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194-626: Ian Albert Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Adam Woodyatt . He is the drama's longest-serving main character and one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother Kathy Beale ( Gilian Taylforth ), Sharon Watts ( Letitia Dean ) and Tracey ( Jane Slaughter ). The character appeared in his 2,000th episode in the show on 26 March 2007, and his 3,000th on 27 May 2016. Woodyatt took an extended break from EastEnders on 22 January 2021. He made appearances on 12 December 2022 and 22 June 2023, prior to

388-558: A heart attack . He later watches a video that Bobby has sent Peter, which shows Cindy's ex-husband George Knight ( Colin Salmon ) is now living in Walford as the landlord of The Queen Vic, with his and Cindy's daughters Gina ( Francesca Henry ) and Anna ( Molly Rainford ). Two months later, Peter returns to Walford after Bobby tells him Kathy is selling the chippy. Cindy and Ian soon follow. Ian tries to convince Cindy to return to France, but she

582-466: A hysterectomy . Ian forgives Steven but banishes him from his life when he helps Lucy run away. Ian and Jane temporarily separate over Ian's reluctance to adopt a child. When Lucy falls pregnant, she suggests that Jane raise the baby as her own. Jane and Ian agree but he secretly helps Lucy to have an abortion, lying to Jane that she miscarried. Jane later learns the truth and decides to steal Ian's money and leave him. Ian arranges for her to adopt Bobby, and

776-529: A B&B, King George Guest House, which opened in 2008. Turpin Way includes the local garage, informally known as The Arches, the community centre, a playground and a boxing gym. Other locations seen or mentioned in the series include Victoria Square, Walford Towers, Kingsley Road, Spring Lane and the High Street. Storylines in 2017 mentioned the demolition of Walford Towers, as a means of introducing new characters to

970-406: A bit worried that he's not doing as well as they hope. The shadow of his father (however fictional the image is) and the pressure to be a man's man and a chip off the old block might cause trouble in the future. A point is going to be reached when Ian is going to have to assert himself as himself. He can't allow his father to live his life, by proxy, through him. Or, maybe he can...? (page 56) Because

1164-518: A bitter row. However, when Phil and Keanu's fight leads the boat to crash, Ian instantly goes to rescue Dennis; despite Ian's best efforts, Dennis dies and Ian is left feeling guilty. Dotty Cotton ( Milly Zero ) knows Ian imprisoned Denny and blackmails Ian, although she changes her mind at the funeral, she tries to persuade Ian to be brave enough to confess. Ian develops feelings for Sharon and he uses Max's money to buy The Queen Vic for her. However, his feelings are not reciprocated. He steals money from

1358-407: A brain tumour. After Jane comes out of her coma, Max forces her to leave Walford with Ian, but James Willmott-Brown ( William Boyde ), who is working with Max, orders Max to ensure that Ian remains in Walford, so Max blackmails Jane into leaving Walford alone. Ian allows Lauren and Louie to move back in with him and tells Lauren's sister, Abi Branning 's ( Lorna Fitzgerald ), about making Beales into

1552-551: A caterer but his grandmother Lou Beale ( Anna Wing ) encourages him. He starts several businesses and buys a local café soon after graduating from catering college. Ian has several failed romances, including with his childhood friend, Sharon Watts ( Letitia Dean ). Sharon becomes interested in Simon Wicks ( Nick Berry ), who was believed to be Ian's half-brother, but they remain close friends. When his cousin Michelle falls pregnant, he

1746-462: A catering business, and a bric-a-brac shop, also owned by Ian. It also becomes a beauty salon, first called Sophisti-Kate's, run by Kate Mitchell ( Jill Halfpenny ), then Booty, run by Tanya Branning ( Jo Joyner ), Roxy's, run by Roxy Mitchell ( Rita Simons ), and Beauty, run by Sadie Young ( Kate Magowan ). It returns to being a wine and cocktail bar in 2014 when Sharon Watts opens The Albert. After Vincent Hubbard ( Richard Blackwood ) buys half

1940-693: 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

2134-415: A chance, so she and Ian make up. Ian and Jane are upset to learn about a new lead in the murder investigation but they still plan silence even after Ben is arrested in the hope that he is released. However, when Max is arrested and charged for the murder, Jane begins to contemplate telling the truth when she feels guilty for not being able to help Carol prove Max's innocence. Ian is adamant that Bobby's role in

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2328-527: A change of heart and makes Ian throw up the food, thereby saving his life. She ends her marriage to him and goes to Phil, telling him if he wants Ian dead so desperately, he will have to kill Ian himself. By the time Phil reaches The Vic, Ian has left the Square. Off-screen, Ian later sends Sharon an annulment and makes her the sole owner of the pub, although Sharon returns the Vic to Mick and Linda Carter ( Kellie Bright )

2522-524: A charity set up by Bobby in order to try and frame Max for fraud. Ian is attacked in The Vic by Phil who was asked to do so after Sharon learns about Ian's role in Dennis's death. Sharon and Kathy rush him to hospital where they learn he has a bleed on his brain. Fearing he is going to die, Ian proposes to Sharon—telling her that she always the one he wanted all his life—who accepts his proposal. Kathy asks Sharon to get

2716-629: A custody battle for Ben. Soon enough Ian meets a new romantic interest, Jane Collins ( Laurie Brett ), in 2004. He helps her to come to terms with the death of her husband, David Collins ( Dan Milne ) from Huntington's disease , and, although their relationship is severely tested when Jane has embarked on a romantic tryst with Phil's brother, Grant Mitchell ( Ross Kemp ), they marry in July 2007. Steven returns to Walford and stalks Ian, escalating to holding him hostage for several weeks. He accidentally shoots Jane during an altercation, which results in her needing

2910-531: A few days later. Nearly two years later, Ian returns to Walford, and is seen hiding in the bushes outside a church, watching Dot Branning 's ( June Brown ) coffin be carried inside on the day of her funeral. He is tearful and utters to himself: "Goodbye Dot. I'll miss you". He then answers a call from his new partner and returns home. He is not seen by any of the other funeral goers. In June 2023, Kathy's fiancé Tom "Rocky" Cotton ( Brian Conley ) asks Bobby to contact Ian as Kathy wants him present at their wedding. It

3104-405: A fire. On the northeast edge of Albert Square is a car lot, south of which is another terrace of three elevated properties. The northernmost house is number 5. A road leads north at the square's northeast edge, passing by the car lot. The middle house is at 3 Albert Square. Most southerly of this terrace is number 1, originally flats with the doctor's surgery on the ground floor, which later became

3298-580: A franchise to pass onto Louie, so Abi tells him that she is pregnant with Steven's baby, but Ian does not take the news well. Later, Lauren warns Ian to watch his back as Max may be out for revenge, and a broken Max visits Ian and says he will kill him and Phil for making him suffer in prison. Ian tries to escape but Max attempts to strangle Ian with fairy lights as Lauren and Louie come home. On Christmas Day, Tanya returns to Walford and reveals to Stacey and Abi that Jane told her that Max killed Steven, news which Abi relays to Lauren, Kathy and Ian. Ian attacks Max in

3492-416: A fruit-selling war, during which he often irritates her. Denise's sister, Kim Fox ( Tameka Empson ), attempts to set them up on a date but this upsets Denise, who kisses Kim's boyfriend Ray Dixon ( Charles Venn ). Kim discovers this and disowns her sister, so Ian allows Denise to stay with him, igniting a friendship between them. It eventually leads to a relationship when he confides in her about his life on

3686-647: A full-time return on 22 August. Ian is the most-married character in EastEnders history, with six marriages to five women: Cindy Williams ( Michelle Collins ), Mel Healy ( Tamzin Outhwaite ), Laura Dunn ( Hannah Waterman ), twice to Jane Collins ( Laurie Brett ), and Sharon Watts ( Letitia Dean ), and two aborted engagements to Mandy Salter ( Nicola Stapleton ) and Denise Fox ( Diane Parish ). He has fathered three children ( Peter , Lucy and Bobby ), raised Cindy's son Steven Beale (who he believed to be his) and

3880-607: A homeless shelter. Tanya Cross ( Jo Joyner ), Max Branning ( Jake Wood ) and Alfie Moon ( Shane Richie ) find him and bring him back to the Square but Lucy is unsympathetic, angered by his leaving her and Bobby, and slams the door in his face. Ian refuses to acknowledge anyone. He stays with Tanya and Max until Phil finds out he is back and takes him to his house to ensure he does not tell anybody about Ben murdering Heather. Ian continues to be unresponsive until Phil's partner Shirley Carter ( Linda Henry ) mentions Heather, and his memory returns. Ben attempts to help Ian by taking him to

4074-461: 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,

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4268-419: A liking to each other, but they break up when Elizabeth constantly flirts with men and she returns home. Ian begins to develop a relationship with Donna Ludlow ( Matilda Ziegler ), not knowing she is his half-sister until his mother Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth ) tells him she was raped as a teenager and gave Donna up for adoption. Ian gets engaged to Cindy Williams ( Michelle Collins ) in 1989; however,

4462-466: A medical check-up and he is told that his BMI is high. Michelle crashes her car into Ian's fish and chip shop, for which he has no buildings insurance. Max's employer eventually purchases the chip shop, despite it arousing Ian's suspicions. Ian and Jane are devastated to hear that Steven has a brain tumour , but he has been lying about this in a desperate attempt to stay with Lauren. Jane discovers Steven's lie and that Max has not really forgiven them and

4656-533: A motive for Ian when Phil is later shot on the night Mel and Steve got married in March 2001. Ian is a suspect but is proven innocent when Lisa is revealed to be the culprit. Ian later admits to Laura that he found Phil after the shooting but left him for dead. When Phil finds out about it, he forces Ian to help testify against his arch-nemesis Dan Sullivan ( Craig Fairbrass ) over the shooting. By then, Ian has begun to commit to Laura and proposes to her after she buys back

4850-599: 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

5044-489: 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

5238-524: A one-night stand with Simon leaves her pregnant. Cindy marries Ian and claims that the baby she is expecting, Steven Beale , is his, resulting in Ian attempting suicide when he learns the truth. He recovers and causes Simon to have a car accident in revenge so Simon, Cindy and Steven leave Walford together. Ian immerses himself in his catering business but his exploitative working practices alienate his friends, employees and family. He and Cindy later reconcile and Ian

5432-532: A poll by British men's magazine Loaded for "Top Soap Bloke". Woodyatt has received a number of award nominations for his portrayal of Ian, including a Best Actor nomination at the 2010 British Soap Awards and a nomination for Best Performance in a Serial Drama at the 2012 National Television Awards . In 2013, Woodyatt received the British Soap Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2013 ceremony . Following thirty years of service to EastEnders , Woodyatt

5626-471: A praiseworthy effort for young people during the mercenary go-getting prime-minister inspired 1980s." Author Dorothy Hobson has described Ian as a typical Thatcher's child , a term used to reference children who grew up under the Conservative government of the 1980s and who adopted an ideology , such as personal financial gain, self-sufficiency and disregard of the welfare of those who are less well-off. As

5820-684: 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

6014-620: A relationship, realising that they both yearn for someone to love them, and Mandy accepts Ian's impromptu marriage proposal. Following the death of relative Pat Evans ( Pam St Clement ), Ian's daughter Lucy returns to Walford, angry at Ian for not telling her about Pat's death. She decides to move in with her father and takes a disliking to Mandy. The relationship is marred by Mandy's one-night stand with Ricky Butcher ( Sid Owen ), Ian's insecurities, interference from Mandy's abusive mother Lorraine Stevens ( Victoria Alcock ), and Lucy's hatred of Mandy. Despite Lucy's best efforts to split them up, Ian

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6208-456: A result, Hobson suggests that Ian is "young, ambitious, rich and unhappy", which she claims is a perfect reflection of the spirit of the age. In her book, Who's Who? , Kate Lock described Ian as "wimpy, perhaps not what you'd call a man's man [...] trying to turn Walford into the capital of Capitalism [...] Somewhere along the line, Ian evolved into an obsessive, obnoxious money-monster [...] Ian always pretended to be magnanimous, doing things for

6402-546: A result. Ian attempts to move on by filling an urn with cigarette ash, pretending that he is a widower and that the ashes are Jane in order to gain attention from women. However, his ruse is soon uncovered. Feeling dejected, Ian goes to a strip club in August 2011 and is stunned to see Mandy Salter ( Nicola Stapleton ) being thrown out. Ian helps Mandy out and allows her to stay with him. Mandy helps Ian discover his more frivolous side and he realises he has feelings for her. They begin

6596-410: A romantic evening. However, Ian finds out the truth and confronts Sharon about her plan to kill him, just before he is about to eat her poisoned pasta. Sharon reveals she knows about his part in Dennis's death and calls him weak and cowardly. She adds that Ian is a hated man and that he deserves to die. A devastated Ian agrees and starts to eat the poisoned food. Willing to let him die at first, Sharon has

6790-539: 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

6984-460: A silent partner. When Ronnie and Jack separate, Ronnie sells her share of the club to Jack, although after a fire in the club, Ronnie and Roxy each buy a share in the club. When Billy tries to woo Carol Jackson ( Lindsay Coulson ), Carol's daughter Bianca Jackson ( Patsy Palmer ) becomes aggressive and creates an argument between them, Stacey, Janine Butcher ( Charlie Brooks ) and Kat Slater ( Jessie Wallace ). An Inside Soap columnist labelled

7178-484: A single house. Bridge Street is the location of the street market and shops including the café, launderette, and mini-supermarket. The café is originally named Al's Cafe and owned by Ali Osman ( Nejdet Salih ) and Sue Osman ( Sandy Ratcliff ), where they also operate the taxi firm OzCabs. When Ali develops a gambling addiction, he is forced to sell the café to Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ), who manages it with his wife, Cindy Beale ( Michelle Collins ), until he sells

7372-425: A stroke and he is unable to communicate what happened to Denise. Ian meets Rainie at her request but Mick Carter ( Danny Dyer ) sees them together. When Ian drives away, Rainie approaches Mick who is then arrested and charged for soliciting a prostitute. Ian tries to convince Denise to put Patrick in a care home, fearful of his secret. However, he eventually agrees that Patrick can live with them. Rainie tells Denise

7566-444: A trap. Ian then has to face the consequences of his actions, and Denise is angry when she finds out the truth. Denise thinks that Ian is planning to propose to her as a Christmas present, but he denies it even though he has bought an engagement ring. Peter reveals that he is in a relationship with Lola Pearce ( Danielle Harold ), the mother of Phil's granddaughter and Ian's niece, Lexi Pearce . Phil threatens Ian and forces him to end

7760-411: A while. Cindy also leaves the Square to return to Devon with her aunt, Gina Williams . Increasingly alone, Ian leans on Phil for support and questions how he can move on from his daughter's death. With Peter's help, he stages an opening for the new and improved restaurant, but during opening night Summerhayes reveals that Lucy's body has been released for burial. Ian leaves early with Peter to see her, but

7954-688: A young man" of that era, and that his sensitive portrayal by Adam Woodyatt is "perhaps unrecognised". Roz Paterson of the Daily Record branded Ian "eminently unlovable" and stated that Melanie proposing to him represented a growing trend in women proposing. Holy Soap said that Ian's most memorable moment was "His attempted murder in the Square". In 2009, Virgin Media called Ian "the most boring and selfish man in Walford" and felt that he deserved to lose his wife, Jane. In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Ian ninth on their ranked list of

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8148-409: Is 43 Albert Square. In the southwest corner of the square is number 41. Between numbers 41 and 43 is Daisy Lane, a pathway connecting Albert Square to Victoria Square. Daisy Lane was named after the daughter of Series Designer Steven Keogh. On the west edge of The Square there are two houses 18 and 20 Albert Square, which have been knocked through as a single property and then later separated again. It

8342-453: Is a member of the first family of EastEnders , the Beales and Fowlers , and Holland took the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background. Ian's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story . There is a pressure from home to do well at school and he may be

8536-497: Is also known as the 'Bench of Tears', as it is often the place where characters will go and cry. One corner of the square is taken up by The Queen Victoria Public House. There is a B&B and a car lot. The square's design was based on Fassett Square in Dalston , and was given the name Albert Square after Prince Albert . The Queen Victoria, was also given its name due to this. The Queen Victoria public house, known to residents as

8730-419: Is also offered a small share in the business by Phil. Janine and Sharon later sell their shares to Phil, leaving him as the sole-owner. The R&R closes at some point in before Christmas 2016, and remains shut until February 2018, when Sharon decides to reopen it, with Mel Owen ( Tamzin Outhwaite ) as the manager. Mel plans to rename the club "The Phoenix", but her son Hunter Owen (Charlie Winter) sabotages

8924-512: Is determined to marry Mandy and brings their wedding day forward. Mandy is horrified, however, when Ian chooses her over Lucy and throws his daughter out. Realising she does not love Ian, Mandy leaves him in May 2012, leading to Ian suffering a nervous breakdown . He wanders along a road barefoot, dressed only in pyjamas, not telling anyone where he has gone. Two months later, Lauren Branning ( Jacqueline Jossa ), working with homeless people, sees Ian at

9118-484: Is devastated to discover Jane's plans. Although she decides to remain with him, Ian begins a fling with Phil's aunt Glenda Mitchell ( Glynis Barber ); this ends in disaster when she blackmails Ian, thus forcing him to confess the adultery to Jane. A disgusted Peter leaves Walford and joins Lucy in Devon. Jane and Ian divorce but continue to live together; however, their acrimony upsets Bobby and Jane leaves Walford in May 2011 as

9312-404: Is falsely blamed for spiking Stacey's drink. A reporter from Inside Soap labelled the moment "a rather unromantic start to Stacey and Bradders' love story!" Ronnie Mitchell ( Samantha Womack ) and Jack Branning ( Scott Maslen ) buy the club, renaming it the "R&R" - the initials of Ronnie and her sister, Roxy Mitchell ( Rita Simons ). Ronnie and Roxy run the club, while Jack operates as

9506-428: Is falsely imprisoned so when Phil signs the café to his sister, Sam Mitchell ( Kim Medcalf ), she naïvely sells the business back to Ian. Ian manages the café with his wife Jane Beale ( Laurie Brett ) until they divorce and Jane wins the business in the divorce settlement. Jane sells the café to Phil and he lets his partner, Shirley Carter ( Linda Henry ), manage it. She names the property Shirley's Cafe. Phil sells

9700-477: Is forced to close it down a few months later due to high debts. It is reopened in 2019 by Denise Fox ( Diane Parish ) as a salon named Fox & Hair. George Street is the location of an Italian restaurant, Giuseppe's, which later becomes an Indian restaurant, The Argee Bhajee, when a new owner takes over. Walford East tube station is on George Street, which first appeared on screen in late 1985 when Lou Beale ( Anna Wing ) collapses outside it. On maps seen inside

9894-715: Is initially suspected to be the father by Pete and Kathy. He starts a relationship with Tina Hopkins (Eleanor Rhodes) and the pair decide to move in together, renting one of Kelvin Carpenter 's ( Paul J. Medford ) father Tony Carpenter 's ( Oscar James ) flats. Ian eventually loses his virginity to her, to his glee. Ian and Tina break up when Tina's parents make an unannounced visit and are unhappy with their living conditions, so they take Tina to Ilford. Ian's uncle Kenny Beale ( Michael Attwell ) and cousin Elizabeth Beale (Lucy Bayler) visit from New Zealand and Ian and Elizabeth taking

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10088-549: Is later discovered that he paid Rainie for sex on the night Lucy died, and, knowing that he has given a false alibi to the police, Rainie demands money to fund her drug addiction. When Ian cannot pay Rainie, she comes to Walford and tells Patrick Trueman ( Rudolph Walker ) what Ian did. Patrick confronts Ian and decides to tell Denise so Ian arranges a surprise trip to see Denise's daughter Libby Fox ( Belinda Owusu ) in Oxford, and they leave before Patrick can tell Denise. Patrick suffers

10282-475: Is later informed by DC Emma Summerhayes ( Anna Acton ) and DS Cameron Bryant ( Glen Wallace ) that Lucy has been found dead. He identifies her body and then shares his devastating news with Jane, Denise, Cindy, Bobby and finally Peter. Struggling with their grief, Ian and Jane share a passionate encounter, giving Ian hope that they might reunite. When Jane dashes his hopes, Ian takes his anger out on Bobby and Jane decides it would be best if she take Bobby away for

10476-564: Is later revealed that Ian is living in France with Peter (played again by Thomas Law ) and has also reunited with his first wife Cindy, who is now going by the pseudonym "Rose Knight", after faking her death 25 years prior in a witness protection scheme, due to giving information about her criminal inmate, Jackie Ford. Cindy's witness protection officer reveals that Jackie has died and Cindy can resume her former life. Ian decides to return to Walford but Cindy refuses, leading to an argument and Ian suffers

10670-485: Is not a match. Laura dies in 2004, breaking her neck after falling down the stairs. Ian feels guilty for the way he treated Laura and takes custody of Bobby after finding out about the latter's true parentage. In 2005, Ian's animosity with Phil escalates they are told that Kathy has died and that her young son Ben has come to the square; Ben is also Phil's son as well as Ian's half-brother. Ian, who has disliked Phil over his disastrous marriage with Kathy, threatens to start

10864-500: 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

11058-425: Is overjoyed to become a father to twins, Peter ( Ben Hardy ) and Lucy Beale ( Melissa Suffield / Hetti Bywater ) in December 1993. After opening a fish and chip shop, Ian becomes so obsessed with building his business empire that he partially neglects Cindy. This soon leads to Cindy having an affair with his half-brother, David Wicks ( Michael French ), which continues for over a year up until Ian eventually learns

11252-462: Is passed to Andonis's son, Apostolos Papadopolous . Apostolos sells the launderette to Phil Mitchell and Kat Slater ( Jessie Wallace ) in 2021, and Kat also sets up a taxi company called “Kat’s Cabs” in the backroom. Turpin Road is the location of a war memorial, bookmaker, chip shop, funeral parlour, restaurant and an upmarket bar as well as several other businesses. The name Turpin Road was chosen after

11446-448: Is pessimistic when Lucy decides to set up her own property business and later becomes concerned about her when he discovers she is sleeping with Lee Carter ( Danny Hatchard ) and is taking cocaine. He confronts her and admits she is the child he is most proud of, but this is overheard by Peter, resulting in Lucy storming out. Ian tries to contact her when she does not return home that night, but

11640-466: Is planning to leave him, Ian decieves Mel her by falsely claiming that Lucy is dying from lymphoma . They marry in 1999, but she leaves him during their wedding reception after discovering that he lied about Lucy's condition. In 2000, Ian pursues a new business venture: development of high-market flats. He begins a casual relationship with his nanny, Laura Dunn ( Hannah Waterman ), but becomes so obsessed with his business that he neglects her for most of

11834-502: Is regularly referred to as a "weasel" in the British press. "The significance of the Ian Beale character is in its perfect rendering of the influence the political climate had on the development of young people in the 1980s. Developing entrepreneurial skills, making money, ignoring the consequences for others – after all they had been told that there was no such thing as society – was

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12028-566: Is remanded in custody, leaving Ian shocked. He starts working again at the café and getting back into his old life. Phil then gets Ian to visit Ben in prison to try to get him to retract his confession, but Ian says he cannot tell Ben what is right. Eventually, Zainab Khan ( Nina Wadia ) persuades Ian to attend counselling in an attempt to recover from his mental breakdown and, after talking to Sharon, Lucy finally makes peace with her father. Soon enough Ian becomes close with Denise Fox ( Diane Parish ) as they initially competed against each other in

12222-440: 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: Walford Walford is a fictional borough of East London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders . It

12416-402: Is secretly planning revenge. In a bid to get rid of Jane, Max forces Steven to kill her. As a result, Steven sets fire to the restaurant, trapping Jane inside. Steven tries to save Jane, but is violently shoved into a table by Max, who leaves Jane to die. However, while Jane is rescued, Steven dies from a liver bleed. Ian, Kathy and Lauren are shocked when they learn that Steven did not really have

12610-500: Is shocked when she spots George on Anna's 21st birthday. Cindy and Ian rush into the Vic where the residents are shocked to see them. Later, Sharon apologises to Ian for trying to kill him and they make amends. Ian later visits Kathy and Rocky where they are stunned to learn about Cindy's connection to the Knight family. Ian Beale is one of the original 23 characters written by the creators of EastEnders , Tony Holland and Julia Smith . Ian

12804-450: Is taken in by her paternal relatives, Ian tells Cindy to leave and not come back. Jane pays Carol to look after Cindy and Ian finds out from Carol after an argument with her. On the day of Cindy's school prom, Ian reveals this to Cindy. After Cindy gets into a car with two strange men, feeling she has no home, a concerned Ian phones the police. After Cindy returns, Ian tries to convince her she is wanted and Liam convinces her to give her family

12998-644: Is the primary setting for the soap. EastEnders is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire , towards the north-west of London . Much of the location work is filmed in nearby Watford , which was chosen for many of the exterior scenes due to its close proximity and the town's name being so similar to Walford. Thus, any stray road signs or advertising boards which are accidentally filmed in the back of shots will appear to read Walford. Locations used in Watford include most interior and exterior church scenes of various churches,

13192-484: Is unable due to his grief. He wants to organise the funeral for as soon as possible but discovers that Max and Lucy were together; Ian angrily attacks Max as he carries Lucy's coffin down the aisle of the church and it is clear that Ian is not coping. Worried, Sharon believes that he is relying on pills to numb the pain of his grief and she and Carol Jackson ( Lindsey Coulson ) comfort him. Ian receives texts from Rainie Cross ( Tanya Franks ) that he hides from Denise. It

13386-399: Is violent, and burns Ian's hand when he tries to refuse to pay him before promising that the debt will be paid if Ian lies in court, and says that he saw Max tampering with the brakes of Carl's car. Ian reluctantly agrees, but on the day of the court case he is kidnapped by Phil, and Max is found not guilty. It is then revealed that Max was in on the kidnapping, but it was just to lure Carl into

13580-626: 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

13774-577: 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

13968-936: 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

14162-561: The "Devon cottage climax" and aired in September 1990. The episode saw an enraged Ian trace Cindy and Simon to her parents' house in Devon, just after being released from hospital following a suicide attempt. The script, written by Debbie Cook, led to a confrontation that EastEnder s' writer Colin Brake has suggested contained elements of tragedy and farce. Brake suggests that a particularly memorable scene included Ian furiously throwing bricks through

14356-439: The 2010 Children In Need charity appeal, Walford became twinned with Weatherfield in a special programme uniting the two soaps EastEnders and Coronation Street called " East Street ". The main setting of EastEnders is Albert Square, where many of the characters reside. Central to the Square is the garden. The garden is home to Arthur Fowler 's ( Bill Treacher ) bench, which was placed there in memory of him. The bench

14550-514: 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

14744-467: 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

14938-537: 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

15132-456: 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

15326-565: 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

15520-741: 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

15714-440: 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

15908-477: 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

16102-531: 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

16296-459: 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

16490-535: 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

16684-512: 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,

16878-679: 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

17072-510: 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

17266-518: The Beale family is better off without her, ending her and Ian's relationship. Bobby is sentenced to three years custody. A week later, after visiting Bobby in prison and telling him not to appeal his sentence, Ian receives a threatening note from Max, saying that he will never forget what Ian did. Ian worries when Max returns, but Max tells him and Jane that he has forgiven them. Ian is thrilled when Michelle returns. He starts to worry about his health when he has

17460-436: The Beales return to Walford and reunite Beth with Cindy, but Cindy believes that she is not a capable mother and abandons Beth at the park, but she is picked up by Ian's great nephew Liam Butcher (James Forde). Ian and Jane agree to adopt Beth, but Cindy decides she does not want to be in the same house as her baby, so says that if she is not adopted into a different household, she will tell everyone Bobby killed Lucy. After Beth

17654-575: 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

17848-500: 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

18042-676: 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

18236-642: 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

18430-498: 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

18624-609: The Queen Vic or simply 'The Vic', stands south of the square at number 46 Albert Square, where it joins with Bridge Street. East of the pub is a building with 2 flats and west of these in the southwest corner leads off to a walkway through to Turpin Way, on which the Walford Community Centre and Playground are found. To the west of the Queen Vic, across the junction with Bridge Street, is the Beale house, 45 Albert Square. Next to that

18818-492: 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

19012-573: 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

19206-543: The actress playing Ian's mother Kathy ( Gillian Taylforth ) was fair-haired, they also wanted him to be fair, and because of Taylforth's age he also had to look very young. Ian was meant to be 14 years old when the programme first aired, but because of licensing regulations, the actor cast was required to be a 16-year-old who could "play down". Adam Woodyatt , born in East London, had worked as an actor in his youth, but had given it up and relocated with his family to Wales . He

19400-622: 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

19594-498: The argument "one of our favourite catfights". Jack is later shot at the club by gang member Kylie ( Elarica Gallacher ), and a few months later, he sells his share of the club to Phil Mitchell ( Steve McFadden ). Ronnie and Roxy also sell their shares to Janine. Upon her return to Walford, Sharon becomes the R&;R's bar manager and she holds her wedding to Jack at the club. At the altar, Jack jilts Sharon, leaving her saddened. Sharon

19788-403: The assault, he confesses to the police that he killed Lucy. They are reluctant to reopen the case but Ian is horrified when Bobby says he still has the murder weapon. Bobby is charged with unlawful killing and denied bail. He is sent to a youth detention centre until his next hearing the following week. Ian then goes to see Jane in hospital, where she tells him she knows about Steven returning and

19982-537: The bar and Sharon later sells her half to Vincent as well, he and his wife, Kim Fox-Hubbard ( Tameka Empson ), run it until he is forced to sell it to pay people he owes money to and it is left empty in early 2018. Kathy buys the building in 2019, and decides to reopen it as a gay bar called The Prince Albert. Next door to the nightclub is a building that originally housed the Snooker World snooker club. When Johnny Allen buys Angie's Den, he buys Snooker World and merges

20176-661: The best EastEnders characters of all time, writing that Ian "has the resilience of a cockroach - and also, some would say, the charm". 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,

20370-458: 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

20564-445: The business to Ian, and he renames the café to Mandy's Café. When Ian has a nervous breakdown and leaves, his daughter Lucy Beale ( Hetti Bywater ) takes control of his businesses, calling the cafe Cindy's Café. Upon his return, Ian regains ownership of the café and when she returns to Walford, Jane manages it. A few years later, Kathy returns and when she begins managing the café, Ian renames it to Kathy's Café. A year later, Ian sells

20758-428: The business to his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth ). Ian buys the café back following the birth of Kathy's son, Ben Mitchell (Matthew Silver), although loses the business when he becomes bankrupt years later. Phil Mitchell ( Steve McFadden ) buys the property and employs Laura Beale ( Hannah Waterman ), the estranged wife of Ian, to manage it. She renames the property to Laura's Café. Laura dies and Phil

20952-481: The café, but Lucy screams and has him physically removed. Ian, extremely miserable, collapses in tears outside, while Phil worries that Ian will remember that Ben murdered Heather. After Sharon returns to Walford, she successfully persuades Lucy to give Ian another chance. Lucy agrees but on the condition that Ian signs all of his businesses over to her so that if Ian abandons her again she can be financially secure. Ian agrees to this. Ben confesses to murdering Heather and

21146-606: 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

21340-421: The character for almost the entire duration of the show, but the acceleration of Ian's nasty side can be traced back to his disastrous first marriage to one of EastEnder s' most renowned women, Cindy Beale in 1989. The storyline centred on Ian's discovery that the child he thought was his (Steven), was actually fathered by his best friend, Simon Wicks . The climax of this revelation was known to script-writers as

21534-503: The children but is implicated in Ian's shooting. She is later jailed on remand and supposedly - dies several months later in prison in Italy in November 1998 during childbirth . In 1999, Ian has a serious romance with Melanie Healy ( Tamzin Outhwaite ), the manager of his bric-a-brac shop. She proposes to him but later gets seduced by nightclub owner Steve Owen ( Martin Kemp ). Suspecting that she

21728-464: 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

21922-598: The club "Angie's Den", in memory of her parents Angie Watts ( Anita Dobson ) and Den Watts ( Leslie Grantham ). Following a refurbishment, Den buys into the business and co-owns with Sharon. They sell the club to Johnny Allen ( Billy Murray ), who renames it "Scarlet" after his deceased daughter. Johnny gives the club to his surviving daughter, Ruby Allen ( Louisa Lytton ), when he is imprisoned. The start of Stacey Slater ( Lacey Turner ) and Bradley Branning 's ( Charlie Clements ) relationship begins in Scarlet when Bradley

22116-463: The club "The Market Cellar". Annie later sells the club to Steve Owen ( Martin Kemp ), who renames it "e20". In 1999, under Steve's ownership, Saskia Duncan (Deborah Sheridan-Taylor) is killed in the club after a struggle with Steve and Matthew Rose ( Joe Absolom ). Beppe di Marco ( Michael Greco ) and Billy Mitchell ( Perry Fenwick ) buy the club from Steve, although Beppe sells his majority share to Sharon Watts ( Letitia Dean ), who rebrands

22310-678: The community [...] but it's inspired by self-interest." Hobson suggests that Ian's saving grace is that he is a "passionately caring father" and Woodyatt has suggested that Ian is a chameleon , a description he claims former Executive Producer Louise Berridge used to describe the character. Woodyatt commented in 2010, "Whatever [Louise Berridge] wanted Ian to do, she'd find a way of justifying it. It's true. He can be nice to his family but he can be devious with them as well. He can stitch people up but can be very generous. You can get away with doing anything with Ian. It's probably why I'm still here." Obsession with success has been an underlying theme with

22504-475: The condition that they have a baby. Although he agrees, Ian has a secret vasectomy and throws Laura out when she becomes pregnant later that year after conning her into signing over control of their businesses. A few years later Laura's son, Bobby (Kevin Curran), requires a blood transfusion shortly after his birth. This causes Laura to realise that Ian must be his father, as her lover Garry Hobbs ( Ricky Groves )

22698-408: 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

22892-408: The dead. It was confirmed by the BBC on 21 June 2023, following the airing of Cindy's return that, Woodyatt would indeed return on a permanent basis later in the summer alongside Collins. A day later, Ian made his onscreen return after two-and-a-half years away. Ian was voted one of the top five television characters "we most love to hate" in a Channel 4 poll in 2001. In 2009, Ian Beale came ninth in

23086-553: 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

23280-407: 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

23474-411: The family fruit and veg stall, Ian wanted to become a chef and this caused a certain amount of hostility between him and his father, who viewed the occupation as effeminate. Ian's keenness to succeed in his business ventures continued as the character grew, so much so that he started using underhand methods in order to get what he wanted and became one of the soap's most renowned "slimeballs". The character

23668-410: The family, and is soon followed by Cindy Williams ( Mimi Keene ), the daughter of Ian's dead ex-wife of the same name. Ian lets Cindy stay, and Denise also moves in with the family. However Carl White ( Daniel Coonan ), an associate of Derek, arrives in Walford and soon works out that Ian has spent Derek's money. Carl claims the money was his, and so extorts large sums of cash from Ian as payback. Carl

23862-447: 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

24056-404: The first place you can cross a river. Walford's London postcode district is E20 (real East London postcode districts only went up to E18 until 2011, when E20 was introduced to serve the London 2012 Olympic Park). Walford's fictional tube station , Walford East, is located on the EastEnders tube map in the position normally occupied by the real Bromley-by-Bow tube station . As part of

24250-496: The fish and chip shop; despite fearing that Ian is only interested in an inheritance she has received, Laura accepts his proposal and they get married in May 2001. Soon their marriage gets into trouble when Ian attempts to kiss Mel and he later refuses to have a child with Laura, who frequently belittles him. Steven learns that Ian has been visiting local prostitute Janine Butcher ( Charlie Brooks ), and tells Laura, before moving to New Zealand to live with Simon. Laura forgives Ian on

24444-429: 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

24638-453: 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

24832-499: 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

25026-612: 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

25220-633: 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

25414-401: The head with a jewellery box. Though Bobby believed that Lucy was still alive, Jane realized she was dead and covered up her murder by faking a mugging. Ian, Jane and Cindy decide to cover up Lucy's murder however Peter does not agree to do this. Ian, Jane, Bobby and Beth go on holiday for Ian and Jane's honeymoon, and Peter leaves Walford along with Lauren. A few weeks later, Ian and the rest of

25608-405: 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

25802-452: The hitman, and she is being quite erratic. Despite what she has done she never expected Ian to be so cruel to her. Now she cannot really see any other way out of the mess she is in. She has lost touch with reality – but in the end she can't see any other way of escaping Ian." More than 18 million viewers tuned in to see Ian gunned-down, which was more than sixty-four per cent of available viewers. The plot facilitated Collins' desire to leave

25996-534: 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

26190-665: 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

26384-489: 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,

26578-493: The marriage annulled once Ian is better, but she disagrees and vows to be there for Ian. After Phil fails to kill Ian because of Phil saying that Ian will always be family, Sharon mixes lithium into Ian's Christmas pudding to poison him. After that fails, she poisons his many cups of tea. Later, Phil changes his mind and agrees to help Sharon murder Ian and they plan to make it look as if Ian has committed suicide, with Phil buying cocaine for Sharon to mix into his dinner after planning

26772-754: 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

26966-530: 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,

27160-477: The most tempestuous in any soap opera". The characters were reunited on-screen in 1992 but the relationship ended in adultery once again when Cindy began an affair with Simon's brother and Ian's half-brother, David Wicks , which culminated in Cindy hiring an assassin to shoot Ian in 1996 after he discovered the affair. Michelle Collins who played Cindy commented in 1996, "[Cindy] was not thinking properly when she contacted

27354-405: The murder will not be made public and confronts Sharon when she discovers the truth. Max is found guilty and sentenced to 21 years in prison. Ian puts Bobby in a private school, hoping that it will help with his anger problems. However, to pay for it, Ian decides to sell his restaurant to a supermarket chain, causing the locals to protest. Ian eventually decides not to sell, meaning Bobby must leave

27548-413: 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

27742-520: The new sole-owner of the club, which she renames "Ruby’s". In May 2022, Ruby puts the club up for sale and Sam Mitchell ( Kim Medcalf ) discovers that her brother, Phil’s, money-laundering associate, Jonah Tyler (Mark Mooney), is planning on buying the club from Ruby. She approaches Phil with this news and they agree to outbuy Jonah, reopen the club as a wine bar and run it together; renaming it "Peggy’s" in honour of their late mother, Peggy Mitchell ( Barbara Windsor ). Co-run by Phil, Sam, Kat and Sharon,

27936-564: The news that Bobby is missing—he is found on Walford Common—he wants to return to Walford and Jane agrees. She falls for Ian again and proposes to him at the Christmas Eve carol concert. They plan their wedding for next February. Ian and Jane get married in the restaurant with their friends and family as witnesses. After Lauren tells Peter that she believes Lucy was murdered by a member of the family, he accuses them of killing Lucy. Jane admits that Bobby accidentally killed Lucy by hitting her over

28130-473: 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

28324-413: 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

28518-415: The opening night of Peggy’s was on 7 July 2022. The Dagmar at 10 Turpin Road is first mentioned in 1986 and seen in 1987 when James Willmott-Brown ( William Boyde ) takes over and turns it into a wine bar. After James rapes Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth ), the bar is burnt down on the orders of Den. The building is then used for several businesses, including Ian Beale 's ( Adam Woodyatt ) Meal Machine,

28712-541: 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

28906-407: 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

29100-435: 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

29294-476: 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

29488-495: 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

29682-495: The programme following the birth of her child, and Cindy, implicated in the shooting, fled the country with Ian's two sons. In August 2020, it was announced that Woodyatt would be taking an "extended break" from EastEnders . A show insider told Digital Spy that his departure would be "part of a big storyline" and that it is "unclear how long [his break] will be". Ian departed in scenes broadcast on 22 January 2021. In May 2021, Woodyatt made an appearance on The One Show , where he

29876-429: The property to Weyland & Co, a property development company, which upsets Kathy. Weeks later, Fi Browning ( Lisa Faulkner ), a business consultant for the company, gifts the café to Kathy after discovering that her father, James Willmott-Brown ( William Boyde ) raped Kathy. The launderette is owned by Mr Papadopolous until his death in 1992; the business passes to his son, Andonis Papadopolous and in 2016, it

30070-459: 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

30264-423: 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

30458-477: The refurbishment and rebrands it "E20" again in honour of his father, Steve, while infuriating Mel, who goes along with it to keep Hunter happy. When Mel's ex-husband Ray Kelly ( Sean Mahon ) plans to remarry her, he buys Phil's 50% stake in the E20 and gifts it to Mel as a wedding present. In November 2019, Mel decides to sell her half of the E20 to Ruby and later blackmails Sharon into selling her half too, leaving Ruby as

30652-412: The relationship. Ian tells Peter this, and Peter tells Ian that he has found £10,000 that Cindy stole from Phil. They return the money, and Phil blames Ian, believing that he put Cindy up to stealing it. In January 2014, just as Ian is about to propose to Denise, Jane arrives unannounced. Jane later buys into Ian's restaurant and they begin running it together, leading Ian to harbour feelings for Jane. Ian

30846-443: 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,

31040-410: The school, even though he is happy there and doing well. Bobby overhears Jane talking about Bobby leaving the school and when she stops him going back to the school, he hits her over the head with his hockey stick three times, leaving her in a critical condition. He tells Ian in the pub that he has killed Jane, just like he killed Lucy, within earshot of everyone in the pub. After Bobby is questioned about

31234-532: The series, although the demolition was cancelled. Walford Common was introduced to the series for the " Who Killed Lucy Beale? " storyline in 2014, while Walford Common underground station was introduced in 2019. Other Walford streets mentioned at various times include Clifton Hill Road, New Street, Fairford Lane, Elwell Road, Sewardstone Road, Clarisdown Street, Wellington Road, Crescent Park Road, Somer Street, Station Road, Elm Road and Montpelier Road. Lou Beale ( Anna Wing ) also mentions in 1987 that Bassett Street

31428-428: The show and did not know when or if he would be going back. He made an exception for the on-screen funeral of Dot Branning in December 2022, following the death of actress June Brown earlier that year. It was reported on 19 May 2023 that Woodyatt would be returning to the show on a permanent basis in a storyline accommodating the return of Cindy, who was to make a return after 25 years, resurrecting her character from

31622-470: The show in 2010, during the show's 25th anniversary: "Why would I want to leave when I'm not going to get the chance to portray even half the range of emotions I get to here in a one-off drama or a six-part series? And you're not going to get the same viewing figures either. You have your moments when things go wrong and you perhaps don't want to work with a certain person. In any office there are going to be people who don't get along but you get on with it and on

31816-476: The show's creator read that the East End was the haunt of notorious highwaymen, such as Dick Turpin . The nightclub on Turpin Road is originally named Strokes Wine Bar until George Palmer ( Paul Moriarty ) buys it and renames it "The Cobra Club". He uses the club as a cover for his criminal business. Annie Palmer ( Nadia Sawalha ), George's daughter, takes over the control of the club when he leaves; she renames

32010-493: The snooker club, the County Court and Magistrates' Courts courtrooms, and the cemetery (where most of the deceased characters are interred). The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland , lived and a blend of Walthamstow , where Holland was born, and Stratford . The suffix '-ford' is found throughout Britain (for example, Bradford , Guildford and Telford ); it just means

32204-608: The station it replaces Bromley-by-Bow on the District line , although the building is in the style of the Bakerloo line stations designed by Stanley Heaps . The train sound was first heard in 1987 and the train's first appearance was in 1988 at Lou Beale 's funeral. Trains did not appear again until 4 February 2010, when CGI was used in the show for the first time. Platforms within the station were first seen in 2011 when Charlie Slater ( Derek Martin ) left Walford. George Street also has

32398-427: 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

32592-462: The street but Max overpowers and punches him. In February 2020, Ian discovers that Sharon's teenage son, Dennis Rickman Jnr ( Bleu Landau ), has been bullying Bobby (now played by Clay Milner Russell ) for his Islamic faith, which results in Bobby being hospitalised, following an Islamophobic attack. Enraged, Ian confronts Dennis during The Queen Vic boat party and angrily locks him in a cabin following

32786-418: The streets. Ian decides to open a restaurant, though Lucy is worried it will fail because of his mental illness. He runs out of money for construction but then finds a box of cash that used to belong to Derek Branning ( Jamie Foreman ). He also gets Janine to invest in the restaurant, and eventually tricks Lucy into signing over all of the businesses to him. Peter (now played by Ben Hardy ) returns to live with

32980-424: The time. They later have sex, but Ian is confronted by his former stepfather Phil Mitchell ( Steve McFadden ) over sacking the latter's girlfriend Lisa Shaw ( Lucy Benjamin ) earlier on; Phil torments Ian and vows to make him suffer. A few months later, Ian is declared bankrupt after his business collapses and Phil refuses to give him the money that Ian needed to overcome his financial troubles. This could have been

33174-577: The truth, but before Ian can explain to Denise, Cindy makes a sudden return, already several hours into her labour. Ian delivers her baby daughter, and agrees that she can live with him. Denise moves out, refusing to forgive Ian for his actions when she discovers that Patrick knew and that Ian was willing to put Patrick in a care home to keep his secret. Concerned for Ian, Sharon and Phil organise for him to visit Michelle in America. Ian returns on Sharon's wedding day to try to stop her marrying Phil. Jane returns with

33368-480: The truth. Ian later breaks up with Cindy and plans to take custody of their children, and so Cindy responds by hiring a hitman named John Valecue (Steve Weston) to kill her husband on October 1996; Ian is shot but is only clipped by the bullet and recovers. Cindy leaves the country with Steven and Peter and spends a year in Italy before Ian traces them and retrieves the boys. Cindy returns to Walford and wins back custody of

33562-437: The two together to give Scarlet a more open space. After 4 Turpin Road is again separated into two buildings in 2011, Janine Butcher uses it to house her property management business, Butcher's Joints. After Janine's arrest for murder, it is converted into a salon called Blades, owned by Dean Wicks ( Matt Di Angelo ) until he is arrested for rape. Belinda Peacock ( Carli Norris ) then opens her own salon called Elysium until she

33756-563: 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

33950-468: The whole I enjoy it. Over the last couple of years we've had a really tight crew and it's the best atmosphere I can remember. There have been peaks and troughs, like with any show, but right now things are good." Ian has been described as a character viewers love to hate. His initial storylines portrayed him as a sensitive young boy with professional aspirations that went against his father's wishes. Not content to follow in his father's footsteps and take over

34144-483: The window of the house, followed by one of his crutches. The episode ended ominously with Ian finding Cindy's father's shotgun and stealing it. Directed by Matthew Evans, Brake suggests that these episodes not only brought the story to a shocking climax but also laid roots for the next three months' worth of storylines, building up to Cindy and Simon's departure, and Ian's spectacular fall from grace. Author Dorothy Hobson has described Ian and Cindy's relationship as "one of

34338-444: 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,

34532-442: 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

34726-446: 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

34920-435: Was asked how long his break would last. Woodyatt explained that he is starring in a theatre production until October 2021 and would then be attending his daughter's wedding in America; he did not know a specific date for his character's return, but stated it will be 2022 "at the earliest". In October 2021, he stated that his return will air in mid-2022. However, in November 2021, Woodyatt revealed that he had no plans to return to

35114-401: Was awarded with his first Best Actor accolade at 2015 British Soap Awards . At this ceremony, he also won Best On-Screen Partnership alongside Laurie Brett. Author Dorothy Hobson has stated that Ian Beale is a "major creation" capturing the personification of political attitudes taken up during the Conservative government of the 1980s. She suggests that Ian Beale is a "major representation of

35308-422: 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

35502-441: 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,

35696-425: 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),

35890-453: 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

36084-406: 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,

36278-486: 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

36472-533: 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,

36666-400: 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:

36860-408: Was previously Walford's B&B, 'Kim's Palace'. North of the old B&B is the rear of 55 Victoria Road. A row of five terraced houses line the north edge of Albert Square. The westernmost house is number 31. The property next door is split into two flats. Number 25 is the home of Dot Cotton ( June Brown ). The easternmost property in the terrace is number 23, which was destroyed in September 2014 by

37054-458: Was recruited from his old agency and it was decided that he was perfect for the part and he was subsequently cast as Ian Beale. In 1990 Ian's age was increased and he celebrated his 21st birthday two years after his 18th. The producers felt Ian needed to be a bit older and more mature for storylines planned for him later that year. Ian has gone on to be the longest running character in the soap's history. Woodyatt confirmed his desire to remain with

37248-410: 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,

37442-479: 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

37636-443: Was the guardian of Cindy's youngest daughter, Cindy Jr . Ian is the owner of 45 Albert Square, traditionally represented within the series as the family home of the Beale and Fowler family , and in 2020, he bought The Queen Victoria public house for Sharon. Formally within the show, the writers have now nicknamed him ‘The Man of Steel’. As a teenager, Ian argues with his father Pete Beale ( Peter Dean ) over his desire to become

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