branning and Bianca Jackson tried to calm Sonia down, Lauren asked if she had any baby names in mind. Sonia revealed she was debating between Julia and Toni (“Tony with an i”)- but it wasn’t until viewers went to vote that they noticed the meaning behind the names.

After voting for whether they wanted Denise to choose Jack Branning or Ravi Gulati, fans were surprised when they were also able to vote for whether Sonia should call her daughter Julia or Toni.

The BBC website read: “To honour the creators of EastEnders, Julia Smith and Tony Holland, what should Sonia name her baby?” But who are Julia and Tony?

Julia Smith and Tony Holland created the soap together in 1985. Their final contribution to EastEnders came in 1989.

In 1983, the duo were approached by the BBC to produce a bi-weekly soap opera that would rival ITV soaps, Coronation Street, Emmerdale Farm and Crossroads. With Tony being from London himself, he’s said to have used his own experiences as inspiration for the soap. Character Lou Beale, was inspired by the EastEnders character of the same name, as well as her children, Pete and Pauline.

Julia sadly passed away after a battle with cancer in 1997, aged 70. Tony passed away in 2007, at the age of 67 after being unwell for some time.

Although many fans missed the sweet tribute at the time of Sonia’s revelations, it didn’t go a miss for some super fans. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one penned: “Loved the reference in #Eastenders when Sonia said maybe she’d call her baby Julia, or Toni with an “I” after the shows creators. Anyone else spot that? #soniaeastenders #EastEnders40.”

Another commented: “Lovely nod to the two geniuses who brought the show to our screens 40 years ago,” as a third fan wrote: “oh we get to vote for what sonia names her baby out of julia and toni in tributes to the creators of eastenders… @bbceastenders is spoiling us for this anniversary.”

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.* Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Don’t miss out on the biggest soaps gossip! Get a daily email direct to your inbox with our newsletter