Bill Treacher
Encyclopedia
Bill Treacher is an English
actor
. Most famous for playing Arthur Fowler
on the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, for 11 years, from 1985-1996.
. After his national service
in the Royal Air Force
, he worked as a steward with P&O
, where he saved enough money to attend drama school.
, he made his West End
debut in 1963 with the comedy Shout for Life at The Vaudeville Theatre. Several successful West End
roles followed.
, The Sweeney
, The Professionals
, Dixon of Dock Green
, Z-Cars
and The Agatha Christie Hour.
to be cast in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, appearing in the first episode on 19 February 1985 as Arthur Fowler
, a role he played for the next 11 years. In fact the co-creators, Tony Holland
and Julia Smith
, had scripted the character with Treacher in mind. He received much critical acclaim for the role, especially for his portrayal of his character's mental decline and subsequent nervous breakdown
. The character also endured a succession of misfortunes, not least his wrongful imprisonment for a fraud
that he didn't commit, a persistent struggle with unemployment
, his daughter Michelle's
pregnancy
at the age of 16, his son Mark's
diagnosis with HIV
, and a midlife crisis where he had an affair which lead to the breakdown of his marriage.
By 1996, he had requested to be written out of the series, stating "By the time I finished, even the sound of the theme music was making me feel ill. I felt depressed." He also stated in a 2003 BBC documentary interviewing past stars of the show that he had to leave as the stress working the long hours on the show was affecting his health and that the doctors told him that if he didn't leave the job soon and relax it would kill him.
Although it was his decision to leave the soap, Treacher was shocked that the show’s bosses chose to kill Arthur off. He has said: "I certainly didn’t ask them to kill him. Oh no, because you never know, you might need to come back and earn a few grand." Following his departure the British press alleged that Treacher and co-star Wendy Richard
(who played his wife Pauline
) were involved in a feud that had lasted the entire eleven years of his stint. Treacher commented: "All I can say is that Wendy and I had a good professional relationship. We never met socially because we did not have a great deal in common." Treacher also raised controversy in the press when his on-screen daughter and son Susan Tully
and James Alexandrou
did not attend Richard's funeral. However, when Treacher paid tribute to Wendy after her death he commented, "Wendy and I never had a cross word between us, despite what the papers said."
knocked Treacher unconscious in a sparring session as he prepared for a fight with former Heavyweight fighter Henry Akinwande
. Treacher suffered a concussion and was unable to make the fight.
He also had a guest-starring role in the ITV
police drama The Bill
in 2006, and appeared as a security guard in an episode of Casualty
in December 2007.
(2001), Tale of the Mummy
(1998), and George and the Dragon (2004).
motor car. In 1983, he also appeared in a British television commercial for Colgate
toothpaste where he played a grocer.
and they have two children, Jamie
, also an actor, and Sophie, a production assistant. They live in Suffolk
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Most famous for playing Arthur Fowler
Arthur Fowler
Arthur George Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Bill Treacher.The father of the Fowler family, Arthur was essentially a good man, but he made some foolish choices and he always ended up paying dearly for them, also being bossed to the brink of insanity by...
on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, for 11 years, from 1985-1996.
Early life
Treacher grew up in the East End of LondonEast End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
. After his national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, he worked as a steward with P&O
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
, where he saved enough money to attend drama school.
Theatre
After graduating from the prestigious Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic ArtWebber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
The Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, formerly the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, was a drama school, and originally a singing school, in London. It was one of the leading drama schools in Britain, and offered comprehensive training for those intending to pursue a...
, he made his West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
debut in 1963 with the comedy Shout for Life at The Vaudeville Theatre. Several successful West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
roles followed.
Television
Treacher then moved into television drama, making guest appearances in a number of classic series of the 1970s including MinderMinder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
, The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
, The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
, Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
, Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
and The Agatha Christie Hour.
EastEnders
In late 1984, he was the first actorActor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
to be cast in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, appearing in the first episode on 19 February 1985 as Arthur Fowler
Arthur Fowler
Arthur George Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Bill Treacher.The father of the Fowler family, Arthur was essentially a good man, but he made some foolish choices and he always ended up paying dearly for them, also being bossed to the brink of insanity by...
, a role he played for the next 11 years. In fact the co-creators, Tony Holland
Tony Holland
Anthony John "Tony" Holland was an English television screenwriter best known as a writer and co-creator of the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early career:...
and Julia Smith
Julia Smith
Julia Smith was an English television director and producer.- Early career :London-born Smith became involved in television production when she directed the series Suspense in 1962...
, had scripted the character with Treacher in mind. He received much critical acclaim for the role, especially for his portrayal of his character's mental decline and subsequent nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. The character also endured a succession of misfortunes, not least his wrongful imprisonment for a fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
that he didn't commit, a persistent struggle with unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
, his daughter Michelle's
Michelle Fowler
Michelle Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, 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...
pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
at the age of 16, his son Mark's
Mark Fowler
Mark Albert Fowler is a fictional character from the popular British BBC soap opera EastEnders. Mark 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...
diagnosis with HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, and a midlife crisis where he had an affair which lead to the breakdown of his marriage.
By 1996, he had requested to be written out of the series, stating "By the time I finished, even the sound of the theme music was making me feel ill. I felt depressed." He also stated in a 2003 BBC documentary interviewing past stars of the show that he had to leave as the stress working the long hours on the show was affecting his health and that the doctors told him that if he didn't leave the job soon and relax it would kill him.
Although it was his decision to leave the soap, Treacher was shocked that the show’s bosses chose to kill Arthur off. He has said: "I certainly didn’t ask them to kill him. Oh no, because you never know, you might need to come back and earn a few grand." Following his departure the British press alleged that Treacher and co-star Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
(who played his wife Pauline
Pauline Fowler
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 1985 and 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland and producer...
) were involved in a feud that had lasted the entire eleven years of his stint. Treacher commented: "All I can say is that Wendy and I had a good professional relationship. We never met socially because we did not have a great deal in common." Treacher also raised controversy in the press when his on-screen daughter and son Susan Tully
Susan Tully
Susan Tully is an English television producer, director and former actress.Her most prominent television roles to date have been those of single mother Michelle Fowler in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and her pivotal part in early Grange Hill...
and James Alexandrou
James Alexandrou
James Alekos Alexandrou is an English actor of Greek Cypriot descent, best known for playing Martin Fowler in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.-Early life:...
did not attend Richard's funeral. However, when Treacher paid tribute to Wendy after her death he commented, "Wendy and I never had a cross word between us, despite what the papers said."
Other television appearances
In 2008, he starred in the six part series Beat The Treacher for UK Cable channel Bravo. The action based game show saw the star take on a number of challenges against professional sportsmen and endurance athletes. Treacher famously lost all of the challenges set for him and a subsequent series was canned. The show was shrouded in controversy after former professional boxer Terry MarshTerry Marsh
Terry Marsh may refer to:* Terence Marsh, production designer* Terry Marsh , English boxer, from Basildon* Terence John Marsh , travel writer and photographer...
knocked Treacher unconscious in a sparring session as he prepared for a fight with former Heavyweight fighter Henry Akinwande
Henry Akinwande
Henry Akinwande is a British former professional heavyweight boxer and former WBO world heavyweight champion.-Background:...
. Treacher suffered a concussion and was unable to make the fight.
He also had a guest-starring role in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
police drama The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
in 2006, and appeared as a security guard in an episode of Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
in December 2007.
Films
Treacher has since appeared in several films, most notably The MusketeerThe Musketeer
The Musketeer is a 2001 American film very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas, père's classic novel The Three Musketeers, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Nick Moran, Bill Treacher and Justin Chambers.The film features Tsui Hark's regular...
(2001), Tale of the Mummy
Tale of the Mummy
Tale of the Mummy is a 1998 British-American horror film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, starring Jason Scott Lee, Jack Davenport, Louise Lombard and Christopher Lee.-Plot:...
(1998), and George and the Dragon (2004).
Advertisements
In 1973, Treacher starred in a British television commercial for the Austin AllegroAustin Allegro
The Austin Allegro is a small family car manufactured by British Leyland under the Austin name from 1973 until 1983. The same vehicle was built in Italy by Innocenti between 1974 and 1975 and sold as the Innocenti Regent...
motor car. In 1983, he also appeared in a British television commercial for Colgate
Colgate (toothpaste)
Colgate is an oral hygiene product line of toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes and dental floss.-Duraphat:Duraphat is a professional strength paste intended for the treatment and prevention of dental caries....
toothpaste where he played a grocer.
Personal life
Treacher is married to the Australian actress Katherine KesseyKatherine Kessey
Katherine Kessey is an Australian actress. She is the wife of British actor Bill Treacher. Their son Jamie Treacher is also an actor....
and they have two children, Jamie
Jamie Treacher
Jamie Treacher is an English actor best known for playing DC Wayne Hughes in the British soap opera EastEnders. He is the son of former EastEnders actor Bill Treacher.-References:...
, also an actor, and Sophie, a production assistant. They live in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.