Ian Beale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ian Beale |
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Adam Woodyatt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1985–2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 1 "Poor Old Reg" 19 February 1985 |
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| Last appearance | Episode 6607 12 December 2022 |
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| Created by | Tony Holland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Julia Smith (1985) Kate Oates and Chris Clenshaw (2022) |
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| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ian Albert Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the longest-serving character and the only remaining original character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on 19 February 1985.
Creation and development
Ian has gone on to be the longest running character in the soap's history.
Ian Beale is one of the original 23 characters written by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith. Ian is a member of the first family of EastEnders, the Beales and Fowlers, and Holland took the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background.
Because 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 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.
Characterisation
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 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 is regularly referred to as a "weasel" in the British press.
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 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.
Departure and brief return
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 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 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 Cotton in December 2022, following the death of actress June Brown earlier that year.
See also
In Spanish: Ian Beale para niños
