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[edit] Storylines 80s
1985
The birth of EastEnders on 19 Feb 1985 coincided with a death - the murder of the pensioner Reg Cox. It was the intention of show creators, holland and smith, to kick of the show "with a bang"; introducing the audience to the gritty "rough and tough" environment known as Walford. The Reg Cox storyline was a good starting point, allowing various members of the community to be involved with or comment on the circumstances of the old man's murder. The Reg Cox murder storyline continued for several months, as a major police investigation was launced, eventually leading to the arrest of prime suspect Nick Cotton, although he was later released on probation.
One of the earliest storylines surrounding the Fowler family was Pauline's mid-life pregnancy and her mother Lou's feirce opposition to it, eventually culminating in the birth of EastEnders first born, Martin, in July. The family also had to contend with Arthur's unemployment and Mark's delinquency. After being unfairly implicated in Reg's murder, Mark ran away from Walford early in April. Mark's departure had never been part of the original script, but was hastily written in to allow the actor David Scarboro time to acclimatise to the sudden fame that came with the role. This meant a hectic period of rewriting early in 1985 and the first 50-odd scripts were changed to accomodate the characters exit. Many of the storylines intended for Mark were given to the other younger characters, Michelle, Ian and kevin.
The first of many controversial storylines aired in June, with the cot death of Sue and Ali's baby, Hassan - a prominent issue at the time. After the storyline aired, the show was praised by audience and press alike for the sensitive and unsensational way this harrowing subject was treated. The sudden tragedy came as a surprise to the audience, especially since the bereaved parents were a couple whose feuding, fighting ways had made them appear rather comic in the early episodes of the show. The British Cot Death Foundation initially feared that a soap opera would trivialise the subject and frighten new parents. They tried to stop the episodes from airing, but in the end they were pleased with the way the subject was handled, and provided back-up support after transmission to many viewers who wanted more information on the subject.
The Watts family, who ran the soap's public house, proved extremely popular with viewers. Landlords Angie and Den Watts were a live-wire couple whose on/off relationship made the Queen Vic pub exciting and unpredictable and the viewers tuned in in their millions to watch the destruction of their relationship on-screen. Den's clashes with Angie brought EastEnders to a peak of popularity and toppled rival soap Coronation Street from the top of the ratings chart. Storylines included Angie's alcoholism and attempted suicide and numerous adulteries. The most notable storyline of the year concerned Den's adultery with the 16 year old school girl Michelle, a tryst that left her pregnant. Press interest in the show escalated to record levels as journalists continuously tried to predict who had fathered Michelle's baby. In true whodunnit fashion, the audience had been kept in the dark as to the real identity of the father and were given teasers implicating several residents on the Square. The audience finally discovered the culprit in episode 66 of the programme, October 1985. The episode was written by series co-creator/script editor Tony Holland and directed by co-creator/producer Julia Smith, and was considered to be a landmark episode in the show's history. Four possible suspects were seen leaving the Square in the early half of the episode: Tony Carpenter, Ali Osman, Andy O'Brien and Den Watts. As Michelle waited by their rendezvous point a car pulled up and finally the fluffy white legs of Roly the poodle bounded out of the car, and gave it all away: Den Watts was the man meeting Michelle and it was he who had fathered her baby. It was when Den was revealed as the father that his famous nickname "Dirty Den" was created by the British press.
[edit] Notable comings and goings 1985
The first episode introduced the audience to the majority of the original characters, the Beale/Fowler family - the Watts, the Osmans, the Jefferys, Ethel Skinner and finally villain Nick Cotton. The rest of the original characters, Mary Smith, Tony Carpeneter, Kelvin, Debbie, Andy and Lofty were all introduced gradually over the following few weeks and with each introduction a number of storylines unfolded.As well as the original cast, 1985 saw the inclusion of two new regular characters, Nick Cotton's mother, Dot - a character who had been referred to regularly since the show's very early episodes- and Simon Wicks. Simon Wicks-Pete Beale's estranged son- was introduced earlir than planned in order to take over Mark Fowler's role as the elder of the male youngsters. He quickly became one of the soaps most popular characters. Other new characters in recurring roles included, Roy Quick, Hannah and Cassie Carpenter, Mehmet and Guizin Osman and Chris Smith, who all returned as regular characters in following years.
As well as Reg Cox, three other original characters left in 1985, although only one was permanent. Saeed Jeffrey, having failed in his arranged marriage to Naima, left Walford to live in Bangladesh. Two other characters, Mark Fowler and Nick Cotton, also left, but returned in recurring roles.
