| Jules Tavernier | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Tommy Eytle | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Michael Ferguson | ||||||||||
| Duration | 1990–97 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 5 July 1990 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 23 December 1997 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||
| Occupation | Retired | ||||||||||
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Jules Tavernier is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tommy Eytle between 1990 and 1997. Jules was depicted as a flirtatious older gentleman. He was introduced in 1990 and remained in the show after the departures of all of his on-screen family. He was largely semi-regular during the latter part of his stint, and was not featured again after December 1997. Jules Tavernier appeared in more than eighty episodes over his seven year tenure.[1]
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Jules was originally from Trinidad, but before his arrival in England he had been living in Jamaica. He came to England on holiday in 1968 and he stayed on to help look after his son's newborn child, so that his daughter-in-law could do her teacher training and then work part-time. His wife had died young, he'd never settled in Jamaica and so when his other grandchildren came along, he had a full-time job helping the family and remained in England.
Jules arrived in Albert Square in July 1990 with the rest of the Tavernier family. He was an instant hit with the older ladies of Walford, and he regularly flirted with Walford stalwarts Ethel Skinner and Dot Cotton. Jules was also a gambling man, and could often be seen playing cards with John Royle when he was visiting from Ireland.
Jules was an easy-going, jovial person and his main purpose in his early years was to give support to his family and offer advice. Jules was so at home in Walford that he decided to stay behind when his son and daughter-in-law moved to Norwich in 1992; his grandchildren, Clyde and Hattie, remained with him. Jules was an independent person, despite his age, however this changed for a period in August 1992, after he became the victim of a mugging from a couple of girls (one of the muggers was played by the singer Emma Bunton). After taking his money one of the girls beat him over the head with a plank of wood. Jules was left shaken and ashamed by the ordeal. He eventually regained his health and confidence with the help of his friend, Dot Cotton, who nursed him better.
In 1993 Jules received an unannounced visit from Gidea Thompson, who was his granddaughter from an affair he'd had in his 20s. Although Jules hadn't known of Gidea's existence he soon bonded with his granddaughter, but was horrified when he found out that she and his grandson Clyde had embarked on a relationship (despite the fact that they were first cousins). Clyde ignored his grandfather's protests, however, and eventually moved back to Trinidad to be with Gidea.
Both Nellie Ellis and Blossom Jackson lived with him at different stages, but although they flirted with him their relationships remained strictly platonic. In latter years he sparked up a friendship with local barber Felix Kawalski and the two would often be seen playing chess in The Vic.
Although he never had an on-screen exit it is believed that Jules is residing in sheltered accommodation away from the square. His last appearance was in December 1997.
In the latter part of 1989 EastEnders acquired a new executive producer named Michael Ferguson, who took over from Mike Gibbon. Ferguson had previously been a producer on ITV's The Bill – a hard-hitting, gritty and successful police drama, which seemed to be challenging EastEnders in providing a realistic vision of modern life in London. Due to his success on The Bill, Peter Cregeen, the Head of Series at the BBC, poached Ferguson to become executive producer of EastEnders.[2]
Following a relatively unsuccessful inclination towards comic storylines throughout 1989, Ferguson decided to take the soap in a new direction in 1990. Big changes were implemented both off-screen and on-screen.[2] Ferguson altered the way the episodes were produced, changed the way the storylines were conceptualised and introduced a far greater amount of location work than had previously been seen. EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake said that it was a challenging period, but "the results on-screen were a programme with a new sense of vitality, and a programme more in touch with the real world than it had been for a while".[2]
As a consequence of these changes, a large number of characters were axed in early 1990 as the new production machine cleared way for a new direction and new characters.[2] Among the new characters were the Jamaican Tavernier family, who collectively arrived on-screen in July 1990, composed of grandfather Jules (Tommy Eytle), his son and daughter-in-law Celestine (Leroy Golding) and Etta (Jacqui Gordon-Lawrence), their eldest son Clyde (Steven Woodcock), and their twins Lloyd (Garey Bridges) and Hattie, played by Michelle Gayle. Colin Brake described the Taverniers as the major new additions that year, and it heralded the first time that an entire family had joined the serial all at once. Their introduction was also described as a well-intentioned attempt to portray a wider range of black characters than had previously been achieved on the soap.[2]
Author Hilary Kingsley described Jules as a character who "enjoys turning on the charm [...] and raising his hat to all the ladies with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. He's not a moaner and his old-world flirting makes a pleasant change."[3] Stephen Bourne of The Independent stated that Jules "found himself recognised everywhere as the wise senior citizen, always ready to offer sensible advice and often recalling his involvement in the 1937 oilfield strikes back home in Trinidad."[4] Author Kate Lock suggested that Jules "revelled in his mildly eccentric reputation. He loved to talk about the old days in Trinidad and had always been a bit of a ladykiller [...] Even in his 70s, Jules was still chasing women."[5] Tommy Eytle who played Jules was musician and his part in EastEnders occasionally gave him an opportunity to sing, usually in the soap's public house the Queen Vic.[4]
Jules appeared less frequently during the latter part of his time in EastEnders because of Eytle's ill health.[6] He was never officially written out of the serial, but was not featured again after December 1997.[6] A decade later in 2007, Eytle died.[6]
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