The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1985, by order of first appearance. They were all introduced by executive producer Julia Smith. The first episode of EastEnders was broadcast on 19 February 1985, and twenty-three main characters were already created for their first appearance. The first character to be seen was Den Watts, who said the first line in the series, followed by Ali Osman and then Arthur Fowler. Reg Cox is found dead by the three. Ethel Skinner was seen next. Harold Legg makes his appearance when Den fetches him to attend to Reg and Pauline Fowler is with him. Lou Beale is with Ethel along with her pug Willy. Saeed and Naima Jeffery are seen in the shop sorting out stock and then Angie is seen in The Queen Victoria, Walford's local pub. Nick Cotton is seen walking past Sue Osman who is telling everyone that it's their fault Reg was found dead. Pete and Kathy Beale are on the fruit and veg stall. Hassan Osman is seen with his parents in the café. Sharon Watts, Ian Beale and Michelle Fowler are seen together as Walford's teenagers. Mark Fowler is seen going into the bookies. Roly and Tracey are seen back at the pub when a fight breaks out. Lofty Holloway is introduced on 26 February along with Terry Rich. The Carpenter family were introduced on 28 February. Mary Smith and her infant daughter Annie are introduced on 5 March. Andy O'Brien is introduced on 21 March along with Debbie Wilkins. Chris Smith was introduced on 7 May. Mehmet Osman was introduced on 13 June as a semi-regular. Hannah Carpenter arrived on 25 June as Tony's overbearing wife. Dot Cotton was introduced on 4 July followed by Earnie Mears on 16 July. Detective Sergeant Roy Quick was introduced on 20 August as Walford's detective. Martin Fowler was born on 30 July and Simon Wicks arrived on 5 October. Sheena Menell arrived as a minor character on 15 October and the wife of Mehmet, Guizin Osman arrived on 22 October. Cassie Carpenter arrived as the daughter of Hannah and Tony. Winston arrived in December as an extra and still remains on-screen.
Den Watts, played by actor Leslie Grantham, is the original landlord of The Queen Victoria. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den". He perhaps is best remembered for his stormy love-hate relationship with his alcoholic first wife Angie. After nearly 20 years of marriage, he hands divorce papers to her in the 1986 Christmas Day episode that was watched by a record-breaking 30.15 million viewers, more than half of the UK population at the time. He was also well known for his later involvement with the criminal gang known as The Firm that eventually led to an attempt on his life in 1989. For 14 years, it was believed that he had been killed, but he returned to Walford in September 2003. Seventeen months later, his character was killed off again, this time for good, at the hands of his manipulative second wife Chrissie. Den was described by EastEnders executive producer Louise Berridge as being arguably one of the most iconic soap characters ever.
Ali Osman, played by Nejdet Salih, is a happy-go-lucky, easy going chap, which is in stark contrast to his highly strung wife, Sue. He has a compulsive addiction to gambling, which gets him into trouble on more than one occasion and his marriage ends in disaster after he had his wife sectioned. He is a member of the original EastEnders cast, appearing in the first episode on 19 February 1985. He remains with the show for nearly five years afterwards, making his final appearance on 10 October 1989. Ali Osman was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Ali, a Turkish Cypriot, was originally intended to be named Chris. His name was changed to Ali when it dawned on Holland that he had given a Christian name to a Muslim. Ali was a well-intentioned attempt to represent the proportion of Turkish Cypriots who had immigrated to England and settled in the East End of London. Holland and Smith knew that for the soap to succeed there needed to be a varied group of characters, so that several different sections of the audience had someone to identify with.
Arthur Fowler is the father of the Fowler family. He is played by Bill Treacher. Arthur is essentially a good man, but makes some foolish choices and always ends up paying dearly for them. Bossed to the brink of insanity by his mother-in-law and wife (Lou Beale and Pauline Fowler), Arthur falls into the arms of another woman. During his time in Albert Square he suffers with mental disorder, is sent to prison twice and eventually dies of a brain haemorrhage in 1996. Arthur Fowler was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Arthur was a member of the first family of EastEnders, the Beales and Fowlers, and Holland took the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background. Arthur's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story.
| Reg Cox | |
|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |
| Portrayed by | Johnnie Clayton Marc Tufano (Civvy Street) |
| Duration | 1985 |
| Appears on | 19 February 1985 |
| Classification | Former; guest |
| Book appearances | Home Fires Burning, Swings and Roundabouts |
| Spin-off appearances | Civvy Street |
| Profile | |
| Date of birth | 1926 |
| Date of death | 19 February 1985 |
| Occupation | Retired |
Reginald "Reg" Cox was played by Johnnie Clayton in the opening episode and Marc Tufano in 1988 spin-off Civvy Street. The first episode of EastEnders on 19 February 1985 centred upon pensioner Reg's death. According to scriptwriter Colin Brake, the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith, wanted to start the serial "with a bang, throwing the audience into the middle of life in [the fictional setting of] Walford". The Reg Cox storyline was deemed as 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.[1]
In the first ever scene of the programme, the characters of Den Watts (Leslie Grantham), Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher), and Ali Osman (Nejdet Salih) were shown breaking down the door of Reg's flat. In Holland and Smith's book, The Inside Story, the authors have outlined their original interpretation of the scene: "[EastEnders] starts with a bang, as a size ten boot kicks down the door that's locked from the inside. The tiny, dirty and foul-smelling council-flat behind the battered door belongs to Reg Cox (known locally as "the-old-boy", and a cantankerous bastard at the best of times) who hasn't been seen around [Albert Square] for days.... Once the door's down, three men rush into the gloomy main-room.... They find the old boy sitting in his favourite armchair beside the gas fire (which isn't on) — and he's very nearly dead.... By the end of the episode the old boy will have been removed from the square and taken to Intensive Care, and the entire community will be rife with gossip, which spreads round the houses like the plague. Via the gossip we're able to piece together the events leading up to the discovery of Reg"[2]
Reg lived alone at 23b Albert Square. On the morning of 19 February 1985, Naima Jeffery (Shreela Ghosh), who ran the shop on Bridge Street, became concerned about Reg after he had failed to make his daily milk purchase for the past three days and her husband, Saeed Jeffery (Andrew Johnson, mentioned this to Den Watts (Leslie Grantham), publican of the pub next door. Den and Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher) roused Ali Osman (Nejdet Salih), who lived downstairs from Reg, to let them into the house and the three of them kicked in the door to Reg's room when he failed to answer their knocking. Den spoke the opening lines of the first episode, "Stinks in here, dunnit?", followed by the discovery of an unconscious Reg slumped in his armchair. Den ran to get the local doctor, Harold Legg (Leonard Fenton) and called for an ambulance. On 21 February 1985, they learnt that Reg had been severely beaten and died from injuries which had gone unnoticed when he was found. It was eventually revealed that Nick Cotton (John Altman) was behind the beating when he was attempting to steal Reg's war medals.
Reg, who was 59 years old when he died, was not a popular figure in Albert Square. He was referred to as a 'cantankerous old git' by Arthur, called a 'miserable so and so' by Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) and a 'nasty old man' by his downstairs neighbour, Sue Osman (Sandy Ratcliff). But despite this, Lou Beale (Anna Wing) caused havoc around the Square, accusing Sue of neglect for allowing him to lie dying in his flat for days, without checking up on him. The character also appeared in the Christmas special Civvy Street, set during World War II, shown on 22 December 1988. He was played by Marc Tufano. He had gone AWOL and sold dodgy gear during the Second World War.
Ethel May Skinner (née Lewis) was played by the late Gretchen Franklin. Ethel Skinner also features in a 1988 EastEnders special, entitled Civvy Street, set on Albert Square during the Second World War, where the character is played by Alison Bettles. Ethel was an EastEnders original character and in the early years she could always be found wandering the square with her adored pug Willy. She and Dot Cotton (June Brown) were life long friends and although they wound each other up no end, they were completely dependent on each other. In fact Ethel trusted Dot so much that she even asked her to help her die in 2000, after she was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. Ethel's original character outline states that she was born in 1920. However, during the series this was altered to 1916 and for many years her birthday fell on 19 February. When Ethel came back to Walford to die in 2000, she revealed to Dot that she had lied about her age for many years.
Pauline Fowler (née Beale)[3] was played by actress Wendy Richard between 1985 and 2006.[4] Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland and producer Julia Smith as one of EastEnders' original characters. She made her debut in the soap's first episode on 19 February 1985, and remained for twenty-one years and ten months, making her the second longest-running original character, surpassed only by Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Pauline was a staple in the UK press during her time in EastEnders, representative of the symbiosis between Britain's soaps and tabloid newspapers. Widely read tabloids, such as The Sun and Daily Mirror, would routinely publish articles about forthcoming developments in Pauline's storylines.[5] Critical opinion on the character differs. She has been described as a "legend" and a television icon,[6] but was also voted the 35th "most annoying person of 2006" (being the only fictional character to appear on the list).[7] The character is well known even outside of the show's viewer-base, and away from the on-screen serial, Pauline has been the subject of television documentaries, behind-the-scenes books, tie-in novels and comedy sketch shows.
Doctor Harold Legg was played by Leonard Fenton. Dr. Legg was Walford's original GP. He was widely trusted within the community, and was always on hand to dish out advice. Dr Legg appeared as a regular character between 1985 and 1989, but continued to appear in a recurring role until 1997. He was officially retired in 1999 by executive producer Matthew Robinson, though he has made cameos since this time in 2000, 2004 and 2007.[8] Dr. Harold Legg was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Dr. Legg was an attempt to represent the successive wave of Jewish immigrants that had settled in the East End of London between 1881 and 1914 in order avoid the persecution that they were being subjected to in Europe.[2] The second generation of East End born Jews (as Dr. Legg was meant to represent) prospered in the area until the 1930s when Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists was formed, and used violence to instil fear in the Jewish population.[9] As the Jewish community grew wealthier, many moved out of the East End to more affluent areas of London,[9] just as the character of Dr. Legg had done on-screen when the show began; living in Islington, but commuting to his practice in Walford.
Louise Ada "Lou" Beale (née Medeemey) was played by Anna Wing. The character is played by Karen Meagher in the 1988 EastEnders special, Civvy Street, set during the Second World War. Lou Beale was the first EastEnders character to be created by series co-creator Tony Holland, taking the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background. Lou was the archetypal East End matriarch throughout EastEnders first three years. An intimidating force within the local community, she was the dowager of Albert Square's central family, the Beales and Fowlers. Never afraid to speak her mind, and woe betide anyone who managed to get on her wrong side, Lou had the respect of her friends and family, even if they did find her a bit of a nuisance at times. Born in the East End, Lou lived in Walford all her life. Albert and Lou came to their house on the corner of Albert Square, number forty-five, on getting married during the 1930s. Lou remained in the house throughout the Second World War and brought up her children there. Her affinity and ties with the area meant that she tended to view Albert Square as her own and that gave her an excuse to intrude into people's business as she saw fit.
Willy was a Pug, who appeared in the first episode of the programme and remained in the show until 1992. He belonged to Ethel Skinner who loved him dearly. Willy was cast less than a week before the filming of EastEnders began. From the beginning it was decided that the pensioner Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) was to have a Yorkshire Terrier named Willy (after her dead husband). The company Janimals, who specialized in providing and training animals for television and films, was contacted by EastEnders co-creator/producer Julia Smith, and informed her that they could provide an experienced Pug for the part (he had previously starred in Swallows and Amazons). The dog was brought to the studio to meet Gretchen Franklin, the actress who played Ethel. She took a shine to him straight away and so the pug was cast as Willy. Willy and Roly the poodle shared a dressing room at Elstree Studios.[2]
Saeed Jeffery was played by Andrew Johnson. Saeed was the original owner of the First til Last grocery store. He was never truly accepted in Walford, and his arranged marriage ended in divorce after it was discovered that he'd been making obscene phone calls to women. He left Walford in disgrace, leaving his business to his wife. Saeed Jeffery was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Saeed and his wife Naima were the first Asian characters to appear in the soap. Black and Asian characters were two ethnic minorities that had previously been under-represented in British soap before EastEnders aired. Holland and Smith knew that for the soap to succeed there needed to be a varied group of characters, so that several different sections of the audience had someone to identify with.
Naima Jeffery was played by Shreela Ghosh. Naima tried to embrace Western culture, but this wasn't easy since her family constantly tried to force her to adhere to their ancient customs. Sick of being forced to live in an arranged marriage with a husband she loathed, Naima made a stand and shamed her family by filing for a divorce. Naima Jeffery was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Naima and her husband were the first Asian characters to appear in the soap. Black and Asian characters were two ethnic minorities that had previously been under-represented in British soap before EastEnders aired. Holland and Smith knew that for the soap to succeed there needed to be a varied group of characters, so that several different sections of the audience had someone to identify with.
Angela "Angie" Watts (née Shaw), played by Anita Dobson from the first episode of the show until 1988 when the actress decided to quit and the character was written out. Angie was well known for her cheeky banter, her huge shaggy perm and turning to alcohol during her stormy marriage to cheating Den which ended when he handed her divorce papers on Christmas Day, in an episode watched by a record-breaking 30.1 million viewers. Despite being the loud and feisty lady of Walford, and having a close relationship with her beloved adopted daughter Sharon, she didn't have much real happiness during her time in Albert Square and alcoholism finally claimed her life in 2002 when she died of cirrhosis of the liver. Angie Watts was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. The character of Angie was originally going to be named Pearl[2] and she, her husband and adopted daughter were to be the occupants of the soap's local pub, now famously known as The Queen Vic. Holland, who had worked as a barman in his youth, called upon his own personal experiences to invent the Watts family and the pub they lived in.[2] Holland and Smith had always been critical of the way pubs had been portrayed on television feeling they lacked vitality and life, so they were determined that their pub and occupants were going to be more 'real'. The Watts were seen by Holland as integral to the shows success, partly because he had already guessed that the pub was going to be a monstrous battleground where emotions would run high on a regular basis, and also because the occupants would be providing the majority of the drama.[2]
Nick Cotton, played by John Altman on a recurring basis from the soap's debut episode in February 1985, through to his last appearance to date in 2009. Nick is the son of characters Charlie and Dot Cotton, and the father of Ashley and Dotty Cotton. His storylines have seen him twice commit murder, succumb to a heroin addiction, and attempt to poison his own mother, amongst numerous other misdemeanours. Nick was also the subject of a special spin-off episode, The Return of Nick Cotton, which aired in October 2000. He has been voted one of television's all-time most villainous characters in a Channel 4 poll.
Susan "Sue" Osman was played by Sandy Ratcliff. She was one of the serial's original characters, appearing in its first episode on 19 February 1985 and departing on-screen in May 1989. Created by Tony Holland and Julia Smith, Sue was portrayed as argumentative, insecure and tragic.[10] A pivotal storyline in the character's narrative was the cot-death of her son, which was one of the show's first controversial plots. During her four years on-screen, the character contended with a phantom pregnancy, marital breakdown and finally insanity. Ratcliff left the role in 1989 after press stories began circulating about her private life.[11]
Peter "Pete" Beale was played by Peter Dean. He made his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was created by Tony Holland, one of the creators of EasEnders; he was based on a member of Holland's family. Pete was featured in the soap for eight years as the local fruit and veg trader of Albert Square; he was a member of the original focal clan in the serial, the Beales and Fowlers. Pete was portrayed as a macho and somewhat insensitive individual who struggled to cope with emotion. Pete was axed from the soap in 1993 and departed in May that year after over eight years on-screen. The character was killed off-screen later that year following Peter Dean's public criticism of the BBC.
Katherine "Kathy" Mitchell (née Hills; previously Beale)[12] was played by Gillian Taylforth between 1985 and 2000. Though it was never used on screen, in 2010 the BBC website named the character as Kathy Sullivan due to a marriage after she left the show in 2000.[13] Kathy Beale was one of the serial's original characters, appearing in the first episode of EastEnders on 19 February 1985. One of the longest-running original characters, Kathy remained in a prominent role, covering issues such as rape and domestic violence until April 1998, when Taylforth quit. A year later, in 1999, Taylforth returned for a temporary stint to aid the departure of actor Ross Kemp who played her brother-in-law Grant Mitchell, and later in December 1999 for the wedding of her screen son Ian Beale. She made her final appearance in January 2000. Despite various rumours of a possible return for Kathy in the press, this did not occur and the character was killed off-screen in a road accident in late February 2006 in a storyline to facilitate the return of her son Ben to his father Phil. In tribute to the character, the soap's café is named "Kathy's".[14]
| Hassan Osman | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Michael Evangelou | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1985 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 19 February 1985 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 20 June 1985 | ||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; recurring | ||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | May 1984 | ||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 20 June 1985 | ||||||||||||||
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Hassan Osman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael Evangelou.
Hassan was the first son of Ali Osman (Nejdet Salih) and Sue Osman (Sandy Ratcliff), who was only a baby during his short time in EastEnders. Hassan died in his sleep of cot death on 20 June 1985; no official causes of death were given. Before EastEnders initially aired, creators Tony Holland and Julia Smith had already decided that Sue and Ali Osman would be parents to a young baby named Hassan.[2] However, as further characters were invented they realised that there would be a total of four babies in the show: Annie Smith (Zara Posener), Martin Fowler (Jon Peyton Price), Vicki Fowler (Emma Herry) and Hassan. It was decided that it would be impossible for the studios to cope with four babies, and so they invented a storyline to eliminate one of the young babies from the cast. During this time, the topic of sudden infant death syndrome was prominent in the British press, partly due to an increase in casualties, but also because a doctor had gone public with the accusation that parents were to blame for the tragic occurrence.[2] Holland and Smith decided that covering this issue in the soap would be a good way of 'setting the record straight', and so it was decided that Sue and Ali's baby would die from cot death in the early months of the show. This was the first of many controversial storylines in EastEnders' history. After the storyline aired in June 1985, 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.[15] 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.[15]
Sharon Anne Rickman (née Stretton; previously Watts and Mitchell), played by Letitia Dean was a regular cast member for the first 10 years after the programme began on 19 February 1985. She returned in May 2001, and appeared on and off, having most recently appeared in January 2006. Dean has expressed her interest in reprising the role of Sharon on numerous occasions. Sharon is the adoptive daughter of the popular 'supercouple'; the late Den and Angie Watts. She was known to Den as his "princess" and he made sure suitors watched their step around the teenage Sharon. Even though she disapproved of her father's dodgy deals and his constant fighting with binge-drinker Angie, she loved them both nonetheless.
Ian Albert Beale is played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the longest-serving character and the only remaining original character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on 19 February 1985. The character appeared in his 2,000th episode in the show on 26 March 2007.[16] Ian Beale is one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Ian is a member of the first family of EastEnders, the Beales and Fowlers, and Holland took the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background. Ian's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story.
Michelle Fowler (previously Holloway) was played by actress Susan Tully. Although she was one of the brighter people in Walford, that didn't stop Michelle making some huge mistakes during her time in Albert Square. Michelle had a habit of choosing the wrong men and her stubborn nature meant that she rarely accepted anyone's help or listened to good advice. She was tough, feisty, determined and outspoken and never afraid to defend herself or her beliefs. Early on in the series, the character of Michelle became central to the programme and was the focus of a controversial storyline involving her teenage pregnancy.[2] Press interest in the show escalated to "record levels" as journalists continuously tried to predict who had fathered Michelle's baby.[2] In 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.[2] 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.[15] 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.[15] As Michelle waited by their rendez-vous 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. The rest of the episode consisted of just one long scene, where Den and Michelle discussed whether or not to keep the baby.[15] Up to that time it was the longest scene ever done in a soap-opera, lasting fifteen minutes.
Mark Albert Fowler was an original regular character in the series starting February 1985 but became a semi-regular after his original portrayer David Scarboro was written out of the role in April 1985. Scarboro made brief returns to the role in 1986 and 1987. Scarboro committed suicide in April 1988. The role was recast in 1990, with Todd Carty taking the role. From this point the character was a permanent fixture in the series and Carty remained in the role until the character was written out of the series in early 2003.[17] started out as a delinquent teenager, but returned to Walford a changed man when he was 22. Contracting HIV forced him to grow up fast and accept his responsibilities. He frequently found it difficult to accept the restrictions of the illness, which finally claimed his life in April 2004.
Roly was an apricot coloured Standard Poodle, who appeared in the first episode of the programme and remained in the show until 1993. Roly was cast less than a week before the filming of EastEnders began. From the beginning it was decided that the occupants of The Queen Victoria pub, Den, Angie and Sharon Watts, were to have an Alsatian named Prince.[18] However, finding an Alsatian that was light enough in colour not to merge into the background of the set proved to be difficult. Eventually, the co-creator/producer of the show, Julia Smith, was contacted by a company named Janimals, who specialised in providing and training animals for television and films. They had found a seven month-old Poodle, called Roly, who might still be young enough to be trained. Training was said to take three weeks, and as the Poodle was a similar size to an Alsatian, Roly got the part. Roly was made the property of the BBC, given an ID card, and taken to live with Julia Smith at her home in London. Roly and Willy the pug shared a dressing room at Elstree studios.[2]
| Tracey | |
|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |
| Portrayed by | Jane Slaughter |
| Created by | Tony Holland |
| Introduced by | Julia Smith |
| Duration | 1985— |
| First appearance | 19 February 1985 |
| Classification | Present; extra |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Market trader (flowers) (1985–89) Barmaid (since 1989) Cleaner (2008) Caterer (since 2010) |
Tracey[19][20] (known to fans as Tracey the barmaid[21]) is a recurring character played by Jane Slaughter. She has appeared since the first episode on 19 February 1985, where she is seen working on the flower stall on Bridge Street Market.[22]
Tracey starts working as a barmaid at The Queen Victoria public house, in 1989. Her existence is largely to provide somebody to man the bar while one of the main characters resolves disputes, arguments or disagreements, or tends to the main plot of the episode. Despite featuring on the television programme frequently, and occasionally having a line to say, her surname and most of her details are unknown. She has also featured in a few minor storylines. As well as being a barmaid, Tracey owns a flower stall on Bridge Street market. Her stall is regularly robbed by new characters who steal flowers for people they are meeting. She employs workers whilst she does shifts in the pub, including Ina Foot (Ina Clare) and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright). Tracey becomes good friends with Debbie Bates (Nicola Duffett), and is godmother to her daughter Clare Bates (Gemma Bissix). Tracey is often seen to be pleased at the prospect of additional overtime in The Queen Victoria when a Mitchell family wedding or other event is planned as she could always do with extra money.
On 14 April 2003 Tracey has a one-night stand with Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), the adoptive half-brother of former pub owner Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), when he arrives in Albert Square, despite the fact that she is married. The day after, he returns her knickers to her publicly over the bar. In 2005, Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) breaks into the pub with a crowbar and Tracey discovers her, asking her to leave. Sam knocks Tracey out with the crowbar and drags her, unconscious, into the bathroom, locking her in. She goes downstairs to unearth the body of Den Watts (Leslie Grantham) who is buried in the basement, and when the police arrive, Tracey is comforted by Little Mo Mitchell (Kacey Ainsworth). After Sam is released from prison on bail she apologises to Tracey, but Tracey appears shaken by the ordeal and scared of Sam.
On 7 August 2008, Tracey opens up when Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) questions why she is so quiet. She says she wants to keep herself to herself because she thinks that the Mitchells are all "stark raving mad" and that she does not fear any new barmaids as she had seen them come and go but she knows that she will always be behind the bar. She goes on to say that whoever lives in the pub is "cursed" in her opinion and that they will never be able to live happily together.
In March 2009, Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) makes Tracey a cleaner at The Queen Victoria, and she is pleased for the extra money. She attends Peggy Mitchell's (Barbara Windsor) hen party and Peggy and Archie's wedding on 2 April. On 16 April 2009, Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) accuses Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) of drinking again. However, Phil covers this up by saying that he had broken a bottle of alcohol earlier, and Tracey backs him up. On 28 April 2009, Tracey answers the phone to Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi) questioning Phil's whereabouts from the night before. Tracey tells Phil about having to talk to the bank about some money issues. Following that, Phil pressures Tracey into talking about her feelings, supposedly for him, mentioning her husband in the process. Finally, she appears again towards the end of the episode wanting to help Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones) get to school as Phil is too drunk to assist him. Phil, flirting with Tracey, tells her that her husband will not mind.
On 30 April 2009, she finds Heather Trott's (Cheryl Fergison) lost inhaler. On 30 July, she phones in with a back injury, and Peggy says it was unlike her to skive so it must be serious. Dot Branning (June Brown) describes Tracey as the person who "sees everything but says very little." On 8 September 2009, Peggy tells Sam (now Daniella Westbrook) that Tracey still holds a grudge against her. On 26 November Tracey covers for both Peggy and Phil when bailiffs asks for them, by pretending she is just a barmaid from an agency and does not know them. She then informs Ben he needs to tell Phil that the bailiffs are looking for him and want to repossess his car. On 24 December, Archie Mitchell and Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) take over the pub, ousting Peggy and her family. Tracey is unhappy with the way Archie and Janine treated Peggy and the rest of the Mitchell family, and the straw that broke the camel's back comes the next day when Janine tells Tracey to put some tinsel in her hair and asks her to keep an eye on the Christmas dinner. Tracey leaves a note saying "Gone fishing", implying that she resigned. The next day, Tracey is present when Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack) is arrested on suspicion of Archie's murder, and looks shocked. She also attends Jean's party on 11 January 2010. When Mo Harris (Laila Morse) opens a betting circle on the identity of Archie's killer, she lists Tracey as the rank outsider, giving her the nickname "Silent Assassin".
On 18 January 2010, Tracey appears behind the bar in a non-speaking capacity for The Queen Victoria's reopening. On 22 January, the pub's new owner, Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), gives Tracey a warning for arriving two hours late, but Peggy explains that she asked her to come in late as she has done a lot of unpaid overtime recently. Later, Roxy sacks Tracey because she wants the pub to have younger bar staff. Peggy demands that Roxy beg Tracey to come back for the evening shift as workers like Tracey are 'gold dust'. Peggy tells Tracey on the phone that she is not sacked but Tracey hangs up. Tracey decides to take Roxy to an unfair dismissal tribunal, so Roxy says she will audition a new barmaid, giving Tracey a chance but making sure she loses. However, when Roxy realises she does not know how to run a pub, she gives Tracey her job back. Tracey suggests a curry night, and Roxy is happy to leave Tracey in charge of it, saying it is the most she has ever heard her speak. On that same day, viewers find out that Tracey and Shirley Carter are good friends. In March 2010, Billie Jackson (Devon Anderson) holds up The Queen Victoria, asking Tracey for cash and saying he has a gun. She fills his bag with cash but Phil takes it off her. In September 2010, following the fire at The Queen Victoria, Tracey starts working at Ian Beale's (Adam Woodyatt) fish and chip shop. The next month, Alfie Moon (Shane Ritchie) offers Tracey her old job back at The Queen Victoria, along with Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner), after he reopens the pub.
On Friday 14 January 2011, during a conversation with Kat, it is revealed that Tracey has a son who lives with his father, as she and her husband have split up.
Being one of the only two remaining original cast members in the show, Slaughter said that when she joined the show "she recognised that EastEnders could run and be something very exciting" and that she 'never dreamed [that it would last] 25 years' but she 'certainly knew it was special.'[23] When asked to pick her favourite storyline she said,"In terms of actually watching and seeing scenes, I've been lucky being in The Vic. I've seen so many good ones - with the Mitchells, with Phil, with Peggy - I've been very, very lucky to see so many, that it's nigh on impossible to single any out. They've all involved different people - I could go on and on and on!"[24] She's always there whereas other cast members such as Adam [Woodyatt] - who's been there as long as I have - wouldn't necessarily have a storyline that puts him in The Vic at all."[22] She also added,"For me as a character, it has to be Tracey speaking to Sean Slater. It was hysterical. For someone who never says anything, she suddenly had an opinion about everything, which I just loved. It was written by Christopher Reason and done so well. To get someone who only occasionally says things like 'out the back' and make what she says make sense - he did a fantastic job. That was very memorable because everyone was so supportive.[23]
A 2010 video on the official website of EastEnders spin-off EastEnders: E20 features the character Fatboy (Ricky Norwood) giving his "Survival Tips in Walford!", one of which is to not talk to Tracey, as "she goes on, and on, and on, and on." In 2010, Slaughter said that it would not make sense to make Tracey into "this talkative, all-singing, all-dancing person with a fully-fledged family and surname."[22] Slaughter described her character as 'lovely', 'clever', 'loyal but strong' and 'opinionated'.[22] Jane Simon's from the Mirror described her as 'silent'.[25]
In May 2009, Digital Spy asked producer Diederick Santer what's in store for Tracey, he said,"You just have to watch out for any script that Christopher Reason writes. Chris is obsessed with Tracey and with Jane Slaughter, who plays her. He gives her loads to do, which is fantastic. When we give her more to do, she absolutely delivers. We think she's fab."[26] When it was announced that Bryan Kirkwood was taking over from Santer, Slaughter was asked what she hoped Kirkwood would do to Tracey saying,"I would just be happy if he knows the character and likes the character and thinks he could use her. I think there is potential to use her but like I said, not in a ridiculously nonsensical way, but I think it's also down to the public. It sounds like I'm deferring my opinion but I'm not, I think the public actually would like to know. "
Tracey was one of the 'outsiders' in the Who Killed Archie storyline with many viewers thinking it could be her. In a poll with Digital Spy 7.9% thought Tracey killed Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb)[27] and in a second poll, 7.1% thought it was her.[28] When asked if she thought Tracey could kill she said,"I wouldn't think she's that dark but who knows - she could be. I've heard there are odds at the bookies to be had for her but why? Why would she have killed him? Because he's threatening The Vic? Is it The Vic she protects or the family?".[23] It was later revealed that bookmakers, William Hill had slashed the odds on Tracey being the killer, with 7/1 thinking she killed Archie.[29] The killer was later revealed to be Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).
Dek Hogan from Digital Spy hailed Tracey when she said a line and said it was 'such a rare event that it’s always worthy of a celebration. Fair play, she did mumble it a bit and it was so unmemorable that I’ve forgotten what it was she actually said but it was a line nonetheless.' He also said that she, Winston (Ulric Browne) and other background characters should have a daytime soap, saying it would be a ratings winner.[30] Kris Green also from Digital Spy said he wants to ask scriptwriters to give more lines to Tracey,[31] as well as calling Tracey's scenes with Sean Slater (Rob Kazinsky) 'iconic'.[32]
Speaking of the reaction viewers have to the character of Tracey, she said, My son was telling me the other day there's a [Facebook group] that says 'Let Tracey Speak' with 47,000 members. It just blows my head. I said, 'Oh, Ollie - I think you mean 4,700' and he went, 'No mum, forty seven thousand!' It makes me go a bit 'Woah!'".[22] It has become a point of amusement amongst EastEnders fans that so little is known about the character and speculation is ongoing as to whether she will take a lead role in any future storylines. Weekly magazine Inside Soap ran a regular feature commenting on Tracey's brief appearances, dubbed 'Tracey Watch'. They refer to her as "our fave barmaid", making observations such as: "The drinks are on Trace this week - she had an actual line! Ker-ching! Screen time: A brief, but intensely powerful, two seconds." Jane Simon from The Mirror said that whenever Tracey speaks, 'it's worth listening to'.[25]
George "Lofty" Holloway was played by Tom Watt. Lofty is one of the serial's original characters, making his first appearance in the third episode, 26 February 1985. Lofty is generally depicted as a meek, luckless and hapless victim. A long running storyline concerns his relationship with the character Michelle Fowler. Their unhappy marriage finally disintegrates after Michelle has an abortion, and Lofty leaves Walford for a new start. The character's final appearance is in the episode first aired on 19 April 1988. Lofty was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Both felt that to help complete the community there was a need for a character in his early twenties. He had to be someone a bit different. Not brash and confident like a lot of the older men, and not boisterous like the younger ones. A loner, maybe someone forced to be a loner. A person who "stuck out like a sore thumb". Someone that was happiest in a group but still couldn't find one that he fit in with. Tony Holland had previously been in the army and found that ex-soldiers had these problems when they tried to reintegrate as civilians. So they decided that Lofty would be an ex-soldier, forced to quit because of his asthma. He was happiest in the army and felt incomplete without the group setting, the all-male camaraderie and even the security of the uniformity that the army provides.[2]
| Terry Rich | |
|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |
| Portrayed by | Gary Whelan |
| Duration | 1985, 1987 |
| First appearance | 26 February 1985 |
| Last appearance | 14 May 1987 |
| Classification | Former; recurring |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Detective |
Detective Sergeant Terry Rich, played by Gary Whelan, first appeared on 26 February 1985. He was investigating the death of Reg Cox, who had died the previous week and his death was now believed to be a murder. DS Rich of the Walford CID arrived in Albert Square to conduct an inquiry.
The following week, a badge that Lofty Holloway (Tom Watt) was wearing on his jumper caught the eye of Dr Legg (Leonard Fenton), who recognised it as one that he'd seen in Reg's collection of Nazi badges from the war. A few hours later, Rich arrived at The Queen Victoria where Lofty was tending bar and questioned him about how he got the badge. Lofty reluctantly admitted that he'd bought it from Mark Fowler (David Scarboro) for five pounds. When questioned by Detective Sergeant Rich, Mark insisted that he'd found the badge on the street. However, on 28 March, Rich learned that Mark had obtained the badge from Nick Cotton and 'turned over' Nick's place to find the remains of Reg's collection along with other incriminating evidence. Nick Cotton then fled Walford, but was arrested the following month for the murder of Reg Cox, although he was never charged.
Terry returned in 1987 to investigate the case of the 'Walford attacker', who was guilty of assaulting several different female inhabitants of Albert Square. In April of that year, the attacker picked the wrong victim, Debbie Wilkins Shirley Cheriton), who managed to ward him off using self-defence, which led to his arrest. Terry was impressed with the way Debbie conducted herself so he asked her if she would help him out on some police business. Terry asked Debbie to go to a French [estaurant with him on an undercover operation to expose French restaurants using English waiters and he needed her to be his cover. Debbie agreed, but whilst on their mock date they bonded and when they returned to The Vic they made a dinner date for the next night to a Chinese restaurant and they were soon inseparable. Debbie's flat-mate Naima Jeffery (Shreela Ghosh) seemed to dislike Terry immensely, but this didn't perturb Debbie and when Terry asked her to marry him, she gleefully accepted. The following month Terry was transferred to another division, so Debbie decided to leave Walford with him. He left with her on 14 May 1987.
Tony Carpenter was played by Oscar James. Happy go lucky Tony tried to carve himself a successful business and steady home for his family, but nothing he did was ever good enough for his nagging wife. Tony was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Tony was originally intended to be named Alan, and his son Kelvin Carpenter was originally named Kevin. They were the first black characters to appear in the soap. Black and Asian characters were two ethnic minorities that had previously been under-represented in British soap before EastEnders aired. Holland and Smith knew that for the soap to succeed there needed to be a varied group of characters, so that several different sections of the audience had someone to identify with. Additionally, if the programme was to be realistic, it had to reflect the cross-section of society that actually existed in the real location. For these reasons, different sexes, ages, classes, religions and races were all included in the original character line-up. Both Holland and Smith had been at the forefront of the move towards 'integrated casting' in television and had encountered an array of ethnic diversities in the process. Even though the ethnic minority groups were deemed the hardest to research, Holland and Smith called upon their contacts to relay information about their origins and lifestyles and were then able to portray Walford's most recent immigrants more realistically.[2]
Theresa "Mary" Smith was played by Linda Davidson. Punk Mary was Walford's original wild child. She often made life difficult for herself due to her stubborn, defensive nature and she tended to feel that everyone around her was out to get her. In fact, Mary was her own worst enemy and most of her misfortune was down to her irresponsible behaviour and her inability to heed good advice. Mary Smith was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Mary's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story. As Holland and Smith wanted a diverse cross-section from the East End community, it was decided that one of the main cast had to be a young, single mother, and as punk music was prominent in British culture at the time, they decided to use a punk image for the character.[2] Holland and Smith decided to cast an unknown actress in the role. They chose Linda Davidson, who was the right age and had been brought up in northern England and therefore had an accent that would befit the character's background.[2]
| Annie Smith | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Zara Posener (1985–86) Samantha Crown (1986–88) |
||||||||||||
| Created by | Tony Holland and Julia Smith | ||||||||||||
| Duration | 1985–88 | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 5 March 1985 | ||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 26 May 1988 | ||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; recurring | ||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | December 1984 | ||||||||||||
|
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Annie Smith is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Zara Posener from 1985 to 1986, and by Samantha Crown from 1986 to 1988.
Annie was the young daughter of punk Mary Smith. Her father was a member of a punk group of which Mary was a groupie, and had no contact with her. Annie was three months old when she arrived, along with Mary, on 5 March 1985 and initially resided with her mother at 23b Albert Square. Mary was an incredibly irresponsible mother and Annie was always getting lumbered on her neighbours when Mary grew tired of looking after her. Dot Cotton and Sue Osman were the usual victims, but almost everyone on the Square had a turn at looking after Annie at one stage. Sue Osman, in particular, grew extremely fond of Annie following the death of her son Hassan. After bottling up her grief for months, she was forced to hold little Annie, which allowed her, finally, to acknowledge her pent-up sadness. Annie was once left alone in the launderette accidentally, while Mary went drinking in The Queen Vic. Debbie Wilkins discovered her, returned her to her mother and had a few choice words for Mary. Mary also had a tendency to leave Annie home alone whilst she went out to prostitute herself at night. On one such occasion, Annie threw her blanket at the electric fan heater, causing a fire. Luckily, Arthur Fowler managed to break in and rescue her, but as a result, Annie was taken away from Mary and was put in the custody of her grandparents, Chris and Edie Smith, who lived in Stockport. With the help of Rod Norman and Carmel Jackson, Mary was eventually reunited with Annie, although it took a lot of persuading to get her back from Edie, who felt that Mary was not capable of caring for a young child. Annie spent Christmas Day 1987 in hospital after her intoxicated grandfather, Chris, abducted her, tried to drive her home to Stockport and then crashed into a wall. Luckily, Annie was unharmed. Eventually, Mary decided to leave Albert Square with Annie. They both departed in May 1988 and have not been seen since.
Kelvin Carpenter was played by Paul J. Medford. Kelvin was a bright spark and full of initiative. He opened several businesses in Albert Square and even formed a band. He was a bit of a heartbreaker in EastEnders early years, but he ended up having his heart broken in return, when his middle-aged girlfriend jilted him. Always a bit too intelligent for Walford, Kelvin eventually left for university and has since married a model wife and has become a song writer.Kelvin Carpenter was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Kelvin was originally intended to be named Kevin, and his father Tony Carpenter was originally named Alan. They were the first black characters to appear in the soap.
Andrew "Andy" O'Brien was played by the late Ross Davidson. One of the original characters created for the series, Andy made his appearance one month after the show first broadcast in March 1985. Portrayed as altruistic and middle-classed, Andy and his partner Debbie were an attempt to represent gentrification of the East End. Despite Davidson claiming that there had been plans for his character, Andy became the first regular character in EastEnders to be killed-off. Davidson claims this was due to an altercation between himself and Executive Producer and show creator, Julia Smith. His death scene aired in August 1986.
Deborah "Debbie" Wilkins was played by Shirley Cheriton. Of working class background, Debbie was Walford's first upwardly mobile character. She had an on/off relationship with her ill-fated boyfriend Andy and she tended to be a bit too pretentious for the working class locals of Albert Square. Debbie Wilkins was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. The character of Debbie along with her boyfriend Andy O'Brien were an attempt by Holland and Smith to represent the influx of upwardly mobile people that were opting to move to the usually working-class areas of the East End of London. Gentrification of the East End was on the increase in the 1980s, and in Holland's experience, the new, wealthier residents were never welcomed or truly accepted within the community, and this was what he hoped to convey on-screen with these two characters.[2]
| Chris Smith | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Allan O'Keefe | ||||||||||
| Duration | 1985–88 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 7 May 1985 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 2 August 1988 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||
| Occupation | Lorry driver | ||||||||||
|
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Chris Smith, played by Allan O'Keefe, was a haulage driver from Stockport. He was first seen in Walford in May 1985 when he came to visit his wayward daughter, Mary Smith. Mary (or Theresa as she was known to Chris) had left Stockport to escape her family, so she wasn't pleased when Chris arrived and tried to persuade her to return with him so he could help bring up her young daughter. After several ill-fated attempts, Mary sent him packing.
In 1987, Mary began prostituting herself. She would leave her young baby, Annie, at home alone while she worked. On one occasion, Annie threw a blanket out of her cot straight on to an electric fan heater, causing a fire. Annie was rescued before she was harmed, but Mary's neighbour, Dot Cotton, phoned Chris, who returned to Walford and took Annie to live with him and his wife, Edie, in Stockport.
Mary's boyfriend, Rod Norman, tried to straighten Mary out so she could get her daughter back. Even though Mary seemed to have sorted herself out, Edie had grown so attached to Annie that she was unwilling to relinquish care. By December that year, Chris finally decided that Annie should be reunited with Mary. This was unpopular with Edie, and she told Chris that he could only come home when he brought Annie back. On Christmas Eve 1987, after desperately trying to convince Mary to return to Stockport, a very drunk Chris abducted Annie and tried to drive her home, only to crash into a wall at the local bed and breakfast on Bridge Street.
Mary was forced to spend Christmas Day in hospital so they could monitor Annie. Chris desperately tried to make amends with Mary for his mistake, but Mary was initially unable to forgive him until Annie was given the all clear later that day, so a jubilant Mary accepted her father's apology.
In early 1988, Chris made plans to open up a haulage company at a disused tyre shop in Albert Square, but found out that his driving licence was to be suspended for 18 months following his drink driving accident. Nevertheless, he contacted his friend Harry Jameson to go into partnership and even managed to persuade Ali Osman to front up some capital. Just when it seemed things were going his way, Ali pulled out of the deal, and Chris turned to alcohol, regularly drinking himself into a stupor to drown his sorrows. A concerned Mary then decided to contact her mother, who returned to Walford to straighten her husband out.
By May 1988, Chris finally succeeded in getting the haulage company open by borrowing money from Walford Investments — the money lending organisation of The Firm — but the antics of his daughter, who started to use drugs again and neglect Annie, were causing him more grief. In a bid to help Mary out, he offered her a job at the haulage company, but Mary had grown annoyed with her parents' interference, and after sabotaging her father's office with red paint, she took Annie and left Walford.
Chris remained in Walford to run his business. Rod Norman worked for the company as a bookkeeper and Charlie Cotton took a job as lorry driver, although he was extremely unreliable. However, Chris was still short of drivers, so he made the foolish decision to do the haulage deliveries himself, despite having a suspended licence. Darren Roberts (who had had several run-ins with Chris regarding the theft of his JCB earlier that year) informed the police that he was driving illegally and Chris was fined £1000. This severely crippled his business and he was unable to repay his loan. Gregory Mantel, a member of The Firm, then arrived on the Square in search of Chris. Mantel forced Chris to sign over his business to The Firm, after which Chris had no choice but to return to Stockport. His last appearance was in August 1988. The premises of the haulage company were eventually bought by Frank Butcher, who converted it into the car lot.
Mehmet Osman was played by Haluk Bilginer. Mehmet was portrayed as a charmer, rogue and a serial womaniser, played as a recurring character until 1989. Mehmet Osman was conceptualised by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Mehmet, the brother of original character Ali Osman, was part of a well-intentioned attempt to represent the proportion of Turkish Cypriots who had immigrated to England and settled in the East End of London. Holland and Smith knew that for the soap to succeed there needed to be a varied group of characters, so that several different sections of the audience had someone to identify with. Additionally, if the programme was to be realistic, it had to reflect the cross-section of society that actually existed in the real location. For these reasons, different sexes, ages, classes, religions and races were all included in the original character line-up. Both Holland and Smith had been at the forefront of the move towards 'integrated casting' in television and had encountered an array of ethnic diversities in the process. Even though the ethnic minority groups were deemed the hardest to research, Holland and Smith called upon their social contacts to relay information about their own origins and lifestyles, which they say allowed them to portray Walford's most recent immigrants more realistically.[2]
| Big Ron | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Ron Tarr | ||||
| Duration | 1985–97 | ||||
| First appearance | 18 June 1985 | ||||
| Last appearance | October 1997 | ||||
| Classification | Former; extra | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Occupation | Market trader | ||||
|
|||||
Big Ron was played by Ron Tarr. He was an overweight man that worked in Walford market and appeared as a background character from 1985 to 1997. Ron was involved in a few storylines, including one where he had a heart attack after he was pushed by a mugger in the market.
The actor Ron Tarr died of cancer in October 1997 and was appearing in pre-recorded episodes several weeks after his death. To explain the character's absence, he was given an off-screen storyline in early 1998 where he won £500,000 on the National Lottery and emigrated to Spain. In a report about Tarr's death in the Daily Mirror, journalist Chris Hughes stated the character had "a cult following".[33] Ron was supposed to feature in a special episode of the popular science fiction series, Doctor Who, which was entitled Dimensions in Time (1993). The episode was specially screened as part of BBC's annual fund-raising event, Children in Need. Viewers were asked to phone in and vote which EastEnders character, Mandy Salter or Ron, would appear in the show and save the Doctor from certain death. Two versions were filmed for each voting outcome, but the Mandy version won with 56% of the vote.[34] Ron's first line in the series was, "All right, Den?", said to Den Watts (Leslie Grantham), five months after Ron first appeared.[33]
| Hannah Carpenter | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Sally Sagoe | ||||||||
| Duration | 1985–87 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 25 June 1985 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 19 February 1987 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
|
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Hannah Carpenter, played by Sally Sagoe, was a religious woman who was active in the Pentecostal Church but lost all tolerance for her fun-loving husband, Tony Carpenter. After they agreed to divorce, their son, Kelvin, moved to the Square to live with his father in February 1985, while their daughter, Cassie, stayed with her mother. Hannah's first appearance in Walford was in June 1985 and throughout the year she would show up occasionally to converse with Tony about issues concerning their children. Hannah constantly looked down on Tony's lifestyle and career, so their meetings were never pleasant.
When Hannah met the smooth talking corporate lawyer, Neville Agard, she invited him to move into her house. Eventually, Neville bought the house and they announced their intention to wed. However, when she discovered that Neville had a violent temper and had beaten her daughter with a riding whip, she confronted him and after a row resulted in violence she left him and turned up on Tony's doorstep at number 3 Albert Square in April 1986. Tony was furious and went to confront Neville, returning later covered in blood. Hannah was adamant that she would not return to Neville, so she and Cassie came to live with Tony and they decided to try and give their marriage another go.
Their reconciliation was not a happy one and it wasn't long before Hannah had returned to her nagging ways. She was unhappy to be living in a house that was in the throes of renovation and she constantly harangued Tony to do better and try harder. She also managed to upset her children by trying to put a stop to her son's relationship with Carmel Roberts and forcing Cassie to go to boarding school.
In 1987 Hannah began to become disillusioned with Walford after getting accosted by both Rezaul Gabir and Mehmet Osman. She was also stalked one night by a man known as the Walford attacker, who was guilty of assaulting several female inhabitants of the Square. Hannah was shaken but unharmed. She later relayed to Tony that she feared that Mehmet was the culprit, because he had made a pass at her previously. Tony was furious, and he along with Den Watts and Pete Beale went to track Mehmet down and teach him a lesson. After Hannah discovered that her husband was guilty of attacking Mehmet, she took the moral high-ground and denounced his barbaric actions (Despite previously being happy for Tony to resort to violence against Neville). Hannah then decided that their marriage was over and so she left Walford in February that year to go and live with her sister in another part of London. She was not seen again.
Dorothy "Dot" Branning (née Colwell; previously Cotton) is played by June Brown since 1985. In a special episode entitled EastEnders: Dot's Story (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in flashbacks. Dot first appeared in EastEnders in July 1985 as the mother of criminal Nick Cotton. The character has worked as a launderette assistant for most of that time along with original character Pauline Fowler. Dot moved away with her son and his family in 1993. In reality June Brown left the show in 1993, unhappy with the direction of Dot's characterisation. Brown returned to the role in 1997, and Dot was shown moving back to Albert Square, and has continued since that time.
| Ernie Mears | |
|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |
| Portrayed by | Ken Wynne |
| Duration | 1985 |
| First appearance | 16 July 1985 |
| Last appearance | 15 August 1985 |
| Classification | Former; guest |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Boxing coach |
Ernie Mears wooed Ethel Skinner during the Second World War but after she married his good friend William Skinner, he disappeared from their lives. Many years later, Ernie confessed to Ethel that he fled because he feared that he would either go insane being around an unobtainable Ethel, or that they would do something to hurt William if their association had continued.
When Ian Beale became interested in learning to box in July 1985, Ethel joined him on his first trip to the gym, as boxing was her favourite sport. Ian's boxing coach, a retired light heavyweight champion, turned out to be Ernie, who at first thought Ethel was Ian's mum.
Upon learning that it was Ethel and that she was now widowed, Ernie asked her on a date and a few weeks later asked her to marry him. However, the offer was conditional. Ernie was allergic to dogs and Willy the pug, Ethel's constant companion for the past 9 years, would have to go. Ethel seriously considered Ernie's offer but gently declined. After which Ernie departed broken hearted again. His last appearance was on the 15 August 1985.
| Roy Quick | |
|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |
| Portrayed by | Douglas Fielding |
| Duration | 1985–86 |
| First appearance | 20 August 1985 |
| Last appearance | 10 July 1986 |
| Classification | Former; recurring |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Detective Sergeant |
Detective Sergeant Roy Quick was played by Douglas Fielding. Roy first arrived in Albert Square on 20 August 1985 in order to put his old adversary, Nick Cotton, away. He failed at that but found the woman he wanted to marry, Debbie Wilkins, who was seeing Andy O'Brien in an open relationship. Roy tried to woo Debbie, sending her bouquets of flowers and demonstrating his jujutsu techniques in order to impress her. Andy became jealous of their friendship and tried to make them as uncomfortable as possible.
After a few months of platonic dating, Roy eventually asked Debbie to marry him. A surprised Debbie turned the proposal down, but Roy continues to pester her until Debbie told him that she couldn't marry him as she had only been using him to make Andy jealous. Debbie's rejection added to Roy's dissatisfaction with the course his life had taken. He felt he was in a dead-end career with the police force and so he decided to leave the force to work for a security firm. His parting remarks to the citizenry in The Queen Vic public house were "You lot deserve each other!" His last appearance was in July 1986.
Martin Albert Fowler, was played by James Alexandrou from 1996 to 2007. The role was previously played by Jon Peyton Price from early life as a baby in 1985 to 1996, just before Martin's teenage years began. Martin is the younger son of Pauline and Arthur Fowler, born in July 1985. His considerably older siblings are Mark and Michelle. Martin is the first baby to be born in the serial. His grandmother Lou is extremely fond of him, and insists that he is named after her late husband Albert. Pauline and Arthur are against this, and for several months the baby remains unnamed, although Lou continues to refer to him as Albert. The baby's name is finally revealed as Martin Albert Fowler at his christening in October 1985, which satisfies Lou. His godparents are Angie Watts, Kathy Beale and Simon Wicks. Martin grows up facing numerous family upsets, including his father's mental breakdown and imprisonment and his parents' temporary separation in 1993, which Martin takes badly. As Martin ages he becomes surly and increasingly troublesome.
Simon "Wicksy" Wicks (né Beale) was played by Nick Berry between 1985 and 1990. Wicksy was introduced to take on some of the more adult storylines that had been scripted for another character, Mark Fowler; Mark's actor David Scarboro had left the serial prematurely due to personal problems. Wicksy was the soap's first male, pin-up and proved extremely popular with female fans. An early storyline saw Wicksy perform a song in the serial, "Every Loser Wins", which was subsequently released as a single in 1986 and reached number one in the UK singles chart. One of Wicksy's most prominent storylines was his adultery with Cindy Beale, and a subsequent feud with Cindy's husband Ian Beale. Nick Berry quit the role in 1990, fearful of typecasting, and after five years on-screen, Wicksy departed in December that year.
| Sheena Menell | |
|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |
| Portrayed by | Dulice Liecier |
| Duration | 1985 |
| First appearance | 15 October 1985 |
| Last appearance | 26 November 1985 |
| Classification | Former; guest |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Stripper |
Sheena Menell first appeared on 15 October 1985 when her taxicab broke down in Bridge Street and she wandered into the café and asked Sue Osman where she might find another one. Sue told her that her husband, Ali, might be able to take her where she needed to go and so Mary Smith, who was in the café at the time, offered to show her the way to Number 23 Albert Square in search of Ali.
When Ali couldn't be found, Mary invited Sheena to wait in her flat above and they quickly became friends. Sheena had once been in a similar situation to Mary when she found herself pregnant and alone, although she opted to abort the baby, which she had always regretted. Mary was impressed that Sheena earned £150 per week as a stripper. Weary of trying to live on the DSS payments she received, Mary eagerly accepted Sheena's offer to help her find work as a stripper. Sheena also gave Mary dancing lessons.
Whilst out working, Mary left her daughter, Annie, in Sheena's care, but she was caught by Sue 'entertaining' a man in Mary's room with Annie in close proximity. Sheena then left Annie alone while she went for a drink in The Queen Vic with her guest. When Mary found out about Sheena's behaviour she called her a "sluttish bitch" and told her that Annie could end up in care because of her irresponsible actions. This was the last time Sheena was seen.
| Guizin Osman | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Ishia Bennison | ||||||||
| Duration | 1985–89 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 22 October 1985 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 21 March 1989 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Occupation | Café owner | ||||||||
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Guizin Osman, played by Ishia Bennison, was the long suffering wife of the philandering Turkish Cypriot, Mehmet Osman. She first arrived in Albert Square in October 1985 when she came to inform her sister-in-law, Sue, that her husband, Ali, had gambled away the mortgage money for the home they were planning to buy.
Guizin and her three children, Emine, Rayif and Murat, later moved in with her brother-in-law and his family in 1987, after her husband gambled away their home and deserted them. She worked for Ali and Sue in the café for a few months until her husband returned and she became a partner in the business. As part owner of the café, she hired Ian Beale, who later became the sole owner.
Guizin and Mehmet's marriage was highly turbulent and they were always involved in intense arguments, mainly concerning money and gambling. Guizin was well aware of Mehmet's flaws and adultery, but unlike Sue, she was willing to turn a blind eye to most of her husband's dealings in order to keep the marriage together, and because, in her community, that's what a wife was expected to do.
Guizin may have put up with a lot from Mehmet, but she was certainly no pushover, and she was more than willing to defend herself and her family if anyone should cross her. She had numerous rows with Sue over the years and she nearly came to blows with the devious Donna Ludlow after she informed her that Mehmet had been trying to seduce her on New Years Eve 1987. Yet more animosity arose when she discovered that Mehmet had been sleeping with prostitute Mary Smith, but although Guizin got extremely angry, she always ended up forgiving Mehmet for the sake of the family.
However, there was one affair that Guizin was not willing to forgive Mehmet for, and it happened to be the only one that he didn't actually commit. After Sue discovered that her husband had slept with Donna Ludlow, she kissed Mehmet in front of Ali for revenge, which caused a huge fight between the brothers. Ali told Guizin about Sue and Mehmet's suspected affair, after which Guizin became furious. She viciously attacked Mehmet in the middle of the Square and then immediately left for Northern Cyprus, taking her three children with her. Her last appearance was in March 1989. Mehmet left England soon after to attempt to patch up their relationship.
Bennison has "mixed memories" about her role in EastEnders, commenting in 2003: "it was the start of the soap and the fame was very instant for everybody. You're in everybody's front room and everyone feels they own a bit of you. I'll never forget having to sign people's sickbags on the hovercraft to France. My daughter wouldn't walk down the street with me at the time. She would stay 10 paces behind. I still get recognised from EastEnders. I can't believe it."[35]
| Cassie Carpenter | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Delanie Forbes | ||||||||
| Duration | 1985–86 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 14 November 1985 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 25 December 1986 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Occupation | Student | ||||||||
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Cassie Carpenter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Delanie Forbes from 1985-1986. In an early episode, before Cassie appeared, Kelvin referred to his sister as being seven years old, but when the character was actually seen later in the year, it was decided to increase her age to eleven, so a young actress who would be capable of handling the part could be cast.[15]
Cassie was the daughter of Hannah and Tony Carpenter and the little sister of Kelvin Carpenter. Cassie's parents were separated and she initially resided with her mother and her mother's new boyfriend, a corporate lawyer named Neville Agard. Cassie first appeared in November 1985 when she came to visit her father in Albert Square. Cassie loved her father and found her parents' separation difficult, particularly as she didn't get on with her mother's boyfriend.
In April 1986 Hannah and Cassie arrived on Tony's doorstep with the disturbing news that Neville had been beating Cassie with a riding whip. Both Hannah and Cassie then came to live in Walford with Tony and Kelvin, and Cassie was delighted when her parents decided to give their marriage another go.
Cassie was a mischievous youngster who, like her brother, was bright. In May 1986 she got into trouble with her school for bullying another girl, and was in even more trouble from her parents for trying to hide it from them. Tony later caught her smoking cannabis with Mark Fowler. He was furious and the Carpenters refused to speak to any of the Fowlers because of it. After a subsequent meeting with Cassie's headmaster, Hannah decided that the only solution was to send Cassie away to boarding school. Cassie was against the idea but nevertheless, she was sent away in September that year. A few weeks later the Carpenters heard news that Cassie had run away from school and was nowhere to be found. She was discovered the following day, stealing food from Michelle and Lofty Holloway's kitchen in Albert Square, and returned to the school.
Cassie appeared infrequently after this, although she did play a Herald Angel in the Walford Nativity play in December of that year. This was her last appearance, but after her parents attempt at a reconciliation failed, Hannah left Walford and Cassie allegedly went to live with her. Tony went to visit her occasionally, before leaving Walford too in 1987.
| Winston | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Ulric Browne | ||||
| Duration | 1985— | ||||
| First appearance | December 1985 | ||||
| Classification | Present; extra | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Occupation | Market trader (CDs) | ||||
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Winston is a recurring character who has been portrayed by Ulric Browne since 1985, with his first known on-screen appearance being in December of that year. However, he was not credited for his role until later on in the series. Winston owns the music stall in Walford's Bridge Street Market and over the years proves to be a great friend to his fellow long-standing stall-holder, Mark Fowler (Todd Carty). His highlights include shaving his tuft of hair off for charity and helping Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin) arrive at her birthday party on the night she died. He is angry when Ian Beale's (Adam Woodyatt) car crashes into his stall in October 2006.
Winston is always willing to help when other market traders are called away, for example, to appear in a key development of the current plot, i.e. Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) needs someone to guard the clothing stall while she and Max Branning (Jake Wood) slip into an unguarded bedroom to continue the next episode in their illicit affair.
Winston generally appears at events held by other Walford residents, such as weddings, funerals and parties or briefly in the background of a scene. He has attended the funerals of Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) and Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb), stag parties for Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves), Lucas Johnson (Don Gilet) and Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen), Jean Slater's (Gillian Wright) birthday party and Ricky and Bianca Jackson's (Patsy Palmer) wedding. Sometimes characters steal DVDs or CDs from his stall, including Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick). In April 2008, Winston's niece Keisha (Suzie McGrath) arrives in Walford, and leaves a month later with Gus Smith (Mohammed George). Winston wins a Children in Need raffle in The Queen Victoria in November 2008, and in July 2009, Stacey Slater offers him a flower but he refuses. He also appears with Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) getting drunk in Ian's chip shop in June 2009, drunk with another extra in August 2009, with Tracey (Jane Slaughter) in August 2009 talking about Max and Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner), and in November 2009 Ian invites him for drinks at The Queen Victoria but he refuses. On 15 June 2010 Winston had a rare speaking role as he was seen engaging in a minor conversation with Max. On 2 November 2010 he had another minor speaking role asking for 3 drinks at the newly reopened Queen Vic. In April 2011, during the screening of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in The Queen Victoria, Winston accidentally rips the cord from the television electrical plug, much to the dismay of the patrons.
| Character | Date(s) | Actor | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Hancock | 14 March | Isabelle Lucas | A health visitor, assigned to the single mother Mary Smith. She came to Walford to check up on Mary and her daughter Annie, but she found her in a panicked state. Mary had discovered that Reg Cox had been murdered in her flat a month earlier and she wanted Jean to find her a new place to live. Jean knew that this would not happen, so she asked Ali Osman and Dr. Legg to keep an eye on Mary instead.[36] |
| Alison Howard | 30 April 1985– 20 January 1987 |
Elaine Donnelly | A local police officer for Walford, who first appeared on 30 April 1985, to take down details from the Fowler family about Mark Fowler running away from home. She appeared in January 1986 when Angie Watts gave a statement about a car accident, and then later in May when Sharon Watts ran away from home.[37] |
| Gary "Spotty" | 9 May | Peter Laxton | Gary (nicknamed Spotty) pretended to be an Italian waiter named Carlo who Michelle Fowler was in love with. Gary showed up at Ian Beale's flat at Walford Towers, to watch a dance video that Ian had bought from a friend. Gary wasn't very convincing at playing Carlo. Sharon seemed to guess that he was a fake and found the whole situation extremely amusing. As the group sat down to watch their video, they were startled to discover that Ian's friend had mistakenly given him a pornographic movie.[38] |
| Ayse Osman | 20 June | Mine Keylan | The Turkish Cypriot sister of Ali Osman, who came to care for his wife Sue after their baby, Hassan, died from cot death. She only spoke Turkish. |
| Alan Grout | 29 August | Jon Glentoran | A man who worked for the housing department of Walford council. Pauline and Arthur Fowler had just had a new baby and the Fowler household, number 45 Albert Square, was becoming extremely cramped. They contacted the council and applied to be rehoused somewhere bigger, but they neglected to tell Pauline's mother, Lou, of their intention. Alan arrived to discuss the move, but received a hostile welcome from Lou. She was furious to discover that the council wanted to move them out of the house she had lived in for most of her life. She tore up the Fowlers' application form and ordered Alan out of her house. |
| Stuart | 17–26 September | Kieran Parkes | A young patient who nursed Andy O'Brien cared for. Andy grew very attached to the boy and brought him to Walford on several home visits. Andy's girlfriend, Debbie Wilkins, was initially against this, but Stuart soon charmed her by telling her that she had pretty hair. Stuart's health worsened and as the hospital had insufficient funds they could not afford the correct equipment to save him. Stuart died on 26 September 1985. Andy was extremely upset and scolded himself for getting emotionally attached to a patient. He broke down and cried in the café one afternoon, blaming Stuart's death on the government, who believed that the purchasing of weapons was more important than the health care needs of children. |
| Adam Steadman | 21 November | Unknown | Ian Beale's opponent in a boxing match. He represented West Walford Boys Club. Ian won the match by a KO in the first round and after Adam lost the fight he apparently attacked Ian again and was floored for a second time. Ian was upset when everyone credited his coach Simon Wicks for the win. He gave up boxing directly after.[39] |
| Ruth Lyons | 5 December 1985– 6 February 1986 |
Judy Liebert | A social worker, who offered Pauline Fowler advice on caring for her ailing mother, Lou Beale. She did so at the request of her good friend, Dr. Harold Legg. Upon seeing Ruth and Dr. Legg drinking together or playing darts in the Queen Vic a few times, some were led to imagine that a romantic link existed between them. When Pauline mentioned this to Dr. Legg, he found the idea amusing and explained that Ruth was already 'married' — to the woman she lived with. |
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