Tiffany Woods was visiting St Helena’s Hospice in Dovercourt, Essex with her daughter Annabelle, 18, on Sunday when they stumbled across the bizarre items.
Annabelle had noticed the frames, advertised for £3.50 each, first and asked her mum who the people in the photographs were.
Tiffany, 36, was left in stitches after realising that someone had donated at least eight frames including head shots of some of Eastenders most famous faces.
The characters included famed Walford brothers Phil and Grant Mitchell, and also snaps of their mum Peggy Mitchell – played by the late Barbara Windsor.
Others include a photo of Alfie and Kat Moon, played by Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace.
Characters Max Branning, played by Jake Wood, Stacey Slater, played by Lacey Turner and sisters Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell, played by Samantha Womack and Rita Simons were also featured on the charity shop pillar.
Staff at the charity shop today said that the frames were handed in earlier in the week by a member of the public and have flown off the shelves.
Tiffany posted images of her bizarre charity shop discovery to a Facebook group on Monday, writing: “Wholesome find. Didn’t come home with me. St Helena’s Hospice, Dovercourt. Don’t all rush at once.”
The post left social media users in stitches, attracting over 400 likes and over 160 comments.
One user joked: “What a find! Who wouldn’t want an Eastenders wall!”
Another said: “Do we think someone has actually given these house-room before donating? Christ.”
A third member of the group added: “Oh my god, I want to know who donated them.”
Another user commented: “I find this incredibly distressing! The fact someone had these up in their house like family portraits is so scary.”
Having been on air for 36 years, Eastenders is one of the UK’s most well-known and beloved soap operas.
Based in Albert Square – within the fictional borough of Walford in London – the soap follows the stories of local residents and their families.
Whilst not an avid watcher of the show, Tiffany recognised the characters immediately.
Speaking today, she said: “My daughter and I love a good rummage around the charity shops because you literally never know what gems you will come across.
“She spotted them first and actually asked me who they were.
“I’ve never seen anything like it before in all my times at the shop.
“It has had me wondering who donated them and why did they have them hung in their house?
“Lots of people said they would have purchased them to slip on to family members’ walls to see how long it would take them to notice.
“I did briefly consider buying them. I thought Peggy and the boys and Dot would be good toilet wall art and definitely a conversation starter.
“They are after all, British legends – every man and his dog knows Peggy, Dot, Phil and Grant.
“However, when I went back the next day, a few had already been sold.”
Speaking today, a spokeswoman from St Helena’s Hospice said: “We had these donated a few days ago.
“Unfortunately I don’t know who donated them or the background as to why they had them.
“We got eight in originally but they’ve almost all gone now. There’s only the one of Max and Stacey, and one of Zoe Slater left.
“I’m not a huge fan of Eastenders myself, but they’re obviously popular as they’ve gone pretty quickly!”
