Steven Beale
Steven Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Edward Farrell from 1989 to 1990, Stuart Stevens from 1992 to 1998, Edward Savage from 1998 to 2002, and Aaron Sidwell from 2007 to 2008 and again from 2016 to 2017. It was announced on 22 February 2008, that the character would be written out at the end of Sidwell's contract. Sidwell made his on-screen departure on 9 May 2008. On 2 May 2016, it was announced that Sidwell would return to the role. Steven made his return on 27 May 2016. On 9 August 2017, it was announced that Sidwell would leave the show again. Steven made his final exit on 8 September 2017, when the character was killed off during a high-profile stunt week.
In the 1990s, Steven's storylines mostly included his paternity and the ongoing custody battle between his mother, Cindy Beale, and his adoptive father, Ian Beale. In the early 2000s, a darker side to adolescent Steven emerged as he began writing poison pen letters to neighbours and blackmailing Ian over his affair with Janine Butcher, before moving to New Zealand to be with his biological father. In the late 2000s, Steven's storyline focused on his hostile relationship with his dad and involved stalking Ian and taking him hostage, multiple suicide attempts, and accidentally shooting his stepmother, Jane. Steven also briefly dates Stacey Slater but struggles with his sexuality and an attraction to Jane's brother Christian Clarke. He also attempts to murder his grandmother, Pat Butcher.
Following his 2016 return, Steven becomes deceitful with his girlfriend Lauren Branning by having an affair with her sister Abi Branning, which sparks the events of the character being responsible for Abi's pregnancy; fabricating a lie about having a brain tumor; and nearly killing Jane again after Lauren and Abi's father, Max Branning, blackmails him in setting fire to his dad's restaurant in his plan to kill her as revenge for her contribution to getting him wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his half sister Lucy Beale, who was previously killed by their half-brother Bobby Beale. Ultimately, Steven contemplates rescuing Jane and ends up getting injured in the fire by Max, which consequently triggers the character suffering a fatal cardiac arrest in the hospital, he dies, and his lies are soon discovered at his funeral a week later.
Creation and development
Early storylines
The character's conception was a part of one of the most notable storylines in EastEnders during 1989, a love triangle between Cindy Williams, Simon Wicks and Ian Beale. Steven was the result of a one-night stand between Cindy and Simon, occurring while Cindy was engaged to Ian Beale in May 1989. Viewers knew that Cindy was carrying Simon's child; however, between characters in the serial, Steven's true paternity was kept secret, with only Cindy, Simon, and later Simon's mother Pat Butcher knowing the truth, though neither Simon or Pat would believe Cindy's claim initially. Simon's rejection of Cindy and her unborn child facilitated a plot twist that saw Cindy pretend that the child was Ian's.The character's birth occurred in an episode that aired on 28 December 1989, although in the on-screen events, he was born on Boxing Day. In the storyline, Steven was born two months prematurely, and was therefore supposed to be small; however, the baby who originally played Steven, Edward Farrell, was actually large for his age, and was nicknamed "Chunky" by actor Adam Woodyatt. According to former EastEnders writer David Yallop, it had been agreed in September 1989 that Steven Beale would be killed off in the serial. This was part of producer Mike Gibbon's plan to increase the ratings by culling a large number of the soap's long-running cast. Yallop said, "We had to reach a decision with the illegitimate child who was in the process of being born as a result of an earlier storyline. We wanted to know what to do with it. Either the child would be allowed to live, or it would die. They decided to make the child 'seriously ill', but the reprieve was temporary. In episode 606 I resolved the problem." He claimed that on his draft of the storyline he wrote the words "Baby die". The plot never came to fruition, as Gibbon was abruptly replaced as the soap's boss and Yallop's plots were scrapped.
According to the EastEnders Handbook by Hilary Kingsley, casting babies for roles in EastEnders is usually done locally, so that children and their parents do not have to travel far when they are called into the studios at BBC Elstree Centre. Because of the strict laws dictating the number of hours babies are permitted to work, occasionally dolls or understudies have to be used if the child runs out of time. This occurred with Steven's original actor, Edward Farrell, in 1990. The baby had been scripted to appear at a Guy Fawkes Night party; however, actress Michelle Collins, who played his screen mother Cindy, has since revealed that they used another baby for those scenes: "Not only was she a girl, she also had bright red hair whereas Edward was fair. I had to keep pushing her hair back under her hat but lots of still spotted it". Young Farrell was also the reason viewers never saw Cindy wearing her red wedding dress on-screen again following its next outing at Steven's christening in February 1990. It was a dress that Michelle Collins particularly disliked. She has commented, "When Edward was sick over it, I knew it wouldn't recover and I kissed him for it."
Before his first screen birthday, Steven was central to storylines surrounding his parents and stepfather Ian, including a special week of off-set episodes filmed in Devon, where Ian discovered that his best friend Simon was Steven's real father and that he had reunited with Cindy. The love triangle between Simon, Cindy and Ian, and the events surrounding Steven's paternity dominated the soap during 1990; it has been described by writer Colin Brake as the year's "big story". Steven was written out of the serial after actors Nick Berry and Michelle Collins decided to leave the show. His exit aired on 27 December 1990, though in the on-screen events it was Boxing Day, Steven's first birthday. In 1992, Michelle Collins reprised her role of Cindy, and Steven was also reintroduced, played by a different actor, Stuart Stevens. On-screen, Simon abandoned Cindy and Steven. Ian traced them to a bedsit and brought them back to Walford, where Steven was brought up as Ian's real son. Steven was written out once again in 1996, when Collins quit for a second time.
In the on-screen events, Cindy absconded with Steven and his half brother Peter following Cindy's failed attempt to have Ian assassinated. Upon his return in 1997 – where Ian once again regained custody – Steven's role was recast with another actor, Edward Savage. As the character aged, his actor was given a more substantial role in the serial, Steven remaining with Ian following the death of his mother, who died in prison during child birth. Savage remained in the role until 2002, when he opted to leave. On-screen, Steven discovered that Ian had been lying about his paternity. He began rebelling, and was found to be the author of several mysterious poison pen letters. When he was caught, he demanded to travel to New Zealand, so he could meet his real father, Simon Wicks. A BBC source commented to the Daily Star, "Regular viewers will know Steven is a deeply troubled boy. But his unmasking as the poison pen author is going to shock everyone on the Square. The lad is almost inviting punishment. It's as if he wants Ian and Laura to wash their hands of him. Could Steven be a new Nick Cotton in the making?"
Reintroduction (2007); stalking, kidnapping and mental illness
In 2005, the British media claimed that the character of Steven was due to return to EastEnders, three years after he had last appeared. The Sunday Mirror speculated that EastEnders bosses were hoping to cast an Australian actor to play Steven, to signify that he had been in New Zealand. It was claimed that actors from Australia's long-running soaps, Neighbours or Home and Away, were being considered. The rumours turned out to be false, and a subsequent rumour in January 2007 predicting that Footballers' Wives' actor Craig Gallivan was to play the role, was also quashed.The character was eventually to make his return in September 2007, reintroduced by executive producer Diederick Santer as part of a storyline that saw Ian being stalked and terrorised by a mystery person, claiming to be his deceased ex-wife, Cindy. After weeks of watching Ian tormented, viewers saw Ian lured to the top of a deserted block of flats, where Ian came face to face with his harasser, Steven. For several weeks, Ian was kept locked up in the derelict flat, while Steven returned to Albert Square to bond with his brother and sister, Peter and Lucy. Aaron Sidwell was cast in the role of Steven, making him the fourth actor to play him. It was Sidwell's first television role, and he has described it as "a bit daunting...but everyone was really welcoming...the first few directors I worked with were fantastic...After we did rehearsal, after we did a take, they'd always give me feedback...I needed it." He added, "I have been so lucky. Not many people get the chance to work on such a huge show, and my entrance was pretty impressive. I still wake up and think: 'Oh my God, I'm in EastEnders.' It's brilliant." Describing the motives behind Steven's actions, Sidwell said " was raised for 13 years thinking he was Ian's son...but he wasn't...He sees Ian as the cause of Cindy's death, because Cindy died in prison, and she went to prison because Ian put her there...so that's how he kind of sees that it's Ian's fault...very narrow-minded... Steven is..a messed up kid and when I first got the part I was given a catchphrase that describes him as a person...'look at me'...he wants to be in the limelight 100%...he wants people to be thinking about him ...that's why he got angry with Ian because Ian wasn't thinking about him... he's the most important person in the world."
The storyline eventually reached its climax in October 2007. Steven's games were uncovered, and during the confrontation that followed, Steven threatened to kill himself, but accidentally shot Ian's wife Jane and a resulting emergency hysterectomy meant that Jane could no longer have children of her own. The storyline has been described by The Guardian journalist, Stephen Armstrong, as having "a whiff of Brontë about it", which producer Diederick Santer agreed with. Santer added, "It's a classic madwoman in the attic story, but I hate those articles where someone who works in popular television says what they do is like Dickens. It's about the balance. That story works because it has an old character whom the audience love – Ian Beale – as well as new characters who have an appeal for teenagers fresh to the show. Soap audiences like continuity. They dip in and out and if they haven't watched for a few weeks, then tune in to find no one they recognise, it can be disconcerting."
Mentally ill, Steven was admitted to a psychiatric hospital by Ian. Sidwell has commented on Steven's mental instability: "He's so unpredictable...you never know what he's going to do next...He'll be normal one minute and he'll be crazy the next. He's kind of the Donnie Darko of EastEnders...that's the kind of person I styled him after... a similar character...He is always going to be a bit unstable and there will always be danger. I don't think even he knows what he's going to do next – but he's deadly, so don't let the nice guy act fool you."
Steven returned to the serial as a regular character following his release from hospital. Subsequent plots saw him unsuccessfully attempting to make amends with Ian and Jane for his past wrongdoing. The character also formed a friendship with Stacey Slater, who stopped him from committing suicide in December 2007. In the on-screen events, Steven – infuriated by Ian's rejection – soaked himself with petrol and threatened to light himself on fire. In the end, Stacey managed to persuade him not to go through with suicide by showing him that friends can be just as important as family. Despite hostilities from Jane, Steven gradually regained Ian's trust, and in episodes that aired over the Christmas period of 2007, Ian welcomed Steven back into his home as part of the Beale family.