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Ian Albert Beale is a fictional character from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the only character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on 19 February 1985. The character appeared in his 2,000th episode in the show on 26 March 2007.

Ian is the son of Pete and Kathy Beale, father of Lucy, Peter and Bobby Beale, nephew of Pauline Fowler and cousin of Mark, Michelle and Martin. Ian is currently married to Jane, his fourth wife, although they separated in November 2009. Ian is currently the longest serving character in EastEnders.

Character creation and development

Ian Beale is one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Ian is a member of the first family of EastEnders, the Beales and Fowlers, and Holland took the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background. Ian's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story.

"There is a pressure from home to do well at school and he may be a bit worried that he's not doing as well as they hope. The shadow of his father (however fictional the image is) and the pressure to be a man's man and a chip off the old block might cause trouble in the future. A point is going to be reached when Ian is going to have to assert himself as himself. He can't allow his father to live his life, by proxy, through him. Or, maybe he can...?" (page 56)

Ian was meant to be fourteen 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'. Because the actress playing Ian's mother (Gillian Taylforth) was fair, they also wanted him to be fair, and because of Taylforth's age he also had to look very young. 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 Beale.

Ian Beale has gone on to be the longest running character in the soap's history, and is the only remaining original character. Initial storylines shaped Ian as a sensitive young 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 has arguably become one of the soap's most renowned 'slimeballs'. The character is regularly referred to as a "weasel" in the British press and has been voted one of the top five television characters "we most love to hate" in a Channel 4 poll in 2001.

In 1990, a deliberate continuity error (SORAS) saw Ian celebrating his twenty-first birthday just two years after his eighteenth. The producers felt that Ian needed to be a bit older, as they wanted him to be more mature for the storylines they were planning for him later in the year.

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 perhaps be traced back to his disastrous first marriage to one of EastEnders most renowned bitches, Cindy Beale. The storyline centred on Ian's discovery that the child he thought was his (Steven), was actually his best friend's. 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 Wicks to her parents' house in Devon, just after being released from hospital following a failed suicide bid. The script, written by Debbie Cook, led to a confrontation that contained elements of tragedy and farce. Particularly memorable was 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's shotgun and stealing it. Directed by Matthew Evans, 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.

Other notable storylines include Ian's attempted murder at the hands of Cindy, two other marriages both ending in disaster, the loss and rebuilding of his business empire, and an on-going feud with his stepfather hardman Phil Mitchell.

The character has been compared to Mr. Bean by John Partridge, who plays Ian's brother-in-law, Christian Clarke.

Storylines

1985–1998

Initially portrayed as quiet and caring, Ian was too sensitive for his father Pete's liking. Ian's penchant for cooking displeased Pete so much that Ian took up boxing briefly in 1985, just to prove his masculinity.

From an early age, Ian got a keen interest in business. He began a short-lived knitting company ("Loftelian") with his friends Kelvin Carpenter and Lofty Holloway in 1985, and in 1988, became partners with Barry Clark, running a mobile disco. After successfully graduating from catering college, Ian began working for Ali Osman in his café on Bridge Street, whilst hiring himself out as a private caterer on the side. He began to show signs of becoming a ruthless businessman when he lent his café bosses, Ali and Mehmet, money at interest to finance their gambling. When Ali could no longer afford the repayments, Ian secured ownership. Ian transformed the café from a "greasy spoon" to a slightly more upmarket establishment.

After several unsuccessful relationships in his teens - Sharon Watts, Tina Hopkins and his cousin, Elizabeth - Ian began dating Cindy Williams in 1988. Cindy was attracted to Ian's money-making capabilities. They got engaged in February 1989; however, Cindy then had a one-night-stand with her former lover Simon Wicks and their tryst left her pregnant. The prospect of fatherhood frightened Simon, so Cindy begrudgingly married Ian in October 1989 and pretended her baby was his.

The baby was born on Boxing Day 1989 - a boy named Steven. Simon developed paternal instincts for the child. Whilst Ian was busy building a successful business, Cindy and Simon rekindled their romance, and in August 1990, Cindy told Ian that Steven wasn't his son. In a fury, Ian drove off and deliberately crashed his van in a suicide bid. While he lay in hospital, Cindy and Simon went to her mother's house in Devon. Ian followed them and was unhinged to discover Cindy with Simon. A feud erupted between the Beales and the Wickses. Ian started a campaign for revenge. He employed Simon as a driver and tampered with his van's brakes. This backfired when Ian discovered Simon was about to take Steven in the van with him. After the inevitable accident, it became clear that Ian was responsible, so Simon, Cindy and Steven left Walford in December 1990.

Ian engrossed himself in his catering business, "The Meal Machine", aided by Hattie Tavernier, though his exploitative working practices alienated his friends, employees and family. An affair with his older employer, Ronnie Bains, did not last long, as he missed Cindy and Steven. Ian traced Cindy in 1992 and discovered she had been abandoned by Simon. Ian began wooing her and, despite hostilities from Ian's mother Kathy, they reconciled in 1993. Things did not go smoothly for the couple. Cindy attracted the attention of market inspector Richard Cole, who took her rejection badly and sought revenge — he got the Meal Machine shut down by environmental health, and later when Cindy fell pregnant, told everyone that he was the father. Ian was ready to believe the worst, but truth prevailed, and Ian was overjoyed when Cindy delivered twins, Peter and Lucy, in December 1993. 1994 saw Ian embark on a new business venture, operating as a loan shark, before deciding that being a usurer wasn't for him, and opening a fish and chip shop. He became so obsessed with building his business empire and hounding Richard Cole out of the Square that he neglected Cindy. She found distraction elsewhere, embarking on two affairs, firstly with a lifeguard named Matt in 1994 and then with Simon's brother, David Wicks, in 1995.

By 1996, Cindy decided to leave Ian for David. David was uncertain but by now, Ian had become suspicious. He hired a private investigator to follow Cindy and was given a video of Cindy and David together. Ian took Cindy to court and was granted custody of their children - he blackmailed Cindy so she would agree to his terms. Cindy was forced to return to Ian so she could be near her kids. Unfortunately Ian made her life a misery, she decided to hire a hit man, John Valecue, who agreed to kill Ian for £1,500. A car pulled up alongside Ian and he was shot. Ian was only winged and recovered, but Cindy buckled under the pressure from the police and fled. She planned to snatch her children but she was unable to get to Lucy; Cindy was forced to leave without her. Ian was determined to retrieve his sons. He and investigator, Ros Thorne — who Ian also had a fling with — traced Cindy to Italy in 1997 with Phil and Grant Mitchell in tow. Whilst Ian distracted Cindy, Grant and Phil snatched Peter and Steven. Cindy refused to give her children up, returning to Walford with her wealthy boyfriend Nick Holland. She took Ian to court for custody of the children and won. However, with Annie Palmer's help, the imprisoned hitman was persuaded to implicate Cindy in Ian's attempted murder. Cindy, who was again pregnant, was jailed on remand, but died several months later in childbirth.

1999–2004

In 1998 Ian opened up a new bric-a-brac shop in Walford, employing Melanie Healy to manage it. Melanie was drawn to Ian when she saw what a loving father he was. Their romance began in 1999 and Mel proposed in August, agreeing to Ian's plans for a spectacular millennium wedding. However, while on holiday to Brighton, Mel slept with Steve Owen and began to have second thoughts about marrying Ian.

However, Ian's daughter, Lucy, was ill with suspected lymphoma, so Mel stuck by them. As the countdown to the millennium began, Mel realised that she was marrying Ian for the wrong reasons. Ian, guessing that Mel was trying to leave him, falsely told her that Lucy was dying to emotionally blackmail her into marriage - she had been given the all-clear. The ploy worked and Ian and Mel married in a joint wedding with Barry and Natalie Evans on New Year's Eve 1999. However, during their wedding reception, Mel found the letter giving Lucy the all-clear and left Ian as the clock struck midnight.

Ian threw himself into a new business venture: construction and renovation of high-market flats. He hired a new nanny, Laura Dunn, to look after his children. She was attracted to Ian so he took advantage and began using her for sex. After months of a casual relationship, Laura began demanding more commitment. He initially refused but changed his mind after his latest business venture left him bankrupt. Laura stood by him, raising the money to buy back the fish and chip shop and, in April 2001, Ian proposed. Despite initial fears that Ian only wanted her money, Laura accepted and they married in May.

They were happy for a while, but their marriage began to deteriorate after Laura found out that Ian had tried to kiss Mel. With Laura asserting herself as boss of the businesses, Ian felt worthless and belittled. When Laura said she wanted a baby, Ian refused, feeling three children was enough. Regular arguments followed so Ian started visiting local prostitute, Janine Butcher, to escape Laura's nagging. This backfired when Janine started blackmailing Ian. Laura discovered the truth from Ian's son, Steven, who saw Ian and Janine together, told Laura, and then moved to New Zealand to live with his biological father, Simon Wicks.

Laura forgave Ian, providing they could have a baby. He agreed but secretly had a vasectomy, telling the doctor that he was a widower. However, when Laura fell pregnant, later that year, Ian threw her out on Christmas Day 2002. He was so sure that her child wasn't his that he conned her into signing over control of their businesses. Laura had no choice but to turn to the man she thought was the father, Garry Hobbs. In 2003, Laura gave birth to a son, Bobby. Baby Bobby was sickly and needed a blood transfusion. Laura's blood was incompatible so she asked Garry but his blood was incompatible too, meaning he wasn't Bobby's father. Laura realised then that Ian had to be but kept this information to herself. Laura and Ian's feud continued until Laura's death in 2004 — she broke her neck after falling down the stairs. Pat Evans found Bobby's birth certificate which named Ian as the true father — Ian's vasectomy had worked but he was told not to have sex for six weeks so the procedure would have time to work. Not wanting to make Laura suspicious, he ignored this and Laura got pregnant. Bobby moved in with Ian shortly before his first birthday.

2005—

Ian's most notable feud has been with Phil Mitchell. Their long-standing rivalry began in 1995, when Phil flushed Ian's head down the toilet and then married his mother, destroying her life with abuse and alcoholism. Various vengeful tricks were played. Phil delighted in making Ian beg for a loan and then refused, leaving him bankrupt in 2000. Animosity escalated in 2001 after it was revealed that Ian had discovered Phil's wounded body and left him to die. Later, in April 2005, Ian tricked Phil into thinking he was helping him escape from police, but had him arrested instead. When he was released, Phil got revenge on Ian by bullying him into relinquishing ownership of his auto mechanic business (The Arches) — Ian had bought it off Phil's sister Sam for a pittance a year earlier.

After Kathy's death in 2006, Ian brought his half brother Ben to live with him and a custody battle ensued between him and Ben's father, Phil. Despite continuous meddling from Ian, Ben eventually opted to live with Phil. Following escalation of conflict in April 2007, Ian and Phil were persuaded to call a reluctant truce. They took their children camping, which ended in disaster after Phil crashed their car whilst arguing with Ian. The car rolled down a hill with Ben and Peter inside and crashed into a lake; it was left to Phil to dive in and save the drowning boys. Ian and Phil appeared to make peace after this, though it was short-lived.

Ian met a new romantic interest, Jane Collins, in 2004. They were initially hostile to each other, but they became friends and their friendship blossomed into attraction. When Ian acted upon this, Jane rejected him — she was married, and her husband David was terminally ill with Huntington's disease. Ian helped her come to terms with David's eventual death; they began a relationship and Jane moved in with the Beales. In 2006, Jane became frustrated by Ian's antagonistic attitude towards Phil. She was tempted by the charms of Phil's brother Grant. They began a brief affair, though Jane was plagued by feelings of guilt and finished with Grant. Ian eventually learnt about Jane's infidelity from Phil, but instead of being angry with Jane he decided to propose marriage. The wedding was a sham. He intended to humiliate Jane by publicly jilting her at the altar, but she discovered the truth and jilted Ian instead. Ian found Jane wandering around Albert Square in her wedding dress, devastated and soaked by torrential rain. They argued and ended up fighting in the mud, but after some talking they realised that they loved each other too much to split. They reunited, eventually marrying in July 2007.

Ian despaired in 2007 when his daughter, Lucy, became surly and rebellious. She began speaking to a mysterious person who began obsessively stalking Ian, claiming to be Cindy. Ian became anxious, paranoid and desperate to discover the stalker's identity. The stalker lured him to an abandoned block of flats, where he discovered a room filled with photos of Cindy. Ian came face-to-face with his stalker, Cindy's eldest son Steven. Ian was held hostage for weeks, while Steven returned to Walford to reunite with his brother and sister. In October, Steven returned to the flat, bringing Lucy with him. Lucy escaped and summoned Jane. Steven realised how depressed he was and pointed a gun to his head. Ian, Jane and Lucy tried to stop him; Jane was accidentally shot in the stomach and given a hysterectomy. Ian took Steven to a psychiatric hospital, but when he was released, Ian wanted nothing to do with him. Ian relented when he realised Steven was suicidal, and despite Jane's protests, Steven moved back in with the Beales. Animosity between Ian and Lucy continued until Lucy decided to run away in 2008. Ian was frantic. It transpired that Steven was aiding her disappearance. When Ian discovered this, he banished Steven from his life; Lucy returned home.

In 2009, Ian, Jane and Bobby went on holiday to Scotland. While away, the cafe exploded due to Nick Cotton. He returned in shock of what happened and confessed to Jane that he hadn't renewed the cafe's insurance policy before the explosion; although he did have the cafe refurbished to a 1950s American theme a couple of weeks later after taking dividends from Masala Queen. In July 2009 Ian entered Bobby into a children's talent contest but discovered his friend Colin is a better singer. Bobby lip-synced but Dotty Cotton exposed them. Jane wishes to adopt a child in October 2009, but Ian insists that his children are enough. Ian finally agrees, but Jane can see it is only for her sake. Ian threatens not to take her back when she leaves in a taxi. He tries to kiss Jane's best friend Tanya Branning but is rejected by throwing wine at him. Ian still misses Jane even though he states he wouldn't take her back. However he did not realised that her departure had affected Bobby the most as at one time Bobby shouted at him and that he wanted his mother, who he classes Jane as his own.

Phil gets into debt and tries to con Ian with the help of Max Branning, but the force warns him that it is a scam. Ian then gives Phil a loan on the condition that if the money is not paid back in two weeks, Ian gets The Queen Victoria public house. Archie tries to convince Ian to sell him the loan as he is trying to ruin the Mitchells. Ian then spends most of the day in the pub getting drunk. He sets up a date with a woman named Fiona (Madeleine Bowyer) through a dating website. He meets her in The Queen Victoria but has no money to pay for the champagne he ordered because the barman Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) goes back on an agreement with Ian to let him have drinks for free, and Fiona leaves. Janine asks Ian to dinner and he arrives early, telling Janine that he has worked out that she is trying to get him to sell the loan to her. Janine says Ian is still in love with Jane and he talks about his problems with Jane as he gets drunk, eventually falling asleep in Janine's bed. The next day he rushes to leave, offering Janine money. Janine later shows Archie a video of her and Ian having sex and plans to bribe Ian with it. However Janine's plan backfires and Ian ends up owning the vic.

Reception

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In 2009, Ian Beale came ninth in a poll by British men's magazine Loaded for 'Top Soap Bloke'.

References

1. McGarry, Lisa (4 April 2007). "Eastenders: Ian Beale Chalks Up 2000 Episodes!". Unreality TV. Retrieved 3 August 2009.
2. All the characters of the original cast were considered to be of equal seniority. It follows that there could not be a "longest serving character" until only one character of the original cast was still in the show. That occurred in December 2006, with the death of Pauline Fowler, leaving Ian Beale as the longest serving character in EastEnders.
3. ^ Smith, Julia (1987). EastEnders - The Inside Story. Book Club Associates. ISBN 0-563-20601-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
4. "Laurie Brett on Ian Beale", Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
5. "I'VE HAD MY PHIL OF STICKY SITUATIONS", Sunday Mail. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
6. "THE 100 GREATEST TV CHARACTERS", Offthetelly.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
7. Brake, Colin (1995). EastEnders: The First 10 Years: A Celebration. BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-37057-2.
8. "John Partidge Video Interview", BBC. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
9. "Harold Ramsay is Loaded's Top Soap Bloke". news.com.au. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2009.

External links

• Ian Beale at BBC Online

• 1985 introductions
• EastEnders characters
• Fictional boxers
• Fictional businesspeople
• Fictional shopkeepers
• Fictional chefs
• Fictional aikidoka
• Fictional politicians
• Fictional market stallholders