Christine Hewitt
Encyclopedia
Christine Hewitt is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Elizabeth Power
. Introduced in 1992 as a lonely divorcée who became besotted with married Arthur Fowler
while he tended her garden
. She left in 1993 once her affair with Arthur was discovered by his wife Pauline
.
, enquiring about the job. She wanted it for her son Jonathan, but when he proved lazy and unreliable, an embrrassed Mrs Hewitt took his place as Arthur's assistant.
In May 1992, a phonecall from New Zealand
brought news that Kenny Beale had been in a car crash, so Pauline decided to go there to tend to her crippled brother. While Pauline was away, Christine became a regular visitor to Albert Square
, causing a certain amount of gossip
, and it was clear that she was becoming very fond of Arthur. Arthur was oblivious, but Pete Beale
was more astute and he tried to remind Christine that Arthur was a married man — and married to his sister, to boot! However, Christine managed to win him round and he even found himself taking her out for a while instead. In August, things came to a head when Christine actually made a pass at Arthur. He turned her down and she disappeared, sending him a letter and a photo conveying her feelings. Arthur knew that he had to face her one last time and visited her at her house. There he told her that he felt something for her too, but was married and loved his wife. They said goodbye and the matter seemed over.
When Pauline came home, however, she learnt all about Christine from gossips such as Dot Cotton. She initially believed Arthur when he feigned innocence, but all that changed when she discovered Christine's letter and photo. A furious Pauline then went to visit Christine to discover the truth, and found her to be a sad, lonely figure who drank too much of an afternoon. Pauline was then persuaded to forgive and forget, but Arthur couldn't resist one last rendez-vous with Mrs Hewitt himself, which gave her renewed hope. Over the next few weeks, Arthur kept finding excuses to drop in on Christine, until she told him not to come unless he meant business. On Christmas Eve
, Arthur sneaked away from home to be with Christine and finally the inevitable happened and they ended the night in bed together.
The affair continued during 1993 with Arthur continuously running between Christine and Pauline. Christine became more needy and manipulative, cooking up absurd lies and a fake burglary
to lure Arthur round, then hitting the bottle if he refused to come. Kathy Beale's decision to open the café in the evenings as a bistro gave Christine an opportunity to see more of Arthur — she applied to be the cook and got the job. However, working in Walford was not enough for Christine, and she began to make greater demands on Arthur, asking him to choose between her and Pauline. Arthur managed to put her off and began having second thoughts about their affair, after which Christine's behaviour became more erratic. She began stalking Arthur around the Square, drunkenly declaring her love, buying inappropriate gifts for his son Martin
and threatening to tell Pauline unless he told her first.
In September, under severe pressure, Arthur finally told Pauline the truth, and tried to tell her that he wanted her and not Christine. Hurt, embarrassed and angry, Pauline refused to listen and threw him out, but not before hitting him on the head with a frying pan
. This spelt the end for Christine, as Arthur then decided he wanted nothing more to do with her, and in October she disappeared to face a lonely future, divorced by her husband Greg, and ditched by her lover.
, for whom she'd worked with previously on Juliet Bravo and Softly, Softly. She has commented "I got a call out of the blue asking if I could go up to the BBC at Elstree to meet him. Mrs Hewitt was going to be in five episodes and I thought, 'wonderful'." Mrs Hewitt made her first appearance on-screen in February 1992, as a lonely divorcee who employed the long running character, Arthur Fowler
(Bill Treacher
), to tend to her garden—used as a plot device to rebuild Arthur's relationship with his son Mark Fowler
(Todd Carty
), while they worked together on Christine's garden. Power filmed her scenes for the five episodes and thought that would be the end of it; however, she was subsequently contacted by Leonard Lewis and asked to reprise the role. Power commented "It was all I could do to stop myself screeching down the phone. They didn't tell me which direction the story was going to take. I got on so well with [Bill Treacher] from the word go. We really liked each other." Mrs Hewitt was reintroduced in a storyline that saw her become Arthur Fowler's mistress
, but when the affair ended Power left the series, making her final appearance on-screen in October 1993.
According to Power, director, Russell Mulcahy
was a fan of EastEnders and while in Hollywood he used to get friends to video the Arthur and Mrs Hewitt scenes. It was due to his like of the storyline and characters that he cast Power and Treacher opposite one another again in the film Talos The Mummy. She has commented, "he thought it would be a good idea to get us together again. He thought it would be a great joke. We played a caretaker and his wife."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, played by Elizabeth Power
Elizabeth Power
Elizabeth "Lizzie" Power is a British actress. Power began her career in repertory theatre and went on to appear in several West End musicals. However, she best known for her work on British television, in particular her role as Christine Hewitt in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders . She has since...
. Introduced in 1992 as a lonely divorcée who became besotted with married Arthur Fowler
Arthur Fowler
Arthur George Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Bill Treacher.The father of the Fowler family, Arthur was essentially a good man, but he made some foolish choices and he always ended up paying dearly for them, also being bossed to the brink of insanity by...
while he tended her garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
. She left in 1993 once her affair with Arthur was discovered by his wife Pauline
Pauline Fowler
Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional London borough of Walford. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between 1985 and 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland and producer...
.
Storylines
Christine was first seen in February 1992. Arthur was hiring himself out as a gardener and Christine was one of his clients. After Arthur's son gave up working as his assistant, he advertised for a new one and was shocked when Christine arrived in WalfordWalford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
, enquiring about the job. She wanted it for her son Jonathan, but when he proved lazy and unreliable, an embrrassed Mrs Hewitt took his place as Arthur's assistant.
In May 1992, a phonecall from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
brought news that Kenny Beale had been in a car crash, so Pauline decided to go there to tend to her crippled brother. While Pauline was away, Christine became a regular visitor to Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
, causing a certain amount of gossip
Gossip
Gossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
, and it was clear that she was becoming very fond of Arthur. Arthur was oblivious, but Pete Beale
Pete Beale
Peter "Pete" Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Peter Dean. He made his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was created by Tony Holland, one of the creators of EasEnders; he was based on a member of...
was more astute and he tried to remind Christine that Arthur was a married man — and married to his sister, to boot! However, Christine managed to win him round and he even found himself taking her out for a while instead. In August, things came to a head when Christine actually made a pass at Arthur. He turned her down and she disappeared, sending him a letter and a photo conveying her feelings. Arthur knew that he had to face her one last time and visited her at her house. There he told her that he felt something for her too, but was married and loved his wife. They said goodbye and the matter seemed over.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
, Arthur sneaked away from home to be with Christine and finally the inevitable happened and they ended the night in bed together.
The affair continued during 1993 with Arthur continuously running between Christine and Pauline. Christine became more needy and manipulative, cooking up absurd lies and a fake burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
to lure Arthur round, then hitting the bottle if he refused to come. Kathy Beale's decision to open the café in the evenings as a bistro gave Christine an opportunity to see more of Arthur — she applied to be the cook and got the job. However, working in Walford was not enough for Christine, and she began to make greater demands on Arthur, asking him to choose between her and Pauline. Arthur managed to put her off and began having second thoughts about their affair, after which Christine's behaviour became more erratic. She began stalking Arthur around the Square, drunkenly declaring her love, buying inappropriate gifts for his son Martin
Martin Fowler (EastEnders)
Martin Albert Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by James Alexandrou from 1996 to 2007.The role was previously played by Jon Peyton Price from early life as a baby in 1985 to 1996, just before Martin's teenage years began.-Storylines:Martin is the younger son...
and threatening to tell Pauline unless he told her first.
In September, under severe pressure, Arthur finally told Pauline the truth, and tried to tell her that he wanted her and not Christine. Hurt, embarrassed and angry, Pauline refused to listen and threw him out, but not before hitting him on the head with a frying pan
Frying pan
A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab handle opposite the main handle...
. This spelt the end for Christine, as Arthur then decided he wanted nothing more to do with her, and in October she disappeared to face a lonely future, divorced by her husband Greg, and ditched by her lover.
Creation and development
Liz Power was offered the role by one of the programme's producers, Leonard LewisLeonard Lewis
Leonard Jack Lewis was a British producer and director. He was most active in television. He was the Executive/Series Producer for BBC's EastEnders during the early 1990s, though he had success with many other television programmes for both the BBC and ITV...
, for whom she'd worked with previously on Juliet Bravo and Softly, Softly. She has commented "I got a call out of the blue asking if I could go up to the BBC at Elstree to meet him. Mrs Hewitt was going to be in five episodes and I thought, 'wonderful'." Mrs Hewitt made her first appearance on-screen in February 1992, as a lonely divorcee who employed the long running character, Arthur Fowler
Arthur Fowler
Arthur George Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Bill Treacher.The father of the Fowler family, Arthur was essentially a good man, but he made some foolish choices and he always ended up paying dearly for them, also being bossed to the brink of insanity by...
(Bill Treacher
Bill Treacher
Bill Treacher is an English actor. Most famous for playing Arthur Fowler on the BBC soap opera EastEnders, for 11 years, from 1985-1996.-Early life:Treacher grew up in the East End of London...
), to tend to her garden—used as a plot device to rebuild Arthur's relationship with his son Mark Fowler
Mark Fowler
Mark Albert Fowler is a fictional character from the popular British BBC soap opera EastEnders. Mark was an original regular character in the series starting February 1985 but became a semi-regular after his original portrayer David Scarboro was written out of the role in April 1985. Scarboro made...
(Todd Carty
Todd Carty
Todd Carty is an Irish actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage work has varied from pantomime to serious drama, as well as radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations, and films...
), while they worked together on Christine's garden. Power filmed her scenes for the five episodes and thought that would be the end of it; however, she was subsequently contacted by Leonard Lewis and asked to reprise the role. Power commented "It was all I could do to stop myself screeching down the phone. They didn't tell me which direction the story was going to take. I got on so well with [Bill Treacher] from the word go. We really liked each other." Mrs Hewitt was reintroduced in a storyline that saw her become Arthur Fowler's mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
, but when the affair ended Power left the series, making her final appearance on-screen in October 1993.
Reception
The unlikely affair between Christine and Arthur was dubbed the 'Bonk of the Year' by tabloids in the British press.According to Power, director, Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy
Russell Mulcahy is an Australian film director. His work is easily recognized by his use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights.- Music videos :...
was a fan of EastEnders and while in Hollywood he used to get friends to video the Arthur and Mrs Hewitt scenes. It was due to his like of the storyline and characters that he cast Power and Treacher opposite one another again in the film Talos The Mummy. She has commented, "he thought it would be a good idea to get us together again. He thought it would be a great joke. We played a caretaker and his wife."