Ian Beale
Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale, his long standing best friend and ex-wife, Sharon Watts and Queen Vic barmaid, Tracey. The character appeared in his 2000th episode in the show on 26 March 2007, and his 3,000th on 27 May 2016. Woodyatt took an extended hiatus from EastEnders on 22 January 2021. He made guest appearances on 12 December 2022 and 22 June 2023, prior to a full-time return on 22 August of that year. Ian is the longest-serving regular EastEnders character, and second overall, behind only Tracey.
Ian is the most-married character in EastEnders history, with six marriages to five women: Cindy Beale, Mel Owen, Laura Beale, twice to Jane Beale, and Sharon, and three aborted engagements to Mandy Salter, Denise Fox and Cindy respectively. He has fathered three children, raised Cindy's son Steven Beale, who he believed to be his, and was the guardian of Cindy's daughter, Cindy Williams. Ian is the owner of 45 Albert Square, traditionally represented within the series as the family home of the Beale and Fowler family. In 2020, he bought The Queen Victoria public house for Sharon, leaving after she poisoned him in revenge for his involvement in Dennis Rickman's death on EastEnders 35th anniversary.
Upon his return in 2023, he returns to 45 Albert Square reunited with his first wife Cindy after reuniting off-screen the year prior, who was going by the pseudonym "Rose Knight", after faking her death 25 years prior in a witness protection scheme due to giving information about her criminal inmate, Jackie Ford. After Cindy's witness protection officer reveals that Jackie has died, Cindy resumes her former life. During the Christmas 2024 special, Cindy's affair with Junior Knight was revealed and Ian became a suspect in the "Who Attacked Cindy?" storyline for the show's 40th anniversary.
Creation
Background and casting
Ian Beale is one of the original 23 characters written by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Ian is a member of the first family created for EastEnders, the Beale family, and Holland took the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background. Like other characters, Ian was based on a member of Holland's family, being his nephew. Ian's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story.Because Gillian Taylforth, who was cast as Ian's mother, Kathy, was fair-haired, they also wanted him to be fair, and because of Taylforth's age, he also had to look very young. Ian was meant to be 14 years old when the programme first aired, but because of licensing regulations, the actor cast was required to be a 16-year-old who could "play down". Adam Woodyatt, born in East London, had worked as an actor in his youth, but had given it up and relocated with his family to Wales. He was recruited from his old agency and it was decided that he was perfect for the part and he was subsequently cast as Ian.
Characterisation
Ian has been described as a character viewers love to hate. His initial storylines portrayed him as a "young and innocent boy" with professional aspirations that went against his father's wishes. Not content to follow in his father's footsteps and take over the family fruit and veg stall, Ian wanted to become a chef and this caused a certain amount of hostility between him and his father, who viewed the occupation as effeminate. Ian's keenness to succeed in his business ventures continued as the character grew, so much so that he started using underhand methods in order to get what he wanted and became one of the soap's most renowned "slimeballs". The character is regularly referred to as a "weasel" in the British press.Author Dorothy Hobson has described Ian as a typical Thatcher's child, a term used to reference children who grew up under the Conservative government of the 1980s and who adopted an ideology, such as personal financial gain, self-sufficiency and disregard of the welfare of those who are less well-off. As a result, Hobson suggests that Ian is "young, ambitious, rich and unhappy", which she claims is a perfect reflection of the spirit of the age.
In her book, Who's Who?, Kate Lock described Ian as "wimpy, perhaps not what you'd call a man's man trying to turn Walford into the capital of Capitalism Somewhere along the line, Ian evolved into an obsessive, obnoxious money-monster Ian always pretended to be magnanimous, doing things for the community but it's inspired by self-interest."
Hobson suggests that Ian's saving grace is that he is a "passionately caring father" and Woodyatt has suggested that Ian is a chameleon, a description he claims former executive producer, Louise Berridge, used to describe the character. Woodyatt commented in 2010, "Whatever wanted Ian to do, she'd find a way of justifying it. It's true. He can be nice to his family but he can be devious with them as well. He can stitch people up but can be very generous. You can get away with doing anything with Ian. It's probably why I'm still here."
Longevity
Ian went on to become one of the longest running character in the soap opera's history, after debuting in the very first episode of EastEnders. Woodyatt confirmed his desire to remain with the show in 2010, during the show's 25th anniversary celebrations: "Why would I want to leave when I'm not going to get the chance to portray even half the range of emotions I get to here in a one-off drama or a six-part series? And you're not going to get the same viewing figures either. You have your moments when things go wrong and you perhaps don't want to work with a certain person. In any office there are going to be people who don't get along but you get on with it and on the whole I enjoy it. Over the last couple of years we've had a really tight crew and it's the best atmosphere I can remember. There have been peaks and troughs, like with any show, but right now things are good."In August 2020, it was announced that Woodyatt would be taking an "extended break" from EastEnders and left on-screen on 22 January 2021. He later said in November 2021 that he didn't know if or when he would return to the serial, which meant that Ian was replaced by extra, Tracey, as the longest running EastEnders character, due to her appearance in the first episode, as well as Ian. Ian has since returned and is still the longest running regular character, but the third in total length, after Tracey and Winston, who have both been extras since 1985.
Development
Early storylines
Ian's first major storyline on the soap was his aspiration to become a chef, and his father Pete Beale's disapproval of this. Seeking comfort and support, Ian has a heart to heart with his grandmother, Lou Beale. This scene was important for EastEnders as it was the first instance Julia's Theme was used, which is a rare alternative ending, featured in the serial. ATV Today said in 2010, "We doubt nowadays that such a scene would warrant the theme being used but in the early 1980s, the theme was used more frequently for such occasions."Ian later went on to feature in a storyline about the ups and downs of a pop group called The Banned in 1986, in which he was drummer. It featured the majority of teenage characters in the soap at the time, including Ian's thought-to-be brother, Simon Wicks, Ian's best friend, Kelvin Carpenter and Ian's childhood friend and ex-girlfriend, Sharon Watts and the storyline proved to be a successful merchandising tool for the serial, as it spawned two hit singles in the UK charts. The storyline was seen as an interesting and major undertaking in the serial, but one that Holland and Smith felt never entirely worked.
Marriage to Cindy
Obsession with success has been an underlying theme with the character for almost the entire duration of the show, but the acceleration of Ian's nasty side can be traced back to his disastrous first marriage to one of EastEndersOne of the two's biggest storylines focused on Ian's discovery that the child he thought was his, Steven, was actually fathered by Simon. The climax of this revelation was known to script-writers as the "Devon cottage climax" and aired in September 1990. The episode saw an enraged Ian trace Cindy and Simon to her parents' house in Devon, just after being released from hospital following a suicide attempt. The script, written by Debbie Cook, led to a confrontation that EastEnders' writer, Colin Brake, has suggested contained elements of tragedy and farce. Brake suggests that a particularly memorable scene included Ian furiously throwing bricks through the window of the house, followed by one of his crutches. The episode ended ominously with Ian finding Cindy's father, Tom's shotgun and stealing it. Directed by Matthew Evans, Brake suggests that these episodes not only brought the story to a shocking climax but also laid roots for the next three months' worth of storylines, building up to Cindy and Simon's departure, and Ian's spectacular fall from grace.
Author Dorothy Hobson has described Ian and Cindy's relationship as "one of the most tempestuous in any soap opera". The characters were reunited on-screen in 1992 but the relationship ended in adultery once again when Cindy began an affair with Simon's and Ian's half-brother, David Wicks, which culminated in Cindy hiring an assassin to shoot Ian in 1996 after he discovered the affair. Collins commented in 1996, " was not thinking properly when she contacted the hitman, and she is being quite erratic. Despite what she has done she never expected Ian to be so cruel to her. Now she cannot really see any other way out of the mess she is in. She has lost touch with reality – but in the end she can't see any other way of escaping Ian." More than 18 million viewers tuned in to see Ian gunned-down, which was more than sixty-four per cent of available viewers. The plot facilitated Collins' desire to leave the programme following the birth of her child, and Cindy, implicated in the shooting, fled the country with Steven and her and Ian's son, Peter Beale.
Cindy later returns but departs again in 1998, after being arrested for Ian's shooting. Ian takes back custody of Steven and his and Cindy's twins, Peter and Lucy Beale. The episodes marking Cindy's exit were screened in a one-hour special on Good Friday. The episodes were also notable for being the last appearance of Kathy. Despite the high-profile exits, the episodes were beaten in the ratings by rival soap, Coronation Street, which garnered 14 million viewers. It had been reported that EastEnders