The shows producers were both from the east end of London and they used there own backgrounds and family experiences to create the 23 characters that started the show, The very first show had 17 million viewers which was phenomenal in 1985.
EastEnders is a bbc soap programme which first aired on 19th February 1985, It was created to compete with Coronation Street which has been aired since 9th December 1960 so there was a lot of catching up to do. EastEnders was a complete success and is still broadcast to this very day watched by millions of people.
Pauline And Arthur Fowler
Some original cast members
Leslie Grantham or his better known synomon Den Watts or Dirty Den was also an original cast member who starred in the very first epsisode. He was the original landlord of The Queen vic with which he lived with his wife played by Anita Dobson.
There relationship was up and down and was renouned for his cheating with other women, When he served divorce papers on his wife 30.15 million viewers tuned in to watch 0n Christmas day 1986.
Arthur George Fowler was generally a good man but suffered a mental breakdown and was sent to prison twice. He was the husband of Pauline Beale who he started to date in 1964.
Dot Cotton played by June Brown first appeared on the show in 4 July 1985. She is well known to have worked at the local launderette and smoke cigarettes on most occasions. She also had a nasty son Nick Cotton played by Jon Altman together they created some exciting viewing. She was so soft and loving towards him even though he was rotten to the core.
Ian Albert Beale played by Adam Woodyatt is the longest serving and original character having appeared continuously since 1985. He also has had the most marriages in the soap currently at 5.
Sharon Watts played by Letitia Dean was the adoptive daughter of Den and Angie Watts. She is considered by viewers as a firm favourite.
Doctor Harold Legg played by Leonard Fenton was the local practitioner who would always visit to check on the local residents. He is also one of the original characters.
Nasty Nick Cotton
Ethel May Skinner played by Gretchen Franklin was well liked in albert square and always had her faithful dog willy by her side a pug. She and Dot Cotton are life long friends on the show.
Theresa Mary Smith played by Linda Davidson, Portraying a punk Theresa has a stubborn defensive nature she thought everyone was out to get her. She was irresponsible and did not listen to peoples good advice. She has a baby called Annie and is struggling to cope. One of the story lines is when Theresa gives Annie the wrong dosage of medication. She also later on has a relationship with Mehmet Osman a Turkish Cypriot. She is also prostituting and is warned her baby could be taken away. She also has a drug problem and begs people around the square for money to fund her habit.
Ali Osman played by Nejdet Salih ran a café called The Bridge Street Café, He frequently gambled and held games of poker in the café, He risks his café with a huge bet and wins but the next day tragedy strikes as his son Hassan dies of cot death implications. Ali and his wife Sue grief for months and eventually try for another child but Ali questions his masculinity when his wife cannot conceive. He also has a habit of seducing other women and borrowed money off Ian Beale to pay for his debt to an underground organisation called the firm.He eventually leaves walford in 1989 going back to northern Cyprus with his new son Ali.
Lou Beale played by Anna Wing, Tony Holland the co producer of the show used his own personal experiences as he was from the east end to create this character. She lived in Walford all her life and had a strong sense of community spirit, She was strong minded and never afraid to speak her mind. She was well liked by family and friends even though she was a bit of a nuisance at times. She is great friends with Dot Cotton And Ethel Skinner and the local doctor Harold Legg.
Simon Wicks or Wicksy played by Nick Berry, Wicksy is a bit of a womanizer and has quite a few relationships on the show over the years. Wicksy was in a band called The Banned on the show and frequently sung the song Every Loser Wins, The song was eventually released and went to number one for three weeks on the UK singles chart. The song was written by Simon May, Stewart James, and Bradley James.
The Banned Fictional Band
Pete Beale played by Peter Dean is the local fruit and veg trader of Albert Square. Macho and somewhat insensitive he finds it difficult to handle his emotions. Pauline Fowler is his twin sister and were born to Albert and Lou Beale and were born and raised at 45 Albert Square. Pete inherited the stall when his father passed away.
Kathy Beale played by Gillian Taylforth
Kathy Beale played by Gillian Taylforth was an attractive bright woman who set high values and standards, she was the wife of Pete Beale.She worked as a barmaid at the Queen Victoria pub and occasionally helped Pete on the fruit and veg stall. James Willmott Brown played by William Boyde employs Kathy to work at his wine bar called The Dagmar Wine Bar, He becomes attracted to her and when she is invited to his flat one night things go ugly, After refusing his advances she is raped, She splits from Pete and Willmott brown tries to bribe Kathy so she will withdraw her statement, When it goes to court Willmott receives 3 years in prison.
Michelle Fowler played by Susan Tully, Her character was stubborn and did not listen to good advice, She had a lot of relationship problems with men and was outspoken but determined. She becomes pregnant but does not know who the father is but speculation is it is Dirty Den's. Suffering depression she turns to Lofty and together they have a relationship. Lofty has a hard time with Michelle as he is jilted at the altar after speaking with Den watts and eventually she gets pregnant again to Lofty's child but she has an abortion. Den watts does not want Lofty to adopt Vicky as he thinks it is his chidl Eventually Lofty leaves walford but Den watts gets shot by a member of The Firm after meeting Michelle for the last time.
Den meets Michelle at the canal for the last time.