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Pauline Fowler
Duration	1985–2006
First appearance	19 February 1985
Last appearance	25 December 2006
In-universe information Occupation Launderette assistant Family Albert, Lou, Maggie, Harry, Ronnie, Dora, Kenny, Pete, Joe, Mark, Michelle, Martin

Pauline Fowler (née Beale) is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played continuously by actress Wendy Richard. Her first appearance in EastEnders was on 19 February 1985, the show's first episode; she remained on-screen for twenty-one years and ten months. Pauline Fowler is the second longest-running character in the programme's history, surpassed only by Adam Woodyatt's character, Ian Beale.

Pauline was depicted as the matriarchal stalwart of the fictional London community of Albert Square. Quintessentially working-class, her storylines focused on drudgery, money worries and family troubles, which were all confronted with steely determination and stoicism—traits that consistently typified the character. She was most often portrayed as an opinionated, sombre, battle-axe—a family-oriented woman who often alienated her kin due to overbearing interference.

Pauline's marriage to the downtrodden Arthur was central to the character for the first eleven years of the programme, ending with his screen death in 1996. Pauline was frequently featured with another long-running character, fellow launderette colleague, Dot Branning, and their scenes together were often used for comedic purposes. Her narrative also included many feuds, most notably with her daughter-in-law, Sonia, and Den Watts; a family-friend who got her daughter Michelle pregnant at just 16. Actress Wendy Richard announced her character's retirement from the serial in 2006. Pauline was killed off in a "whodunnit?" murder storyline, and made her final appearance on Christmas Day, 25 December 2006.

During her time in EastEnders, Pauline evoked both praise and criticism from viewers and the British media—she has been described as a television icon, but also as the "Wicked Witch of Walford". Away from the on-screen serial, Pauline has been the subject of television documentaries, behind-the-scenes books, fictional tie-in novels and comedy sketch shows.

Character creation

Background

Pauline Fowler was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Holland had drawn on his own London background for inspiration, naming some of the characters after his cousins, the fraternal twins Pete and Pauline and their mother Lou; a family set-up recreated on-screen as the first family of EastEnders, the Beales and Fowlers.

Pauline's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story.

Pete's twin sister. Forty, and a chip off the Lou Beale block. Plucky, and determined to battle through whatever the odds. A warm, practical, unsophisticated woman: you stand by your man, do your duty, fight for your kids and have a roast for Sunday dinner … She's also pregnant … She actually remembers her dad saying "Two things we don't discuss in this house are religion and politics". She also remembers her dad smoked a pipe, and wishes her husband did too. She loved her dad very much … Maybe she didn't go into her marriage with quite the right spirit? She was due to be chief bridesmaid at her sister's wedding but she'd got the flu and was confined to bed. Arthur, someone she'd known from school, was given permission to visit the invalid upstairs. He found himself proposing to her. Years later he said "It was to cheer her up really." And Pauline found herself accepting too … She's very fond of her twin brother, Pete (and knows that he's mum's favourite). She's very conventional, and the salt of the earth. Jolly, rounded, someone you can get your arms round. She doesn't trust skinny people…

Casting

From the beginning, Smith had considered the role would be ideal for Wendy Richard, who she had worked with on the 1960s BBC soap The Newcomers. In fact, Richard has since claimed that the part was created especially for her. Holland and Smith decided to approach her about the role, even though their casting policy was not to use “stars”—Richard was already well known in the UK for playing glamorous roles, such as Shirley Brahms in the successful sitcom Are You Being Served? There were initial fears that Richard’s glamorous image would not work for the character and Richard has since commented “When I arrived to talk about , I realised Julia had got an image of how I could be, but it conflicted with everyone else's image of me so far”. Smith also feared that Richard would be apprehensive about playing Pauline, who would be anything but glamorous, but these fears were swept aside when Richard announced that she was sick of glamour and wanted to play her own age. In an interview in 1985, Richard stated: “I’m in my 25th year in show business, I can't go on playing dolly birds forever…I took this job to prove something."

Richard was subsequently cast as Pauline and she was given a make over to make her appearance more in keeping with Pauline’s unglamorous lifestyle. Richard has said “Having my hair cut was the most traumatic aspect of joining EastEnders. I'd worn it long for 19 years. I was hysterical when I came out of the hairdresser's. Then someone said I looked like Judith Chalmers!” Richard's casting was considered to be "a giant leap of faith" by Holland and Smith, but one that ultimately "landed on its feet", because Pauline went on to be one of the longest running characters in EastEnders' history, remaining with the show for nearly twenty-two years.

Character development and impact

Lineage and personality

The character of Pauline was a cornerstone of EastEnders for the first 22 years of its existence; the linchpin of the Fowler/Beale family around which the soap was originally structured. At the beginning of the EastEnders serial in 1985, Pauline was shown to be a working wife–attendant at the local launderette–with two teenage children–daughter Michelle (Susan Tully) and eldest son Mark (played originally by David Scarboro but later recast to Todd Carty in 1990), and another child on the way. The fictional history of her younger years has been told via behind-the-scenes books such as EastEnders: The Inside Story, and also the second tie-in novel by Hugh Miller, Swings and Roundabouts. The books firmly linked the character to the area in which the soap is set; born and raised at 45 Albert Square—where she lived for her entire life—marrying Arthur Fowler in 1965 and raising her own children in the same house.

As the serial progressed, Pauline altered somewhat from her original outline. Instead of being the jolly, warm character she was during the show's early years, she became a sombre "battle-axe", hardened by a life of misery in Albert Square. She was once described as "the Boadicea of battle-axes."

The initial change in her demeanor can be traced back to the death of her mother, Lou Beale—a fierce dowager, who ruled over her family with a "rod of iron." Following Lou's screen funeral in episode 359 (July 1988), Pauline retorts: "Shut up Arthur Fowler, no one interrupts Pauline Beale when she's in full flow"; a line that was used by her mother in the episode that preceded her death. This recreation of a scene between Lou and Arthur symbolised the transference of the family's matriarchal role from Lou to Pauline.

Wendy Richard has indicated that both she and show creator, Julia Smith, had always intended for Pauline to become like her mother and former EastEnders executive producer, John Yorke, has commented on the importance of the lineage between the two characters: " endures, stoically and heroically, whatever life may throw at her, just as her mother did before her. This sense of lineage is vitally important, too. Pauline has been in the show since its start and was handed the role of matriarch on Lou Beale's death."

Pauline became progressively miserable and stern over the course of the show, which led to her being nicknamed "Fowler the growler" by several other characters in the programme. Pauline addressed this during an on-screen conversation with her best friend, Dot, in an episode that was broadcast on 24 June 2004. She attributed her sombre personality to the deaths of those around her, saying: "If you want to know why I am the way I am, look no further than that."

Early storylines

In the first episode it was revealed that Pauline, aged 40, was pregnant with her third child. The character’s pregnancy quickly became a prominent issue within the soap. Pauline was shown to be determined to keep the baby, despite facing severe opposition from her “formidable” mother, Lou (Anna Wing), who ordered her to “get rid of it”. In addition to “entertaining” the audience, the storyline was used to put across a public message; when it was revealed that Pauline was expecting a “late baby”, scenes showing the character having amniocentesis tests were aired in order to highlight the increased risk of genetic defects in late pregnancies. The storyline eventually culminated in the birth of the serial’s first born baby, Martin, in July 1985—a plot that Wendy Richard has classed as her character's happiest, commenting "Although he was a late baby, he was still very much wanted and loved."

Pauline’s early storylines mainly concentrated upon family and money troubles—coping with her husband Arthur’s redundancy, mental breakdown and imprisonment, son Mark’s delinquency and daughter Michelle’s teenage pregnancy. Pauline was depicted as “the true backbone of the family…the one to try and hold things together, even when she was laid up in hospital with exhaustion or working all hours at the local launderette.” In October 1985 Wendy Richard commented “There aren't a lot of laughs in life for Pauline. In fact, since the beginning of the serial I don't think that woman has had one carefree moment.”

In 1989 the character was used to highlight an "important" gynecological health issue, fibroids. The storyline saw Pauline ignoring health problems (such as chronic fatigue) and using homeopathic remedies rather than seeking medical assistance. In the storyline, her fibroids were discovered by chance—the character Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) knocked her down in his mini, and Pauline spent the Boxing Day 1989 episode in hospital, recovering from a necessary hysterectomy. However, Wendy Richard has since revealed that the storyline had originally been scripted differently. Before the outcome of Pauline’s illness was screened, producers had decided that the character was to be killed off with cancer—a decision by the show’s boss, Mike Gibbon, to refresh the format by replacing some of the serial’s older characters. The scriptwriters went as far as giving the character a “mystery illness” before the newly appointed executive producer, Michael Ferguson, decided to scrap the original storyline, believing that one of the soap’s original characters was too valuable an asset to lose. The storyline was rewritten and the character was instead given a treatable gynecological ailment.

Marriage to Arthur

Pauline's marriage to the luckless Arthur was central to her character and they have been hailed as "the soap's most famous husband and wife team." The dynamics of Pauline and Arthur's relationship were clear from the beginning of the programme, with Pauline depicted as the matriarchal force that held the Fowler family together, while Arthur was depicted as weak, emotionally unstable and easily dominated by the stronger females of his family. Writer Jacquetta May, who once played Rachel Kominski in the programme, has commented that Pauline and Arthur "represented the matriarchal relationship of strong woman/weak man…Arthur, only sporadically employed and disabled by a breakdown, often behaved like a little boy while Pauline had to make the decisions and keep the family functioning in the face of poverty and unemployment, teenage pregnancy and depression."

Pauline and Arthur were generally seen as the most stable couple in the show, so the storyline involving Arthur's affair with Christine Hewitt (Lizzie Power) in 1992 came as a shock to viewers. The storyline was long running, beginning early in 1992 with the introduction of lonely divorcee Christine, who employed Arthur to tend to her garden. A romance was built steadily throughout the year and the buildup contained many twists and turns, starting with Arthur’s rebuff of Christine’s advances, then a confrontation between Pauline and Christine, which convinced Pauline of Arthur’s innocence and left her feeling "strangely sorry for the pathetic, lonely figure, who obviously drank too much." The episode in which Arthur finally gives into temptation and betrays Pauline by sleeping with Christine aired on Christmas Eve 1992. It was labeled "The Bonk of the Year" by the British press and was watched by 24.30 million viewers; reported in 2005 as the eleventh most highly viewed UK television programme of all time.

The storyline continued throughout 1993 as Christine was shown to make greater demands on Arthur, threatening to tell Pauline about their affair unless he did so himself. The situation finally reached a climax on-screen in September 1993. The scriptwriters had many conferences about ways in which Pauline would find out about the affair; "should she work it out herself or should some third party tell her the truth?" In the end it was felt that Arthur should tell her himself, and when he did, Pauline became violent and hit him in the face with a frying pan. Although the audience had witnessed Pauline and Arthur rowing many times, this was something different, "an act of betrayal on a massive scale." Series production manager, Rona McKendrick, has commented on this "iconic" scene: "It was one of the few times when you saw Pauline really, really let rip…you really felt the anger, understood the anger and realised why she went as far as she did." This episode (written by Tony McHale and directed by Keith Boak) was chosen by writer Colin Brake as the episode of the year in EastEnders: The First Ten Years and is described by Wendy Richard as "Pauline's crowning moment."

For a while it seemed that EastEnders' "most solid" marriage was over, but Arthur spent the rest of 1993 trying to convince Pauline that it was worth saving and they eventually reconciled. However, more tragedy was to follow when Arthur was framed by a conman, Willy Roper (dubbed "Wicked Willy" by the British press), and wrongfully imprisoned for embezzlement in 1995. The storyline captured the public's imagination and a nationwide "Free Arthur Fowler" campaign was launched—"Arthur Fowler Is Innocent" T-shirts were produced and a single was even released in the UK singles chart promoting the campaign.

Arthur's imprisonment was a precursor to the final exit of actor Bill Treacher, who decided to leave EastEnders after 11 years playing Arthur. While Arthur went to pieces in prison, Pauline was heavily embroiled in the storyline pertaining to his eventual release. For several months viewers witnessed Willy attempt to woo Pauline, but she eventually uncovered his deception and then resorted to uncharacteristic seduction to gain his confession. One critic commented "Pauline Fowler deserves a Golden Cardie Award for her performance in EastEnders. The way which she extracted a confession from Willy Roper over the money he stole was nothing short of brilliant." Arthur was exonerated, but his joyful reunion with Pauline was brief, as an injury he sustained in prison led to a brain haemorrhage and he died shortly after his release. His death ended an 11 year screen marriage, the serial's most enduring to date.

Importance of family

Pauline remained a family-oriented character throughout the course of the show. A "fiercely loyal, but overbearing mother"; sheltering and taking on the major responsibilities of her children and frequently stressing the importance of family. She was portrayed as a traditionalist, with strict rules and beliefs—the first to criticise, but also the first to defend her children, often interfering in their issues and causing rifts in their relationships. The inherent affiliation between Pauline and her family has been discussed by one journalist: "As the first episodes aired and the storylines unfolded, Pauline was there to bolster the family unit, and it was clear that she would be an important part of Albert Square, as well as the Fowler home…she shows her inner strength and backbone from our first introduction to her. It is clear that her family is her life, and though her relationships with her children have never been as close and trouble free as she would have liked, it is also clear that she would move heaven and earth for each of them…The Fowler family were a real family, and Pauline was the one to try and hold things together."

Early storylines between Pauline and her two teenage children, Mark and Michelle, showed her to be devoted mother—forgiving of Mark’s wayward behavior, and supportive when Michelle decided to become a teenage mum. Wendy Richard commented in 1990 “It's important for her to keep the family together. That's why when her problem son Mark suddenly came home , it was like her winning the pools…She had to take a lot of shocks from Michelle and I think she coped remarkably well."

As the serial progressed, Pauline contended with a plethora of family upsets, which included many deaths—her mother Lou in 1988, twin brother Pete in 1993 and husband Arthur in 1996—as well as her elder son Mark's fatal battle with HIV, a storyline that Richard is particularly proud of. After a year long buildup, Mark was shown to reveal his HIV status to his stunned and devastated parents in an episode that aired on Boxing Day 1991, attracting 19 million viewers. Wendy Richard has given her interprtation of Pauline’s reaction to Mark’s news: “To say she was shell-shocked was an understatement and, not knowing enough about HIV, she and Arthur were worrying that their eldest son might die from Aids at any moment.” The HIV plot had many ramifications for the character of Pauline, as she struggled to come to terms with her son's condition. It was also instrumental in raising public awareness about the illness, which was still the subject of much ignorance when "EastEnders" tackled it in 1991. In fact, when the storyline initially aired, more people went for a HIV test in Britain than at any other time. Wendy Richard commented: "The storyline with Mark Fowler, when he announced he was HIV positive, was really well done. People have to be aware that HIV and Aids are not exactly the same thing. The Minister of Health who was in power at that time wrote a letter complimenting us for the way that we had put the information across."

The HIV storyline came to an end on-screen in 2003, when the actor Todd Carty was written out of the serial after 13 years playing Mark. In the serial, Mark discovered that his HIV medication was failing and he decided to leave Walford to spend the remainder of his life traveling—refusing to let Pauline witness his deterioration. Richard has classed Mark's exit as her most difficult storyline, commenting: "I was so genuinely upset that Todd Carty, who played Mark, was going I could barely get my lines out for want of crying—but everybody said I acted it well. It was, I think, ten per cent acting and 90 per cent me crying my eyes out because I was being selfish and didn't want Todd to go."

In the latter years of her time in the soap Pauline changed from “a solid, loving, caring mother to a selfish, domineering, unreasonable shrew" who alienated her youngest son. Pauline’s relationship with Martin was often shown to be strained by Pauline’s refusal to release control over his life—one reporter has commented: “Martin is the only member of her family who's left and she's done her best to make his life a misery.” Though initially a teenage delinquent, following Mark’s death in 2004, Martin became Pauline’s "dutiful son" who was frequently forced to put his mother’s wishes above those of his wife—a recurring theme within the serial. Eventually this was shown to cause a rift between the two characters. When Martin went against his mother’s wishes in 2006 and rekindled a romance with his adulterous ex-wife Sonia, she cut him out of her life. Television personality, Paul O'Grady, has addressed Pauline’s refusal to "share her son like a normal mother", commenting: "she’s suspicious of anybody that comes into the family who wants to take her son away from her. She has already lost one son; she has lost her husband, so she’s hanging onto the last one like a mother tiger with her cub."

Friends and enemies

The character’s narrative also included various feuds, most notably with the soap’s lothario Den Watts, a family-friend who got her daughter Michelle pregnant at the age of 16. EastEnders pulled in the biggest television audience of the 1980s when 30.15m watched the 1986 Christmas Day episode in which Pauline discovered that Den was the father of her granddaughter, Vicki. Wendy Richard has commented on the hostility between the characters "once Pauline realised that Dennis was Vicki's father, she was out to get him one way or another" and actor, Leslie Grantham, who played Den added "from then on it was out and out war, which was great!" An array of confrontations between Den and Pauline were then featured as she tried to force him to leave Walford, and keep him away from her family. The feud appeared to end in 1989 when the character Den was shot and presumed dead, but it was reignited once again in 2003 when Den was reintroduced, 14 years after he supposedly died. 2005 saw Den killed off for the final time, and although Pauline was not directly responsible for killing him, the item used to blugeon him to death turned out to be her dog-shaped iron doorstop, which has been described as “a nice touch of pathos”.

A large proportion of the character's scenes took place on the set of Walford's launderette, where Pauline worked as an assistant for almost the entire duration of her time in EastEnders. Here, Pauline was frequently featured with another long-running protagonist, fellow launderette colleague, Dot Branning. The two characters shared one of the soap's most enduring screen friendships and their scenes together were often used to provide humour. Particular emphasis was placed on their differences, which led to numerous petty squabbles and once saw them "buried alive" underneath a collapsed fairground ride, in the midst of a cake-selling war (2004). However, Pauline and Dot were most frequently shown gossiping, reminiscing about the past, or sharing their woes in the launderette. The duo has been described by television personality, Paul O'Grady, as a "fabulous double-act" and he went on to say: "Dot's probably Pauline's one and only confidant. Pauline eventually will break down and tell Dot things that she'd never tell anybody else."

Pauline was shown to be particularly hostile to the various female characters that featured in her sons' lives, coming to epitomise the archetypal “mother-in-law from hell”. One of Pauline’s most notable feuds was with her youngest son Martin’s wife, Sonia. Animosity between the characters began in 2000, when Sonia gave birth to Pauline’s grandchild and decided to give the baby, Chloe (later renamed Rebecca), up for adoption. In the storyline, Pauline tried unsuccessfully to fight for custody, leading Sonia to retort “YOU want to bring up Chloe? You couldn't bring up phlegm!” The feuding over Chloe was revisited in storylines throughout 2005 and 2006, when first Pauline was shown to visit her adopted granddaughter against Sonia and Martin’s wishes, and then, following Sonia’s lesbian affair with Naomi Julien, she refused to give Sonia access to the child after Martin regained custody. Critic for The Guardian, Grace Dent, commented “At one point, you couldn't move around Walford for hitmen and gangsters, but now they've all been written out…leaving Pauline Fowler to reign the square like sodding Pablo Escobar in a sky-blue tabard and ski-pants, decreeing who can see their own kids, who can drink where and what everyone's eating in the cafe so as they won't spoil their teas. If I was Sonia, I'd have ransacked the hospital's dangerous drugs box by now and given that old crone a renal meltdown.” Various, rows, slaps and insults have been featured between the characters, as Pauline was shown to continuously interfere in Sonia's relationships with Martin and Rebecca. In one scene Sonia brands Pauline "sick" for not wanting to share her son with the woman he loved.

In 2004 Pauline was given a dog in the serial, a stray Cairn Terrier named Betty who became her inseparable sidekick. Wendy Richard has since revealed that it was her decision for Pauline to own a Cairn, commenting "When EastEnders asked if Pauline should have a dog I said it had to be a Cairn Terrier—and Betty joined us! She's wonderful, she loves me and I love her."

Second marriage

Several eligible bachelors were shown to express their interest in Pauline over the years, including the characters Derek Taylor in 1987, Danny Taurus in 1993, Jeff Healy (who proposes) in 1999, Eddie Skinner in 2000, and Terry Raymond, who she went on a blind date with in 2001. However, the character remained staunchly faithful to her late husband's memory, refusing to let the relationships progress beyond companionship. In 2001 Derek Harkinson (Ian Lavender) was introduced, an old school friend of Pauline's. Initial scripts indicated that Derek was being groomed as a romantic interest for Pauline, which she was shown to welcome. However the storyline took a twist when he revealed, to her shock, that he was gay. 2002 saw Derek move in with the Fowler family, "unconventionally" settling into the show as a replacement father figure for Mark and Martin and as Pauline’s best friend, which led to the two characters being branded a "geriatric Will & Grace".

In 2005 Pauline was shown to embark on a romance with a new character, Joe Macer (Ray Brooks), who she met at salsa classes. A relationship was developed and despite her initial trepidation the year 2006 saw Pauline remarrying after almost a decade alone. Pauline's marriage to Joe was an attempt to give the character a "new lease of life" and her wedding day was screened to coincide with EastEnders' 21st anniversary. Richard was openly opposed to her character remarrying, but she was eventually convinced by the executive producer and battled—successfully—for Pauline to keep her surname, Fowler.

In July 2006 however, Wendy Richard announced that she would be leaving the show. She said she made the decision to leave when the producers of EastEnders revealed that Pauline was to remarry. Richard thought it was "disloyal" of Pauline to her beloved first husband Arthur, commenting: "I think it's the most terrible shame, I really do. I thought in my heart of hearts it was wrong." Richard felt that she did not have the same chemistry with Ray Brooks, who played Joe, as she did with Bill Treacher, who played Arthur. She refuted producers' opininions that Pauline and Joe "looked good together" and felt that she and Brooks had to work very hard to turn them into a "realistic-looking couple."

Just two months after the wedding was screened, Pauline's marriage was shown to sour after she discovered Joe's criminal past. Their relationship steadily deteriorated throughout the year, and in episodes that aired in December 2006 Pauline ended the marriage—removing her wedding ring and informing Joe that he "was half the man that Arthur had been, that she had never really loved him and that their sex life was a sham." The resulting row saw Joe insult Pauline's family—suggesting that her "perfect marriage" with Arthur was "nothing but a fantasy" and brandishing Mark "diseased", Michelle a "slapper" and Arthur an "con"—to which Pauline repsonded by smashing a plate over his head. Wendy Richard has commented "It was not just the memory of Arthur that stopped the marriage to Joe being a success. He was proven to be a weak and untruthful man. That is what caused the marriage to be a non starter. Pauline was not mean to Joe, he used her…and lied to her."

Deception, reclusiveness and death

Viewers saw the slow build-up to Pauline's climactic exit throughout the latter part of 2006. The character's bitter decline involved depression, pretending to have a brain tumour to scupper the revived relationship between her son Martin and his ex-wife Sonia, marital breakdown and finally ostracism after Martin and the rest of Albert Square discovered her lie. Having successfully alienated everyone around her, Pauline planned to go to America to join her daughter. Wendy Richard has commented on the reasons behind Pauline’s actions: “she cannot forgive. For anyone to hurt a member of her family so badly is incomprehensible to Pauline. She is a good, but unforgiving woman. Sonia is more than just a thorn in Pauline's side. She is angry because she feels Martin has let her down in returning to Sonia. She feels he could have discussed it with her more and talked her round for the sake of Rebecca. Pauline will blame her decision to leave on Sonia—another way of punishing Martin. Even though she is really hurting over leaving Rebecca, Pauline is determined to go. She realised she never really loved Joe, he has lied to her too many times…Although I know Pauline better than anyone, even I cannot fathom out why she made up the brain tumour story."

The character was killed off in a "shocking" and dramatic storyline, which aired on Christmas Day 2006 and was watched by an estimated 10.7 million viewers. It was the second most highly watched programme of the day. The storyline involved a heated row between Pauline and Sonia, which culminated in Pauline being given “a well-deserved slap" and falling to the floor, knocking over the Fowler fruitbowl—"the enduring symbol of her family, which smashed, significantly, into smithereens.” Though the character resolved to stay and reunite with her family in the end, she did not get the chance as she collapsed and died in the middle of Albert Square, leaving both characters and viewers in uncertainty about the cause of her demise.

The Christmas Day episodes, written by Simon Ashdown, drew on the show’s early history to mark the occasion of Pauline's exit, which was particularly emphasized by the use of flashback vocal snippets of several members of Pauline's deceased family. The critic for The Times, Tim Teeman, commented that "Wendy Richard as Pauline had the air of the departing diva, queen of all she had loved, lost and laid waste to, her face set in a silent snarl." In addition, her parting scene with the other EastEnders long-serving "grand dame" Dot Branning (played by June Brown) has also been praised, with Teeman commenting: "The really choking scene came in the launderette between Pauline and Dot … Here the two grand dames had worked, bitched and consoled for years. Richard and the wonderful June Brown played their final encounter as intensely as the characters deserved."

Richard herself has been less complimentary about her alter ego's departure and has spoken of her disappointment regarding Pauline's "changing character" and "depressing final storyline". In an interview with the Biography Channel she explained: "I did say, promise me you won’t make Pauline nasty before she goes, and unfortunately they did…I wasn’t too happy with the way it was done. They were changing Pauline’s character…Pauline would never have remarried. She would have remained a widow, sitting in that chair in the corner. That’s what Julia Smith wanted, and that’s what I felt was right, so I resigned…I think it’s a shame because the Fowlers have gone completely now … There was so much history with that family."

The storyline—dubbed "who killed Pauline?" by the British press—continued through 2007, as first Pauline's funeral was interrupted by the police in order to perform an autopsy on her body, and then Pauline's nemesis Sonia was arrested for the murder. It was later revealed that the killing blow had actually come from Pauline's husband Joe, who broke down and confessed to Dot that he had rowed with Pauline on Christmas day (off-screen) and, in a fury, struck her across the head with a frying pan, causing a brain haemorrhage that claimed her life. The plot's eventual climax in February 2007 led to the exits of several established characters connected with Pauline. This included Martin, Sonia and Joe, who was dramatically killed off after confessing to Pauline's murder—he fell out of the Fowlers' first floor window while trying to apprehend a hysterical Dot. Pauline was shown to be cremated and her ashes were buried at Arthur's graveside by Dot in an episode that aired in June 2007.

As a final tribute to Pauline and Wendy Richard, the BBC aired a special television programme entitled EastEnders Revealed: Goodbye Pauline, which provided an emotional look back at Pauline's pivotal storylines during her time in Walford. It also reunited Wendy Richard with prior cast-mates, Todd Carty and James Alexandrou (Mark and Martin respectively) and featured character commentary and tributes from television critics and EastEnders actors such as Anna Wing and Pam St. Clement (Lou and Pat). During the programme— which aired on New Year's Day, 2007—Wendy Richard reflected upon how "proud" she was of her character, commenting: "Pauline had everything in life thrown at her and I think she coped with it very well. It showed how people deal with their problems … She wasn't always grumpy … she did have lots of laughs, but sadly people don't seem to remember that, which is a shame … they still harp on about her wearing her cardigans and Pauline stopped wearing cardigans three years after EastEnders started. She is a good woman, she's a kind woman, a loving woman and all she ever thought about was her family. That was the most important thing in her life…"

Reception

Popularity

Pauline is the second-longest running character to feature in EastEnders and one of only two original characters to remain in the show for almost 22 years. Her baggy woolly cardigan and long-suffering nature have led to her being labeled as a soap institution, a "soap legend" and a "television icon".

" wasn't just a character, she was very much the social glue of the Square…"

When actress Wendy Richard announced her departure from the show in 2006, BBC controller of continuing drama John Yorke commented "Richard occupies a huge place in people's hearts" and executive producer Kate Harwood said, "For many years Wendy simply was EastEnders for the audience and Pauline's indomitable nature typified the grit and fight that embodies the EastEnders' spirit … We thank her for everything she has done for the show…"

Although it has been suggested that Pauline's presence in EastEnders was largely peripheral for some time, the news of her departure was met with dismay by fans and soap journalists alike. In a report for BBC News, one viewer commented "If she goes then I think EastEnders is finished." Inside Soap editor Steven Murphy has said that the fact Pauline has been such an enduring staple will make it hard for fans to cope with her departure. "It's huge in soap terms … She's a character people love to hate—you just assumed she would be there forever." Murphy went on to say "characters like Pauline are like glue, because they're connected to so many other characters and they can help hold stories together. In terms of that has very few of those now." Jonathan Hughes, editor of All About Soap magazine, has also said " an absolute legend … You can't imagine the show without her … People will miss her because she's been such an important part of EastEnders for so many years."

In May 2007, Wendy Richard was awarded with a 'Lifetime Achievement' award at the British Soap Awards, to honour her years of service to EastEnders. The award was presented by Todd Carty, who played her on-screen son Mark. Carty described Richard as the "heart and soul of EastEnders" and hailed her as an "inspiration" to everyone in the EastEnders cast. Richard was moved to tears when she collected the award.

Criticism

Despite being popular with many, the character of Pauline has also garnered much criticism over the years. Persistent criticism has been given to the character's dowdy attire, particularly the misconceived perception that she rarely wears anything but a baggy cardigan; a claim that Wendy Richard herself categorically disputes. In addition Pauline has also received much criticism for her miserable demeanour—"a face like a month of wet weekends" and "a voice that could curdle milk." She has been described as the "Wicked Witch of Walford" and "a character who became a byword for downtrodden haggery."

"How can you have someone like Pauline Fowler on the television for 21 years? It's the best thing that's ever happened to television . Kill her off? I would have blown her up years ago…"

Lucy Mangan, the culture critic from The Guardian newspaper, summed up the character: "Pauline Fowler, is surely one of the oddest soap creations ever. She is a character without humour, charisma or indeed any redeeming features who became progressively, unrelentingly miserable … She was presumably intended to be the anchoring force for EastEnders, but because of the writers' unprecedented decision to break with traditional narrative rules and give her not a single redeeming feature, she became more of a sucking chest wound than the heart of the show." This opinion is perhaps shared by a proportion of viewers, as Pauline was voted the 35 most annoying person of 2006 in a BBC Three poll, being the only fictional character to appear on the list. In a Radio Times poll of over 5,000 people in 2004, 13% chose Pauline Fowler as the soap character they would most like to see retired. She came third in the poll, behind EastEnders' Den Watts (17%) and Coronation Street's Ken Barlow (15%).

In addition, Pauline's exit in December 2006 was described as a "mess" by Kevin O'Sullivan, critic of the Sunday Mirror newspaper. He branded her final scene unconvincing and badly acted, commenting: "the appropriately feeble scene brought down the curtain on 20 terrible years of Wendy Richard's low-quality performances. We shall not see her like again. If we're lucky! … I'm certain millions didn't tune in to say farewell to sour- faced Pauline. No, they were just checking to make sure she was really dead."

Cultural impact

EastEnders was the first television show to have a "dial-a-soap" facility. Run by British Telecom in 1985, the facility allowed people who had missed an episode to ring a number and get an instant update. The synopses were scripted to be no longer than one minute and twenty-eight seconds per episode. Wendy Richard, in character as Pauline, was chosen to be the voice at the other end of the line and narrated each episode.

The character of Pauline was mentioned in the successful BBC drama This Life in 1997. In one episode of the show two key characters, Anna and Ferdy, watched an episode of EastEnders on television and mocked Pauline's hysterics and her well documented tendency to wear cardigans.

The character has also been spoofed in the successful BBC comedy sketch show, The Real McCoy (1991–1995). One of the show's regular sketches featured a spoof version of EastEnders, with black comedians taking over roles of well known EastEnders characters who frequented a pub called Rub-a-Dub. The comedian Llewella Gideon played the role of Pauline and the sketches placed considerable emphasis on her high-pitched voice and tendency to whinge.

Pauline has been featured in numerous EastEnders related merchandise, including calenders, cast-cards, annuals, a knitting pattern book and a greeting card. A promotional picture of Pauline and Joe was used on the official Torchwood website, in a fictional magazine article about aliens.

Family

• Father: Albert Beale (deceased)
• Mother: Lou Beale (deceased)
• Brothers: Pete Beale (deceased), Kenny Beale, Ronnie Beale (deceased), Harry Beale
• Sisters: Dora Beale (deceased), Maggie Flaherty
• Husband: Joe Macer (deceased)
• Sons: Mark Fowler (deceased), Martin Fowler
• Daughter: Michelle Fowler
• Grandson: Mark Fowler Jr.
• Granddaughters: Vicki Fowler, Rebecca Miller
• Nephews: Ian Beale, Conor Flaherty, David Wicks, Eamonn Flaherty, Tommy Flaherty, John Flaherty
• Niece: Elizabeth Beale
• Great nephews: Joe Wicks, Peter Beale, Bobby Beale, Eamonn Flaherty Jr.
• Great nieces: Bianca Jackson, Mary Flaherty, Lucy Beale, Karen Wicks (deceased), Colette Flaherty, Kylie Flaherty
• Great great nephew: Liam Butcher
• Great great niece: Natasha Butcher (deceased)
• Uncle: Terence Medeemey (deceased)
• Aunts: Flo Medeemey, Elsie Medeemey (deceased), Liz Medeemey (deceased), Queenie Medeemey (deceased), Doris Miller (deceased)
• Great aunt: Dolly Beale (deceased)
• Second cousin once removed: Nellie Ellis

References

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External links

• Pauline Fowler at BBC Online

Template:EEBeales&Fowlers Template:EEoriginals

• EastEnders characters
• Fictional Christians
• Fictional twins
• Characters introduced in 1985