Sonia Fowler
Encyclopedia
Sonia Ann Fowler is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Natalie Cassidy
. Her first appearance was on 21 December 1993 and she made her final appearance on 2 February 2007. However, she returned briefly in 2010 along with other members of the Jackson family and re-appeared on the soap from 8 to 18 February 2010. She returned again for a single episode on 21 January 2011.
-playing Sonia Jackson arrives in Albert Square in 1993 with the rest of her family. The third of Carol's four children, Sonia was the result of her mother's fling with Terry Cant, whom Sonia never knew. During her early childhood, she forms a close friendship with Clare Tyler and the two are inseparable until Clare falls in with the wrong crowd at school and starts bullying Sonia. They manage to patch things up before Clare leaves Walford in 1998. Sonia herself briefly leaves Walford in 1997, following her brother Billie's kidnapping, but she returns to visit her family, eventually moving back permanently to live with her sister Bianca, in 1998.
Following a brief romance with an Italian exchange student, Enrico di Clemente, in 1999, Sonia sleeps with Martin Fowler
in 2000 in a moment of vulnerability. She puts this behind her and begins a romance with Jamie Mitchell
; however, a stunned Sonia gives birth to Martin's daughter on 26 October 2000; she had not even realised that she had been pregnant, putting her weight gain down to overeating. Baby Chloe (later renamed Rebecca) is subsequently given up for adoption
, despite protests from Martin's mother Pauline
. However, Sonia later develops an obsession with her adopted daughter and abducts her, locking herself in her house with the baby. Despite pleas from Rebecca's adoptive parents, it is Sonia's step-grandmother, Dot
, who persuades Sonia to return the baby.
Sonia and Jamie get engaged, but due to Jamie's fling with Zoe Slater
and constant rowing, the engagement is cancelled. Sonia begins dating Gus Smith
, who plans to propose, but is devastated when Sonia decides to reunite with Jamie following a brutal assault on Jamie by his guardian Phil Mitchell
. Sonia comes to his aid, nursing him through his injuries and they decide to marry. Their happiness is short-lived as Martin Fowler accidentally hits Jamie with his car in December 2002. Sonia keeps a bedside vigil, and is with Jamie when he dies on Christmas Day. Sonia finds it hard to let go of Jamie or her anger towards Martin, but she eventually forgives him. They slowly grow closer and feelings develop into love; they elope in 2004 and marry in seclusion.
Sonia begins nursing training and she and Martin live with Pauline, but find her interference difficult to cope with. Months into the marriage, Martin gets unwittingly involved with a stalker, Sarah Cairns, who becomes obsessed and attempts to ruin his marriage. This culminates in Sarah holding Sonia and Martin hostage and stabbing Martin, until Sonia knocks her unconscious. Sonia and Martin face further upset when they discover that their daughter's adoptive parents have been killed in a motor accident. They visit Rebecca's guardian, Margaret Wilson, masking their true identity, but when Margaret realises who they are, she orders them to leave. Pauline interferes and, along with Martin, visits Rebecca. Sonia is furious when she discovers this and animosity in the Fowlers' home puts a strain on Martin and Sonia's relationship. Sonia begins spending time with one of her nursing colleagues, Naomi Julien
; feelings develop and this leads Sonia to begin a lesbian affair with Naomi. Martin is heartbroken when his marriage ends, and the situation is complicated further by Rebecca, who, on Margaret's request, begins to spend more time at the Fowlers'. Margaret decides she wants to make the Fowlers legal guardians of Rebecca, but subsequently opts not to include Sonia in this when she discovers her lesbian fling. Margaret dies and custody of Rebecca is given to Martin; Pauline tries to prohibit Sonia from having anything to do with Rebecca. As a result, Sonia becomes distraught and preoccupied with Rebecca. Feeling neglected, Naomi ends their lesbian relationship.
Sonia becomes depressed and begins neglecting her work, drinking alcohol, until Gus helps her straighten her life out. Sonia and Gus begin a second romance, which ultimately ends due to Sonia's lingering feelings for Martin. On 17 October 2006, Sonia and Martin receive their divorce papers. However, both feel remorseful and they secretly reunite. Pauline eventually discovers this; she concocts a story that she is dying from a brain tumour in order to stop Martin from moving in with Sonia. Just as Pauline intends, Martin ends his relationship with Sonia in order to care for his mother, but when the truth finally comes out, a furious Martin moves out anyway. Pauline responds with ire, threatening to cut her son from her life. Sonia attempts to rebuild bridges with Pauline on Christmas Day 2006, but a resulting argument ends with Sonia slapping Pauline. When Pauline is found dead later that day, Sonia fears that it is her slap that has caused her death. She discovers that Rebecca witnessed the slap and tries to silence her daughter, but Rebecca informs Dot at Pauline's funeral. Appalled, Martin refuses Sonia access to Rebecca. Fearing imprisonment Sonia goes on the run, abducting Rebecca. Martin is frantic, but days later Sonia returns and she is arrested on a murder charge; however, that same night Dot uncovers the identity of Pauline's real murderer — Pauline's husband Joe Macer
, who had argued with Pauline on Christmas Day and struck her over her head, causing her death. Sonia is released and decides to leave Walford for Manchester in February 2007. After making peace with Martin, she takes a taxi and is about to leave Walford when she sees Martin and Rebecca obstructing the road; Martin has decided that he wants to go with Sonia. The Fowlers reunite and leave as a family. They spend time touring the USA before settling in Manchester.
In January 2010, Bianca contacts Sonia to invite her to her wedding to Ricky. Sonia texts
Bianca, saying that she and Martin will attend. She arrives alone on 8 February and says Martin and Rebecca are doing fine, but later rejects a phone call from Martin and gets very drunk. The following day, Sonia walks in on Dot slapping her granddaughter Dotty Cotton
across the legs, leading to Dot's arrest, though she is soon released without charge. A week into her return, Bianca notices Sonia has continuously avoided talking about Martin and Rebecca. Sonia visits Jamie's grave and later returns to The Queen Victoria, drunken and verbally lays into Phil, Jamie's godfather about his treatment of Jamie. Phil cools her down by telling her he considers Jamie one of his kids and tells her to go upstairs to sober up. She misunderstands him and gets into his bed, naked. As soon as Phil sees Sonia in bed, Shirley Carter walks in and gets the wrong idea and slaps Phil across the face. Sonia later apologises to Phil after a telling off from Shirley. She confides in Carol about her marriage problems with Martin and Carol advises her to give it another shot for Rebecca's sake. After the wedding of Ricky and Bianca, Sonia decides it is time for her to make a fresh start with Martin, after being inspired by Ricky and Bianca's reunion, and she leaves the Square once again. In October 2010, it is revealed that Sonia could not attend Billie's funeral as she is visiting Robbie in Mumbai
, but she sends flowers. Sonia returns to Walford in January 2011 to explain where Bianca is, as she has gone missing. She tells Carol that Bianca is staying with her in a B&B in Dagenham
, and explains that she was unable to attend Billie's funeral because she was too upset, not because she was visiting Robbie. She reveals that she and Martin have split up as he was having an affair and she and Rebecca are now living back in London. She then takes Carol to see Bianca.
1994 was a "historic" year for EastEnders, as in April, a third weekly episode was introduced. Due to the programme's increased frequency, a number of new characters were introduced to the regular cast in the latter part of 1993 and early 1994. Among them were the Jackson family: mother Carol
(Lindsey Coulson
), her four children, Bianca
(Patsy Palmer
), Robbie
(Dean Gaffney
), Sonia (Natalie Cassidy
), and Billie (Devon Anderson
), as well as Carol's partner Alan Jackson
(Howard Antony
). Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in the serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billie, the whole family took on Alan's surname. The family was created by writer Tony McHale
.
Various members of the family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting of Albert Square
. Their slow introduction was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period. The Jacksons have been described by EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake
as a "classic problem family".
Cassidy was 10 years old when she joined the soap as Sonia. She was spotted doing improvisations at the Anna Scher Theatre School by Tony McHale and EastEnders Casting Advisor Jane Deitch. They liked Cassidy and she was asked to audition at Elstree studios, after which she was offered the part. None of the actors cast as the Jackson family were matched for appearance or screen compatibility. Cassidy commented, "it was all decided without doing that. I don't think it particularly mattered that none of us Jackson kids looked like each other because all our characters had different dads!"
) after she fell in with the wrong crowd at school. Despite the bullying storyline, Cassidy said that she and Bissix were good friends during their time together on the soap.
In 1997, the actress who played Sonia's mother Carol decided to quit EastEnders. It was at this stage that the producers made a decision to write the majority of the Jackson family out. Cassidy commented, "I thought I was out of a job [on EastEnders] forever!". Cassidy made several temporary returns on-screen months later to visit Clare or Bianca, but she was still uncertain about the future of her character: "I didn't come back to the show for about four months or so after [ I was written out in 1997]. And after Clare left the Square [in 1998] I was gone for another eight months. I just got on with school and all that". However, later in 1998 the producers asked Cassidy to return to the serial full-time, which she said she was "thrilled" about.
, also left the serial. Their departing storyline was the culmination of the death of Pauline Fowler, following actress Wendy Richard
's high profile resignation from the serial in 2006. In the storyline, Pauline dies in suspicious circumstances and Sonia is blamed for killing her, although Sonia is eventually vindicated when Pauline's husband Joe Macer
(Ray Brooks) admits to manslaughter. Sonia and Martin and their daughter Rebecca leave Walford as a united family for the United States
. In 2010, Cassidy said one of the reasons she decided to leave the show was because of Sonia's lesbian affair with Naomi Julien
(Petra Letang
), saying it was wrong for the character.
Despite Cassidy's departure being specified as a "break", Cassidy commented in 2008, "I feel that door's closed now and I need to go and do other stuff [...] Maybe in nine years I might go back." More recently, in 2009, press reports suggested that the actress was keen to reprise the role. Patsy Palmer, who returned to EastEnders as Sonia's sister Bianca, publicly called for the actress's return: "I would love her to come back. I mean, she is family! I've told bosses that it's a good time, when you think about it, as the Jacksons are back now as well."
: "Everything's being kept hush-hush about the Jacksons' return at the moment, but there are certainly a load of questions to be answered. Will the frosty relationship between Carol and Bianca thaw? Are Sonia and Martin still together? And how will Robbie react when he learns of his beloved Wellard's death? Everyone's so pleased to have them back." The family will return for Bianca's second wedding to Ricky Butcher
as part of the show's 25th anniversary. Executive producer Diederick Santer
explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "The wedding is the perfect opportunity for us to bring back the much-loved Jackson characters – Carol, Sonia, Robbie and Billie." In December 2010, it was confirmed that Sonia would return again on 21 January 2011 for a single episode to explain the departure of her sister Bianca; Bianca's actress Patsy Palmer left prematurely and was unable to film her exit scenes due to the premature delivery of her baby.
. Additionally, in 2004, Cassidy was awarded "best dramatic performance by a young actor or actress" for the role.
Referencing Sonia's foray into lesbianism in 2005, TV critic Grace Dent
branded the character "the worst lesbian ever", adding, "The only lesbians with less lesbian tendencies than you are the women on the front cover of the Horny Triple-X Lesbian Specials which they keep at eye level by the sweets in my corner shop. Time to make a u-turn." Lesbian website AfterEllen.com
was also critical of the storyline that saw Sonia experimenting with her sexuality and then returning to her heterosexual orientation shortly after. Sharon Hadrian writes: "It was the first time in over a decade that a lesbian couple had been depicted in the East London drama, lending cautious optimism to the idea that the BBC was finally integrating its traditionally heterosexual soaps [...] Lesbian fans, meanwhile, are struggling to care at all after being led on by the show's failed attempts at writing a decent lesbian story line [...] Despite their troubles, Martin and Sonia got married in 2004 and — given their past — many fans believe they are meant to be together. If this seems like the most inopportune time to turn Sonia into a lesbian, well, the show's writers did it anyway [...] Sonia's sudden lesbian affair was met with disapproval from all sides, and nobody — the fans, characters or even the actors — was particularly supportive of her relationship. As a result, perhaps, the writers wrote what was expected of them [...] there was hardly room in the script for any affection or sympathy at all; instead, their relationship was written around its impact on Martin and the other Albert Square residents. The reaction of Rebecca's guardian, Margaret, was especially hurtful. When the [lesbian] relationship became public, she immediately sought to award sole custody of Rebecca to Martin, citing Sonia's sexual orientation as the reason she would be an unfit mother. This vitriolic response to Sonia and Naomi's relationship could have been a pivotal moment had the program's producers used the opportunity to prove either the quality of their relationship or to reinforce Sonia's parenting abilities. Unfortunately, they did neither of these things. Instead, Margaret's reaction was surprisingly representative of the public response to their relationship. Fans of the show were upset that anyone (let alone a lesbian) had come between Sonia and Martin. Naomi came off looking especially predatory — a common trait in media representations of gay and lesbian characters — by seducing a formerly heterosexual woman and convincing her to leave her family [...] not too surprisingly, Naomi and Sonia broke up. Afterward, Naomi faded into the background and Sonia ended up back with Martin, seeming to forget entirely about the same-sex attractions she once had [...] It was a sad but not unexpected ending to a rare chance for the BBC to acknowledge lesbian sexuality in its programming and for viewers to witness a positive lesbian relationship that didn't ruin anybody's life [...] Sonia or Naomi [...] had the potential to develop a loving depiction of lesbian sexuality but were failed by the show's writers and, arguably, the BBC's institutionalized homophobia".
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 Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Ann Cassidy is a British actress, most commonly known for appearing in the television soap EastEnders where she played Sonia Jackson for many years. She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.-Career:As a...
. Her first appearance was on 21 December 1993 and she made her final appearance on 2 February 2007. However, she returned briefly in 2010 along with other members of the Jackson family and re-appeared on the soap from 8 to 18 February 2010. She returned again for a single episode on 21 January 2011.
Storylines
TrumpetTrumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
-playing Sonia Jackson arrives in Albert Square in 1993 with the rest of her family. The third of Carol's four children, Sonia was the result of her mother's fling with Terry Cant, whom Sonia never knew. During her early childhood, she forms a close friendship with Clare Tyler and the two are inseparable until Clare falls in with the wrong crowd at school and starts bullying Sonia. They manage to patch things up before Clare leaves Walford in 1998. Sonia herself briefly leaves Walford in 1997, following her brother Billie's kidnapping, but she returns to visit her family, eventually moving back permanently to live with her sister Bianca, in 1998.
Following a brief romance with an Italian exchange student, Enrico di Clemente, in 1999, Sonia sleeps 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...
in 2000 in a moment of vulnerability. She puts this behind her and begins a romance with Jamie Mitchell
Jamie Mitchell
Jamie Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jack Ryder, who made his first appearance on 9 November 1998. Ryder decided to leave in 2002, and his final episode aired Christmas Day 2002, when Jamie was killed off....
; however, a stunned Sonia gives birth to Martin's daughter on 26 October 2000; she had not even realised that she had been pregnant, putting her weight gain down to overeating. Baby Chloe (later renamed Rebecca) is subsequently given up for adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
, despite protests from Martin's mother 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...
. However, Sonia later develops an obsession with her adopted daughter and abducts her, locking herself in her house with the baby. Despite pleas from Rebecca's adoptive parents, it is Sonia's step-grandmother, Dot
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...
, who persuades Sonia to return the baby.
Sonia and Jamie get engaged, but due to Jamie's fling with Zoe Slater
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 constant rowing, the engagement is cancelled. Sonia begins dating Gus Smith
Gus Smith
Augustus "Gus" Smith is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mohammed George. He made his first appearance on 28 May 2002. It was announced on 18 January 2008 that Gus would leave the show later in 2008...
, who plans to propose, but is devastated when Sonia decides to reunite with Jamie following a brutal assault on Jamie by his guardian 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...
. Sonia comes to his aid, nursing him through his injuries and they decide to marry. Their happiness is short-lived as Martin Fowler accidentally hits Jamie with his car in December 2002. Sonia keeps a bedside vigil, and is with Jamie when he dies on Christmas Day. Sonia finds it hard to let go of Jamie or her anger towards Martin, but she eventually forgives him. They slowly grow closer and feelings develop into love; they elope in 2004 and marry in seclusion.
Sonia begins nursing training and she and Martin live with Pauline, but find her interference difficult to cope with. Months into the marriage, Martin gets unwittingly involved with a stalker, Sarah Cairns, who becomes obsessed and attempts to ruin his marriage. This culminates in Sarah holding Sonia and Martin hostage and stabbing Martin, until Sonia knocks her unconscious. Sonia and Martin face further upset when they discover that their daughter's adoptive parents have been killed in a motor accident. They visit Rebecca's guardian, Margaret Wilson, masking their true identity, but when Margaret realises who they are, she orders them to leave. Pauline interferes and, along with Martin, visits Rebecca. Sonia is furious when she discovers this and animosity in the Fowlers' home puts a strain on Martin and Sonia's relationship. Sonia begins spending time with one of her nursing colleagues, Naomi Julien
Naomi Julien
Naomi Julien is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Petra Letang. She first appeared in the show in the episode broadcast on 15 August 2005. The character was axed in January 2007 and her final scenes were broadcast on 24 May 2007...
; feelings develop and this leads Sonia to begin a lesbian affair with Naomi. Martin is heartbroken when his marriage ends, and the situation is complicated further by Rebecca, who, on Margaret's request, begins to spend more time at the Fowlers'. Margaret decides she wants to make the Fowlers legal guardians of Rebecca, but subsequently opts not to include Sonia in this when she discovers her lesbian fling. Margaret dies and custody of Rebecca is given to Martin; Pauline tries to prohibit Sonia from having anything to do with Rebecca. As a result, Sonia becomes distraught and preoccupied with Rebecca. Feeling neglected, Naomi ends their lesbian relationship.
Sonia becomes depressed and begins neglecting her work, drinking alcohol, until Gus helps her straighten her life out. Sonia and Gus begin a second romance, which ultimately ends due to Sonia's lingering feelings for Martin. On 17 October 2006, Sonia and Martin receive their divorce papers. However, both feel remorseful and they secretly reunite. Pauline eventually discovers this; she concocts a story that she is dying from a brain tumour in order to stop Martin from moving in with Sonia. Just as Pauline intends, Martin ends his relationship with Sonia in order to care for his mother, but when the truth finally comes out, a furious Martin moves out anyway. Pauline responds with ire, threatening to cut her son from her life. Sonia attempts to rebuild bridges with Pauline on Christmas Day 2006, but a resulting argument ends with Sonia slapping Pauline. When Pauline is found dead later that day, Sonia fears that it is her slap that has caused her death. She discovers that Rebecca witnessed the slap and tries to silence her daughter, but Rebecca informs Dot at Pauline's funeral. Appalled, Martin refuses Sonia access to Rebecca. Fearing imprisonment Sonia goes on the run, abducting Rebecca. Martin is frantic, but days later Sonia returns and she is arrested on a murder charge; however, that same night Dot uncovers the identity of Pauline's real murderer — Pauline's husband Joe Macer
Joe Macer
Joseph "Joe" Macer is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ray Brooks. He made his first appearance on 19 August 2005 and left the show on 26 January 2007.-Storylines:...
, who had argued with Pauline on Christmas Day and struck her over her head, causing her death. Sonia is released and decides to leave Walford for Manchester in February 2007. After making peace with Martin, she takes a taxi and is about to leave Walford when she sees Martin and Rebecca obstructing the road; Martin has decided that he wants to go with Sonia. The Fowlers reunite and leave as a family. They spend time touring the USA before settling in Manchester.
In January 2010, Bianca contacts Sonia to invite her to her wedding to Ricky. Sonia texts
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
Bianca, saying that she and Martin will attend. She arrives alone on 8 February and says Martin and Rebecca are doing fine, but later rejects a phone call from Martin and gets very drunk. The following day, Sonia walks in on Dot slapping her granddaughter Dotty Cotton
Dotty Cotton
Kirsty "Dotty" Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Molly Conlin. Dotty is the daughter of Nick Cotton and Sandy , and the granddaughter of Dot Cotton . She first appeared on 26 December 2008. Dotty's storylines mainly centred on her and her father's...
across the legs, leading to Dot's arrest, though she is soon released without charge. A week into her return, Bianca notices Sonia has continuously avoided talking about Martin and Rebecca. Sonia visits Jamie's grave and later returns to The Queen Victoria, drunken and verbally lays into Phil, Jamie's godfather about his treatment of Jamie. Phil cools her down by telling her he considers Jamie one of his kids and tells her to go upstairs to sober up. She misunderstands him and gets into his bed, naked. As soon as Phil sees Sonia in bed, Shirley Carter walks in and gets the wrong idea and slaps Phil across the face. Sonia later apologises to Phil after a telling off from Shirley. She confides in Carol about her marriage problems with Martin and Carol advises her to give it another shot for Rebecca's sake. After the wedding of Ricky and Bianca, Sonia decides it is time for her to make a fresh start with Martin, after being inspired by Ricky and Bianca's reunion, and she leaves the Square once again. In October 2010, it is revealed that Sonia could not attend Billie's funeral as she is visiting Robbie in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, but she sends flowers. Sonia returns to Walford in January 2011 to explain where Bianca is, as she has gone missing. She tells Carol that Bianca is staying with her in a B&B in Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
, and explains that she was unable to attend Billie's funeral because she was too upset, not because she was visiting Robbie. She reveals that she and Martin have split up as he was having an affair and she and Rebecca are now living back in London. She then takes Carol to see Bianca.
Creation
Carol Jackson
Carol Ann Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lindsey Coulson. The character was introduced in 1993 as part of a new problem family. Coulson decided to quit the role in 1997, but she returned temporarily in 1999 as part of a storyline that marked Carol's...
(Lindsey Coulson
Lindsey Coulson
Lindsey Coulson is an English actress, best known for her role as Carol Jackson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.- Career :...
), her four children, Bianca
Bianca Jackson
Bianca Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted to leave. In 2002 executive producer John Yorke brought the character...
(Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...
), Robbie
Robbie Jackson
Robert "Robbie" Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Dean Gaffney from 1993 to 2003. The character was axed in 2003 by executive producer Louise Berridge. He made brief returns in 2004 and 2010 for two family weddings.-Backstory:Robbie was the product of a...
(Dean Gaffney
Dean Gaffney
Dean Martin Gaffney is an English actor most notable for his role as Robbie Jackson on the BBC1 soap opera Eastenders from 1993 to 2003, when his character was axed. He has since made guest appearances in the soap in 2004 and 2010. Gaffney went on to appear in various reality television shows,...
), Sonia (Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Ann Cassidy is a British actress, most commonly known for appearing in the television soap EastEnders where she played Sonia Jackson for many years. She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.-Career:As a...
), and Billie (Devon Anderson
Devon Anderson
Devon Carlo Anderson is an English actor who has been acting since an early age and became a CBBC presenter on BBC One and the CBBC Channel...
), as well as Carol's partner Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson (EastEnders)
Alan Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Howard Antony. He originally appeared between 1993 and 1997, and returned on 12 October 2010 for three episodes....
(Howard Antony
Howard Antony
Howard Antony is a British actor, best known for playing the role of Alan Jackson, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1993 - 1997....
). Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in the serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billie, the whole family took on Alan's surname. The family was created by writer Tony McHale
Tony McHale
Tony McHale is a British actor, writer and director who has the dubious honour of being best known as a "stooge" to Jeremy Beadle on Game For A Laugh and later, Beadle's About. He trained at Rose Bruford College. He also enjoyed a long stint as a writer/director on the top rated BBC1 soap opera...
.
Various members of the family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting 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...
. Their slow introduction was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period. The Jacksons have been described by EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake
Colin Brake
Colin Brake is an English television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programs such as Bugs and EastEnders. He has also written spin-offs from the BBC series Doctor Who...
as a "classic problem family".
Cassidy was 10 years old when she joined the soap as Sonia. She was spotted doing improvisations at the Anna Scher Theatre School by Tony McHale and EastEnders Casting Advisor Jane Deitch. They liked Cassidy and she was asked to audition at Elstree studios, after which she was offered the part. None of the actors cast as the Jackson family were matched for appearance or screen compatibility. Cassidy commented, "it was all decided without doing that. I don't think it particularly mattered that none of us Jackson kids looked like each other because all our characters had different dads!"
Development
Early on in the character's narrative, Sonia was given a trumpet to play, which she did so badly, infuriating her family and neighbours. According to Cassidy, this was on the behest of Storyliner and future Executive Producer of EastEnders, John Yorke. Cassidy revealed that she took lessons to play the trumpet, but that when she began to play well, she was asked by the producers to pretend to play it badly as Sonia was supposed to be playing it badly. Other storylines included a period where Sonia was bullied by her friend Clare Bates (Gemma BissixGemma Bissix
Gemma Bissix is an English actress. She has been acting since the age of 9. Her most prominent roles have been in soap operas, as Clare Bates in EastEnders and Clare Devine in Hollyoaks ; she was awarded with two British Soap Awards for the latter role...
) after she fell in with the wrong crowd at school. Despite the bullying storyline, Cassidy said that she and Bissix were good friends during their time together on the soap.
In 1997, the actress who played Sonia's mother Carol decided to quit EastEnders. It was at this stage that the producers made a decision to write the majority of the Jackson family out. Cassidy commented, "I thought I was out of a job [on EastEnders] forever!". Cassidy made several temporary returns on-screen months later to visit Clare or Bianca, but she was still uncertain about the future of her character: "I didn't come back to the show for about four months or so after [ I was written out in 1997]. And after Clare left the Square [in 1998] I was gone for another eight months. I just got on with school and all that". However, later in 1998 the producers asked Cassidy to return to the serial full-time, which she said she was "thrilled" about.
Departure (2007)
In April 2006, it was announced that Cassidy would take a break from EastEnders, saying "it's time to try new things. But it doesn't mean Sonia won't be back". A BBC spokesperson added, "Natalie is a valued member of the EastEnders cast and we wish her all the very best during her break from the show". Sonia departed on screen in February 2007, along with her former husband Martin, as his actor, James AlexandrouJames 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:...
, also left the serial. Their departing storyline was the culmination of the death of Pauline Fowler, following actress Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
's high profile resignation from the serial in 2006. In the storyline, Pauline dies in suspicious circumstances and Sonia is blamed for killing her, although Sonia is eventually vindicated when Pauline's husband Joe Macer
Joe Macer
Joseph "Joe" Macer is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ray Brooks. He made his first appearance on 19 August 2005 and left the show on 26 January 2007.-Storylines:...
(Ray Brooks) admits to manslaughter. Sonia and Martin and their daughter Rebecca leave Walford as a united family for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2010, Cassidy said one of the reasons she decided to leave the show was because of Sonia's lesbian affair with Naomi Julien
Naomi Julien
Naomi Julien is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Petra Letang. She first appeared in the show in the episode broadcast on 15 August 2005. The character was axed in January 2007 and her final scenes were broadcast on 24 May 2007...
(Petra Letang
Petra Letang
Petra Letang is a British-Dominican actress, probably best known for her role as Naomi Julien in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
), saying it was wrong for the character.
Despite Cassidy's departure being specified as a "break", Cassidy commented in 2008, "I feel that door's closed now and I need to go and do other stuff [...] Maybe in nine years I might go back." More recently, in 2009, press reports suggested that the actress was keen to reprise the role. Patsy Palmer, who returned to EastEnders as Sonia's sister Bianca, publicly called for the actress's return: "I would love her to come back. I mean, she is family! I've told bosses that it's a good time, when you think about it, as the Jacksons are back now as well."
Returns (2010 and 2011)
On 25 October 2009 it was announced that Cassidy would return to the soap to reprise her role as Sonia, along with Coulson, Gaffney and Anderson. The characters would reunite with Bianca who returned in 2008. Cassidy is quoted as saying "To be invited back to EastEnders is such an honour and I am very, very excited that Sonia is coming back. For me, to be reunited with the original Jacksons is a dream come true and I think it will be a fantastic storyline." A source told entertainment website Digital SpyDigital 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....
: "Everything's being kept hush-hush about the Jacksons' return at the moment, but there are certainly a load of questions to be answered. Will the frosty relationship between Carol and Bianca thaw? Are Sonia and Martin still together? And how will Robbie react when he learns of his beloved Wellard's death? Everyone's so pleased to have them back." The family will return for Bianca's second wedding to Ricky Butcher
Ricky Butcher
Richard Francis "Ricky" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running, male protagonists to feature in EastEnders. Owen originally left the role in 2000 to pursue a music career...
as part of the show's 25th anniversary. Executive producer Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera EastEnders, a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010...
explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "The wedding is the perfect opportunity for us to bring back the much-loved Jackson characters – Carol, Sonia, Robbie and Billie." In December 2010, it was confirmed that Sonia would return again on 21 January 2011 for a single episode to explain the departure of her sister Bianca; Bianca's actress Patsy Palmer left prematurely and was unable to film her exit scenes due to the premature delivery of her baby.
Reception
Natalie Cassidy won the award for "Best Actress" for the role of Sonia, at the 2001 British Soap AwardsBritish Soap Awards
The British Soap Awards is an annual awards ceremony to honour the best of British soap operas.The first event took place in 1999 and takes place in May each year. Although it is an ITV production, the events were held at the BBC Television Centre, in London until 2010. The 2011 awards relocated to...
. Additionally, in 2004, Cassidy was awarded "best dramatic performance by a young actor or actress" for the role.
Referencing Sonia's foray into lesbianism in 2005, TV critic Grace Dent
Grace Dent
Grace Dent is an English journalist, author, and broadcaster. Dent writes mainly for The Guardian, where she has a weekly column on television, 'Grace Dent's TV-OD'. She also writes for magazines such as Tatler and Marie Claire. She writes a restaurant review column for the London Evening...
branded the character "the worst lesbian ever", adding, "The only lesbians with less lesbian tendencies than you are the women on the front cover of the Horny Triple-X Lesbian Specials which they keep at eye level by the sweets in my corner shop. Time to make a u-turn." Lesbian website AfterEllen.com
AfterEllen.com
AfterEllen.com, founded in April 2002, is a website that focuses on the portrayal of lesbian and bisexual women in the media. AfterElton.com, its brother site for gay and bisexual men, was launched in January 2005. The websites were founded by Sarah Warn, who initially served as the editor in...
was also critical of the storyline that saw Sonia experimenting with her sexuality and then returning to her heterosexual orientation shortly after. Sharon Hadrian writes: "It was the first time in over a decade that a lesbian couple had been depicted in the East London drama, lending cautious optimism to the idea that the BBC was finally integrating its traditionally heterosexual soaps [...] Lesbian fans, meanwhile, are struggling to care at all after being led on by the show's failed attempts at writing a decent lesbian story line [...] Despite their troubles, Martin and Sonia got married in 2004 and — given their past — many fans believe they are meant to be together. If this seems like the most inopportune time to turn Sonia into a lesbian, well, the show's writers did it anyway [...] Sonia's sudden lesbian affair was met with disapproval from all sides, and nobody — the fans, characters or even the actors — was particularly supportive of her relationship. As a result, perhaps, the writers wrote what was expected of them [...] there was hardly room in the script for any affection or sympathy at all; instead, their relationship was written around its impact on Martin and the other Albert Square residents. The reaction of Rebecca's guardian, Margaret, was especially hurtful. When the [lesbian] relationship became public, she immediately sought to award sole custody of Rebecca to Martin, citing Sonia's sexual orientation as the reason she would be an unfit mother. This vitriolic response to Sonia and Naomi's relationship could have been a pivotal moment had the program's producers used the opportunity to prove either the quality of their relationship or to reinforce Sonia's parenting abilities. Unfortunately, they did neither of these things. Instead, Margaret's reaction was surprisingly representative of the public response to their relationship. Fans of the show were upset that anyone (let alone a lesbian) had come between Sonia and Martin. Naomi came off looking especially predatory — a common trait in media representations of gay and lesbian characters — by seducing a formerly heterosexual woman and convincing her to leave her family [...] not too surprisingly, Naomi and Sonia broke up. Afterward, Naomi faded into the background and Sonia ended up back with Martin, seeming to forget entirely about the same-sex attractions she once had [...] It was a sad but not unexpected ending to a rare chance for the BBC to acknowledge lesbian sexuality in its programming and for viewers to witness a positive lesbian relationship that didn't ruin anybody's life [...] Sonia or Naomi [...] had the potential to develop a loving depiction of lesbian sexuality but were failed by the show's writers and, arguably, the BBC's institutionalized homophobia".
See also
- List of media portrayals of bisexuality
- List of LGBT characters in film, radio, and TV fiction
- List of fictional nurses