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 made-up person from the BBC TV show EastEnders. He is played by actor Adam Woodyatt. Ian has been on the show since it first started on 19 February 1985. This makes him the longest-running character in EastEnders history.
Contents
Creating the Character
Ian Beale was one of the first 23 characters created for EastEnders. The show's creators, Tony Holland and Julia Smith, came up with him. Ian belongs to one of the show's main families, the Beales and Fowlers. Tony Holland got ideas for some of the early characters from his own family in London.
The actress who played Ian's mother, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), had fair hair. So, the creators wanted Ian to also have fair hair. Because of the actress's age, Ian also needed to look very young. Ian was supposed to be 14 years old when the show began. However, rules meant the actor had to be at least 16. So, Adam Woodyatt was chosen because he could "play down," meaning he could act like he was younger than his real age.
Adam Woodyatt was born in East London and had acted when he was younger. He was found by his old acting agency. Everyone agreed he was perfect for the role, and he was cast as Ian Beale. In 1990, the show's producers decided to make Ian older. He celebrated his 21st birthday just two years after his 18th. This was done so Ian could be more mature for new stories planned for him.
Ian's Personality
Many viewers have said that Ian is a character they "love to hate." When he first appeared, Ian was shown as a sensitive young boy. He had dreams of becoming a chef, which was different from what his father wanted. His dad expected him to take over the family fruit and vegetable stall. This caused some arguments between them.
As Ian grew up, he became very eager to succeed in his own businesses. Sometimes, he would use sneaky ways to get what he wanted. Because of this, he became known as a bit of a "slimeball" on the show. News reports in the UK often called him a "weasel."
One author, Dorothy Hobson, described Ian as a "Thatcher's child." This term refers to children who grew up in the 1980s under the Conservative government. These children often focused on making money for themselves and being independent. They sometimes didn't think much about people who were less fortunate. Because of this, Hobson suggested that Ian was "young, ambitious, rich and unhappy." She felt this showed the general feeling of that time.
Taking a Break from the Show
In August 2020, it was announced that Adam Woodyatt would be taking a long break from EastEnders. Someone close to the show told a news website that his leaving would be part of a big storyline. It was not clear how long his break would be. Ian's character left the show in episodes shown on 22 January 2021.
In May 2021, Adam Woodyatt appeared on a TV show called The One Show. He was asked how long his break would last. Woodyatt explained that he was acting in a theatre play until October 2021. After that, he planned to attend his daughter's wedding in America. He didn't know exactly when his character would return, but he said it would be in 2022 at the earliest. In October 2021, he mentioned his return would be in mid-2022.
However, in November 2021, Woodyatt said he had no plans to return to the show. He didn't know if or when he would go back. He did make a special appearance for the TV funeral of Dot Cotton in December 2022. This was after the actress who played Dot, June Brown, passed away earlier that year.
Images for kids
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Ian Beale as he appeared in 1985 aged 15
See also
In Spanish: Ian Beale para niños
