Lou Beale
Encyclopedia
Louise Ada "Lou" Beale is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Anna Wing
. The character is played by Karen Meagher
in the 1988 EastEnders special, Civvy Street, set during the Second World War.
Lou Beale was the first EastEnders character to be created by series co-creator Tony Holland
, taking the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background.
Lou was the archetypal East End
matriarch throughout EastEnders first three years. An intimidating force within the local community, she was the dowager of Albert Square
's central family, the Beales and Fowlers. Never afraid to speak her mind, and woe betide anyone who managed to get on her wrong side, Lou had the respect of her friends and family, even if they did find her a bit of a nuisance at times.
, Lou lived in Walford
all her life. Albert and Lou came to their house on the corner of Albert Square
, number forty-five, on getting married during the 1930s. Lou remained in the house throughout the Second World War and brought up her children there. Her affinity and ties with the area meant that she tended to view Albert Square as her own and that gave her an excuse to intrude into people's business as she saw fit.
On screen, Lou was mother to Kenny and twins Pete
and Pauline
. After the untimely death of her beloved husband in 1970, Lou remained in the house on Albert Square with her daughter's family; son-in-law Arthur
and grandchildren, Michelle
and Mark
. Kenny emigrated to New Zealand
in the 1960s and it was left to Pauline and Pete to tend to their mum's welfare in her old-age.
Lou was great friends with Dot Cotton and Ethel Skinner
, her life-long neighbours. She also had a good relationship with the local general practitioner
, Dr Legg
and the old Jewish pawnbroker
known only as 'Uncle'.
She had a tempestuous relationship with son-in-law Arthur; nothing he did was ever good enough for her daughter Pauline. In February 1985, she was furious to discover that Pauline had fallen pregnant for the third time, her family already financially crippled by Arthur's long stint of unemployment. Lou wasn't adverse to speaking her mind or scolding her family if she disapproved of their actions, but she soon came to celebrate her grandson Martin's
birth - although she would have preferred him to be named Albert after her late husband. She was a strict traditionalist and moralist but she believed in strong family-values most of all, and would defend her family to the hilt if any outsider dared to criticise. She provided a warm shoulder to cry on when Michelle found out she was pregnant in late 1985 and was supportive of her favourite grandchild, Ian
, on his plans to work within the catering trade rather than following in his father's footsteps in a more masculine occupation.
Lou had a long standing feud with son Pete's ex-wife Pat
, having never forgiven her for having an affair with his older brother, Kenny. Lou was plagued with mixed feelings when Kenny returned to London
in 1988, after banishing him from their lives twenty years before. She had always had a difficult relationship with her son, feeling him to be "too big for the Square" and feared that Pat's revelation, that he was the true father of Pete's son Simon
, would tear her beloved family apart. Before his return to New Zealand, Lou managed to make amends with her estranged son, despite Pat's malicious stirring - who later admitted to Simon that Brian Wicks was his real father after all.
In her later years, Lou was plagued with ill-health. In July 1988, she returned from a holiday in her beloved Leigh-on-Sea
feeling distinctly out of sorts. Sensing her own demise, she took the opportunity to announce to her nearest and dearest exactly what she thought of them; even managing to make a truce of sorts with arch-nemesis Pat. After gathering her clan of Beales and Fowlers around her, she had a few choice words of wisdom and encouragement for each family member. The next morning, she was discovered dead in her bed by daughter Pauline, having died peacefully in her sleep the previous night. Her friends and family mourned her passing affectionately, never quite managing to forget the irreplaceable "old bag".
The youngest of seven siblings, Lou was from a large East End family herself. Only her sister Flo came to outlive her. In 1990, Harry Osborne returned to Albert Square – he had been engaged to Lou's sister, Doris, but she married Morris Miller after he was presumed dead in the war. In 1993, Lou's relative Nellie
came to stay with Pauline and Arthur. In 1997, it was discovered that Lou had given birth to another daughter, also fathered by Albert, who Lou had given up for adoption because she was conceived out of wedlock. Pauline, Ian and Mark travelled to Ireland later that year to reunite with their long-lost family member, Maggie Flaherty.
and Julia Smith
, had always intended the programme to be primarily based around a large family "in old East-end tradition". Even in the 1980s such families were on the decline in the East-end. Natives had begun to emigrate out of East London to areas such as Essex
, Ilford
, Romford
, Chelmsford
and Eastbourne
. However there were still some that refused to uproot and leave the area that had been home to many generations of their family.
To construct the focal family, Holland and Smith were helped considerably by Tony Holland's recollections of his own East-end background. Lou was the first EastEnders character to be created. She was based on Holland's aunt Lou Beale, one of four sisters from a large Walthamstow
family. Lou was mother to his cousins Peter and Pauline and married to Albert; a family set-up that would eventually be recreated on-screen and would go on to be forever hailed as the first family of EastEnders, the Beales and Fowlers. Peter Batt, who was one of the original scriptwriters of EastEnders, has stated that elements of Lou Beale were based on his mosther.
Lou's original character outline as written by series creators Julia Smith
and Tony Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story
:"A lively 70 year old. Archetypal East-end mother-earth figure. Fat, funny, sometimes loud, often openly sentimental. An obsessive view of family...she can be a stubborn cruel "old bag" when she wants to be, sometimes keeping "atmospheres" going for months. It was always Lou's house that was used for the big family celebrations. Especially Christmas. Twenty or more people crammed into a tiny house. Five sisters wedged into a minuscule kitchen; drinking gin and orange; wearing funny hats; all wearing aprons; laughing raucously and trying to cook a huge dinner at the same time. Lou's house was also the meeting place for the family Sunday teas. Ham, or tinned salmon salad. Bread and butter. Jelly and tinned cream. And, tea...the changing face of the area (especially the immigrants) is a constant source of fear to her, but then she doesn't go out much. She prefers to be at home, or on a trip down memory lane: day trips to Southend - the Kursal, Rossi's ice-cream and a plate of cockles; one wonderful week's holiday in a caravan in Clacton; fruit picking in Essex; Christmas; weddings; street parties...She has a soft spot for her son, Pete..." (page 51).
, who was 71 at the time, auditioned for the role. She was so keen to play the part that she turned up for the audition clutching her birth certificate to prove she was a Hackney
greengrocer
's daughter and implored the producers to give her the job. When she first read for the part Holland and Smith felt that "she overacted terribly", but on the second reading she "brought the performance down considerably". There were initial fears over whether an actress of her age would have the stamina to survive EastEnders gruelling schedule, but when asked if she'd like to be in a popular soap, Wing replied "All my life I've been an actress, now I want to be a household name!"
Wing was set to appear in a stage play of Adrian Mole
, which would have clashed with the filming of EastEnders. Julia Smith refused to offer her any leeway and informed her that she had to take a gamble — she could either turn down the play, meaning that if she failed to get the part of Lou she would have lost two jobs, or she could give up the possibility of playing Lou and accept the play. Wing decided to turn down the play and she was subsequently given the role of Lou. An early choice in the casting process, Wing had the face, voice and attitude that Tony Holland had imagined for the character. She was told by producers to bring something from her own background to the role.
newspaper) running the headline "Enter the dragon... Lou Beale!"
Lou was a frightening matriarch who domineered over both the Beale and Fowler families and most of Walford as well. The character did have a softer side, most often seen when interacting with her grandchildren. She was depicted as the linchpin of the Walford community and was often first to rally around her neighbours in times of trouble, or instruct various members of her clan to do so in her stead.
She was a family orientated character, particularly opposed to change and determined to hold on to the ever diminishing traditions of the East End. Most of her storylines were family based, which included various feuds, most notably with Pat Wicks
, the ex-wife of her son who showed up in Walford in 1986. Various scandals and hardships were thrown at the character and her family, which she stoicly battled through in order to keep the closeknit family that she presided over, together. The character was also used for comedy, most regularly with the other older characters, Dot Cotton
and Ethel Skinner
, and she had a tendency to take to her bed and feign sickness if she didn't get her own way. Her relationship with son-in-law Arthur
was another on-going sub-plot often used for comical effect — Lou portraying the stereotypical nagging mother-in-law and Arthur being the main protagonist for most of her displeasure, although they did share moments of closeness as well.
However, in 1988 Anna Wing began to grow disillusioned with the direction the show was going in. She felt EastEnders did not fit in with her beliefs as a Quaker, commenting "We had 31 million viewers and it was shown all over the world, and I suddenly thought 'Should I be in this?'...I had a crisis of conscience." After three years playing Lou, Anna Wing asked to be written out. Wing has since revealed that creator Julia Smith was devastated when she decided to leave, commenting "she said I could have been in it for ever and ever until I popped off for real."
The character was subsequently killed off, dying in her sleep in July 1988 after being frequently ill throughout the year. The character's final episodes were written by Tony Holland and directed by Julia Smith. Lou spent her final day arranging her affairs, seeing various members of her family, passing on advice and giving them presents and at the end of the episode she announced "That's you lot sorted. I can go now." At the start of episode 359 Lou was found to have died peacefully in her sleep. The episode then jumped a few days later to the day of her funeral — an emotional episode, which featured Pete breaking down at Lou's graveside and ended with him proposing a toast in the Vic to absent friends and that "bloody old bag." The episode was also notable for featuring, for the first time, a train crossing the railway viaduct in Bridge Street. This was a special effects shot commissioned especially for the occasion to mark the passing of EastEnders first character. The train was actually a ten-second illusion, produced by the BBC's electronic workshop. One EastEnders official commented "It cost an arm and a leg, but old Lou was worth it."
When EastEnders began in 1985, Pauline
and Pete
were the only two of Lou's offspring to feature on screen. Through character dialogue in July 1985, the audience were told of the existence of three other children; Keith, Paul and Norma — who had moved away to Romford
and Eastbourne
before the series began. As the series progressed Keith, Paul and Norma were apparently forgotten in favour of other children and were not mentioned again.
Circa 1986 viewers were made aware of another child, Kenny, who had moved away to New Zealand
before 1985. In addition, the character of Lou Beale also featured heavily within a series of spin-off EastEnders novels by Hugh Miller, set prior to 1985 and published in 1986. Within the novelisations readers were introduced to characters from Lou's history; sons Harry and Ronnie, a daughter Dora and siblings Elsie, Liz, Queenie and Terence. Kenny also appeared in the books. Within the EastEnders novels, Harry, Dora and Ronnie moved away from home when they were in their twenties and lost contact with their mother. The Beales' fruit and veg stall on Bridge Street market
was passed to Ronnie after his father's death, and again passed to Pete when Ronnie moved away from Walford.
In February 1988 Kenny actually appeared in EastEnders for a brief stint and in December 1988 he was also seen as a young child in EastEnders: Civvy Street. Harry and Ronnie also appeared in the spin-off episode, but did not feature within the television serial itself.
In 1997 another of Lou's children, Maggie Flaherty, was introduced — her eldest child, who was given up for adoption as she was born out of wedlock. Other than the already established Pete, Pauline and Kenny, Maggie remains the only sibling to appear in the on-screen serial. In 2000 an EastEnders book was published entitled EastEnders Who's Who. The book pertained to the existence of Ronnie and yet another child, Maureen, who had both died. Harry and Dora were not mentioned in the book and neither Maureen or Dora have been mentioned or seen on-screen, either in the serial itself or EastEnders: Civvy Street.
As is customary for an ongoing television serial, details and facts are forgotten and recreated as it progresses, which may possibly be the reason for the conflicting information regarding Lou's children.
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 Anna Wing
Anna Wing
Anna Eva Lydia Catherine Wing, MBE is an English actress. She has had a long career in television and theatre.-Personal life:...
. The character is played by Karen Meagher
Karen Meagher
Karen Meagher is an English actress, sometimes credited as Karen Meacher.Her first acting role was playing a skivvy in the 1979 television series The Mallens...
in the 1988 EastEnders special, Civvy Street, set during the Second World War.
Lou Beale was the first EastEnders character to be created by series co-creator 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:...
, taking the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background.
Lou was the archetypal East End
East 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...
matriarch throughout EastEnders first three years. An intimidating force within the local community, she was the dowager of Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
's central family, the Beales and Fowlers. Never afraid to speak her mind, and woe betide anyone who managed to get on her wrong side, Lou had the respect of her friends and family, even if they did find her a bit of a nuisance at times.
Storylines
Born in the East EndEast 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...
, Lou lived in Walford
Walford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
all her life. Albert and Lou came to their house on the corner of Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
, number forty-five, on getting married during the 1930s. Lou remained in the house throughout the Second World War and brought up her children there. Her affinity and ties with the area meant that she tended to view Albert Square as her own and that gave her an excuse to intrude into people's business as she saw fit.
On screen, Lou was mother to Kenny and twins Pete
Pete Beale
Peter "Pete" Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Peter Dean. He made his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was created by Tony Holland, one of the creators of EasEnders; he was based on a member of...
and 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...
. After the untimely death of her beloved husband in 1970, Lou remained in the house on Albert Square with her daughter's family; son-in-law Arthur
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...
and grandchildren, Michelle
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...
and Mark
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...
. Kenny emigrated to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in the 1960s and it was left to Pauline and Pete to tend to their mum's welfare in her old-age.
Lou was great friends with Dot Cotton and Ethel Skinner
Ethel Skinner
Ethel May Skinner is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Gretchen Franklin. Ethel Skinner also features in a 1988 EastEnders special, entitled Civvy Street, set on Albert Square during the Second World War, where the character is played by Alison...
, her life-long neighbours. She also had a good relationship with the local general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
, Dr Legg
Dr. Harold Legg
Doctor Harold Legg is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by Leonard Fenton. Dr. Legg was Walford's original GP. He was widely trusted within the community, and was always on hand to dish out advice. Dr Legg appeared as a regular character between 1985 and 1989, but...
and the old Jewish pawnbroker
Pawnbroker
A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral...
known only as 'Uncle'.
She had a tempestuous relationship with son-in-law Arthur; nothing he did was ever good enough for her daughter Pauline. In February 1985, she was furious to discover that Pauline had fallen pregnant for the third time, her family already financially crippled by Arthur's long stint of unemployment. Lou wasn't adverse to speaking her mind or scolding her family if she disapproved of their actions, but she soon came to celebrate her grandson Martin's
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...
birth - although she would have preferred him to be named Albert after her late husband. She was a strict traditionalist and moralist but she believed in strong family-values most of all, and would defend her family to the hilt if any outsider dared to criticise. She provided a warm shoulder to cry on when Michelle found out she was pregnant in late 1985 and was supportive of her favourite grandchild, Ian
Ian Beale
Ian Albert Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the longest-serving character and the only remaining original character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on 19 February 1985...
, on his plans to work within the catering trade rather than following in his father's footsteps in a more masculine occupation.
Pat Evans
Patricia Louise "Pat" Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She has been played by Pam St. Clement since 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired...
, having never forgiven her for having an affair with his older brother, Kenny. Lou was plagued with mixed feelings when Kenny returned to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1988, after banishing him from their lives twenty years before. She had always had a difficult relationship with her son, feeling him to be "too big for the Square" and feared that Pat's revelation, that he was the true father of Pete's son Simon
Simon Wicks
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...
, would tear her beloved family apart. Before his return to New Zealand, Lou managed to make amends with her estranged son, despite Pat's malicious stirring - who later admitted to Simon that Brian Wicks was his real father after all.
In her later years, Lou was plagued with ill-health. In July 1988, she returned from a holiday in her beloved Leigh-on-Sea
Leigh-on-Sea
Leigh-on-Sea , sometimes called Leigh, is a civil parish in Essex, England. It is part of Southend-on-Sea for administrative purposes. It became a civil parish in 1996. The council tax was increased to support it. A town council was formed. Leigh is the only parish in Southend...
feeling distinctly out of sorts. Sensing her own demise, she took the opportunity to announce to her nearest and dearest exactly what she thought of them; even managing to make a truce of sorts with arch-nemesis Pat. After gathering her clan of Beales and Fowlers around her, she had a few choice words of wisdom and encouragement for each family member. The next morning, she was discovered dead in her bed by daughter Pauline, having died peacefully in her sleep the previous night. Her friends and family mourned her passing affectionately, never quite managing to forget the irreplaceable "old bag".
The youngest of seven siblings, Lou was from a large East End family herself. Only her sister Flo came to outlive her. In 1990, Harry Osborne returned to Albert Square – he had been engaged to Lou's sister, Doris, but she married Morris Miller after he was presumed dead in the war. In 1993, Lou's relative Nellie
Nellie Ellis
Nellie Ellis is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Elizabeth Kelly. Nellie was introduced as the interfering relative of Pauline Fowler in 1993 and appeared regularly until 1998...
came to stay with Pauline and Arthur. In 1997, it was discovered that Lou had given birth to another daughter, also fathered by Albert, who Lou had given up for adoption because she was conceived out of wedlock. Pauline, Ian and Mark travelled to Ireland later that year to reunite with their long-lost family member, Maggie Flaherty.
Background
The creators of EastEnders, Tony HollandTony 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 always intended the programme to be primarily based around a large family "in old East-end tradition". Even in the 1980s such families were on the decline in the East-end. Natives had begun to emigrate out of East London to areas such as Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
, Chelmsford
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
and Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
. However there were still some that refused to uproot and leave the area that had been home to many generations of their family.
To construct the focal family, Holland and Smith were helped considerably by Tony Holland's recollections of his own East-end background. Lou was the first EastEnders character to be created. She was based on Holland's aunt Lou Beale, one of four sisters from a large Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
family. Lou was mother to his cousins Peter and Pauline and married to Albert; a family set-up that would eventually be recreated on-screen and would go on to be forever hailed as the first family of EastEnders, the Beales and Fowlers. Peter Batt, who was one of the original scriptwriters of EastEnders, has stated that elements of Lou Beale were based on his mosther.
Lou's original character outline as written by series creators 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...
and Tony Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story
EastEnders books
This is a list of books about or relating to the British soap opera EastEnders.-Non-fiction books:* EastEnders: The Inside Story* Public Secrets: EastEnders and its Audience* EastEnders Special...
:"A lively 70 year old. Archetypal East-end mother-earth figure. Fat, funny, sometimes loud, often openly sentimental. An obsessive view of family...she can be a stubborn cruel "old bag" when she wants to be, sometimes keeping "atmospheres" going for months. It was always Lou's house that was used for the big family celebrations. Especially Christmas. Twenty or more people crammed into a tiny house. Five sisters wedged into a minuscule kitchen; drinking gin and orange; wearing funny hats; all wearing aprons; laughing raucously and trying to cook a huge dinner at the same time. Lou's house was also the meeting place for the family Sunday teas. Ham, or tinned salmon salad. Bread and butter. Jelly and tinned cream. And, tea...the changing face of the area (especially the immigrants) is a constant source of fear to her, but then she doesn't go out much. She prefers to be at home, or on a trip down memory lane: day trips to Southend - the Kursal, Rossi's ice-cream and a plate of cockles; one wonderful week's holiday in a caravan in Clacton; fruit picking in Essex; Christmas; weddings; street parties...She has a soft spot for her son, Pete..." (page 51).
Casting
The actress Anna WingAnna Wing
Anna Eva Lydia Catherine Wing, MBE is an English actress. She has had a long career in television and theatre.-Personal life:...
, who was 71 at the time, auditioned for the role. She was so keen to play the part that she turned up for the audition clutching her birth certificate to prove she was a Hackney
Hackney Central
Hackney Central is the central district of the London Borough of Hackney in London, England. It comprises the area roughly surrounding, and extending north from Mare Street. It is situated north east of Charing Cross...
greengrocer
Greengrocer
A greengrocer or fruiterer is a retail trader in fruit and vegetables; that is, in green groceries. Greengrocer is primarily a British and Australian term, and greengrocers' shops were once common in suburbs, towns and villages...
's daughter and implored the producers to give her the job. When she first read for the part Holland and Smith felt that "she overacted terribly", but on the second reading she "brought the performance down considerably". There were initial fears over whether an actress of her age would have the stamina to survive EastEnders gruelling schedule, but when asked if she'd like to be in a popular soap, Wing replied "All my life I've been an actress, now I want to be a household name!"
Wing was set to appear in a stage play of Adrian Mole
Adrian Mole
Adrian Albert Mole is the fictional protagonist in a series of books by English author Sue Townsend. The character first appeared in a BBC Radio 4 play in 1982. The books are written in the form of a diary, with some additional content such as correspondence...
, which would have clashed with the filming of EastEnders. Julia Smith refused to offer her any leeway and informed her that she had to take a gamble — she could either turn down the play, meaning that if she failed to get the part of Lou she would have lost two jobs, or she could give up the possibility of playing Lou and accept the play. Wing decided to turn down the play and she was subsequently given the role of Lou. An early choice in the casting process, Wing had the face, voice and attitude that Tony Holland had imagined for the character. She was told by producers to bring something from her own background to the role.
Narrative, impact and progression
Lou's fierce demeanour made an impact from the opening episode, with one of the popular press in Britain (The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper) running the headline "Enter the dragon... Lou Beale!"
Lou was a frightening matriarch who domineered over both the Beale and Fowler families and most of Walford as well. The character did have a softer side, most often seen when interacting with her grandchildren. She was depicted as the linchpin of the Walford community and was often first to rally around her neighbours in times of trouble, or instruct various members of her clan to do so in her stead.
She was a family orientated character, particularly opposed to change and determined to hold on to the ever diminishing traditions of the East End. Most of her storylines were family based, which included various feuds, most notably with Pat Wicks
Pat Evans
Patricia Louise "Pat" Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She has been played by Pam St. Clement since 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired...
, the ex-wife of her son who showed up in Walford in 1986. Various scandals and hardships were thrown at the character and her family, which she stoicly battled through in order to keep the closeknit family that she presided over, together. The character was also used for comedy, most regularly with the other older characters, Dot Cotton
Dot Branning
Dorothy "Dot" Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by June Brown since 1985. In a special episode entitled EastEnders: Dot's Story a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in flashbacks. Dot first appeared in EastEnders in July 1985 as the mother of...
and Ethel Skinner
Ethel Skinner
Ethel May Skinner is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Gretchen Franklin. Ethel Skinner also features in a 1988 EastEnders special, entitled Civvy Street, set on Albert Square during the Second World War, where the character is played by Alison...
, and she had a tendency to take to her bed and feign sickness if she didn't get her own way. Her relationship with son-in-law Arthur
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...
was another on-going sub-plot often used for comical effect — Lou portraying the stereotypical nagging mother-in-law and Arthur being the main protagonist for most of her displeasure, although they did share moments of closeness as well.
However, in 1988 Anna Wing began to grow disillusioned with the direction the show was going in. She felt EastEnders did not fit in with her beliefs as a Quaker, commenting "We had 31 million viewers and it was shown all over the world, and I suddenly thought 'Should I be in this?'...I had a crisis of conscience." After three years playing Lou, Anna Wing asked to be written out. Wing has since revealed that creator Julia Smith was devastated when she decided to leave, commenting "she said I could have been in it for ever and ever until I popped off for real."
The character was subsequently killed off, dying in her sleep in July 1988 after being frequently ill throughout the year. The character's final episodes were written by Tony Holland and directed by Julia Smith. Lou spent her final day arranging her affairs, seeing various members of her family, passing on advice and giving them presents and at the end of the episode she announced "That's you lot sorted. I can go now." At the start of episode 359 Lou was found to have died peacefully in her sleep. The episode then jumped a few days later to the day of her funeral — an emotional episode, which featured Pete breaking down at Lou's graveside and ended with him proposing a toast in the Vic to absent friends and that "bloody old bag." The episode was also notable for featuring, for the first time, a train crossing the railway viaduct in Bridge Street. This was a special effects shot commissioned especially for the occasion to mark the passing of EastEnders first character. The train was actually a ten-second illusion, produced by the BBC's electronic workshop. One EastEnders official commented "It cost an arm and a leg, but old Lou was worth it."
Character continuity
Lou was a central character, who remained at the heart of the series during her time on screen and is still occasionally referred to by long running characters in a nostalgic nod back to the show's early history. There remains, however, a certain level of uncertainty and conflicting information regarding the character's background, in particular the number of offspring she supposedly produced.When EastEnders began in 1985, 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...
and Pete
Pete Beale
Peter "Pete" Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Peter Dean. He made his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was created by Tony Holland, one of the creators of EasEnders; he was based on a member of...
were the only two of Lou's offspring to feature on screen. Through character dialogue in July 1985, the audience were told of the existence of three other children; Keith, Paul and Norma — who had moved away to Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
and Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
before the series began. As the series progressed Keith, Paul and Norma were apparently forgotten in favour of other children and were not mentioned again.
Circa 1986 viewers were made aware of another child, Kenny, who had moved away to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
before 1985. In addition, the character of Lou Beale also featured heavily within a series of spin-off EastEnders novels by Hugh Miller, set prior to 1985 and published in 1986. Within the novelisations readers were introduced to characters from Lou's history; sons Harry and Ronnie, a daughter Dora and siblings Elsie, Liz, Queenie and Terence. Kenny also appeared in the books. Within the EastEnders novels, Harry, Dora and Ronnie moved away from home when they were in their twenties and lost contact with their mother. The Beales' fruit and veg stall on Bridge Street market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
was passed to Ronnie after his father's death, and again passed to Pete when Ronnie moved away from Walford.
In February 1988 Kenny actually appeared in EastEnders for a brief stint and in December 1988 he was also seen as a young child in EastEnders: Civvy Street. Harry and Ronnie also appeared in the spin-off episode, but did not feature within the television serial itself.
In 1997 another of Lou's children, Maggie Flaherty, was introduced — her eldest child, who was given up for adoption as she was born out of wedlock. Other than the already established Pete, Pauline and Kenny, Maggie remains the only sibling to appear in the on-screen serial. In 2000 an EastEnders book was published entitled EastEnders Who's Who. The book pertained to the existence of Ronnie and yet another child, Maureen, who had both died. Harry and Dora were not mentioned in the book and neither Maureen or Dora have been mentioned or seen on-screen, either in the serial itself or EastEnders: Civvy Street.
As is customary for an ongoing television serial, details and facts are forgotten and recreated as it progresses, which may possibly be the reason for the conflicting information regarding Lou's children.
External links
- Interview with Anna Wing from The Walford Gazette
- Interview with Anna Wing on TalkWalford