EastEnders is a British soap opera created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since 1985. Set in Albert Square in the East End of London in the fictional Borough of Walford, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives. Initially there were two 30-minute episodes per week, later increasing to three, but since 2001 episodes have been broadcast every weekday apart from Wednesdays.
Nicholas Berry is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in EastEnders from 1985 to 1990 and a one-off appearance in 2012, and as PC Nick Rowan in Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998. He sang UK chart singles with "Every Loser Wins" in 1986, which went to number one, and the theme song from Heartbeat, a cover of the Buddy Holly song "Heartbeat", in 1992.
Arthur Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Bill Treacher from 1985 to 1996.
Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional London borough of Walford. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between the first episode on 19 February 1985 and 25 December 2006. 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 her nephew, Ian Beale.
Joe Macer is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ray Brooks. He made his first appearance on 19 August 2005. He was the second husband of Pauline Fowler and her accidental killer. Brooks was axed in July 2006 and Joe was killed off on 26 January 2007.
The Beales, together with the Fowlers, are a fictional family in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. They were the main family for storylines in early EastEnders and remained as such for many years. Having appeared continuously from episode one, they are the show's longest serving family. In 2004 Peter Beale and Lucy Beale were recast to give them a more mature look. In 2007, there were few members of the Beale family left and no Fowlers, so the family were revamped. Peter was recast again. Ian Beale started a relationship with Jane Beale and Steven Beale also returned. By 2010, the number of Beales had fallen again. Lucy was recast and in 2013, Peter and Bobby were recast and Cindy Williams Jnr, the half-sister of Peter and Lucy, was reintroduced. In addition to this at the start of 2014 Bex Fowler returned to the serial with her mother Sonia Fowler, with Martin Fowler following 11 months later in December. In 2014 Lucy is found dead, causing her family and friends to struggle to come to terms with her death and the secrets she left behind, putting many people in the frame for her murder. It was revealed on 19 February 2015 that she was killed by her own little brother, Bobby. It was also revealed that Kathy Beale, who was presumed dead in 2006, was alive after having faked her death with her new husband in South Africa. In December 2016 Michelle Fowler returned to Albert Square after originally leaving in 1995, although now played by Jenna Russell.
Michelle Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Susan Tully from the first episode in 1985 until the character's departure in 1995. In December 2016, it was announced Michelle would be returning to the show after 21 years, with actress Jenna Russell taking over the role making her first appearance on 24 December 2016. In her first stint Michelle made some huge mistakes during her time in Albert Square mainly through having a habit of choosing the wrong men and her stubborn nature meant that she rarely accepted help or listened to good advice. Being determined and outspoken, she has never been afraid to defend herself or her beliefs. Since the recast to Russell in 2016, Michelle's storylines have revolved around her having had an illegal relationship with her student, Preston Cooper in America, a love triangle involving her niece Bex Fowler, crashing Phil Mitchell car into the local chip shop and being stalked by Tom Bailey. Russell's departure from the show was announced in March 2018, and Michelle departed on 17 April 2018.
Lisa Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Benjamin. The character was introduced as a "home-wrecking blonde" by executive producer Matthew Robinson on 7 December 1998. Show scriptwriters and BBC controller of drama, Mal Young, doubted Benjamin's casting in the role. Lisa is characterised as "a loyal, romantic Earth Mother" who is "feisty, independent and ambitious". However, after a volatile relationship with Phil Mitchell, Lisa became an "eternal victim". The characters became instrumental in one of EastEnders most highly publicised and anticipated storylines, dubbed Who Shot Phil? in 2001, where an unknown assailant guns down Phil. An estimated 22 million viewers watched Lisa confess to Phil's attempted murder, causing the third-largest power surge on record.
Lou Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anna Wing. Her first appearance is in the first episode, which was broadcast on 19 February 1985, and her last is in episode 362, which was first shown on 26 July 1988, when the character was killed off. The character is played by Karen Meagher in the 1988 EastEnders special, CivvyStreet, set during the Second World War. She appears in 232 episodes.
Aidan Brosnan is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sean Maguire between 14 January and 28 December 1993. A popular character, Aidan is involved in storylines about homelessness, drug-abuse and suicide. His relationship with the character Mandy Salter is a dominant storyline in the serial throughout 1993.
Mary Flaherty is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Melanie Clark Pullen from 22 September 1997 to 23 February 1999. The character first appeared in a special week of episodes set in Ireland, first broadcast in 1997.
Nellie Ellis is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Elizabeth Kelly. Nellie is introduced as the interfering relative of Pauline Fowler in 1993 and appears regularly until 1998. She makes a further appearance in 2000 for the funeral of Ethel Skinner.
Diederick Santer is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera EastEnders, a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010. He is managing director of drama production company Lovely Day.
Ruth Fowler is a fictional character from the popular British BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Caroline Paterson from 1994 to 1999. Ruth is Mark Fowler 's second wife and she is far more comfortable with his HIV status than many of his other girlfriends. However, their marriage eventually disintegrates due to Mark's habit of shutting her out and his inability to give Ruth a child. They split and she strays with Mark's cousin, Conor Flaherty. Her betrayal deeply hurts Mark but it also gives her the chance to be a mother as she becomes pregnant with Conor's child.
Willy Roper is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael Tudor Barnes. The character appears on-screen in episodes originally broadcast between 1 June 1995 to 20 June 1996.
Dominic Treadwell-Collins is a British television producer, known for his work on the soap operas Family Affairs and EastEnders, and for creating the EastEnders spin-off series Kat & Alfie: Redwater.
The Slater family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, that have appeared since episode 1997, first broadcast in September 2000. The family are introduced as a central family unit consisting of father Charlie Slater, grandmother Mo Harris, Charlie's daughters, Kat Slater, Lynne Slater, Little Mo Morgan and Zoe Slater, and Lynne's partner Garry Hobbs. A fifth sister, Belinda Peacock, was introduced a year later. The family were the eighth to be introduced in the soap's history, replacing the di Marco family who departed during the previous month. The Slaters were created by Tony Jordan and introduced by John Yorke. The Slater sisters were cast in an improvisation session. In their first years on the show, the family were at the centre of a child sexual abuse storyline and a domestic violence plot.
