Carly Wicks
Encyclopedia
Carly Wicks is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Kellie Shirley
, and by Michaela Stephen in a home movie the Wickses watched on 23 April 2007. She made her first appearance on 17 February 2006. Carly was axed from the serial after Phil Daniels
quit. Carly is characterised as a tomboy who enjoys an active sex life. One scene sparked complaints from viewers who felt it inappropriate. She is also portrayed as having a dysfunctional relationship with her mother, Shirley Carter. Carly departed on-screen on 4 January 2008, when she goes travelling, an exit storyline that Shirley felt was a fitting end to the character.
), Carly was the result of an adulterous one-night stand with a man named Daniel. Shirley's husband, Kevin, forgave her infidelity and raised Carly as his own. Shirley strayed again, falling pregnant with Deano
(Matt Di Angelo
), and Kevin once again took on responsibility of the child. In 1989, Shirley abandoned Kevin, leaving him to raise Carly, Deano and their older brother Jimbo - who had cystic fibrosis
- alone. Shirley did not contact her children again for 17 years, even when Jimbo died. Later on, Carly married a Greek Cypriot man called Nico Pappas (Gerard Monaco
); however, she rebelled against the interference of her husband's family and the marriage fell apart.
), gave him a restaurant in Cyprus
and Carly refused to go and work there. Carly moved to Walford to live with Kevin and Deano. She found employment as a mechanic at The Arches and was sponsored by her boss Phil Mitchell
(Steve McFadden
), to attend college.
Carly initially feuded with Dawn Swann
(Kara Tointon
). Carly publicly exposed Dawn as a liar and they brawled; however, they sorted out their differences and became close friends. Carly began a romance with Martin Fowler
(James Alexandrou
) in 2006, but he took the relationship more seriously than she did and she eventually ended it to begin a sexually charged relationship with Jake, which ended a week later.
Whilst the Wickses holidayed in Dorset in December 2006, Carly was unwittingly introduced to her estranged mother Shirley, and despite Kevin's best efforts, Shirley traced them to Walford in January 2007 and made herself known to Carly and Deano. Carly rejected her mother, incensed that she had abandoned her for so many years. Further animosity occurred when Carly discovered Kevin was not her biological father. She rejected Kevin, branding him a phoney. Devastated, Kevin ran away, and in his absence Carly momentarily bonded with Shirley, though it was short-lived and when Kevin returned, she reconciled with him, and was once again hostile to Shirley, spitting in her face on one occasion.
In May 2007, Carly's stepsister Chelsea Fox
(Tiana Benjamin
) set her up on a date with salesman Warren Stamp (Will Mellor
), even though Preeti Choraria (Babita Pohoomull
) had a bad experience on a prior date with him. Chelsea did this as she wanted to eliminate Carly as competition for her boyfriend Sean, who had been flirting with her. Carly was almost raped by Warren, but was rescued by Sean. Carly and Sean had sex and then began dating, and when Carly told Chelsea a feud erupted. This led to Chelsea and Deano's attempt to frame Sean for an assault on Patrick Trueman
(Rudolph Walker
). Sean was imprisoned and was only released when Carly handed stolen CCTV footage exonerating him into the police, betraying her brother and Chelsea who were arrested for perverting the course of justice. Carly's relationship with Sean ended however, when Sean arranged for Deano to be beaten up by a gang of thugs. Carly believed her family would not forgive her betrayal, so she left Walford and took a job in a gay bar. Deano fled to stay with her in October, fearing Sean and his trial the following day. Carly helped Deano face up to his responsibilities and returned to walford to support her family when Deano was sentenced to 6 months in prison.
Despite Sean's assaults on her brother, Carly briefly resumed a sexual relationship with him, but he had little interest in her as he was besotted with Tanya Branning
(Jo Joyner
). On New Year's Eve 2007, Carly discovered that Kevin had died in a car accident. She visited his body in the morgue and screamed, momentarily asking for support from Shirley, who was with Kevin when he died. The following day, however, Carly was incensed that Shirley had been the last face Kevin had seen before he died; she told Shirley that she wished it had been her that died instead. She rejected Shirley's further attempts to comfort her, and after Kevin's funeral in January 2008, Carly and Kevin's wife Denise left Walford to travel the world and scatter Kevin's ashes. In June 2008, Denise returned and revealed that Carly had decided to stay in Thailand
. A month later, Carly sent Denise a postcard asking for Kevin's signet ring and on 29 July 2008, it was revealed that Carly was living in Redfern
, a suburb of Sydney
, Australia
. On Christmas Eve, Carly phoned Shirley to wish her a Happy Christmas.
(Joel Beckett
) and Sean Slater
(Robert Kazinsky
). Speaking of this she states: "It's nice for Carly to have a sex life and it's nice to be paid to kiss somebody." The filming environment put pressure on Shirley and Kazinsky.
Carly's dress sense is that of a tomboy, she likes work overalls and men's boots. Shirley stated that her cast mates were convinced Carly was going to have a lesbian storyline. She added: "I won't miss some of Carly's clothes. I'm like 'Who picked this out? Are you blind?' I won't miss my work boots, they're horrible. Sometimes I have to wear them with dungarees and a man's T-shirt."
Carly has an estranged relationship with her mother Shirley Carter (Linda Henry
). Of this, actress Shirley stated: "Shirley is still the mum she doesn't want [...] There's too much bitterness there on Carly's part. It's not that she's being deliberately cruel to Shirley. She just can't let her in. She's seen how many times Shirley's ended up disappointing Deano and she doesn't want to end up hurt like him." Although Kevin is not her biological father, she sees him that way. Carly thought of him as a wonderful father and his death devastates Carly because it is unexpected. Shirley states Carly feels like she has "to put on a brave face but underneath she's cracking up."
When Daniels, who played Carly's father Kevin Wicks
, quit the serial, producers decided to write out the rest of the Wicks family. Discussing her contract failing to be renewed, Shirley stated: "It's a shame the option on my contract hasn't been picked up, but it wouldn't feel right to remain in the Square without the rest of my family." In her final scenes Carly and her stepmother Denise (Diane Parish
) decide to go travelling to scatter Kevin's ashes. Shirley felt her exit storyline was fitting, stating: "Kevin was desperate to travel and both Carly and Denise think it would be a fitting tribute for him if they travelled with his ashes and scattered them in the countries he so wanted to see. And Carly won't be coming back." Shirley felt one good thing came out of Kevin's death - "The one positive thing that comes out of Kevin's death is that Carly and Denise get a lot closer. Denise is there for her and together they decide that Kevin would have wanted them to do this together." Although Shirley was happy with her exit storyline, she had originally hoped Carly would be killed on-screen.
defended the scenes stating: "The intention of the scene was to indicate the passion of a couple being carried away by the moment, but we feel any sexual activity was implied rather than explicit." Kris Green of entertainment website Digital Spy
enjoyed the character, stating: "The fresh faces of Deano and Carly certainly provide a breath of fresh air." Lara Kilner of the Daily Mirror brands Carly a "tomboy" and "the boiler-suited, work-booted Carly".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from 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...
, played by Kellie Shirley
Kellie Shirley
Kellie Shirley is a British actress. She is mostly known the role of Carly Wicks in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders up until 2008...
, and by Michaela Stephen in a home movie the Wickses watched on 23 April 2007. She made her first appearance on 17 February 2006. Carly was axed from the serial after Phil Daniels
Phil Daniels
Philip W. "Phil" Daniels is an English actor, most noted for film and television roles as "cockneys" such as Jimmy in Quadrophenia, Richards in Scum, Stewart in The Class of Miss MacMichael, Mark in Meantime, Kevin Wicks in EastEnders, DCS Frank Patterson in New Tricks and Edward Kitchener "Ted"...
quit. Carly is characterised as a tomboy who enjoys an active sex life. One scene sparked complaints from viewers who felt it inappropriate. She is also portrayed as having a dysfunctional relationship with her mother, Shirley Carter. Carly departed on-screen on 4 January 2008, when she goes travelling, an exit storyline that Shirley felt was a fitting end to the character.
Backstory
The second child born to Shirley Carter (Linda HenryLinda Henry
Linda Henry is an English actress, best known for her roles as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV television drama Bad Girls and Shirley Carter in the BBC's soap opera EastEnders.- Early life :...
), Carly was the result of an adulterous one-night stand with a man named Daniel. Shirley's husband, Kevin, forgave her infidelity and raised Carly as his own. Shirley strayed again, falling pregnant with Deano
Deano Wicks
Dean "Deano" Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders played by Matt Di Angelo. He made his first appearance on 2 January 2006. It was announced on 18 August 2007 that the characters of Deano and his sister Carly were being axed by executive producer Diederick Santer...
(Matt Di Angelo
Matt Di Angelo
Matt Di Angelo in London, England is an English actor and singer.He is mostly known for playing fictional character Deano Wicks in the popular British soap EastEnders, and for his current role of Sean Kennedy in the BBC series Hustle.-Education:He attended Southgate School, and started studying...
), and Kevin once again took on responsibility of the child. In 1989, Shirley abandoned Kevin, leaving him to raise Carly, Deano and their older brother Jimbo - who had cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
- alone. Shirley did not contact her children again for 17 years, even when Jimbo died. Later on, Carly married a Greek Cypriot man called Nico Pappas (Gerard Monaco
Gerard Monaco
Gerard Monaco is a British actor who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.Monaco’s first film was Mike Leigh’s Vera Drake. He has since had roles in movies including Starter for Ten, Jane Campion’s Bright Star and Jerry Bruckhiemier’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, directed by...
); however, she rebelled against the interference of her husband's family and the marriage fell apart.
2006–2008
Nicos split up with Carly in February 2006 after his father, Yanis (Peter PolycarpouPeter Polycarpou
Peter Polycarpou is a British stage and TV and film actor, best known for playing Chris Theodopolopoudos in the television comedy series Birds of a Feather.-Career:...
), gave him a restaurant in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and Carly refused to go and work there. Carly moved to Walford to live with Kevin and Deano. She found employment as a mechanic at The Arches and was sponsored by her boss Phil Mitchell
Phil Mitchell
Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy...
(Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden is an English actor, known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which he has played since1990.-Early life:...
), to attend college.
Carly initially feuded with Dawn Swann
Dawn Swann
Dawn Roxanna Swann is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Kara Tointon, who first appeared on 26 September 2005...
(Kara Tointon
Kara Tointon
Kara Louise Tointon is a British actress, best known for playing Dawn Swann in BBC soap opera EastEnders. Tointon was the 2010 winner of BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing.-Early life:...
). Carly publicly exposed Dawn as a liar and they brawled; however, they sorted out their differences and became close friends. Carly began a romance with Martin Fowler
Martin Fowler (EastEnders)
Martin Albert Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by James Alexandrou from 1996 to 2007.The role was previously played by Jon Peyton Price from early life as a baby in 1985 to 1996, just before Martin's teenage years began.-Storylines:Martin is the younger son...
(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:...
) in 2006, but he took the relationship more seriously than she did and she eventually ended it to begin a sexually charged relationship with Jake, which ended a week later.
Whilst the Wickses holidayed in Dorset in December 2006, Carly was unwittingly introduced to her estranged mother Shirley, and despite Kevin's best efforts, Shirley traced them to Walford in January 2007 and made herself known to Carly and Deano. Carly rejected her mother, incensed that she had abandoned her for so many years. Further animosity occurred when Carly discovered Kevin was not her biological father. She rejected Kevin, branding him a phoney. Devastated, Kevin ran away, and in his absence Carly momentarily bonded with Shirley, though it was short-lived and when Kevin returned, she reconciled with him, and was once again hostile to Shirley, spitting in her face on one occasion.
In May 2007, Carly's stepsister Chelsea Fox
Chelsea Fox
Chelsea Fox is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tiana Benjamin. She first appeared on 5 May 2006 and was joined by her mother Denise and her half sister Libby. Benjamin announced her departure from the show in April 2010...
(Tiana Benjamin
Tiana Benjamin
Tiana Opium Benjamin is a British actress best known for playing Chelsea Fox in the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders.Benjamin trained at The Anna Scher Theatre School in London....
) set her up on a date with salesman Warren Stamp (Will Mellor
Will Mellor
William "Will" Mellor is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Jambo Bolton in Hollyoaks, Gaz Wilkinson in comedy, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps...
), even though Preeti Choraria (Babita Pohoomull
Babita Pohoomull
Babita Pohoomull is a British. She played Preeti Choraria in EastEnders from 27 October 2006 to 3 January 2008. She also played Gita Dhatri in Casualty. As of September 2009, Pohoomull also appears in CBBC's Planet Ajay.-External links:...
) had a bad experience on a prior date with him. Chelsea did this as she wanted to eliminate Carly as competition for her boyfriend Sean, who had been flirting with her. Carly was almost raped by Warren, but was rescued by Sean. Carly and Sean had sex and then began dating, and when Carly told Chelsea a feud erupted. This led to Chelsea and Deano's attempt to frame Sean for an assault on Patrick Trueman
Patrick Trueman
Patrick Neville Loftus Alfonso Trueman is a fictional character from the popular British BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Rudolph Walker. He made his first appearance on 13 September 2001.-Backstory:...
(Rudolph Walker
Rudolph Walker
Rudolph Walker, OBE is a British character actor. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Walker came to the United Kingdom in 1960....
). Sean was imprisoned and was only released when Carly handed stolen CCTV footage exonerating him into the police, betraying her brother and Chelsea who were arrested for perverting the course of justice. Carly's relationship with Sean ended however, when Sean arranged for Deano to be beaten up by a gang of thugs. Carly believed her family would not forgive her betrayal, so she left Walford and took a job in a gay bar. Deano fled to stay with her in October, fearing Sean and his trial the following day. Carly helped Deano face up to his responsibilities and returned to walford to support her family when Deano was sentenced to 6 months in prison.
Despite Sean's assaults on her brother, Carly briefly resumed a sexual relationship with him, but he had little interest in her as he was besotted with Tanya Branning
Tanya Branning
Tanya Lauren Jessop is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jo Joyner. She made her first appearance on 27 June 2006. She left the show temporarily on 25 December 2009 for maternity leave and returned for one episode on 23 June 2010. She made her full-time return on...
(Jo Joyner
Jo Joyner
Joanne Mary Joyner is an English actress who is best known for her role as Tanya Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, in which she has appeared since June 2006.-Career:...
). On New Year's Eve 2007, Carly discovered that Kevin had died in a car accident. She visited his body in the morgue and screamed, momentarily asking for support from Shirley, who was with Kevin when he died. The following day, however, Carly was incensed that Shirley had been the last face Kevin had seen before he died; she told Shirley that she wished it had been her that died instead. She rejected Shirley's further attempts to comfort her, and after Kevin's funeral in January 2008, Carly and Kevin's wife Denise left Walford to travel the world and scatter Kevin's ashes. In June 2008, Denise returned and revealed that Carly had decided to stay in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. A month later, Carly sent Denise a postcard asking for Kevin's signet ring and on 29 July 2008, it was revealed that Carly was living in Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, a suburb of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. On Christmas Eve, Carly phoned Shirley to wish her a Happy Christmas.
Development
Carly has had an active sex life in the serial, having charged scenes with Jake MoonJake Moon
Jacob "Jake" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Joel Beckett, who appeared from 30 December 2004 as a regular character.-Storylines:...
(Joel Beckett
Joel Beckett
Joel Beckett is an English actor, best known for playing Jake Moon in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders from December 2004 to October 2006 and as Lee in the British comedy series The Office...
) and Sean Slater
Sean Slater
Sean Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Robert Kazinsky. Sean left the Square temporarily on 27 March 2007, as Kazinsky was suspended from work for two months. He returned on 28 May 2007...
(Robert Kazinsky
Robert Kazinsky
Robert Kazinsky is an English actor and model. He is best known for his appearances as Casper Rose in Sky One drama Dream Team in 2005/2006 and Sean Slater in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders from 2006 to 2009.-Background:Kazinsky was born in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England, the son of...
). Speaking of this she states: "It's nice for Carly to have a sex life and it's nice to be paid to kiss somebody." The filming environment put pressure on Shirley and Kazinsky.
Carly's dress sense is that of a tomboy, she likes work overalls and men's boots. Shirley stated that her cast mates were convinced Carly was going to have a lesbian storyline. She added: "I won't miss some of Carly's clothes. I'm like 'Who picked this out? Are you blind?' I won't miss my work boots, they're horrible. Sometimes I have to wear them with dungarees and a man's T-shirt."
Carly has an estranged relationship with her mother Shirley Carter (Linda Henry
Linda Henry
Linda Henry is an English actress, best known for her roles as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV television drama Bad Girls and Shirley Carter in the BBC's soap opera EastEnders.- Early life :...
). Of this, actress Shirley stated: "Shirley is still the mum she doesn't want [...] There's too much bitterness there on Carly's part. It's not that she's being deliberately cruel to Shirley. She just can't let her in. She's seen how many times Shirley's ended up disappointing Deano and she doesn't want to end up hurt like him." Although Kevin is not her biological father, she sees him that way. Carly thought of him as a wonderful father and his death devastates Carly because it is unexpected. Shirley states Carly feels like she has "to put on a brave face but underneath she's cracking up."
When Daniels, who played Carly's father Kevin Wicks
Kevin Wicks
Kevin Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Phil Daniels. He made his first appearance on 17 February 2006...
, quit the serial, producers decided to write out the rest of the Wicks family. Discussing her contract failing to be renewed, Shirley stated: "It's a shame the option on my contract hasn't been picked up, but it wouldn't feel right to remain in the Square without the rest of my family." In her final scenes Carly and her stepmother Denise (Diane Parish
Diane Parish
Diane Parish is a British actress best known for her role as Denise Johnson in the BBC Soap EastEnders and DC Eva Sharpe in The Bill.-Career:...
) decide to go travelling to scatter Kevin's ashes. Shirley felt her exit storyline was fitting, stating: "Kevin was desperate to travel and both Carly and Denise think it would be a fitting tribute for him if they travelled with his ashes and scattered them in the countries he so wanted to see. And Carly won't be coming back." Shirley felt one good thing came out of Kevin's death - "The one positive thing that comes out of Kevin's death is that Carly and Denise get a lot closer. Denise is there for her and together they decide that Kevin would have wanted them to do this together." Although Shirley was happy with her exit storyline, she had originally hoped Carly would be killed on-screen.
Reception
Carly and Jake's sex scene sparked 129 complaints from viewers, with producer Kate HarwoodKate Harwood
Kate Harwood is a British television producer. She is currently the Head of Series and Serials at the BBC.-Early life:Kate graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Drama before becoming an Arts Council Trainee director with Century Theatre and then Literary Manager of the Royal...
defended the scenes stating: "The intention of the scene was to indicate the passion of a couple being carried away by the moment, but we feel any sexual activity was implied rather than explicit." Kris Green of entertainment website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
enjoyed the character, stating: "The fresh faces of Deano and Carly certainly provide a breath of fresh air." Lara Kilner of the Daily Mirror brands Carly a "tomboy" and "the boiler-suited, work-booted Carly".