Della Alexander
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Della Alexander is a fictional character from the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
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soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
'' EastEnders'' played by
Michelle Joseph Michelle Joseph (born May 1970) is a British actress. Acting career Joseph is most famous for playing Walford's first lesbian resident, Della Alexander, in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 1994–1995. Other acting credits include: * ...
from 1 March 1994 until 16 May 1995. Della is the first lesbian character to be featured on the show.


Storylines

Della arrives in
Walford Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It 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 ...
in March 1994 as a new assistant to the market trader, Sanjay Kapoor (
Deepak Verma Deepak Verma MBE (b. 11 February 1969) is a British actor, writer and television/film producer of Indian Punjabi descent and Hindu heritage. His role as market-stall trader Sanjay Kapoor in long-running BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' brought ...
). Della is a former hairdresser who had gone to the same school as the barman Steve Elliot (
Mark Monero Mark Monero (born 1968) is a British actor and musician. He has had various roles including parts in ''Babylon'', ''Wilt'', ''Prayer for the Dying'', ''Sid and Nancy'' and remains best known for his role as Steve Elliot in the BBC soap opera ...
). Realising that Della has a talent that could be a potential money spinner, Steve decides to go into business with her. He and Della make plans to open a hairdressing salon in George Street. The salon, Kool for Kutz, opens in April that year. After some problems at home, Della comes to live with Steve at
The Queen Victoria The Queen Victoria (more often referred to as The Queen Vic or The Vic) is the Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20. Appearance and developmen ...
public house, and Steve soon begins seeing her as more than just his business partner. He actively pursues her, which she seems to encourage. However, Della is only leading Steve on in order to mask the fact that she is a lesbian, and days later he catches her in bed with her girlfriend
Binnie Binnie is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: __NOTOC__ Surname * Alex Binnie (footballer), Scottish footballer of the 1920s * Alex Binnie (tattoo artist) (born 1959), English tattooist and printmaker * Alexander ...
(
Sophie Langham Sophie Louise Langham (born 1976) is an English actress who was born on the Isle of Wight. She is most famous for playing one half of Walford's first lesbian couple, in the popular BBC soap opera, '' EastEnders''. Her character, Binnie Rober ...
). As a result, Steve throws Della out, which prompts a feud between him and Binnie. Della is mortified that her sexuality has been uncovered and her shame is often a major source of conflict for her girlfriend, who is openly gay. Steve is eventually forced to come to terms with Della's homosexuality although he harbours feelings for her for a long time after. He makes several attempts to convert her into a
heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" ...
. Binnie and Della soon move into a bedsit on the Square. Problems arise when
Natalie Price Natalie Price may refer to: * Natalie Evans Natalie Evans (also Price) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', between 18 January 1994 and 10 May 2004, played by Lucy Speed. Natalie first appeared in January 1994, depi ...
(
Lucy Speed Lucy Renee Speed (born 31 August 1976) is an English actress best known for her television roles as Natalie Evans in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1994 to 1995 and again from 1999 until 2004, and as DS Stevie Moss in the ITV police ...
) hears a rumour that they are lesbians and begins spreading hateful rumours about them. This reaction only increases Della's trepidation about living as a lesbian and she starts denying the rumours, claiming that she'd never slept with a woman before in her life. Infuriated by Della's shame, Binnie threatens to leave the Square, which forces Della to prioritise. In order to convince Binnie to stay, Della kisses her in the middle of Bridge Street, which really gives the gossips something to talk about. Binnie spends most of her time on the Square trying to force Della to accept herself as a lesbian. She regularly pressures her to " come out" to her mother, which often causes fights between them. In January 1995 they go through a bad patch in their relationship, and Della turns to her old friend Steve for support. They arrange an evening out, which again leads Steve to think that she has changed her mind about dating him. After a flirtatious night and plenty of cocktails, Steve tries to convince Della that she isn't really gay and goes to kiss her. Furious, Della storms off and once again leaves Steve looking the fool. Back in Walford, an insanely jealous Binnie jumps to all the wrong conclusions and berates Della for sleeping with Steve. After witnessing them argue, Steve decides to cut his losses and pull out of his partnership at the salon. He signs the lease over to a grateful Della, and promises to never make a pass at her again. Binnie eventually accepts their explanation and she and Della reconcile. Later in the year, Della begins to grow disillusioned with life in Walford, and she and Binnie decide to make a new start in Ibiza. After tying up loose ends, including selling the lease of her salon and firing her obnoxious assistant Lydia (
Marlaine Gordon Marlaine Gordon is a British actress. Acting career One of Gordon's first roles was playing Amanda Jackson in '' Through The Dragon's Eye'' (1989), an educational children's programme made for BBC Two's Look and Read productions. One of her mos ...
), Della decides that the time had come to tell her mother, Alica, about her
sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
. However, after continuous stalling, Alice eventually shows up in Walford and is accidentally informed by
Peggy Mitchell Margaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. ...
(
Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.
) instead. Unaware of this, Della continues to lie to her mother about her relationship with Binnie, but on her final day she finally works up the courage and telephones her mother with the news. Alice relays that she already knows, and is happy that she has finally told her the truth. Della then leaves with her conscience clear. Her last appearance is in May 1995.


Character creation and development

Della and Binnie were the first lesbian couple to be featured in ''EastEnders''. Their inclusion was an attempt to portray positive examples of homosexual characters. Their lesbian kiss accounted for some 45 percent of viewer complaints to the BBC regarding ''EastEnders'' in 1994; provoking more complaints than any other television programme that year (according to research published by the Broadcasting Standards Council in 1995).Broadcast Concerns 1994-1995
, ''Broadcasting Standards Council''. URL last accessed on 2006-11-06. In 2005 their lesbian kiss was featured in E4's ''X Rated: Top 20 Most Controversial TV Moments'', a documentary examining British TV's most talked about on-screen moments. It was placed at number 11 in the chart and, according to the poll, received an estimated 486 viewer complaints and 180 column inches in the British press. In 1995, bisexual actress
Pam St. Clement Pamela Ann Clements (born 11 May 1942), known professionally as Pam St Clement, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Pat Butcher in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from June 1986 until January 2012, with a guest appe ...
, who plays Pat Evans, was asked if the lesbian storyline suffered from "seeming to follow the pack rather than lead it". She commented, "I think they realised there was something missing, but having given themselves that brief they didn't know what the fuck to do with it. I think
Michael Cashman Michael Maurice Cashman, Baron Cashman (born 17 December 1950), is a British actor, politician, and LGBT rights activist. A member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands from 1999 to 2014. ...
made Colin Russell so successful because he is a
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
man. I'd never argue for somebody having to be a part to do it - you don't have to be a murderer to play Othello - and I think the two young girls
ho played Della and Binnie Ho (or the transliterations He or Heo) may refer to: People Language and ethnicity * Ho people, an ethnic group of India ** Ho language, a tribal language in India * Hani people, or Ho people, an ethnic group in China, Laos and Vietnam * Hiri M ...
did what they could, but they couldn't really give the programme any help."


See also

*
List of LGBT characters in television The large amount of material within the scope of "fiction and myth" has been divided into the following: Lists Characters ;By medium * List of animated series with LGBT characters * LGBT representation in animated web series * List of bisex ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Della EastEnders characters Fictional Black British people Fictional lesbians Fictional hairdressers Television characters introduced in 1994 Female characters in television Fictional LGBT characters in television