Wednesday Trivia Question

What Dusty Springfield song did Martin play at Pauline Fowler’s funeral on EASTENDERS?

For decades, we aired the British soap opera EASTENDERS. It debuted in the UK in 1985 and PBS stations were offered the series a few years later. Many chose to air the popular serial, giving the BBC a nice little revenue stream for repeat episodes. In the time since that US debut, quite a few stations ceased airing the program, eventually giving the BBC a reason to stop offering the show. Sadly, this left US fans unable to watch their fave British import on their local PBS station. Luckily, there were ways for viewers to continue their EASTENDERS experience with streaming services and fan clubs filling in the gaps. So even though PBS NC stopped airing the series in December 2021, we still remember the long-running soap fondly.

So for the faithful EE fanbase, we have this week’s question: What Dusty Springfield song did Martin play at Pauline Fowler’s funeral?

As you may know, Pauline Fowler was played by Wendy Richard from 1985 to 2006. The character was one of the “original 23” and was considered to be the matriarchal stalwart of Albert Square. So it was a shock to many when she was killed off during the Christmas episodes of 2006 (UNC-TV aired that episode in June 2017). Richard herself passed away in 2009.

At Pauline’s funeral, her son Martin played a song he said was one his mum’s favorites. It was a 1966 Dusty Springfield hit that topped the charts in the UK and hit the Top Ten here in the states. Considering the character would have been about 21 when the song was released, it makes sense that Pauline would have taken a liking to it. Since Springfield had many hits, that doesn’t necessarily narrow it down but if you’re a true EASTENDERS fan you may have an inkling.

So what was it? What Dusty Springfield song did Martin Fowler play at his mother’s funeral on EASTENDERS?