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Manda Best 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 ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', played by

Josie Lawrence Josie Lawrence (born Wendy Lawrence; 6 June 1959) is an English actress and comedian. She is best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' and as Manda Best in '' ...

. Manda was introduced by executive producer

Diederick Santer Diederick Santer (born 3 July 1969) is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders'', a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010. He was Chief Exec ...

, and made her first appearance on 6 March 2009 and her last on 12 February 2010. The character was given a backstory linking her to two characters already established in the serial; she is an ex-girlfriend of

Phil Mitchell Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant Mitchell (EastEnders), Grant (Ross Kemp), s ...

(

Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has played since 1990. He was also the presenter of the game show, ''Britain's ...

) and an old friend of

Minty Peterson Rick "Minty" Peterson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Cliff Parisi. He made his first appearance on 11 March 2002. In his initial appearances, he was credited with the name "Rick". His nickname was giv ...

(

Cliff Parisi Cliff Parisi (born Clifford R Manley; 24 May 1960) is an English actor, known for his roles as Minty Peterson in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Fred Buckle in the BBC period drama ''Call the Midwife''. In 2019, he participated in the ni ...

), the latter whom Manda was paired romantically with. Her family was extended when her disabled son, Adam Best (

David Proud David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

), who has

spina bifida Spina bifida (Latin for 'split spine'; SB) is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development in pregnancy. There are three main types: spina bifida occulta, me ...

, was introduced. Adam's introduction was scripted to cause discontent in Manda and Minty's relationship, with Adam taking an instant dislike to Minty. It was announced in November 2009 that Lawrence had quit ''EastEnders'' as she wanted to pursue other projects, making her final appearance on 12 February 2010, after ending her relationship with Minty.

Storylines

Backstory

Lawrence revealed Manda's backstory in an interview on the official ''EastEnders'' website: "Manda lived in the Square over 20 years ago—she went out with

(

) and knew

(

). She got married and left the area, but she's been divorced for five years. I don't think it was a very happy marriage—he was a bit of a philanderer. After the divorce she decided to reinvent herself. She's taken a course in teaching pottery and art and she's made life better for herself by becoming more spiritual."

2009–2010

Manda first appears at Walford's community centre, where she is teaching a pottery class. There she meets her old acquaintance Minty Peterson. Minty reveals that while Manda was dating his friend Phil Mitchell years ago, he secretly used to hate her. However, they settle their differences and soon start dating. But the pace of the relationship is slow, and Minty wonders if Manda is really interested in him. In July 2009, Minty sees Manda kissing Phil. He reluctantly confronts her, and she explains that she was thanking Phil for allowing Minty a day off work (she was planning a secret trip to the theatre for Minty). Manda also assures him that she will never cheat on him. Manda's landlord evicts her from her flat, and after

Garry Hobbs Garry Hobbs is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Ricky Groves. He made his first appearance on 18 September 2000. It was announced on 26 March 2009 that Groves and co-star Kara Tointon, who plays Dawn Swann ...

(

Ricky Groves Richard Groves (born 23 April 1968) is an English actor best known for playing Garry Hobbs in ''EastEnders'' from 2000–09. Before his role in ''EastEnders'' he appeared in the series '' Burnside'', a spin-off from ''The Bill''. He trained a ...

) and

Dawn Swann Dawn Swann is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Kara Tointon, who first appeared on 26 September 2005. It was reported on 26 March 2009 that Tointon and co-star Ricky Groves, who plays Garry Hobbs, would ...

(

Kara Tointon Kara Louise Tointon (born 5 August 1983) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Dawn Swann in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 2010, she won the BBC competition series ''Strictly Come Dancing'', and in 2015, she appeared as ...

) leave Walford, she moves into Minty's residence with her cat. Manda's son Adam Best (

) comes to stay in September 2009, and he takes an instant dislike to Minty. After Adam returns to

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, Manda tries to explain her son's hostility by saying he is over-protective. Minty responds by telling Manda that Adam is arrogant and rude, and he does not appreciate being treated like that in his own home. The pair make up, however, with Manda promising that Adam will be nicer in future. Manda discovers that

Darren Miller Darren Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Charlie G. Hawkins. He made his first appearance on 6 September 2004 and departed in the episode broadcast on 20 September 2011. Storylines The Miller f ...

(

Charlie G. Hawkins Charlie George Hawkins (born 14 February 1991) is a British former actor. He was born and raised in Islington. His most notable roles are Darren Miller in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', which he was in from 2004 to 2011, and a cub scout n ...

) is secretly the father of

Heather Trott Heather Trott (also Peterson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Cheryl Fergison. She made her first appearance on 26 June 2007. The character was introduced as a guest character, but later became a regula ...

(

Cheryl Fergison Cheryl Fergison (born 27 August 1965) is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Heather Trott in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' a role in which she starred in from 2007 until 2012. Career After training at Rose Bruford ...

)'s baby

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

, but agrees to keep it to herself. When the secret is revealed, Minty is angry with her for not telling him, as he was once married to Heather. They make up, but then Manda finds out that Minty has been hiding Sam Mitchell (

Danniella Westbrook Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress, best known for originally playing Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' on and off from 1990 to 2000 and 2009 to 2016. Away from ''EastEnders'', she has presented var ...

), a fugitive, from the police. Adam tries to cause trouble, saying that Minty fantasises about Sam, but Manda accepts Minty's explanation that he and Sam are merely friends; Sam is imprisoned shortly after. When Minty starts disappearing regularly without saying where he is going, Manda suspects he is having an affair. Adam finds a letter Sam sent Minty from prison, and it transpires Minty is visiting Sam. When Manda confronts Minty about this, he admits to having feelings for Sam but wants to spend his future with Manda. Believing Minty does not love her, Manda pretends that she still has feelings for Phil and ends her relationship with Minty, leaving Walford. Several months later, Adam tells Minty that Manda is dating another man.

Development

Introduction and departure

In January 2009, it was announced that comedian Lawrence would join ''EastEnders'' playing Manda Best, a character who had grown up 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 i ...

and knew Phil and Minty over 20 years before moving back. She joined the show for a specific storyline involving Phil and Minty, however, a source at the BBC told entertainment website

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

that "there are plenty of potential storyline opportunities for her to able to stick around." ''EastEnders'' executive producer

said of Lawrence's casting, "I'm so excited Josie's joining us. I've enjoyed her brilliant comic performances for over 20 years, and can't wait to see her in Walford." She made her first appearance on 6 March 2009. When asked about Manda's future, Lawrence said, "It's weird playing a part when you don't know what happens to the character. I could ride off on my bike into the sunset, but grisly ends are much more fun." Later in June 2009, Manda's son Adam joined the show, played by David Proud. Adam has

and uses a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

. Lawrence decided to quit the show at the end of her initial contract, saying that she enjoyed her time on the show but asked to leave as she liked having variety in her career. She said, "It has been an amazing year at ''EastEnders'' and I have made some fantastic friends among both the cast and crew. I am somebody who likes to do a variety of different projects, and now seems the right time to move on." She said that she wanted to leave ''EastEnders'' with a "bang", but writers did not have time to come up with a good exit storyline as they were busy working on the "

Who Killed Archie? "Who Killed Archie?" is a storyline from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It began on 25 December 2009, Christmas Day, when the character Archie Mitchell, played by Larry Lamb, was murdered by an unseen person. Events leading up to and following ...

" storyline. She said, " anterunderstood—he called me a wandering minstrel! But they had been expecting me to stay on, so they admitted they didn't have much time to come up with a good storyline. They were all too busy with Archie's murder so my exit was much more low-key." Her exit storyline comes about when Manda discovers that Minty is hiding something from her, on which a spokesperson for the show said, "The revelation then serves as the catalyst for Manda's exit." She made her last appearance on 12 February 2010.

Characterisation

Lawrence described Manda as "Loving, strange (in a good way) and creative". Lawrence based Manda's "new age" side on a couple of her friends who were into yoga and breathing relaxation techniques, saying, "there's a couple of times when you see Manda take a deep breath when she is getting irate." The BBC described Manda as "charismatic"; the ''EastEnders'' website called her "creative, vivacious and always up for a laugh" and suggesting that "underneath her merry exterior", Manda might have been "longing for love". The website goes on to say: "Bubbly, free-spirit Manda Best is well connected with her spiritual side and is a firm believer in solving life's problems through hugging. She is loving, creative and independent, but secretly yearns to meet that 'Mr Right'." ''

The Sunday Mirror The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marke ...

'' described Manda as "crazed" and "mad". Manda typically wore "hippy dresses" and large glasses.

Reception

Lawrence, who was born in

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

, came under criticism from a journalist of the ''

Sunday Mercury ''Sunday Mercury'' is a Sunday tabloid published in Birmingham, UK, and now owned by Reach plc. The first edition was published on 29 December 1918. The first editor was John Turner Fearon (1869–1937), who left the Dublin-based ''Freeman's ...

''. According to the journalist, ''EastEnders'', a London-based soap opera, had too many actors from the Midlands at the time, and not enough from London. When Manda left the serial, Jane Simon from the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'' stated that she would not miss the character or her wardrobe, using the "stupid flower" Manda wore on her bicycle helmet as an example of this.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Amanda EastEnders characters Television characters introduced in 2009 Fictional schoolteachers Female characters in television