Pete Beale

HOME

TheInfoList

Click Here for Items Related To - Pete Beale

OR:

Pete Beale on: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Amazon]

Pete Beale 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. ...

...

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 Peter Dean. He makes his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was introduced by

Tony Holland Anthony John Holland (18 January 1940 – 28 November 2007) was a British screenwriter, best known as a writer and co-creator (with Julia Smith) of the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. Early life Holland was the oldest of three children born to ...

, one of the creators of ''EastEnders''; he was based on a member of Holland's family. Pete is featured in the soap for eight years as the local fruit and veg trader of

Albert Square 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 ...

; he is a member of the original focal clan in the serial, the Beales and Fowlers. Pete is portrayed as a macho and somewhat insensitive individual who struggles to cope with emotion. Pete was axed from the soap in 1993 and departed in May that year after over eight years on-screen. The character was killed off-screen later that year following Peter Dean's public criticism of the BBC.

Storylines

Backstory

Pete and his twin sister, Pauline (

Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the soa ...

), were born to

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

(

Gary Olsen Gary Olsen (born Gary Kenneth Grant; 3 November 1957 – 12 September 2000) was an English actor. He played Ben in the BBC television sitcom ''2point4 Children''. Biography Olsen was born in London and lived with an aunt and uncle after b ...

) and

Lou Beale Lou Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Anna Wing. Her first appearance is in the first episode, which was broadcast on 19 February 1985, and her last is in episode 362, first shown on 26 July 1988, ...

(

Anna Wing Anna Eva Lydia Catherine Wing (30 October 1914 – 7 July 2013) was an English actress who had a long career in television and theatre, known for portraying the role of Beale family matriarch Lou Beale in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. ...

). They were born and raised in number 45 Albert Square. Albert owned a fruit and veg stall on Walford market. Pete used to help out on the stall as a boy, and when Albert died, Pete inherited the stall. Pete schooled with his neighbour and friend,

Den Watts Dennis "Den" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den". Den was the original landlord of The Queen Victoria public house fr ...

( Leslie Grantham); they remained close in adulthood. In his mid-teens, Pete had a one-night stand with prostitute Pat Harris (

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 ap ...

) who informed Pete she was pregnant. Pete did the chivalrous thing and married Pat in 1961 when he was 16; however it transpired that the pregnancy was a false alarm and Lou always felt that it was a ploy to trap her son. During the marriage, Pat gave birth to two sons,

David 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 ...

(

Michael French Michael French (born Michael Clark, 17 September 1962) is an English actor, known for his roles as David Wicks in ''EastEnders''; Nick Jordan, a consultant and Clinical Lead, Senior Consultant in emergency medicine in '' Casualty'' and former ...

) and

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

(

Nick Berry Nicholas Berry (born 16 April 1963) is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in ''EastEnders'' from 1985 to 1990, and as PC Nick Rowan in '' Heartbeat'' from 1992 to 1998. He sang UK chart sin ...

), the latter of whom Pete believed to be his. Yet Pat could not settle down. She had various affairs, including a tryst with her former lover

Frank Butcher Frank Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Mike Reid (actor), Mike Reid. Frank makes his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987, but due to a positive viewer reception, he is reintr ...

( Mike Reid), a one-night stand with Den, and an affair with Pete's older brother

Kenny Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith" ...

(

Michael Attwell Michael John Attwell (16 January 1943 – 18 March 2006) was an English film and television actor. He is possibly best known for his role as Kenny Beale in the television soap opera ''EastEnders''. After training at RADA (studying Stage Manage ...

). Lou found Pat and Kenny in bed together and banished Kenny abroad, but Pete was unaware of the affair. Pat was also having an affair with another man named Brian Wicks (

Leslie Schofield Leslie Schofield (born 12 December 1938) is an English actor who is most famous in the UK for his role as Jeff Healy in the soap opera ''EastEnders'', whom he played from 1997 to 2000. His character was famous for unsuccessfully proposing to ...

). When Pete found out he left Pat - she was six months pregnant with Simon at the time - and then went into a relationship with local girl, Kathy Hills (

Gillian Taylforth Gillian Taylforth (born 14 August 1955) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Kathy Beale on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', and has also appeared as Jackie Pascoe, Jackie Pascoe/Webb on ITV Network, ITV's ''Footballers' Wi ...

). There was a messy divorce and soon after, Pat married Brian in 1966 and he took on responsibility of her two sons. Pete had little contact with his children following this. Three years after leaving Pat, Pete married Kathy in 1968, although there was strong opposition from Lou, who would not condone her son's divorce. A year later they had their only son

Ian Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

(

Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he played between 1985 and 2022. Early life and education Woodyatt was born on 28 June 1968 in W ...

). The family did reasonably well financially and enjoyed a more luxurious lifestyle than Pete's extended family.

1985–1993

Pete enjoys a simple life, but his old-fashioned views about masculinity cause rifts between him and Ian. Pete is thrilled when his other son Simon appears in Walford, which excludes Ian further. Pete grows attached to Simon, but Pat's disclosure in 1986 that Pete is not Simon's father threatens to ruin their relationship. Lou attempts to persuade Pete that Pat is lying, all the while believing that she is actually telling the truth and that Kenny is Simon's father. When Pauline discovers this, she informs Pete, leading to numerous confrontations between him and Pat. When Pat is assaulted in 1987, Pete becomes prime suspect and is interrogated. It is not until the real attacker tries to assault

Debbie Wilkins Debbie "Debs" Wilkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shirley Cheriton, from 21 March 1985 to 14 May 1987. Debbie is Walford's first upwardly mobile character. She has an on/off relationship with her i ...

(

Shirley Cheriton Shirley Cheriton (born 28 June 1955) is an English actress and performer, best known for her roles as Debbie Wilkins in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and her portrayal of Miss Prescott in the ''Are You Being Served?'' follow up, ''Grace & Fa ...

) that Pete's name is cleared. When Kenny returns to Walford in 1988, the brothers fight about Simon's paternity until Pat suggests that neither of them are Simon's dad. Pat enjoys the upset she has caused for the Beales, and it is not until a dying Lou pleads with her to finally name the father that Pat succumbs and tells Simon that his father is Brian Wicks, whom she had been having an affair with during her marriage to Pete. Marital problems arise in 1988 when Kathy gets a job as a barmaid at "The Dagmar" winebar, working for

James Willmott-Brown James Willmott-Brown (also credited as Willmott-Brown and Mr Willmott-Brown) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by William Boyde. The character originally appeared in Albert Square from 1986 to 1989, whe ...

(

William Boyde William Boyde (born March 1953) is a British actor, best known for his work on the British soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1986–1989, 1992, 2017). He was educated at Cheltenham College where he appeared as an extra in the film If...which was film ...

). Pete grows jealous of Kathy and James's working relationship. Kathy ignores his protests and confides in James about Pete after work one night; however, James gets the wrong idea, attempts to seduce Kathy and, when she turns him down, rapes her. Pete struggles to come to terms with this and begins entertaining the idea that the sex was consensual and not rape. Kathy grows depressed and isolates herself from Pete, who begins drinking heavily. After various drunken binges, Kathy finally makes the decision to leave him. Later she is courted by

Laurie Bates Laurie Bates is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, '' EastEnders'', played by Gary Powell. Laurie was introduced by producer Mike Gibbon in September 1989 as a rival to the long-established character Pete Beale ( Peter Dean) – he o ...

( Gary Powell), another fruit and veg stall owner who opens in direct competition to Pete; Pete and Laurie are regularly at loggerheads. Pete tries to retaliate towards Kathy's new relationship by producing his own love interest in the shape of Barbara (Alannah O'Sullivan), a woman he meets in New Zealand. It is a bluff however, as Pete still wants Kathy back but she makes it abundantly clear that she has moved on. When the market's future is threatened by a possible development, Pete and the other traders campaign to save it. Pete refuses when a corrupt man from the council,

Stuart Kendle The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 1990, by order of first appearance. Harry Osborne In January 1990, a mysterious old man ( John Boswall) is seen lingering around Albert Square ...

(Mark Sprotson), tries to bribe him into dropping his opposition to the new development and his stall is demolished by a JCB in response. Newcomers

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

(

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...

) and

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) are impressed by Pete's bravery; they break into the council's offices and steal evidence proving Kendle is corrupt. When this information is given to the Borough Surveyor, the development plans are dropped and the market is saved. 1992 sees the reappearance of

, released from prison. He hopes to rebuild his life on the Square, but Pete rounds together a mob who take James to a high-rise flat building, where Pete threatens to throw him off the top unless he signs a paper stating he will never return to Walford. Willmott-Brown takes out an injunction on Pete and moves back to Walford regardless and harasses Kathy. Eventually Kathy and Pete confront James and persuade him to leave Walford. At the same time, Kathy finally convinces Pete — that their marriage is over. After a long period of loneliness, Pete gains a new love interest in 1993, when a chance meeting reunites him with an old school friend of his sister's, Rose Chapman (

Petra Markham Petra Mavis Markham (born 17 March 1944 in Prestbury, Cheshire) is a British theatre, television and film actress. She is a daughter of actor David Markham and writer Olive Dehn (1914–2007). She has three sisters: actress Kika Markham, Sonia ...

). Their romance continues despite Rose revealing she is married to Alfie Chapman, who has a reputation for extreme violence. She is unable to stay away from Pete even when she discovers her husband has a terminal illness and she is beaten by Alfie's violent family as a result. In order to be with Rose, Pete decides they have to leave the area. He and Rose depart in May 1993 and go into hiding. Pauline is distraught by her brother's sudden disappearance and, when she hears that Alfie Chapman has died in prison, she advertises for Pete's return. Pete replies and the residents of Albert Square plan a party to celebrate his comeback. However, on the day he is due back, the police inform Pauline that Pete and Rose have died in a car accident in Leicester. It is later revealed that the Chapman family are responsible for their deaths. Pete's twin grandchildren are born the same day as his death; a girl called

Lucy Beale Lucy Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. The character was played by Eva Brittin-Snell (from 1993 to 1996), Casey Anne Rothery (from 1996 until 2004), Melissa Suffield (from 2004 to 2010), and Hetti Bywater (fr ...

and a boy,

Peter Beale Peter Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' who has been played by seven actors since being introduced in 1993. Francis Brittin-Snell portrayed the role from 1993 to 1996, followed by Alex Stevens from 1997 to 19 ...

, who Ian names in honour of his father. His body is returned to Walford and buried.

Creation and development

Background and casting

Pete Beale was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of ''EastEnders'',

and Julia Smith. Holland took the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background. Pete was based on one of his cousins, the twin brother to Pauline and son of Holland's aunt Lou; a family set-up that would eventually be recreated on-screen and would go on to be forever hailed as the first family of ''EastEnders'', the Beales and Fowlers. Pete's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, '' EastEnders: The Inside Story'': "Pete runs a fruit and veg stall in the market....married very young to Pat (

) - It turned out to be a total disaster. They were too young, rushing into a difficult life for all the wrong reasons, and truthfully, his wife was a vicious shrew ... he divorced his wife and married

Kathy Kathy is a feminine given name. It is a pet form of Katherine, Kathleen and their related forms. Kathy may refer to: In sports * Kathy Bald, Canadian freestyle swimmer * Kathy May, American tennis player *Kathy Radzuweit, German volleyball playe ...

(

) when he was 24 ...

(

) was born a year later. It took Kathy and Pete about ten years to woo ete's mother Lou (

) round to the idea of their marriage, and she can still sometimes be a bit cutting about it.... She doesn't believe in divorce ... He did have crazy dreams of making something of himself, he was going to be singer, a red-coat, run his own hotel ... On special occasions it's always Pete who's the life and soul of the party.... His two sons by his first marriage are nineteen and twenty and he hardly sees them.... If it wasn't for Thatcher, he'd consider voting

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

.... Never works on the anniversary of his dad's death, and with is sister Pauline (

), escorts his mum to the cemetery. He has a good relationship with Kathy, emotionally and sexually (Maybe he's a little concerned that she's keeping her good looks a bit longer than he is?). Peter Dean was an actor known to Smith and Holland for his role in the crime drama ''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

''. Dean was from the East End of London and his family owned a stall in the market, just as the character he auditioned for did. Holland and Smith have said that despite the fact that Dean gave a disappointing reading at his audition, his tremendous enthusiasm for the part and for the show made up for it. He was subsequently offered the part.

, the actor playing Pete's son Ian, suggested in 2010 that Dean, along with

(

Pauline Fowler Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between the first episode on 19 February 1985 and 25 December 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland a ...

Susan Tully Susan Tully (born 20 October 1967) is an English actress, television producer, and television director. Her most prominent television acting roles were those of rebellious teenager Suzanne Ross in ''Grange Hill'' and single mother Michelle Fowl ...

(

Michelle Fowler Michelle Fowler (also Holloway) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Susan Tully from the show's first episode on 19 February 1985 up until the character's departure on 26 October 1995. She returned on 24 De ...

) and

(

) were "the big names" of the original cast, all formerly known to the public; therefore, media interest in them was greater initially.

Characterisation

Author Hilary Kingsley has described Pete as "rough and ready ..Rough with his tongue and his fists, and ready to jump into an argument whether he knows anything about it or not. Act first, think later, if at all, is Pete's attitude." She implied that he was unintelligent suggesting that he would not get into Mensa and that he seems "thick as a brick". It has been suggested by writer Dorothy Hobson that the character of Pete was a portrayal of a typical East End male, "macho and mouthy". Author Christine Geraghty has suggested that Pete was seemingly intolerant of difference, but that his position was always undermined "by his blustering espousal of an excessively masculine position. Pete's omophobic jokes for instance like much else he does, are not followed through." Discussing the character's other qualities, author Kate Lock has suggested that Pete was "a simple, amiable sort of chap holeft others to get on with the complicated things in life." Lock added that complications were beyond Pete's grasp and that he had trouble articulating emotions. Meanwhile, author Rupert Smith has classified Pete as a "soft touch" character. He added that Pete started off as "a cheery chappy" but became "hard to like", using his failure to support his wife Kathy through her rape ordeal in 1988 as a reason why he lost public sympathy. David Buckingham, author of ''Public Secrets: EastEnders and its Audience'', has discussed the writers use of Pete, specifically to show masculinity in an innovative way - as a problem. He suggested that with Pete, the programme questioned the traditional definition of masculinity: "Pete clearly regards himself as a 'real man' and as 'the boss' of his family ..He also feels he is an expert on women uton the other hand, however, Pete's masculine self-image has been repeatedly undermined. The arrival of his ex-wife

Pat Wicks Pat Evans (also Beale, Harris, Wicks and Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. She was played by Pam St Clement from 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired, until her departure on 1 January ...

n 1986 for example, provided a view of Pete which had not hitherto been heard in the serial: she told Pauline that Pete was 'boring, selfish and terrible in bed', and went on to torment him by revealing that he was not in fact the father of his son Simon - 'you're not man enough to make Simon'." Buckingham also suggests that Pete was also publicly humiliated on a number of occasions, with the most "remarkable example" being shown in 1987, after he was victim to a practical joke and attended an alleged cross-dressing party 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 A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

as the only person in full drag. The episode ended with a close-up of Pete's "tear-stained, luridly made-up face". Buckingham suggested that Pete's definition of his own masculinity regularly came into question in the serial, and the connection between masculinity and violence - shown occasionally with Pete - "far from being celebrated, has been seen as a problem". Pete's

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

was "alright treacle?" pronounced "awight treacle", often used when addressing female characters. Peter Dean has discussed why the

came into existence: "I had this saying - treacle. There was this long scene with Den and his mistress and I had to ask her for a drink, but I completely forgot her name, so said 'Give us a drink, treacle'. And after the episode came out, the actress said her children kept calling her treacle! A couple of scriptwriters wanted to stop it - they didn't want any catchphrases. But one lovely writer put it in so I could say it was in the script! And it stuck. Poor people couldn't afford sugar so put treacle in their tea. And it just means someone sweet and nice. I always said it and my granddad said it. Even now people come up to me and ask if I'll say 'awight treacle' down their mobile phone to someone." A

Prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

regularly used by Pete was a metallic pewter

tankard A tankard is a form of drinkware consisting of a large, roughly cylindrical, drinking cup with a single handle. Tankards are usually made of silver or pewter, but can be made of other materials, for example wood, ceramic, or leather. A tankard ...

; Pete had his own tankard kept at the soap's public house, which Pete allegedly drank

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

from. However, Peter Dean, a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

, would only drink

lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage. There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using ...

in pub scenes and therefore the tankard had to be used to disguise the fact that he was not really supping beer.

Development

Pete Beale was initially scheduled to be a short-term character. It had been decided way in advance that the big New Year cliffhanger of 1986 would be the killing-off of a character and the chosen person had to have the greatest effect on the remaining characters. Pete Beale was the obvious choice as his death would leave Kathy a widow and Ian (his son) would have to take over as head of the house. Lou was his mother, Pauline his sister and

his best friend, and everyone knew him from the fruit and veg stall, so storylines were planned in which Pete would have a heart-attack; a shock tactic to revive interest in the show after the excitement of

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

. At the last minute, Julia Smith got "cold feet" and decided that Pete was too useful a character to lose so early in the programme's history; like Pauline he was considered a linchpin character. A new shock storyline was needed and so it was decided to introduce Den's mistress Jan Hammond into the show instead. One of the most notable storylines featuring Pete revolved around the paternity of his alleged son,

Simon Wicks Simon "Wicksy" Wicks is a fictional character from the British BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Nick Berry between 1985 and 1990. Wicksy was introduced to take on some of the more adult storylines that had been scripted for another chara ...

(

). Pete was shell-shocked to discover that Simon, was not really his child, and that he was possibly the son of his brother

(

). The storyline spanned several years, since the arrival of Pete's first wife Pat (

) in 1986, until the long-awaited showdown between Pete, Pat and Kenny in February 1988. The episode written by

Tony McHale Tony McHale (born Anthony John Wright, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire) is a British actor, writer, director and producer, who is known for starring in ''Coronation Street'' and also known as a "stooge" to Jeremy Beadle on '' Game For A Laugh ...

contained shocking revelations that would affect several relationships on the Square for years to come. In the on-screen events, Simon was shown to bond with Kenny, despite Pat admitting that she did not know which of the Beale brothers had fathered Wicksy. A final plot twist mid-1988 saw Pat finally reveal what she thought was the truth, that Simon's real father was Brian Wicks (

), Pat's second husband and Wicksy's adoptive father. Despite this revelation on-screen, writer

Colin Brake Colin Brake (born 1962) is an English television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programmes such as '' Bugs'' and '' EastEnders''. He has also written spin-offs from the BBC series '' Doctor Who''. He lives and w ...

stated in an official ''EastEnders''' book in 1994 that the true parentage of Simon was still uncertain in the minds of the producers. He stated, "At various times over the years the story has been amended, until the only certainty is that we will never be certain about the actual facts." He added that, at the time of writing the book for ''EastEnders 10th anniversary in 1994, "the current producers believe that Pete was the father of imon's older brotherDavid and may have been the father of Simon." The character of Pete lasted in the show for eight years, and was eventually written out in 1993 when the writers felt that the character had come to a natural end. There was initially talk of Pete getting back together with his ex-wife Kathy, but it was felt that it would have been a retrogressive step, and it was dismissed. The character was killed off-screen in December 1993 and brought back to Walford to be buried. The press reported at the time that Pete was killed off because he spoke negatively about ''EastEnders'' in the press following his axing. There was also speculation that he had not got along with

, who played his ex-wife Kathy. Dean commented, "When they wrote me out of ''EastEnders'', they said they had run out of storylines. I was a naughty boy and said if the wheel falls off the cart, get rid of the cart. But they got rid of me, not the scriptwriters ..What gets me is the way it was done. It's all politics and backstabbing."

Reception

Despite lasting in the serial for eight years, during his tenure in ''EastEnders'', producers appeared to differ in their opinions of Pete's importance in the programme; some referenced the character's value, while others deemed him disposable and there were several attempts to cull the character. It was revealed in 1987 that Pete was originally only intended to be a short-term character. Show creator and series producer Julia Smith had considered killing him off in 1986, but she vetoed this idea, ultimately deciding that Pete was too much of an asset to lose. When producer

Mike Gibbon John Michael Gibbon (born 27 January 1942) is an English television producer and director. He directed and produced the BBC televised soap opera, ''EastEnders''. He began directing the programme in 1985 and began producing the programme in 1988 ...

took the helm as head of the serial in 1989, he employed writer

David Yallop David Anthony Yallop (27 January 1937 – 23 August 2018) was a British author who wrote chiefly about unsolved crimes. In the 1970s, he contributed scripts for a number of BBC comedy shows. In the same decade he also wrote 10 episodes for the I ...

to pen storylines that controversially killed off various characters in the show. According to Yallop, the decision to axe the characters was dependent of the talent of the actors portraying them. Yallop stated that Pete Beale was among the characters to be killed. The storyline never came to fruition because Gibbon's controversial plots were not sanctioned by the BBC and Yallop's storylines were not used; Yallop sued the BBC for termination of contract, at which time the finer details of the proposed plots were disclosed to the media. Despite this, in 1991, ''EastEnders storyline editor Andrew Holden described Pete as "almost synonymous" with the programme because he had been there since day one. He added, " haracters like Petecarry a lot of history. Original characters are very precious things.

ete Ete, Été or ETE may refer to: People * Erik Zabel (born 1970), German cyclist known by the nickname "Ete" * Eteuati Ete, New Zealand actor Other uses * ETE (tokamak) at the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil * Ete, Hungary * ...

has always seen himself as a family man and in the future we see him making a determined effort to put his family back together. Whatever happens he'll always carry a torch for Kathy". According to Holden at that time, Pete was "an untouchable", not in danger of being killed off. However, this opinion apparently altered by 1993, when script-writers decided that Pete's storyline had come to a "natural end" and he was written out. Peter Dean went public with his criticism of the show, believing there was a lot more his character had to offer and that the failure to come up with decent material for Pete was due to unimaginative scriptwriters. His exposé to '' The Sun'' newspaper included his suspicions of set secrets, such as earlier plans to write Pete out and his opinions about former co-stars. Following Dean's exposé, Pete was killed off-screen seven months after his initial exit. Peter Dean speculated that Pete's off-screen killing was a result of the exposé. Although this accusation has never been confirmed by the BBC, show creator Julia Smith had publicly decreed that derogatory stories sold by cast members to the press about the show's production would not be tolerated, and any cast member doing so would not return to the show. Discussing Pete's demise,

who played his ex-wife

Kathy Beale Kathy Beale (also Mitchell and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Gillian Taylforth. Portrayed as "an attractive, bright, caring and highly moral woman", Kathy is one of the serial's original ...

, has stated that although she and actor Peter Dean had problems "now and then", she found it really hard when he left, and that Pete's death was "an end of an era for ''EastEnders''." The tankard that Pete was often seen drinking from in pub scenes was allegedly so popular that Peter Dean reported it was stolen twice by fans and he had to replace it on both occasions.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beale, Pete Male characters in television Fictional twins Fictional market stallholders Television characters introduced in 1985 Beale family (EastEnders)