168-503: The following is a list of characters first appearing in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1988, by order of first appearance. Sufia Karim is played by Rani Singh . Sufia makes her first appearance in Walford in 1988, when she moves to Walford with her husband Ashraf ( Aftab Sachak ) and their children Shireen ( Nisha Kapur ) and Sohail ( Ronnie Jhutti ). In 1989 she discovers that Ashraf
336-413: A bit". Kate Lock, author of EastEnders' official book, Who's who? , described Simon as a "smoothie and a charmer [...] shallow, lazy and unreliable." She suggested that he graduated from the "love 'em and leave 'em school of relationships" and that he could not cope with commitment. Additionally, author Rupert Smith has suggested that, "with his blow-dried hair, rolled-up jacket and toothy grin, [Wicksy]
504-808: A breakdown and be sectioned. Little Ali lives with his father, who struggles as a single parent and employs an unregistered child minder to look after Little Ali while he works. When health visitor Carmel Jackson ( Judith Jacob ) notices that Little Ali is not being looked after properly, she investigates and finds that the child minder is neglecting the children in her care, leaving them alone all day. Unable to look after his son, Ali sends Little Ali to live with relatives. Ali's financial problems continue and he leaves Walford in October 1989 when he loses his home and business. Little Ali now lives in Northern Cyprus with his father. Brian Wicks , played by Leslie Schofield ,
672-462: A business selling swimming pools, and married a New Zealander named Barbara. He didn't speak to any of his family for five years after emigrating, and after that it was only Pauline who corresponded with him. He returns to Walford in 1988 with his daughter Elizabeth (Lucy Bayler), after his marriage has hit a rocky patch. He visits his ill mother and finds out that he has been named as the father of Pat's younger son, Simon Wicks ( Nick Berry ). After
840-693: A censorship apparatus for the inevitability of war. Due to the BBC's advancements in shortwave radio technology, the corporation could broadcast across the world during the Second World War. Within Europe, the BBC European Service would gather intelligence and information regarding the current events of the war in English. Regional BBC workers, based on their regional geo-political climate, would then further censor
1008-506: A chastising from Dot for this, Melody disappears with no explanation. Off-screen, the show acquired a new executive producer, Michael Ferguson , and many characters were dropped. According to writer Colin Brake , the storyline involving Melody and the unruly Brownies was intended to be fun, but references to Brownies behaving badly caused great offence to the Brownie movement, and an official complaint
1176-462: A dramatic return through the doors of the Queen Vic? Never say never - who knows when I'll need the work..." Berry was reportedly asked to reprise the role of Simon in 2004 by executive producer Louise Berridge , though a return at this time did not materialise. In 2007, the executive producer of EastEnders , Diederick Santer , stated that Wicksy was the character he would most like to see return to
1344-425: A kind, easy-going man. Everyone loves him, except Carmel's brother, Darren ( Gary McDonald ), who objects to his sister dating him because he is white . His racial hatred eventually leads to Carmel kicking him out of her flat and Matthew later moves in instead. Darren subsequently flees Walford , leaving Carmel and Matthew to look after his two children, Junior (Aaron Carrington) and Aisha (Aisha Jacob). Carmel
1512-569: A kitchen knife . Matthew spends time in hospital, but once again he manages to convince Carmel that he has changed and she allows him to come home when he recovers. She tries to get Matthew to seek professional help, but Matthew is appalled by the idea, and true to form, he begins smashing up the house and threatening her with more violence. This is the last straw for Carmel and she wisely decides to end their relationship. She throws Matthew out and he leaves Walford in July 1989. Cindy Beale (also Williams )
1680-461: A larger brand: in 2003, BBC Choice was replaced by BBC Three , with programming for younger adults and shocking real-life documentaries, BBC News 24 became the BBC News Channel in 2008, and BBC Radio 7 became BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2011, with new programmes to supplement those broadcast on Radio 4. In 2008, another channel was launched, BBC Alba , a Scottish Gaelic service. During this decade,
1848-556: A month in Walford, he returns to New Zealand, saying goodbye to Simon, whose paternity has come into doubt again. He tells Simon that he hopes he is his father, although it is later revealed that Pat believes Brian Wicks ( Leslie Schofield ) is Simon's father. Kenny remains off-screen following his 1988 departure, suffering a car accident in June 1992, prompting Pauline to travel to New Zealand and care for him. Upon Pauline's death in 2006, he sends
SECTION 10
#17329055061532016-413: A musician. Instead, Simon finds work as a barman in both The Queen Vic and later The Dagmar wine bar, where he frequently plays the pub piano , singing Cockney favourites to the regulars Pat arrives in Walford, much to Pete's dismay, and tells Pete that he is not Simon's father. Pat had various affairs during their marriage, including one with Pete's brother Kenny Beale ( Michael Attwell ). This causes
2184-711: A new life together the following day. In 1992, Cindy returns and reunites with Ian, stating Simon abandoned her and Steven to move abroad. Simon eventually settles in New Zealand and in 2002, Steven, who has so far been brought up by Ian, discovers his true paternity and moves to New Zealand to be with Simon. Simon's girlfriend Miriam becomes pregnant in 2009, but their relationship suffers in 2011 when Simon reveals to Pat that while staying with him, his brother, David Wicks ( Michael French ), had an affair with Miriam. When Pat dies of pancreatic cancer in January 2012, David claims Simon
2352-599: A news and information service. In 1978, BBC staff went on strike just before the Christmas, thus blocking out the transmission of both channels and amalgamating all four radio stations into one. Since the deregulation of the UK television and radio market in the 1980s, the BBC has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster Channel 4 ), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services. In
2520-489: A number of additional channels and radio stations have been launched: Radio 5 was launched in 1990, as a sports and educational station, but was replaced in 1994, with BBC Radio 5 Live to become a live radio station, following the success of the Radio 4 service to cover the 1991 Gulf War . The new station would be a news and sport station. In 1997, BBC News 24 , a rolling news channel, launched on digital television services, and
2688-532: A one-off cameo for the funeral of his mother, Pat Evans ( Pam St Clement ). Simon arrives in Walford to see the man he believes to be his father, Pete Beale ( Peter Dean ). They have not seen each other for 10 years and Pete is pleased to see him. He quickly gets a job in The Queen Victoria public house and moves in. It is soon revealed that Simon had been in a band with Eddie Hunter (Simon Henderson) but Simon has borrowed money from loan sharks to keep
2856-501: A piano). The song was written and produced by Simon May , who famously composed the EastEnders theme tune. "Every Loser Wins" was a smash hit, reaching number 1 in the UK singles chart , where it stayed for three weeks, knocking Madonna 's " True Blue " off the top spot. It was the second biggest-selling single in the UK that year after " Don't Leave Me This Way " by The Communards , and held
3024-732: A proposal to cut 4,000 jobs, and to privatise parts of the BBC, disrupted much of the BBC's regular programming. In 2006, BBC HD launched as an experimental service and became official in December 2007. The channel broadcast HD simulcasts of programmes on BBC One , BBC Two , BBC Three and BBC Four as well as repeats of some older programmes in HD. In 2010, an HD simulcast of BBC One launched: BBC One HD . The channel uses HD versions of BBC One's schedule and uses upscaled versions of programmes not currently produced in HD. The BBC HD channel closed in March 2013 and
3192-519: A regular character between 1988 and 1991, when Lawrence decided to leave. The character makes several brief returns in 1993, 1994, and 1997. In 2008, Diane returns for the funeral of her father Frank ( Mike Reid ), and at the end of June 2012 for the wedding of her sister, Janine ( Charlie Brooks ). Over the years, Diane develops from a rebellious teenager who runs away from home, to a free-spirited single mother having difficulty looking after her young son. In her most recent stint on EastEnders Diane
3360-471: A result. The Firm financially ruin The Dagmar for the purpose of drawing in its custom for their own wine bar, Strokes, which is in fact a front for illegal gambling reluctantly run by Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ). Den later uses his Firm connections to arrange for The Dagmar to be firebombed in retaliation to Wilmott-Brown raping Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth ), which angers Mantel and The Firm's bosses,
3528-661: A rift between Simon and his mother, a relationship already damaged due to Simon's disapproval of her nonchalant style of parenting. Pat later admits that Simon's father is Brian Wicks ( Leslie Schofield ), his supposed adoptive father. Simon visits Brian following this revelation, but his father is abusive towards him and so Simon cuts contact. Simon proves popular with women. He has flings with Donna Ludlow ( Matilda Ziegler ), Mary Smith ( Linda Davidson ) and Naima Jeffery ( Shreela Ghosh ) among others. In 1987, he dates Sharon Watts ( Letitia Dean ), but soon gets bored when she refuses to sleep with him. His first serious relationship
SECTION 20
#17329055061533696-539: A series of strikes; however, the BBC stated that the cuts were essential to move the organisation forward and concentrate on increasing the quality of programming. On 20 October 2010, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced that the television licence fee would be frozen at its current level until the end of the current charter in 2016. The same announcement revealed that the BBC would take on
3864-568: A situation that would provide much story material for years to come. In the storyline, Cindy and Simon committed to relationships with other people, but remained drawn to each other, resulting in a one-night stand and Cindy falling pregnant with Simon's baby. In a further plot twist, Cindy, rejected by Simon, married Ian and appropriated him as the father of Steven Beale , Wicksy's baby. The love triangle continued into 1990, resulting in Cindy leaving Ian for Wicksy. The episode where Ian discovered that Simon
4032-472: A while. Dr. Legg thinks it is a great idea, and David comes over the following month. On his arrival, he tends to Colin Russell ( Michael Cashman ) when he is attacked. David helps his uncle out with the practice and lives in the flat above the surgery. Despite being extremely fond of each other, the new partners argue about almost everything. David wants to modernise the surgery and bring in computers, but Harold
4200-496: A wreath to commemorate. It is revealed in CivvyStreet that Kenny is named after his paternal grandfather, Kenneth Beale. Elizabeth Beale , played by Lucy Bayler, was born in New Zealand to Kenny ( Michael Attwell ) and Barbara Beale, and comes to Walford with Kenny when they visit her sick grandmother Lou ( Anna Wing ). Elizabeth arrives in Walford with Kenny when Kenny's brother, Pete Beale ( Peter Dean ), finds out he
4368-452: Is accused of theft from The Queen Vic when marked notes are found in his pocket; however, it is Ian who planted them. When Simon loses his job he accepts Ian's offer of employment at his catering company, where Ian attempts to frame him for theft. When this fails, Ian tries to kill Simon by sabotaging the brakes of the van he is driving on Christmas Day 1990. Realising that Ian will not stop the feud, Simon, Cindy and Steven leave Walford to start
4536-440: Is actually a facade for an illegal gambling den. Shireen Karim , played by Nisha Kapur , is the daughter of Ashraf and Sufia Karim ( Aftab Sachak and Rani Singh ). When she moves to Walford in 1988, she grows fond of Ricky ( Sid Owen ). They begin dating for a brief period, until Shireen's father finds out and forbids her from seeing Ricky. In 1989 Shireen in betrothed to Jabbar Ahmed ( Gordon Warnecke ), and although she
4704-540: Is also an old friend of his. As Benny and Ethel spend more time together, their friendship blossoms into a romance. A very drunk Benny later propositions Ethel, asking her to move in with him. Ethel initially thinks the offer is for a proposal of marriage, but when she realises that his motives are less than honourable she is furious and smashes his Issy Bonn records over his head. When relaying her concerns to her friend Dot Cotton ( June Brown ), Ethel confesses that she does love Benny, which angers Dot as she feels that Benny
4872-402: Is an intelligent man, and is able to work out the connection between Den and Michelle Fowler ( Susan Tully ), and that she might be the key to finding him. He orders that Michelle be tailed, and she was followed to the Walford canal. Mantel then co-ordinates the assassination via a walkie-talkie. Mantel gives the order to shoot Den, but 14 years later it is revealed that his attempt to kill Den
5040-564: Is an old pervert and she tells Ethel to stay well clear of him. Ethel and Benny reconcile, and over lunch Benny decides to propose to Ethel, this time for marriage. However, Dot has heard that Benny plans to propose and in a bid to prevent her best friend from accepting, she turns up at their luncheon and brands Ethel stupid for considering marriage, saying she could never be happy with a Jew, as they were "different". Ethel accuses Dot of anti-Semitism and just to spite Dot, she agrees to marry Benny. However, Ethel becomes unsure when Benny relays all
5208-598: Is at first opposed to the idea of an arranged marriage, the pair soon fall in love. However the marriage is called off by the Ahmed family after they find out about Ashraf having an extra-marital affair. The women of the Karim and Ahmed families meet in secret, to discuss the possibility of Shireen and Jabbar marrying. Whether they reunite or not is not revealed, as the Karims leave Walford shortly after. Sohail Karim , played by Ronny Jhutti ,
List of EastEnders characters introduced in 1988 - Misplaced Pages Continue
5376-459: Is constantly covered in bruises. He tries to put a stop to it by informing various people about the abuse, which doesn't impress Matthew and this only makes his temper worse. Matthew begins to grow irrationally jealous over Carmel's friendship with Dr. David Samuels (Christopher Reich), and during a family meal one night, he begins to get violent towards her in front of Junior. In a desperate bid to protect his petrified aunt, Junior stabs Matthew with
5544-610: Is deeply sorry to see him go. Den is shot in February 1989 and presumed dead. A body is wrongly identified as Den's the following year, and Barnes attends the funeral in May 1990. Queenie Price , played by John Labanowski , is an inmate in Dickens Hill prison along with Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ). It is revealed that Queenie is on The Firm's payroll, and The Firm believed that Den is trying to frame them. However, after The Firm discover Den
5712-507: Is having an affair with a woman named Stella ( Cindy O'Callaghan ). This affair is eventually exposed to the community, leading to the family leaving Walford for Bristol in June 1990. Melody (initially credited as Junior's Girlfiend ), played by Lyanne Compton, is introduced in 1988 as the troublesome school friend of Junior Roberts (Aaron Carrington), on whom she has a crush. They are mischievous, doing things such as stealing dogs from their owners and then claiming rewards when they return
5880-449: Is his. She gives birth to Steven (Edward Farrell) on Boxing Day 1989. Meanwhile, Simon and Sharon's relationship continues. Sharon makes plans to buy The Queen Vic and run it with Simon. However, Simon finds this commitment daunting; he starts pining for Cindy and develops paternal feelings towards his son. Simon and Cindy resume their affair and when Ian finds out, he becomes obsessed with breaking them up and ruining Simon's life. Simon
6048-686: Is in a bad mood after arguing with Kathy, throws her out of his house when she tries to bring a friend home to stay. She returns to New Zealand and Kathy contacts Elizabeth and Kenny when Lou dies. "Little" Ali Osman , played by Omer Mustafa Salih, is the second son born to café owners Sue and Ali Osman ( Sandy Ratcliff and Nejdet Salih ). He is born in March 1988 and is delivered in his parents' flat, 47B Albert Square , by Lofty Holloway ( Tom Watt ) and Pauline Fowler ( Wendy Richard ). Following his parents' split, he and his mother leave Walford in April 1989 but Ali snatches him in May, causing Sue to have
6216-681: Is not convinced however, and berates David for the degradation he'd brought upon himself and the surgery. Later David and Dr. Legg fall out over Dr. Legg's treatment of patients. David is appalled that Dr. Legg has decided to lie to Colin and withhold vital information from him about his depleting health. He is also angry over Dr. Legg's lack of persistence concerning Donna Ludlow 's ( Matilda Ziegler ) drug problem, and later blames himself for not providing sufficient help following her suicide in May 1989. Soon after David has stern words for Dr. Legg when he fails to diagnose Vicki Fowler with meningitis . Their altercation leads to Dr. Legg retiring and leaving
6384-622: Is not pleasant. After calling Pat a slag and almost getting into a fight with Frank, Brian leaves. It isn't until a dying Lou Beale ( Anna Wing ) pressurises Pat in July 1988 to give Simon peace of mind regarding his paternity, that Pat finally reveals that Simon's biological father is Brian, the mentally unstable man Simon grew up assuming was his stepfather. Simon and Brian never appear on-screen together, although later plots imply that they do correspond with each other, despite Simon (who left Walford in December 1990) claiming regularly that he hates him and describing to Frank that growing up with Brian
6552-516: Is not the biological father of Simon Wicks ( Nick Berry ). Kenny had an affair with Pete's ex-wife, Pat Wicks ( Pam St. Clement ), and could be Simon's father, however, neither of them are Simon's father. Elizabeth begins an unlikely, but brief liaison with her cousin Ian ( Adam Woodyatt ). She stays with Pete and her aunt, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth ), when her father returns to New Zealand. She soon angers Ian by flirting with other men, and Pete, who
6720-703: Is not the informant, Den discovers that it is Queenie. Den stuns Queenie with his discovery, but instead of turning him in to The Firm he uses him to provide information on them. BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC ) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London , England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company , it evolved into its current state with its current name on New Year's Day 1927. The oldest and largest local and global broadcaster by stature and by number of employees,
6888-500: Is obviously of paramount importance." Reith succeeded in building a high wall against an American-style free-for-all in radio in which the goal was to attract the largest audiences and thereby secure the greatest advertising revenue. There was no paid advertising on the BBC; all the revenue came from a tax on receiving sets. Highbrow audiences, however, greatly enjoyed it. At a time when American, Australian and Canadian stations were drawing huge audiences cheering for their local teams with
List of EastEnders characters introduced in 1988 - Misplaced Pages Continue
7056-531: Is only interested in making Simon jealous, but when she realises Ian is a budding entrepreneur, she agrees to marry him. Confused by Cindy, Simon reignites a relationship with Sharon. Jealous that Simon is moving on, Cindy seduces him and they have sex on the floor of The Queen Vic after closing time. This tryst culminates in Cindy falling pregnant with Simon's child. When Simon learns of the pregnancy, he refuses to have anything more to do with Cindy. Rejected, Cindy marries Ian and deceives him into thinking that her baby
7224-458: Is played by Edna Doré between 1988 and 1990. She is introduced as the matriarch figure of the Butcher family, Frank Butcher 's ( Mike Reid ) elderly mother. She is portrayed as a battle-axe, tough and interfering. Her most notable storyline first aired in 1990, when the character is used to portray descent into Alzheimer's disease . Doré opted to leave the serial that same year; Mo was written out of
7392-465: Is played by Michelle Collins from 1988 to 1990 and from 1992 to 1998 and reprising her role in 2023. Cindy has an eye for the lotharios of Walford and despite trying to settle down repeatedly with the more reliable Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ), she is unable to remain faithful to him. She has a selfish streak, and is often more concerned about her own needs than her family's. She often lies and schemes, particularly where men are concerned. Ricky Butcher
7560-445: Is 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. However, he reprised the role in 2002 before being axed by producer Louise Berridge in 2004. In 2008, producer Diederick Santer reintroduced the character for a third time, along with his wife Bianca Jackson ( Patsy Palmer ). Ricky
7728-651: Is played by Christopher Reich. David first appears in April 1988 as Dr. Harold Legg 's ( Leonard Fenton ) nephew who is visiting from Israel . David has fallen on hard times in Israel. He was being shunned by the locals because he had treated a wounded terrorist, who was guilty of bombing a bus that had killed his best friend. He had also split from his fiancée Ruth ( Nitza Saul ), and wanted a new start. When his mother Hester ( Barbara Shelley ) comes to visit Harold she asks him if it would be possible for David to join him in England for
7896-721: Is portrayed as a more mature character than previously seen, settled in France and, in a departure from a character previously depicted as heterosexual, she is stated to be in a long-term relationship with another woman. Gregory Mantel is played by Pavel Douglas . Mantel is a well-spoken, sharp-suited gangster, an employee of The Firm. He is introduced in June 1988, as a character claiming to be from "Walford Investments", who tries to persuade James Willmott-Brown ( William Boyde ) to let him buy into The Dagmar. When Willmott-Brown refuses, he soon finds that his suppliers are refusing to do business with him. The bar's business suffers dramatically as
8064-445: Is portrayed as unintelligent, simplistic, easily led and bossed around by dominant personalities. On 26 February 2011, it was announced that Owen would take a temporary break from the show. The character exited on 19 July 2011, returning five months later on 13 December 2011. Ricky left EastEnders on 17 January 2012. Ricky made a brief return to EastEnders in June 2012. Diane Butcher is played by Sophie Lawrence . Diane appears as
8232-461: Is really besotted with Matthew, so when he proposes marriage in November that year, she gleefully accepts. Carmel wants to invite Lynne to the wedding, but Matthew is totally opposed to the idea. His ire rises at her mere mention, but Carmel pursues it, which causes Matthew to blow his top and viciously scream at her. Carmel is left dumbstruck at the sudden outburst, but this is only a small taster of what
8400-404: Is responsible for operational management and delivery of services within a framework set by the board, and is chaired by the director-general , currently Tim Davie , who is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief. The corporation has the following in-house divisions covering the BBC's output and operations: Simon Wicks Simon " Wicksy " Wicks is a fictional character from
8568-399: Is revealed in January 1990 that David and Ruth got married in Israel and Dr. Legg attended the wedding. In 2019, David contacts Dot Branning ( June Brown ) from Israel to say that he cannot make it back to England for Dr. Legg's funeral. Matthew Jackson , played by Steven Hartley , is the manager of the local music store. He is first seen on screen in May 1988 as a new love interest for
SECTION 50
#17329055061538736-433: Is set in his ways and is opposed to any obvious changes. Dr. Legg also disagrees with David's friendship with their secretary, Michelle Fowler ( Susan Tully ). Particularly when the two get drunk one night at a Christmas party, leave together and end up in the same bed. David awakes the next day not remembering a thing, but is reassured when Michelle informs him that he had been too drunk to do anything untoward anyway. Harold
8904-451: Is the second husband of Pat Wicks ( Pam St Clement ). He only appears twice on-screen, but the character's history is heavily intertwined with several other key characters within the series, and he is mentioned regularly for the first three to four years. The character is involved in one of EastEnders most complicated storylines: the paternity of Simon Wicks ( Nick Berry ). Brian began an affair with Pat around 20 years earlier, while she
9072-676: Is the son of Ashraf and Sufia Karim ( Aftab Sachak and Rani Singh ). He arrives in 1988 and takes a liking to Diane Butcher ( Sophie Lawrence ). Diane agrees to go on a date with him, but Sohail tries to molest her, and after the date ends abruptly. Sohail, along with the rest of his family, moves to Bristol in 1990. Benny Bloom is played by Arnold Yarrow . Benny is a Jewish bricklayer who lived with his wife, Golda, at 5 Albert Square during World War II, later retiring to Clacton where Golda died. Benny first appears, visiting his old friend Dr Harold Legg ( Leonard Fenton ) and begins spending time with Ethel Skinner ( Gretchen Franklin ), who
9240-454: Is to come in the following months. The two marry in January 1989, but the day is ruined when Matthew sees his mother is in attendance. Carmel had got in contact with her, thinking that Matthew would be pleased to have her at the wedding. She is wrong and Matthew is furious. After shunning their reception party, he threatens to pack his things and leave. Carmel cannot understand his reaction and when she attempts to stop him leaving he grabs her by
9408-496: Is unable to get a flight to attend her funeral; however, Simon later arrives at his mother's graveside, alone, laying flowers and saying goodbye. In 2014, Peter Beale ( Ben Hardy ) reveals that Steven is living in New Zealand with Simon after he plans to escape Walford after the murder of Lucy Beale ( Hetti Bywater ) (see Who Killed Lucy Beale? ). The following year, Peter goes to visit Steven and Simon in New Zealand. Simon Wicks
9576-504: Is with caterer Magda Czajkowski ( Kathryn Apanowicz ). They move in together, but both want different things out of the relationship and Simon eventually jilts her in 1988 on the advice of his boss Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ), whose womanising he idolises. In 1988, Simon has flings with Donna and Cindy Williams ( Michelle Collins ) at the same time. Cindy refuses to tolerate Simon's womanising and when Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ) starts wooing her, she dates him instead. Initially Cindy
9744-626: The Archbishops of Canterbury and York came to St Paul's to broadcast to the UK and the world on the National Day of Prayer. BBC employees during the war included George Orwell who spent two years with the broadcaster. During his role as prime minister during the war, Winston Churchill delivered 33 major wartime speeches by radio, all of which were carried by the BBC within the UK. On 18 June 1940, French general Charles de Gaulle , in exile in London as
9912-526: The BBC Television Service ) started from Alexandra Palace in November 1936, alternating between an improved Baird mechanical 240-line system and the all-electronic 405-line Marconi-EMI system which had been developed by an EMI research team led by Sir Isaac Shoenberg . The superiority of the electronic system saw the mechanical system dropped early the following year, with the Marconi-EMI system
10080-456: The British BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Nick Berry between 1985 and 1990. Wicksy was introduced to take on some of the more adult storylines that had been scripted for another character, Mark Fowler ; Mark's actor, David Scarboro , had left the serial prematurely due to personal problems. Wicksy was the soap's first male pin-up. An early storyline saw Wicksy perform a song in
10248-936: The MediaCityUK development in Salford , with BBC Three moving online only in 2016, the sharing of more programmes between stations and channels, sharing of radio news bulletins, more repeats in schedules, including the whole of BBC Two daytime and for some original programming to be reduced. BBC HD was closed on 26 March 2013, and replaced with an HD simulcast of BBC Two; however, flagship programmes, other channels and full funding for CBBC and CBeebies would be retained. Numerous BBC facilities have been sold off, including New Broadcasting House on Wilmslow Road in Manchester. Many major departments have been relocated to Broadcasting House in central London and MediaCityUK in Salford, particularly since
SECTION 60
#173290550615310416-514: The 2025–26 season of the Women's Super League campaign. The BBC is a statutory corporation , independent from direct government intervention, with its activities being overseen from April 2017 by the BBC Board and regulated by Ofcom . The chairman is Samir Shah. The BBC is a state owned public broadcasting company and operates under a royal charter . The charter is the constitutional basis for
10584-467: The BBC announced a BBC News savings target of £80 million per year by 2022, involving about 520 staff reductions. The BBC's director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth said there would be further moves toward digital broadcasting, in part to attract back a youth audience, and more pooling of reporters to stop separate teams covering the same news. In 2020, the BBC reported a £119 million deficit because of delays to cost reduction plans, and
10752-537: The BBC employs over 21,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 17,200 are in public-sector broadcasting. The BBC was established under a royal charter , and operates under an agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport . Its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee which is charged to all British households, companies, and organisations using any type of equipment to receive or record live television broadcasts or to use
10920-506: The BBC has played a prominent role in British life and culture. It is sometimes informally referred to as the Beeb or Auntie . In 1923 it launched Radio Times (subtitled "The official organ of the BBC"), the first broadcast listings magazine; the 1988 Christmas edition sold 11 million copies, the biggest-selling edition of any British magazine in history. Britain's first live public broadcast
11088-565: The BBC is subject to an additional 'Agreement' between it and the Culture Secretary , and that its operating licence is to be set by Ofcom, an external regulatory body . It used to be that the Home Secretary be departmental to both Agreement as well as Licence, and regulatory duties fall to the BBC Trust , but the 2017 charter changed those 2007 arrangements. The charter, too, outlines
11256-741: The BBC released minutes of the board meeting which led to Greg Dyke's resignation. Unlike the other departments of the BBC, the BBC World Service was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office . The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, more commonly known as the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. A strike in 2005 by more than 11,000 BBC workers, over
11424-440: The BBC suddenly became the primary source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position. On the one hand Reith was acutely aware that the government might exercise its right to commandeer the BBC at any time as a mouthpiece of the government if the BBC were to step out of line, but on the other he was anxious to maintain public trust by appearing to be acting independently. The government
11592-477: The BBC was granted sufficient leeway to pursue the government's objectives largely in a manner of its own choosing. Supporters of the strike nicknamed the BBC the BFC for British Falsehood Company. Reith personally announced the end of the strike which he marked by reciting from Blake's " Jerusalem " signifying that England had been saved. While the BBC tends to characterise its coverage of the general strike by emphasising
11760-531: The BBC", was priced at tuppence (two pence ) on newsstands, and quickly sold out its run of a quarter of a million copies. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee. By now, the BBC, under Reith's leadership, had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified (monopoly) broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit
11928-459: The BBC's airwaves. In 1937, a MI5 security officer was given a permanent office within the organisation. This officer would examine the files of potential political subversives and mark the files of those deemed a security risk to the organisation, blacklisting them. This was often done on spurious grounds; even so, the practice would continue and expand during the years of the Cold War. There
12096-535: The BBC's censorship office, which surveilled and edited American coverage of British affairs. By 1940, across all BBC broadcasts, music by composers from enemy nations was censored. In total, 99 German, 38 Austrian and 38 Italian composers were censored. The BBC argued that like the Italian or German languages, listeners would be irritated by the inclusion of enemy composers. Any potential broadcasters said to have pacifist, communist or fascist ideologies were not allowed on
12264-512: The BBC's revenue comes from its commercial subsidiary BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide ), which sells BBC programmes and services internationally and also distributes the BBC's international 24-hour English-language news services BBC News , and from BBC.com, provided by BBC Global News Ltd. In 2009, the company was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of its international achievements in business. Since its formation in 1922,
12432-679: The BBC's streaming service, iPlayer . The fee is set by the British Government , agreed by Parliament , and is used to fund the BBC's radio, TV, and online services covering the nations and regions of the UK. Since 1 April 2014, it has also funded the BBC World Service (launched in 1932 as the BBC Empire Service), which broadcasts in 28 languages and provides comprehensive TV, radio, and online services in Arabic and Persian . Some of
12600-510: The BBC, and sets out the BBC's Object, Mission and Public Purposes. It emphasises public service , (limited) editorial independence , prohibits advertising on domestic services and proclaims the BBC is to "seek to avoid adverse impacts on competition which are not necessary for the effective fulfilment of the Mission and the promotion of the Public Purposes". The charter also sets out that
12768-575: The British government's asylum policy on social media. Lineker was suspended from his position on Match of the Day before being re-instated after receiving overwhelming support from his colleagues. The scandal was made worse due to the connections between BBC's chairman, Richard Sharp, and the Conservative Party. In April 2023, Richard Sharp resigned as chairman after a report found he did not disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest in his role in
12936-500: The CBBC Channel and CBeebies Channel. In addition to the television channels, new digital radio stations were created: 1Xtra , 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra . BBC 1Xtra was a sister station to Radio 1 and specialised in modern black music, BBC 6 Music specialised in alternative music genres and BBC7 specialised in archive, speech and children's programming. The following few years resulted in repositioning of some channels to conform to
13104-628: The Corporation's governance and regulatory arrangements as a statutory corporation, including the role and composition of the BBC Board. The current Charter began on 1 January 2017 and ends on 31 December 2027; the Agreement being coterminous. The BBC Board was formed in April 2017. It replaced the previous governing body, the BBC Trust, which itself had replaced the board of governors in 2007. The board sets
13272-642: The GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee. The committee recommended a short-term reorganisation of licence fees with improved enforcement in order to address the BBC's immediate financial distress, and an increased share of the licence revenue split between it and the GPO. This was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee to fund broadcasts. The BBC's broadcasting monopoly
13440-498: The Prime Minister, maintained the censorship of editorial opinions on public policy, but allowed the BBC to address matters of religious, political or industrial controversy. The resulting political "talk series", designed to inform England on political issues, were criticised by members of parliament, including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Sir Austen Chamberlain . Those who opposed these chats claimed that they silence
13608-492: The UK's first Independent local radio station, LBC came on-air in the London area. As a result of the Pilkington Committee report of 1962, in which the BBC was praised for the quality and range of its output, and ITV was very heavily criticised for not providing enough quality programming, the decision was taken to award the BBC a second television channel, BBC2 , in 1964, renaming the existing service BBC1 . BBC2 used
13776-573: The United States, the GPO proposed that it would issue a single broadcasting licence to a company jointly owned by a consortium of leading wireless receiver manufacturers, to be known as the British Broadcasting Company Ltd , which was formed on 18 October 1922. John Reith , a Scottish Calvinist , was appointed its general manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. L. Stanton Jefferies
13944-622: The air and forced the British government finally to regulate radio services to permit nationally based advertising-financed services. In response, the BBC reorganised and renamed their radio channels. On 30 September 1967, the Light Programme was split into Radio 1 offering continuous "Popular" music and Radio 2 more "Easy Listening". The "Third" programme became Radio 3 offering classical music and cultural programming. The Home Service became Radio 4 offering news, and non-musical content such as quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays. As well as
14112-462: The altar. Although the plot produced two hit singles in the real world, the actual storyline was not a great success with viewers. EastEnders creators Julia Smith and Tony Holland both felt it lacked credibility and branded it an experiment that failed. 1986 heralded the beginning of a storyline that Colin Brake has described as one of the soap's most complicated, convoluted, confusing and mind-boggling: The paternity of Simon Wicks. As part of
14280-422: The band afloat, but the band has fallen apart with Simon owing the loan sharks £1,500, which he cannot pay, and he has fled home after stealing from his mother, Pat Wicks ( Pam St Clement ). Pete pays off Simon's debt. Simon attempts to form another band, but rivalry between the members prompts him to quit and go solo. He does not get very far however, and by the end of the year he gives up his dream of becoming
14448-482: The box for some time. For my first few episodes, I walked around with a big smile on my face, grinning at everybody. It was funny." Wicksy has been described by writer Colin Brake as a major arrival during EastEnders' first year. The character drove into EastEnders in a bright yellow sports car in episode 67. He suggested that with Wicksy's arrival, Walford gained a new pin-up. Berry stated in 1986 that he modelled his portrayal of Simon on his younger brother, who
14616-458: The broadcast of baseball, rugby and hockey, the BBC emphasised service for a national rather than a regional audience. Boat races were well covered along with tennis and horse racing, but the BBC was reluctant to spend its severely limited air time on long football or cricket games, regardless of their popularity. John Reith and the BBC, with support from the Crown , determined the universal needs of
14784-613: The car. She deceives Frank by claiming that her aunt Mabel's car has been written off and asks if he can provide one for her. Frank agrees to get her the car free of charge. He manages to get hold of a mini , and Pat telephones Brian to tell him of her success. Although he is slightly annoyed that the car he is getting is only a mini, he nevertheless agrees to give Pat a divorce. In 2006, Brian's nephew Kevin Wicks ( Phil Daniels ) and his stepchildren Deano ( Matt Di Angelo ) and Carly ( Kellie Shirley ) come to live with Pat. Dr David Samuels
14952-606: The challenge of better reflecting and representing a changing UK". Since 2017, the BBC has also funded the Local Democracy Reporting Service , with up to 165 journalists employed by independent news organisations to report on local democracy issues on a pooled basis. In 2016, the BBC Director General Tony Hall announced a savings target of £800 million per year by 2021, which is about 23% of annual licence fee revenue. Having to take on
15120-464: The closure of BBC Television Centre in March 2013. On 16 February 2016, the BBC Three television service was discontinued and replaced by a digital outlet under the same name, targeting its young adult audience with web series and other content. Under the new royal charter instituted in 2017, the corporation must publish an annual report to Ofcom, outlining its plans and public service obligations for
15288-408: The corporation began to sell off a number of its operational divisions to private owners; BBC Broadcast was spun off as a separate company in 2002, and in 2005, it was sold off to Australian -based Macquarie Capital Alliance Group and Macquarie Group Limited and rebranded Red Bee Media . The BBC's IT , telephony and broadcast technology were brought together as BBC Technology Ltd in 2001, and
15456-553: The division was later sold to the German company Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS). SIS was subsequently acquired from Siemens by the French company Atos . Further divestments included BBC Books (sold to Random House in 2006); BBC Outside Broadcasts Ltd (sold in 2008 to Satellite Information Services ); Costumes and Wigs (stock sold in 2008 to Angels Costumes ); and BBC Magazines (sold to Immediate Media Company in 2011). After
15624-456: The dogs, professing to have found them, or charging children to see a free Punch and Judy show. Melody attends the local Brownies , where she is particularly troublesome for the Brown Owl, Marge Green ( Pat Coombs ). During her time in Walford, Melody is approached by a potential paedophile, who offers her sweets and a ride in his car; Melody responds by biting his hand. She reports the man to
15792-488: The domestic duties he expects from her. The final straw comes when Benny informs Ethel that her pug Willy will not be able to stay at the manor where he lives, due to a "no pets" rule. Ethel cannot consider parting with her dog, so the engagement is called off. This is Benny's last appearance on the Square, but a few months later the residents hear news that Benny has died and he has left Ethel £ 2000 in his will. Mo Butcher
15960-508: The face one night during an argument about Junior. Carmel is left with a heavily bruised face, but yet again a tearful Matthew manages to convince her to forgive him. Matthew's behaviour continues to alternate from contrite and caring to hot-tempered and violent, for seemingly no reason. Nevertheless, Carmel remains with him as she believes she can help him combat and contain his rage. Despite his despicable behaviour, she still deeply loves him. It isn't long before Junior had works out why his aunt
16128-407: The facilitation of a loan to Prime Minister Boris Johnson . Dame Elan Closs Stephens was appointed as acting chairwoman on 27 June 2023, and she would lead the BBC board for a year or until a new permanent chair has been appointed. Samir Shah was subsequently appointed with effect from 4 March 2024. In October 2024 it was announced that the BBC along with Sky Sports signed a deal to broadcast
16296-403: The father of Simon." Another storyline featuring Wicksy was begun in 1988 with the on-screen arrival of a love-interest, Cindy Williams ( Michelle Collins ). In the storyline, Cindy had a fling with Wicksy before opting to have a more serious relationship with his half brother, Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ). Colin Brake suggested that with this storyline, EastEnders were sowing the seeds of
16464-447: The first fully electronic television system in the world to be used in regular broadcasting. The success of broadcasting provoked animosities between the BBC and well-established media such as theatres, concert halls and the recording industry. By 1929, the BBC complained that the agents of many comedians refused to sign contracts for broadcasting, because they feared it harmed the artist "by making his material stale" and that it "reduces
16632-429: The following year, BBC Choice was launched as the third general entertainment channel from the BBC. The BBC also purchased The Parliamentary Channel, which was renamed BBC Parliament . In 1999, BBC Knowledge launched as a multimedia channel, with services available on the newly launched BBC Text digital teletext service (later rebranded as BBC Red Button), and on BBC Online . The channel had an educational aim, which
16800-402: The forthcoming ending of the remaining £253 million funding towards pensioner licence fees would increase financial pressures. In January 2021, it was reported that former banker Richard Sharp would succeed David Clementi , as chairman, when he stepped down in February. In March 2023, the BBC was at the centre of a political row with football pundit Gary Lineker , after he criticised
16968-499: The four national channels, a series of local BBC radio stations were established in 1967, including Radio London . In 1969, the BBC Enterprises department was formed to exploit BBC brands and programmes for commercial spin-off products. In 1979, it became a wholly owned limited company, BBC Enterprises Ltd. In 1974, the BBC's teletext service, Ceefax , was introduced, created initially to provide subtitling, but developed into
17136-507: The frame, including Brian, Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ), Frank Butcher ( Mike Reid ) and Pete's brother Kenny Beale ( Michael Attwell ). Furious rows erupt between all concerned, but Pat ominously refuses to divulge the father's true identity. Brian first appears in April 1988. He has been informed that Pat has settled down with Frank Butcher, and is running The Queen Vic pub. Brian is interested in Pat's monetary affairs and their brief reunion
17304-562: The full cost of running the BBC World Service and the BBC Monitoring service from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and partially finance the Welsh broadcaster S4C . Further cuts were announced on 6 October 2011, so the BBC could reach a total reduction in their budget of 20%, following the licence fee freeze in October 2010, which included cutting staff by 2,000 and sending a further 1,000 to
17472-633: The government. Throughout the 1930s, political broadcasts had been closely monitored by the BBC. In 1935, the BBC censored the broadcasts of Oswald Mosley and Harry Pollitt . Mosley was a leader of the British Union of Fascists , and Pollitt a leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain . They had been contracted to provide a series of five broadcasts on their parties' politics. The BBC, in conjunction with The Foreign Office of Britain, first suspended this series and ultimately cancelled it without
17640-405: The higher resolution 625-line standard which had been standardised across Europe. BBC2 was broadcast in colour from 1 July 1967 and was joined by BBC1 and ITV on 15 November 1969. The 405-line VHF transmissions of BBC1 (and ITV) were continued for compatibility with older television receivers until 1985. Starting in 1964, a series of pirate radio stations (starting with Radio Caroline ) came on
17808-534: The late 1980s, the BBC began a process of divestment by spinning off and selling parts of its organisation. In 1988, it sold off the Hulton Press Library, a photographic archive which had been acquired from the Picture Post magazine by the BBC in 1957. The archive was sold to Brian Deutsch and is now owned by Getty Images . In 1987, the BBC decided to centralize its operations by the management team with
17976-665: The leader of the Free French, made a speech, broadcast by the BBC, urging the French people not to capitulate to the Nazis. In October 1940, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret made their first radio broadcast for the BBC's Children's Hour , addressing other children who had been evacuated from cities. In 1938, John Reith and the Government of the United Kingdom , specifically the Ministry of Information which had been set up for WWII, designed
18144-489: The loss-making consortium, and Reith was keen that the BBC be seen as a public service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 United Kingdom general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production, and with restrictions on news bulletins waived,
18312-754: The material their broadcasts would cover. Nothing was to be added outside the preordained news items. For example, the BBC Polish Service was heavily censored due to fears of jeopardising relations with the Soviet Union . Controversial topics, i.e. the contested Polish and Soviet border, the deportation of Polish citizens, the arrests of Polish Home Army members and the Katyn massacre , were not included in Polish broadcasts. American radio broadcasts were broadcast across Europe on BBC channels. This material also passed through
18480-530: The modest, church-going elderly or a member of the Clergy . Until 1928, entertainers broadcasting on the BBC, both singers and "talkers" were expected to avoid biblical quotations, Clerical impersonations and references, references to drink or Prohibition in the United States , vulgar and doubtful matter and political allusions. The BBC excluded popular foreign music and musicians from its broadcasts, while promoting British alternatives. On 5 March 1928, Stanley Baldwin,
18648-413: The new corporation adopted the coat of arms , including the motto "Nation shall speak peace unto Nation". British radio audiences had little choice apart from the upscale programming of the BBC. Reith, an intensely moralistic executive, was in full charge. His goal was to broadcast "All that is best in every department of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement.... The preservation of a high moral tone
18816-473: The next year. In its 2017–18 report, released July 2017, the BBC announced plans to "re-invent" its output to better compete against commercial streaming services such as Netflix . These plans included increasing the diversity of its content on television and radio, a major increase in investments towards digital children's content, and plans to make larger investments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to "rise to
18984-413: The notice of the public. Less radical politicians faced similar censorship. In 1938, Winston Churchill proposed a series of talks regarding British domestic and foreign politics and affairs but was similarly censored. The censorship of political discourse by the BBC was a precursor to the total shutdown of political debate that manifested over the BBC's wartime airwaves. The Foreign Office maintained that
19152-506: The on-screen events, Simon was shown to bond with Kenny, despite Pat's admitting that she did not know which of the Beale brothers had fathered Wicksy. A final plot twist in mid-1988 saw Pat finally reveal what she thought was the truth, that Simon's real father was Brian Wicks ( Leslie Schofield ), Pat's second husband and Wicksy's adoptive father. Despite this revelation on-screen, Colin Brake stated in an official EastEnders ' book in 1995 that
19320-471: The on-screen events, Wicksy spent time with Steven and Cindy at her parents' cottage in Devon, but the idyll was shattered by the arrival of Ian. In his description of the episode, Brake said, "the scene was set. Debbie Cook's scripts took Pete and Ian, with his leg in plaster, to Devon for a confrontation that would contain elements of tragedy and farce. Particularly memorable was Ian furiously throwing bricks through
19488-541: The opinions of those in Parliament who are not nominated by Party Leaders or Party Whips, thus stifling independent, non-official views. In October 1932, the policemen of the Metropolitan Police Federation marched in protest at a proposed pay cut. Fearing dissent within the police force and public support for the movement, the BBC censored its coverage of the events, only broadcasting official statements from
19656-485: The original storyline, Wicksy's mother, Pat ( Pam St Clement ), was introduced as a major antagonist for the Beale family, when she announced that her former husband, Pete, was not Simon's biological father, as had previously been claimed. So began a long-running storyline played out throughout the year and continuing into 1988, which included other characters being implemented as the potential father of Simon, including Pete's older brother Kenny Beale ( Michael Attwell ). In
19824-407: The people of Britain and broadcast content according to these perceived standards. Reith effectively censored anything that he felt would be harmful, directly or indirectly. While recounting his time with the BBC in 1935, Raymond Postgate claims that BBC broadcasters were made to submit a draft of their potential broadcast for approval. It was expected that they tailored their content to accommodate
19992-547: The police, but subsequently, her father prohibits her from seeing Junior for a while, though this does not last. Melody is upset when Junior and his family move away in August 1989; they think about running away together, but are unable to set their plan in motion. Junior still visits Melody occasionally and on Halloween 1989, she and Junior dress as ghosts and throw eggs at Dot Cotton ( June Brown ) for refusing to offer anything desirable during their game of Trick or Treat . Following
20160-435: The positive impression created by its balanced coverage of the views of government and strikers, Seaton has characterised the episode as the invention of "modern propaganda in its British form". Reith argued that trust gained by 'authentic impartial news' could then be used. Impartial news was not necessarily an end in itself. The BBC did well out of the crisis, which cemented a national audience for its broadcasting, and it
20328-476: The post, with a note saying 'We regret, etc.'" In the 1930s music broadcasts also enjoyed great popularity, for example the friendly and wide-ranging BBC Theatre Organ broadcasts at St George's Hall , London by Reginald Foort , who held the official role of BBC Staff Theatre Organist from 1936 to 1938. Television broadcasting was suspended from 1 September 1939 to 7 June 1946, during the World War II , and it
20496-495: The pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office (GPO), was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests and moved to rescind its ban in the wake of a petition by 63 wireless societies with over 3,000 members. Anxious to avoid the same chaotic expansion experienced in
20664-419: The producers and writers of the soap had always planned on introducing Pete's estranged son on-screen, but Wicksy's premature inclusion meant introducing him a year before it had originally been intended. Actor Nick Berry was cast to play Wicksy with minimal delay. Smith has described his casting as one of the fastest on record. Berry auditioned in front of the soap's creators, Smith and Tony Holland , and
20832-459: The public should not be aware of their role in the censorship. From 1935 to 1939, the BBC also attempted to unite the British Empire's radio waves, sending staff to Egypt, Palestine , Newfoundland , Jamaica, India, Canada and South Africa. Reith personally visited South Africa, lobbying for state-run radio programmes which was accepted by South African Parliament in 1936. A similar programme
21000-423: The radio and television divisions joining forces together for the first time, the activities of the news and currents departments and coordinated jointly under the new directorate. During the 1990s, this process continued with the separation of certain operational arms of the corporation into autonomous but wholly owned subsidiaries , with the aim of generating additional revenue for programme-making. BBC Enterprises
21168-464: The record as the highest climbing chart single ever until 2001, when it was eclipsed by " It's the Way You Make Me Feel " by Steps (which climbed from 72–2). "Every Loser Wins" sold over a million copies and earned composer Simon May an Ivor Novello award . The song "also provided levity" on-screen, when it was used as Lofty Holloway 's break-up song after Michelle Fowler had jilted him at
21336-416: The role in 1990 and the character was written out in December that year, Berry having been offered a lucrative deal with BBC 's rival network, ITV . Berry has since suggested that he left the role as he feared being typecast. When asked in interviews, Berry has refused to rule out a possible return to Eastenders . In 2001, Berry commented, "Well, they never did kill off Wicksy. Maybe one day, he'll make
21504-642: The running of the surgery to David. However, David's contemporary methods alienate the older residents of Walford and after much protesting Dr. Legg eventually decides to rethink his retirement. David initially tries to fight this, but in August 1989, Ruth, arrives in Albert Square to reconcile with David, and she makes David and Harold realise how petty their arguing has become. The two doctors manage to patch up their differences, whilst David and Ruth put their past behind them and get back together. The following month they decide to marry and return to Israel together. It
21672-443: The sales of OBs and costumes, the remainder of BBC Resources was reorganised as BBC Studios and Post Production , which continues today as a wholly owned subsidiary of the BBC. The 2004 Hutton Inquiry and the subsequent report raised questions about the BBC's journalistic standards and its impartiality. This led to resignations of senior management members at the time including the then Director General, Greg Dyke . In January 2007,
21840-454: The serial, " Every Loser Wins ", which was subsequently released as a single in 1986 and reached number one in the UK singles chart . One of Wicksy's most prominent storylines was his adultery with Cindy Beale , and a subsequent feud with Cindy's husband, Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ). Nick Berry quit the role in 1990, fearful of typecasting, and after five years on-screen, Wicksy departed on 27 December that year. On 13 January 2012, Simon made
22008-413: The serial. He commented, "I'd love to see what he's like today. What is this golden boy, who had the world and the women of Walford at his feet, doing now? Has he delivered on his early promise? I loved Nick Berry playing him – Simon was a likeable but complex character. Maybe I should ask him to come back…" He confirmed his desire to get the character back to website Walford Web in 2010, but added that it
22176-455: The show [in 1989] and they chose Wicksy as the new romantic lead. I resisted that change as I never really saw Wicksy like that and you have to be consistent with these characters." In 1986, EastEnders decided to tackle a storyline about the ups and downs of a pop group. The group featured the majority of teenage characters in the soap at the time, including Wicksy. Nick Berry was musically trained, having attended London stage schools. He
22344-477: The slightly eldest of the young characters would need to be taken over by another character and thus Wicksy was invented. Simon Wicks was associated with one of EastEnders' original families, the Beales. Specifically, he was introduced as the estranged son of Pete Beale ( Peter Dean ), born from his first marriage - events that had been written into Pete's backstory at the start of the programme. According to Smith,
22512-455: The soap making her last appearance in November. Mo was killed off in 1992, but her death was not screened. Barnsey Barnes , played by John Hallam , is the initial cellmate of Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ) at Dickens Hill prison, and he and Den soon became friends. When Den is branded a "grass", all the prisoners turned against him except Barnesy, who serves as his protector. When Barnsey leaves Dickens Hill to stand trial in January 1989, Den
22680-411: The social worker, Carmel Roberts ( Judith Jacob ). Matthew had had an unhappy childhood. His mother Lynne Jackson (Patricia Ford) had become pregnant at 16 and after bringing him up for 15 years, she had been forced to put him into custody. Matthew was fostered by another family and he had subsequently refused all contact with his mother and rather resented her for abandoning him. Matthew is initially
22848-427: The strategy for the corporation, assesses the performance of the BBC's executive board in delivering the BBC's services, and appoints the director-general. Ofcom is responsible for the regulation of the BBC. The board consists of the following members: The executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the broadcaster. Consisting of senior managers of the BBC, the committee meets once per month and
23016-633: The throat, holds her up against a wall and berates her for her interference. Carmel is petrified, and upon seeing her fear Matthew immediately releases her and begins apologising profusely for his violent outburst. Carmel is shaken, but is convinced that his apology is sincere, so she drops the matter. Things do not go much better for the newly weds in the following months. Matthew is finding it increasingly difficult to put up with Junior's presence in his life. The two regularly clash and this in turn causes major animosity between him and Carmel. This eventually evokes Matthew back into violence and he punches Carmel in
23184-433: The true parentage of Simon was still uncertain in the minds of the producers. He stated, "At various times over the years the story has been amended, until the only certainty is that we will never be certain about the actual facts." He added that, at the time of writing the book for EastEnders' 10th anniversary in 1994, "the current producers believe that Pete was the father of [Simon's older brother] David and may have been
23352-507: The unseen Mr. Vinnicombe and Jack Dalton ( Hywel Bennett ). Mantel and Vinnicombe are good friends, and Mantel reports directly to him. Mantel later establishes the Portakabin office on Albert Square as a base of operations for "Walford Investments". Mantel is also responsible for leading the operation to kill Den, after it is thought that he had grassed up The Firm for the Dagmar fire. Gregory
23520-563: The value of the artist as a visible music-hall performer". On the other hand, the BBC was "keenly interested" in a cooperation with the recording companies who "in recent years ... have not been slow to make records of singers, orchestras, dance bands, etc. who have already proved their power to achieve popularity by wireless." Radio plays were so popular that the BBC had received 6,000 manuscripts by 1929, most of them written for stage and of little value for broadcasting: "Day in and day out, manuscripts come in, and nearly all go out again through
23688-407: The window of the [cottgae], followed by one of his crutches. This 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 good climax but also laid the roots for the next three months' worth of stories, building up to Wicksy and Cindy's final exit." After five years playing Wicksy Nick Berry quit
23856-509: The £700 million cost for free TV licences for the over-75 pensioners, and rapid inflation in drama and sport coverage costs, was given as the reason. Duplication of management and content spending would be reduced, and there would be a review of BBC News . In September 2019, the BBC launched the Trusted News Initiative to work with news and social media companies to combat disinformation about national elections. In 2020,
24024-522: Was Cindy's other man was dubbed by the script department as "the Devon Cottage Climax" and aired in September 1990. Colin Brake hailed it as the best episode of EastEnders that year. Having set up the secret that Steven was Simon's son rather than Ian's, script writers devised a way in which to reveal this secret, and according to Brake, the entire love triange storyline built up to this climax. In
24192-442: Was a widely reported urban myth that, upon resumption of the BBC television service after the war, announcer Leslie Mitchell started by saying, "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted ..." In fact, the first person to appear when transmission resumed was Jasmine Bligh and the words said were "Good afternoon, everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh ... ?" The European Broadcasting Union
24360-495: Was adopted in Canada. Through collaboration with these state-run broadcasting centres, Reith left a legacy of cultural influence across the empire of Great Britain with his departure from the corporation in 1938. Experimental television broadcasts were started in 1929, using an electromechanical 30-line system developed by John Logie Baird . Limited regular broadcasts using this system began in 1932, and an expanded service (now named
24528-436: Was also called Simon. He commented, "he's already quite the ladies' man. He's extremely good-looking and is almost always the centre of attention wherever he goes." Author Hilary Kingsley dubbed Wicksy in 1991 as Walford's "only sexy man". She added, "there is a cheekiness about Simon Wicks that's very attractive. In his early days he was happy-go-lucky, interested only in girls and paying off his debts [...] Simon put it about
24696-430: Was beaten up by Derek Branning ( Terence Beesley ), for getting his sister Carol ( Lindsey Coulson ) pregnant resulting in the birth of David and Carol's daughter, Bianca ( Patsy Palmer ). Brian was mostly absent and used to beat Pat and her children, so she eventually left him after several years and returns to Walford . Pat causes havoc by revealing to Simon that Pete is not his father. Several other men are put in
24864-513: Was divided on how to handle the BBC, but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PM's own. Although Winston Churchill in particular wanted to commandeer the BBC to use it "to the best possible advantage", Reith wrote that Stanley Baldwin 's government wanted to be able to say "that they did not commandeer [the BBC], but they know that they can trust us not to be really impartial". Thus
25032-640: Was followed by the Government's acceptance of the recommendation made by the Crawford Committee (1925–26) that the British Broadcasting Company be replaced by a non-commercial, Crown-chartered organisation: the British Broadcasting Corporation. The British Broadcasting Corporation came into existence on 1 January 1927, and Reith – newly knighted – was appointed its first director general. To represent its purpose and (stated) values,
25200-474: Was formed on 12 February 1950, in Torquay with the BBC among the 23 founding broadcasting organisations. Competition to the BBC was introduced in 1955, with the commercial and independently operated television network of Independent Television (ITV) . However, the BBC monopoly on radio services would persist until 8 October 1973 when under the control of the newly renamed Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA),
25368-487: Was initially chosen as the group's solo singer, who named themselves "The Banned" after they were banned from the Queen Victoria public house. The storyline proved to be a successful merchandising tool for the serial, as it spawned two hit singles in the "real world". Actor Nick Berry released a ballad entitled " Every Loser Wins " in October 1986, having previously sung the song in character on-screen (accompanied by
25536-481: Was introduced by creator and executive producer Julia Smith just after the show's inception in 1985, making his first appearance in October that year. According to Smith, Simon was thought up overnight as a means to restore the cast balance distorted by the unexpected departure from the serial of actor David Scarboro who played the original Mark Fowler (who would appear on and off until the actor's suicide in 1988). Scarboro's departure meant many of his functions as
25704-504: Was its first director of music. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved domestic manufacturers. To this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to "inform, educate and entertain". The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate. Set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between
25872-575: Was left to BBC Radio broadcasters such as Reginald Foort to keep the nation's spirits up. The BBC moved most of its radio operations out of London, initially to Bristol , and then to Bedford . Concerts were broadcast from the Bedford Corn Exchange ; the Trinity Chapel in St Paul's Church, Bedford was the studio for the daily service from 1941 to 1945, and, in the darkest days of the war in 1941,
26040-475: Was like "living with a nutter". Aside from this plot, Brian continues to remain a menacing off-screen presence, continuously pestering Pat for money. Brian isn't seen again until May 1989. Pat has decided that she wants to marry Frank, and to do this she needs to divorce Brian. She meets Brian and asks for the divorce, but he makes it clear that he will only divorce her if she gives him either £1000 or one of Frank's cars as pay-off. Pat has no choice but to get Brian
26208-599: Was made and upheld. The broadcasting commission said the EastEnders Brownie episodes "came near to parody," were unfair to the Brownies and harmed the Girl Guides ' image. The BBC had to make a public apology for the misinterpretation of the movement. Brake has suggested that the mishap was a "salutary lesson to those [...] in the script department to be very vigilant in ensuring, as far as possible, that no group or individual
26376-486: Was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, as was the prohibition on advertising. To avoid competition with newspapers, Fleet Street persuaded the government to ban news bulletins before 7 pm and the BBC was required to source all news from external wire services. The Radio Times , the world's first and longest-running radio and television listings magazine, was launched by Reith in September 1923. The first edition, subtitled "The official organ of
26544-636: Was made from the factory of Marconi Company in Chelmsford in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mail ' s Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba . The Melba broadcast caught the people's imagination and marked a turning point in the British public's attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920,
26712-410: Was married to her first husband, Pete Beale ( Peter Dean ). During this time Pat became pregnant with her second son Simon, and claimed that Pete was the father. When Pat and Pete eventually divorced, Pat latched on to Brian. They married and Brian adopted Simon, and he and Pat's older child David Wicks ( Michael French ) both took on Brian's surname. They moved from Walford to Romford , after David
26880-400: Was modified later on in its life to offer documentaries. In 2002, several television and radio channels were reorganised. BBC Knowledge was replaced by BBC Four and became the BBC's arts and documentaries channel. CBBC , which had been a programming strand as Children's BBC since 1985, was split into CBBC and CBeebies , for younger children, with both new services getting a digital channel:
27048-407: Was not credited on-screen. The character proved popular among fans and Berry became a teen pin-up during his tenure, winning Britain's sexiest man title in 1986. The single Berry released as part of a storyline in the soap reached number one in the charts and was the UK's second highest selling record that year. According to Hilary Kingsley, Berry received the most fan mail out of all the actors in
27216-414: Was not to be; he did not state whether or not Berry had been approached. On 13 January 2012 Berry made a brief one-off appearance on EastEnders in a scene that aired as part of the episode's end credits, filmed the previous day. It depicted Simon laying flowers at his mother's grave at night and saying goodbye to her before walking off into the darkness, and did not involve any other cast members. Berry
27384-531: Was offended by an unintentional slight in a script." Kenny Beale , played by Michael Attwell , is the older brother of Pauline ( Wendy Richard ) and Pete Beale ( Peter Dean ). He was born and raised in Walford , 1941, to Albert ( Gary Olsen ) and Lou Beale ( Anna Wing ), where he lived with his family at number 45 Albert Square . Kenny was banished from Walford in 1965, at the age of 24, when his mother caught him in bed with his brother's wife Pat ( Pam St. Clement ). He went to live in New Zealand, set up
27552-447: Was offered the part immediately. Berry was whisked into costume and make-up and given a new haircut, which Berry claimed was because the producers wanted to smarten his appearance up. Berry was already a fan of the soap at the time of his casting. He has told interviewer Dan Abramson, "I auditioned on a Wednesday and then on Friday I arrived in Albert Square and began shooting my first scenes with Dirty Den , whom I had enjoyed watching on
27720-457: Was reorganised and relaunched in 1995, as BBC Worldwide Ltd. In 1998, BBC studios, outside broadcasts, post production, design, costumes and wigs were spun off into BBC Resources Ltd. The BBC Research & Development has played a major part in the development of broadcasting and recording techniques. The BBC was also responsible for the development of the NICAM stereo standard. In recent decades,
27888-479: Was replaced by BBC Two HD in the same month. On 18 October 2007, BBC Director General Mark Thompson announced a controversial plan to make major cuts and reduce the size of the BBC as an organisation. The plans included a reduction in posts of 2,500; including 1,800 redundancies, consolidating news operations, reducing programming output by 10% and selling off the flagship Television Centre building in London. These plans were fiercely opposed by unions, who threatened
28056-459: Was the apotheosis of 80s manhood. He went through the women of Walford like a dose of salts, but at the end of the day slippery Simon was a bolter". Discussing Wicksy's characterisation in 1993, Berry inferred that he was not entirely happy with the changes that producers attempted to introduce surrounding his character. Berry suggested that when Wicksy first arrived, he was "sort of the boy next door [...] But then they changed it. Dirty Den had left
28224-502: Was unsuccessful and he promptly returns to Walford in September 2003, and that the body found in the canal in May 1990 was that of Mr Vinnicombe, who had been killed on the orders of Jack Dalton after discovering that Den had survived. Joanne Francis is played by Pamela Salem . She first appears in Albert Square in June 1988 as a member of the gangster organisation known as The Firm, sent to Walford to manage Strokes Winebar, which
#152847