Lynne Hobbs
Encyclopedia
Lynne Marie Hobbs is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Elaine Lordan
. She appeared in the show from September 2000 to July 2004
Lynne was a fierce judge of right and wrong, although she wasn't always able to practice what she preached. She had a turbulent relationship with husband Garry
, but despite her complaints about him, it ended up being Lynne's adultery that put their relationship in jeopardy long before Garry strayed.
and Viv Slater, and arrived on the Square with her maternal grandmother Mo Harris
, sisters Kat
and Little Mo
and her niece Zoe Slater. Unlike Little Mo and Zoe, Lynne was aware that Zoe was in fact Kat's daughter, and helped keep the family secret until Kat revealed the truth to Zoe. Lynne was described as being feisty and loud, she made an enemy in Janine Evans.
in 2000 with the rest of her family: father Charlie
; sisters Kat, Little Mo
and Zoe
, and grandmother Mo
.
Lynne was in a relationship with hapless mechanic
Garry Hobbs
and she spent much of her time despairing over Garry's inability to fully commit to their relationship. All Lynne really wanted was to marry Garry, settle down and raise a family. But although Garry loved Lynne he was initially hesitant to lose his 'bachelor
status' and he in turn spent much of his time dodging Lynne's less than subtle hints about marriage. However, Lynne (and the rest of the Slaters) wore Garry down and the two eventually got engaged.
Lynne worked in Ian Beale
's café and she often clashed with co-worker Janine Butcher
, who would regularly slack off work and flirt with Garry to wind her up. This culminated in Lynne eventually getting Janine fired and the two were sworn enemies thereafter.
In 2001, Lynne became friendly with womanising club owner Beppe di Marco
and she would often be put upon to babysit for his son Joe. The pair soon became attracted to each other and shared several kisses. She even had a one night stand
with Beppe on the eve of her wedding to Garry. Beppe felt that Garry didn't deserve Lynne and he attempted to stop Lynne from marrying him by turning up at the register office
and starting a fight with Garry. Lynne was tempted, but she decided to go through with the wedding in the end.
The marriage did not go smoothly, however, and in 2002 Lynne strayed again, this time with her ex-lover Jason James. Jason was Lynne's ex-fiancé, who had ditched her at the altar the day of their wedding and then fled to Dubai
. After a chance meeting, the two rekindled their affair. Jason wanted to make another go of things with Lynne and almost persuaded her to leave Garry and live with him away from Walford. However, just at the last minute, Lynne changed her mind, opting to stay with her family instead of following her heart. Garry forgave Lynne as he was desperate to hang onto her, but the trust had gone from their relationship following Lynne's second betrayal.
In 2003, another affair jeopardised Lynne's marriage, but this time it was Garry who strayed. A drunken one night stand with the married Laura Beale
culminated in Laura falling 'supposedly' pregnant to Garry, and after Laura's husband Ian
threw her out, she came knocking on Garry's door for money. Lynne had been desperately trying for a baby during this time and she was unable to forgive Garry for fathering a child with another woman. Lynne promptly threw Garry to the curb and the two remained separated for some time after. During their separation, Garry continued to 'upset the apple cart' by moving in with Laura and having a one night stand with Lynne's other sister, Belinda Peacock.
Despite this, Lynne was eventually persuaded to give Garry another chance and in 2004 she too fell pregnant. A pre-natal scan confirmed that she was expecting a girl, who Lynne planned to name Vivian after her dead mother. However, disaster struck later that year, when a badly put together fairground ride collapsed in the Square and Lynne was buried under the debris. Lynne survived but later in hospital she started getting severe pains in her abdomen. The doctors informed Garry that if they didn't perform a caesarian section, then both baby and mother would die. Garry knew that Lynne wanted a natural birth, but he nevertheless agreed to the caesarian section. Lynne survived the operation, but unfortunately her baby died and as a result Lynne was no longer able to have children. When Lynne awoke from the surgery and was told the tragic news, she became devastated and blamed Garry for the whole mess. She was furious with him for consenting to surgery and couldn't even bring herself to look at him. On the day of her daughter's funeral, Lynne decided that her marriage to Garry was over. She felt there was nothing left for her in Walford as everything there was just a bitter reminder of what she'd lost. She left that day to go and stay with her aunt Jean and her departure left Garry a broken man. Lynne's last appearance was in July 2004.
Lynne and Garry have since divorced and in 2007 the Slaters heard news that Lynne was engaged. In January 2011, Charlie leaves Walford to live with Lynne.
commented, "We do not have enough solid families in the soap, there were a lot of fractured families and people who were alone." The family were created as a replacement for the di Marco family, who were axed by Yorke. The family consisted of, grandmother Mo Harris
(Laila Morse
), father Charlie
(Derek Martin
), his four children, Lynne (Elaine Lordan
), Kat
(Jessie Wallace
), Little Mo
(Kacey Ainsworth
), Zoe
(Michelle Ryan
), as well as Lynne's boyfriend Garry Hobbs
(Ricky Groves
). It later transpired that Kat was the mother of Zoe, after being raped by her uncle Harry Slater (Michael Elphick
).
Lordan was cast in the role of Lynne after the character was developed at an improvisation session for thirty actors and actresses earlier in the year. The character was described as "feisty", "a loud mouth" and "lazy".
in the cartoon
sketch show 2DTV
.
Also, impressionist Alistair McGowan
has impersonated Lynne working in the cafe, in his comedy show, The Big Impression.
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 Elaine Lordan
Elaine Lordan
Elaine Lordan is a British actress.Lordan is most famous for her role as Lynne Hobbs in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which she appeared in from 2000 until 2004...
. She appeared in the show from September 2000 to July 2004
Lynne was a fierce judge of right and wrong, although she wasn't always able to practice what she preached. She had a turbulent relationship with husband Garry
Garry Hobbs
Garry Pelé Hobbs is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ricky Groves. He made his first appearance on 18 September 2000...
, but despite her complaints about him, it ended up being Lynne's adultery that put their relationship in jeopardy long before Garry strayed.
Backstory
Lynne is the eldest daughter of CharlieCharlie Slater
Charles "Charlie" Slater is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Derek Martin, making his first appearance on 4 September 2000. He is played by Jason McGregor in flashbacks broadcast in 2001. He also makes a cameo appearance in the second series of the...
and Viv Slater, and arrived on the Square with her maternal grandmother Mo Harris
Mo Harris
Maureen "Big Mo" Harris is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who has been in the series since 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo is also played by Lorraine Stanley in a soap 'bubble' Pat and Mo, delving into her past with Pat Evans, which aired in 2004...
, sisters Kat
Kat Moon
Kathleen "Kat" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001. She appeared in the show from September 2000 to November 2004, then returned in May 2005...
and Little Mo
Little Mo Mitchell
Maureen "Little Mo" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Kacey Ainsworth.-Storylines:...
and her niece Zoe Slater. Unlike Little Mo and Zoe, Lynne was aware that Zoe was in fact Kat's daughter, and helped keep the family secret until Kat revealed the truth to Zoe. Lynne was described as being feisty and loud, she made an enemy in Janine Evans.
2000-2004
Lynne is the eldest of the Slater sisters and she arrived in Albert SquareAlbert 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...
in 2000 with the rest of her family: father Charlie
Charlie Slater
Charles "Charlie" Slater is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Derek Martin, making his first appearance on 4 September 2000. He is played by Jason McGregor in flashbacks broadcast in 2001. He also makes a cameo appearance in the second series of the...
; sisters Kat, Little Mo
Little Mo Mitchell
Maureen "Little Mo" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Kacey Ainsworth.-Storylines:...
and Zoe
Zoe Slater
Zoe Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michelle Ryan. She made her first appearance on the 18 September 2000...
, and grandmother Mo
Mo Harris
Maureen "Big Mo" Harris is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who has been in the series since 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo is also played by Lorraine Stanley in a soap 'bubble' Pat and Mo, delving into her past with Pat Evans, which aired in 2004...
.
Lynne was in a relationship with hapless mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
Garry Hobbs
Garry Hobbs
Garry Pelé Hobbs is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ricky Groves. He made his first appearance on 18 September 2000...
and she spent much of her time despairing over Garry's inability to fully commit to their relationship. All Lynne really wanted was to marry Garry, settle down and raise a family. But although Garry loved Lynne he was initially hesitant to lose his 'bachelor
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
status' and he in turn spent much of his time dodging Lynne's less than subtle hints about marriage. However, Lynne (and the rest of the Slaters) wore Garry down and the two eventually got engaged.
Lynne worked in Ian Beale
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...
's café and she often clashed with co-worker Janine Butcher
Janine Evans
Janine Butcher is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, currently portrayed by Charlie Brooks. Rebecca Michael originally portrayed the character from 1989 until 1993, when the role was given to Alexia Demetriou for three years. Brooks took on the role in 1999...
, who would regularly slack off work and flirt with Garry to wind her up. This culminated in Lynne eventually getting Janine fired and the two were sworn enemies thereafter.
In 2001, Lynne became friendly with womanising club owner Beppe di Marco
Beppe di Marco
Beppe di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael Greco.Beppe was his family's pride and joy, so it was a big shock to them when he was fired from the police force for attempting to frame local hardman Grant Mitchell...
and she would often be put upon to babysit for his son Joe. The pair soon became attracted to each other and shared several kisses. She even had a one night stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
with Beppe on the eve of her wedding to Garry. Beppe felt that Garry didn't deserve Lynne and he attempted to stop Lynne from marrying him by turning up at the register office
Register office
A register office is a British term for a civil registry, a government office and depository where births, deaths and marriages are officially recorded and where you can get officially married, without a religious ceremony...
and starting a fight with Garry. Lynne was tempted, but she decided to go through with the wedding in the end.
The marriage did not go smoothly, however, and in 2002 Lynne strayed again, this time with her ex-lover Jason James. Jason was Lynne's ex-fiancé, who had ditched her at the altar the day of their wedding and then fled to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. After a chance meeting, the two rekindled their affair. Jason wanted to make another go of things with Lynne and almost persuaded her to leave Garry and live with him away from Walford. However, just at the last minute, Lynne changed her mind, opting to stay with her family instead of following her heart. Garry forgave Lynne as he was desperate to hang onto her, but the trust had gone from their relationship following Lynne's second betrayal.
In 2003, another affair jeopardised Lynne's marriage, but this time it was Garry who strayed. A drunken one night stand with the married Laura Beale
Laura Beale
Laura Ellen Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Hannah Waterman.Laura only ever wanted a happy marriage, but was always made to feel inferior and unattractive by her husband, Ian Beale...
culminated in Laura falling 'supposedly' pregnant to Garry, and after Laura's husband 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...
threw her out, she came knocking on Garry's door for money. Lynne had been desperately trying for a baby during this time and she was unable to forgive Garry for fathering a child with another woman. Lynne promptly threw Garry to the curb and the two remained separated for some time after. During their separation, Garry continued to 'upset the apple cart' by moving in with Laura and having a one night stand with Lynne's other sister, Belinda Peacock.
Despite this, Lynne was eventually persuaded to give Garry another chance and in 2004 she too fell pregnant. A pre-natal scan confirmed that she was expecting a girl, who Lynne planned to name Vivian after her dead mother. However, disaster struck later that year, when a badly put together fairground ride collapsed in the Square and Lynne was buried under the debris. Lynne survived but later in hospital she started getting severe pains in her abdomen. The doctors informed Garry that if they didn't perform a caesarian section, then both baby and mother would die. Garry knew that Lynne wanted a natural birth, but he nevertheless agreed to the caesarian section. Lynne survived the operation, but unfortunately her baby died and as a result Lynne was no longer able to have children. When Lynne awoke from the surgery and was told the tragic news, she became devastated and blamed Garry for the whole mess. She was furious with him for consenting to surgery and couldn't even bring herself to look at him. On the day of her daughter's funeral, Lynne decided that her marriage to Garry was over. She felt there was nothing left for her in Walford as everything there was just a bitter reminder of what she'd lost. She left that day to go and stay with her aunt Jean and her departure left Garry a broken man. Lynne's last appearance was in July 2004.
Lynne and Garry have since divorced and in 2007 the Slaters heard news that Lynne was engaged. In January 2011, Charlie leaves Walford to live with Lynne.
Creation and development
In 2000, EastEnders executive producer John Yorke decided to introduce the "classic" Slater family. He felt the show needed to go back to its roots and bring back some traditional values. BBC's head of drama, Mal YoungMal Young
Mal Young is a British television producer and executive producer.-Background:His initial career was in the Graphic Design industry, and it was not until the age of 27 that he began working in television, on the acclaimed Channel 4 soap opera Brookside.Working on the show for nearly a decade, he...
commented, "We do not have enough solid families in the soap, there were a lot of fractured families and people who were alone." The family were created as a replacement for the di Marco family, who were axed by Yorke. The family consisted of, grandmother Mo Harris
Mo Harris
Maureen "Big Mo" Harris is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who has been in the series since 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo is also played by Lorraine Stanley in a soap 'bubble' Pat and Mo, delving into her past with Pat Evans, which aired in 2004...
(Laila Morse
Laila Morse
Laila Morse is an English actress, best known for playing Mo Harris in BBC series EastEnders and Janet in the 1997 movie Nil by Mouth ."Laila Morse" is an anagram of an Italian phrase for "my sister" - a name she...
), father Charlie
Charlie Slater
Charles "Charlie" Slater is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Derek Martin, making his first appearance on 4 September 2000. He is played by Jason McGregor in flashbacks broadcast in 2001. He also makes a cameo appearance in the second series of the...
(Derek Martin
Derek Martin
Derek Martin is a British actor who is best known for his role as Charlie Slater in the British soap opera EastEnders which he played from 2000 to 2011.-Personal life:...
), his four children, Lynne (Elaine Lordan
Elaine Lordan
Elaine Lordan is a British actress.Lordan is most famous for her role as Lynne Hobbs in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which she appeared in from 2000 until 2004...
), Kat
Kat Moon
Kathleen "Kat" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001. She appeared in the show from September 2000 to November 2004, then returned in May 2005...
(Jessie Wallace
Jessie Wallace
Jessie Wallace is an English actress best known for her portrayal as Kat Moon in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early life:...
), Little Mo
Little Mo Mitchell
Maureen "Little Mo" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Kacey Ainsworth.-Storylines:...
(Kacey Ainsworth
Kacey Ainsworth
Kacey Ainsworth is an English actress, best known for playing the long-suffering Little Mo in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Life and career:Kacey Ainsworth, is the only soap actress who has won three Soap Actress awards in one single year in 2002...
), Zoe
Zoe Slater
Zoe Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michelle Ryan. She made her first appearance on the 18 September 2000...
(Michelle Ryan
Michelle Ryan
Michelle Claire Ryan is an English actress.She is best known for portraying the role of Zoe Slater on BBC soap opera EastEnders. In 2007, she starred in the short lived American television series Bionic Woman...
), as well as Lynne's boyfriend Garry Hobbs
Garry Hobbs
Garry Pelé Hobbs is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ricky Groves. He made his first appearance on 18 September 2000...
(Ricky Groves
Ricky Groves
Richard "Ricky" Groves is an English actor best known for playing Garry Hobbs in EastEnders from 2000–09. Before his role in EastEnders he appeared in the series Burnside, a spin-off from The Bill.-Other TV work:...
). It later transpired that Kat was the mother of Zoe, after being raped by her uncle Harry Slater (Michael Elphick
Michael Elphick
Michael John Elphick was an English actor. Elphick was known in the UK for his trademark croaky voice and his work on British television, in particular his roles as the eponymous private investigator in the ITV series Boon and later Harry Slater in BBC's EastEnders.Robust and ruggedly good-looking...
).
Lordan was cast in the role of Lynne after the character was developed at an improvisation session for thirty actors and actresses earlier in the year. The character was described as "feisty", "a loud mouth" and "lazy".
In popular culture
The character of Lynne Hobbs has been spoofedParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
in the cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
sketch show 2DTV
2DTV
2DTV is a British satirical animated television show that was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom, directed by Tim Searle.2DTV employs the same satirical style as Spitting Image, but using animation rather than puppets. The animation was produced on computer, frequently with animators working up...
.
Also, impressionist Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
has impersonated Lynne working in the cafe, in his comedy show, The Big Impression.