| Huw Edwards | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||
 | |||||||
| Portrayed by | Richard Elis | ||||||
| Duration | 1996–1999 | ||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1295 28 May 1996 | ||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 1764 15 April 1999 | ||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||
| |||||||
Huw Edwards is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Richard Elis. [1] Huw was introduced on 28 May 1996 and remained on-screen until 15 April 1999. [2]
Huw is an amiable Welshman from Pontarddulais, who is best friends with Lenny Wallace (Des Coleman). They live in a squat in Albert Square, enjoying loud music and winding up Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Lenny and Huw also operate a pirate radio station from the premises for a while. Ian tries to get them evicted several times — once calling the council to complain about noise pollution — and Lenny and Huw do everything they can to annoy him further.
During his time in Walford, Huw works in George Palmer (Paul Moriarty)'s nightclub as a barman, soon bought by Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), and in the café as a waiter. In 1998 Huw develops a crush on Ruth Fowler (Caroline Paterson). Ruth sees him only as a platonic friend and unwittingly lets him get his hopes up for a relationship for a period of time. Huw eventually leaves the Square to live with Carrie Swann (Holly Atkins), an artist who is exhibiting her abstract art in the café.
Actor Richard Elis was cast in the minor role of Huw for a period of three episodes in 1996; however, producers enjoyed the character and his contract was extended. [3] Elis was an inexperienced actor and was sent to audition for the role while still in drama school at the Welsh College of Music and Drama. He was given two minutes on stage to impress London casting agents. His rendition of an extract impressed the EastEnders casting director, Jonathan McLeash, and he was asked to attend an audition in London. At the audition, Elis did a comedy monologue about a man working in a chip shop in Cardiff. Approximately four hours later, Elis was telephoned and told he'd been cast as Huw. Elis has described the experience as "mindblowing". [3]
Huw was the serial's first Welsh character, which pleased Elis as he was able to play the character with his native West Walian accent. Although the producers decided to make Huw Welsh, according to Elis they had not specifically been looking to hire a Welsh actor prior to his audition. Huw has been described as likable and a loveable lout. [3]
Discussing his first time on set, Elis said in 2010, "I don't think I really realised the enormity of it at the time as it all happened so quickly, I didn't have time to panic or worry about what I was letting myself in for. At the end of the day, I had literally just graduated from college and had no idea that I was going to be playing the role for any longer than three episodes so I suppose I didn't really have time to be nervous. One day I was a student about to leave college in Cardiff and then I'm on the set of EastEnders with Barbara Windsor [who plays Peggy Mitchell] showing me round [...] My first lines on the show were spoken to Tiffany Mitchell, played by Martine McCutcheon. I was working in the nightclub and she came in and said, 'What cocktails do you do?' and I said, 'I'm Huw, I will make anything you want' and threw a cocktail together. I thought I was only going to be in three episodes so wanted to make the most of every single line I got to say [...] Then within a few weeks I'm making bacon sandwiches and cups of tea in Ian Beale's cafe and mixing cocktails in the bar. It was bonkers." [3]
Huw was introduced simultaneously with his friend and fellow squatter Lenny Wallace (Des Coleman). A recurring storyline in the serial concerned Huw and Lenny purposefully trying to antagonise Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Elis described the role as fun, and commented some of his most liked storylines in 2010: "Huw would constantly wind up Ian and so, consequently, it was a really fun role. Ian would get very irritated by it and Adam Woodyatt is a great actor so was able to really portray the fact that Huw was winding him up. [...] It was great fun, more fun because I got to play a Welshman but for me, as an actor just out of college, the whole experience was amazing. [...] And being the only Welsh accent on a London soap made me stand out more I suppose. I think being so obviously Welsh on the show made Huw stand out as a character." [3] According to Elis, producers required Huw to be overweight and Elis has claimed that he was asked not to lose weight while playing the role. [4]
It was reported in December 1998 that executive producer Matthew Robinson had axed Huw because the character was "going nowhere". [5] However, Elis claimed in 2010 that he decided to leave the role in 1999 after three years playing Huw as he feared being typecast. Elis has commented, "My agent at the time told me that if you are in a soap for three years, it takes three years for the viewers to forget you, whereas if you are in one for five years, it takes another 10 years before they forget you. I just felt it was time to go. It was great to be on it but it was just a job to me." [3]
Huw has been described by Jane Simon of The People as a "token Welshman". [6] Stuart Heritage from The Guardian recalled the character in 2011, suggesting that Huw's "only role was to say the name 'Ian Beale' in increasingly malevolent ways." [7]
Hannah Elizabeth Waterman is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Laura Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2000–2004). She is based in Sydney in Australia.
Adam Brinley Woodyatt is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985.
Michelle Danielle Collins is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Cindy Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, and has also appeared as Stella Price in ITV's Coronation Street. Her other notable TV roles include the BBC dramas Real Women (1998–1999), Sunburn (1999–2000) and Two Thousand Acres of Sky (2001–2003).
Ian Albert Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the drama's longest-serving main character and one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother Kathy Beale, Sharon Watts and Tracey. The character appeared in his 2,000th episode in the show on 26 March 2007, and his 3,000th on 27 May 2016. Woodyatt took an extended break from EastEnders on 22 January 2021. He made appearances on 12 December 2022 and 22 June 2023, prior to a full-time return on 22 August.
Vicki Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Emma Herry from the character's birth in 1986 to 1988, Samantha Leigh Martin from 1988 to 1995, and Scarlett Alice Johnson from 2003 to 2004. She is the daughter of Michelle Fowler and Den Watts. The character is born in the serial, conceived in a controversial storyline about teenage pregnancy. Exploiting a whodunnit angle, at the time of the first showing, viewers were not initially told who was the father, and press interest in the fledgling show escalated as journalists attempted to guess. The audience finally discovered his identity in October 1985 in episode 66. Written by series co-creator and script editor Tony Holland, and directed by co-creator and producer Julia Smith, it was considered a landmark episode in the show's history. Early suspects were Ian Beale and Kelvin Carpenter, but then four possible suspects are seen leaving Albert Square early in the episode: Tony Carpenter, Ali Osman, Andy O'Brien, and Den Watts. As Michelle waits by their rendezvous point, a car pulls up and the fluffy white legs of the soap landlord's poodle Roly leap out of a car to give it all away: Den Watts is the father of Michelle's baby. After this storyline the programme started to appear in newspaper cartoons as it moved more and more into the public mainstream. Vicki's character was written out in October 1995, after Susan Tully, who played Vicki's mother Michelle, decided to leave the soap.
Pete Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Peter Dean. He makes his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was introduced by Tony Holland, one of the creators of EastEnders; he was based on a member of Holland's family. Pete is featured in the soap for eight years as the local fruit and veg trader of Albert Square; he is a member of the original focal clan in the serial, the Beales and Fowlers. Pete is portrayed as a macho and somewhat insensitive individual who struggles 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.
Lesley Jane Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Laurie Brett. She made her first appearance on 21 June 2004. Brett took maternity leave in 2011 and departed on 19 May. She returned on 8 November and departed again on 27 January 2012. Jane made a temporary return to the show on 6 January 2014 until 20 May of that year and permanently from 24 November 2014 to 23 October 2017.
Bobby Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who made his first appearance in episode 2557, originally broadcast on 24 July 2003. The character was originally played by Kevin Curran as an infant. Prior to his introduction, Bobby's paternity is at the centre of a storyline and is resolved when Ian Beale is revealed as Bobby's father. His mother, Laura Beale, is killed off in 2004 and Bobby's stepmother, Jane Beale, later adopts Bobby. Curran was replaced by Alex Francis in 2007. Following Jane's departure, Bobby finds a mother figure in Mandy Salter and is upset when she leaves.
Laura Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Hannah Waterman. She first appeared on 17 February 2000 and became a regular on the programme until the character was killed off on 30 April 2004.
Tom Banks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Colm Ó Maonlaí from 23 April to 1 November 2002. Introduced in April 2002 as a love interest for Sharon Watts, producers made the decision to axe the character, and he was killed off in November 2002. The character was said to be popular with female viewers, and he was voted the eighth sexiest male character to appear in EastEnders in a 2005 poll.
Steven Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Edward Farrell from 1989 to 1990, Stuart Stevens from 1992 to 1998, Edward Savage from 1998 to 2002, and Aaron Sidwell from 2007 to 2008 and then from 2016 to 2017. It was announced on 22 February 2008, that the character would be written out at the end of Sidwell's contract. Sidwell made his on-screen departure on 9 May 2008. On 2 May 2016, it was announced that Sidwell would return to the role. Steven made his return on 27 May 2016. On 9 August 2017, it was announced that Sidwell would leave the show again. Steven made his final exit on 8 September 2017, when the character was killed off during a high-profile stunt week.
Barry Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shaun Williamson. He first appeared in episode 1072, originally shown in the United Kingdom on 27 December 1994, and made his last appearance in episode 2653, originally shown on 2 January 2004. The character is portrayed as a "buffoon". Williamson left the serial after nine years in 2003 after agreeing to star in a seasonal pantomime without informing EastEnders producers, and the character was killed off.
Mandy Salter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nicola Stapleton. Introduced on 12 March 1992 by producer Leonard Lewis, Mandy was portrayed as a teenage tearaway. She was featured in storylines about teenage homelessness, child abuse and recreational drug taking. Her relationship with Aidan Brosnan was one of the prominent storylines featured in 1993. Due to the character's antagonistic behaviour, it has been suggested that Mandy was one of the most hated characters on television during her initial tenure. The character appeared in a special episode of Doctor Who in 1993, which was set in the fictional soap setting of Walford. Stapleton left the role and Mandy departed on-screen on 13 January 1994. Stapleton returned to the role for a nine-month stint on 29 August 2011, and left again on 31 May 2012.
Simon "Wicksy" Wicks is a fictional character from the British BBC soap opera EastEnders, 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.
Richard Cole is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ian Reddington between 23 July 1992 and 21 July 1994.
Steve Elliot is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mark Monero between 8 October 1991 and 12 February 1996.
Frankie Pierre is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She appears between 24 June 1996 and 25 March 1997, played by Syan Blake. Portrayed as a "super-bitch" and home wrecker, Frankie attempts to ruin the established relationships of several characters during her nine months on the soap, purposefully seducing attached men.