Eddie Royle
Encyclopedia
Edward "Eddie" Royle is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Michael Melia
from 1990 until 1991.
in July 1990, as the new landlord of the Queen Vic pub, which he bought from Frank Butcher
. He was a serious minded landlord, far different to his predecessors. Not everyone took to him, particularly when they discovered his prior profession -a policeman.
Born in Ireland
, Eddie came to Britain with his parents as a boy. Bright and energetic, he couldn't wait to join the police
force and when he did, he loved his job, priding himself on being an honest copper. When he moved to the Serious Crimes Squad, he saw how corruption was seeping into the force and was shocked to see officers falsifying reports to get known felons banged up. He was certain that his boss, Dave Penton, was honest and when he decided to report on the wide-scale corruption, he was shocked and surprised by the hostile reaction he received from his colleagues. Despite being treated as a traitor, he remained in the force for a further two years, before finally taking early retirement and deciding to start afresh in Walford. However, in 1990 an inquiry into police corruption sucked him back in and, when his former colleagues threatened to harass him until his dropped his testimony, he tracked down Penton and found that he'd been 'on the take' the whole time. After proving he was corrupt, Eddie forced him to resign.
Eddie was doing his own detective work after moving in at the Queen Victoria. Money was going missing from the till every day and he was convinced that the culprit was new barman Clyde Tavernier
. He set a trap for Clyde and the other bar staff, Sharon Watts
and Simon Wicks
, by marking notes that went into the till. Simon Wicks was discovered to have the notes in his possession, but it was later revealed that they had been planted on him in revenge, by Ian Beale
.
Eddie was the least popular landlord of the Vic and didn't really have any real friends in Albert Square
, but his one faithful ally, his father John, often turned up in Walford to keep his son company. John was a bit of a character, often saying more than he should and getting himself and Eddie into all sorts of scrapes. In his time as the landlord
of the Queen Vic, Eddie rented a room to Sharon Watts, who also worked there as a barmaid. Although he never approved of her relationship with the local thug, Grant Mitchell
, and this often made things awkward between the pair.
Eddie, a bachelor, had never married as a policeman, as he'd been witness to his colleagues' marriages buckling under the strain of police life. However, in Walford, he decided he needed a mate. He patiently pursued Kathy Beale, sending her flowers and dinner invitations, but after a few dates, she became hesitant and resisted any further advances. However, one night, after she had refused him a date, she had a change of heart and went round to the pub to tell him, only to find him kissing another woman — Eibhlin O'Donnell, who was his former girlfriend visiting from Ireland
. She refused to accept his explanation of the events and so their lukewarm romance ended.
In April 1991, when Sharon seemed to be opening her heart to him and was fed up with Grant, he rashly offered himself as a replacement, but was rejected. When Grant found out, he beat him up so badly that he was hospitalised and needed brain surgery. While recovering, he received another visit from Eihblin. He ended up proposing marriage and she accepted.
Eddie got his health back within weeks, but his confidence had taken a severe bashing after Grant's attack. For a while he skulked away upstairs as chaos reigned below in his bar; too afraid to confront the trouble makers. Finally, after Sharon struggled to control a gang of vandals one night, he was forced to eject them, but only with Grant's help.
Despite this, Eddie could not forgive Grant for his violent assault and so he contacted an old police colleague, D.S. Manning, to check up on Grant's dodgy dealings - with the hope he would find some incriminating evidence. However, Sharon discovered what he was doing and managed to remove some dodgy packages from Grant's garage before the police arrived. Eddie was furious at her interference and was even more enraged when he discovered that she'd agreed to marry Grant. He sacked her for it and then decided to change the name of The Queen Vic to The Victoria Tavern, which didn't please the locals, and many protested against it. Furious, Sharon decided to take Eddie to an industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal. She won her case, but Eddie still refused to reinstate her.
In August 1991 Eihblin transferred to London and moved in with Eddie. He was overjoyed that things were finally looking less bleak for him in Walford. Meanwhile, Eddie had begun coaching Clyde Tavernier in boxing
and that same month he was approached by an old friend, who was coaching Clyde's upcoming opponent. He and Eddie tried to bribe Clyde to purposefully lose the fight in a betting scam, which caused a blazing row between Clyde and Eddie. Grant's rage towards Eddie had also resurfaced when he discovered that it was he who had tipped him off to the police about his shady dealings. This further alienated the community and it seemed that everyone in Walford had something against Eddie.
In September 1991, before he was due to spend a romantic evening with Eihblin, Eddie took his pet poodle
, Roly
, for a walk. Unfortunately he didn't make it home, as he was stabbed to death
. Clyde Tavernier discovered his bloody body in the Square, and after foolishly picking up the murder weapon, he fled in panic. Dot Cotton
eventually discovered Eddie's body. She contacted the police and they confirmed that Eddie had been stabbed through the heart
. Because of their past altercations the police suspected Grant, who had no sound alibi, and Clyde of the murder. Both of them protested their innocence, but unfortunately for Clyde, there was a witness who had seen him standing over Eddie's body and fleeing the scene — Nick Cotton
, the local drug addled villain. Clyde was arrested for his murder and imprisoned.
Fortunately, a second witness, Joe Wallace, later came forward to attest that he had seen Nick Cotton in the vicinity on the night of the murder. His mother Dot managed to extract a confession of murder from her repentant son. It turned out that Nick was attempting a robbery when Eddie saw him, and in order to silence him, Nick stabbed him. Clyde was released and Nick was arrested for the murder, but surprisingly he was found 'not guilty' at the trial in 1993, as there was not enough evidence to convict.
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 Michael Melia
Michael Melia
Michael Melia is an established British actor best known for his work on television.Melia was born in Berkshire and attended St. Mary's College, Twickenham, the oldest Roman Catholic college in England. Before taking up acting he was a teacher. At one stage he ran a bar in Spain and thought about...
from 1990 until 1991.
Storylines
Eddie 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...
in July 1990, as the new landlord of the Queen Vic pub, which he bought from Frank Butcher
Frank Butcher
Francis Aloysius "Frank" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Mike Reid. Frank made his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987 but, due to a positive viewer reception, he was reintroduced in 1988 as a regular. Reid took a long...
. He was a serious minded landlord, far different to his predecessors. Not everyone took to him, particularly when they discovered his prior profession -a policeman.
Born in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Eddie came to Britain with his parents as a boy. Bright and energetic, he couldn't wait to join the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force and when he did, he loved his job, priding himself on being an honest copper. When he moved to the Serious Crimes Squad, he saw how corruption was seeping into the force and was shocked to see officers falsifying reports to get known felons banged up. He was certain that his boss, Dave Penton, was honest and when he decided to report on the wide-scale corruption, he was shocked and surprised by the hostile reaction he received from his colleagues. Despite being treated as a traitor, he remained in the force for a further two years, before finally taking early retirement and deciding to start afresh in Walford. However, in 1990 an inquiry into police corruption sucked him back in and, when his former colleagues threatened to harass him until his dropped his testimony, he tracked down Penton and found that he'd been 'on the take' the whole time. After proving he was corrupt, Eddie forced him to resign.
Eddie was doing his own detective work after moving in at the Queen Victoria. Money was going missing from the till every day and he was convinced that the culprit was new barman Clyde Tavernier
Clyde Tavernier
Clyde Tavernier is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steven Woodcock. Introduced in the summer of 1990, Clyde was featured in various prominent storylines including an inter-racial relationship with Michelle Fowler, and being framed for the murder of publican Eddie...
. He set a trap for Clyde and the other bar staff, Sharon Watts
Sharon Rickman
Sharon Anne Rickman is a fictional character from the popular BBC1 soap opera EastEnders, played by Letitia Dean, who was a regular cast member for the first 10 years after the programme began on 19 February 1985. She returned in May 2001, and appeared on and off, having most recently appeared in...
and Simon Wicks
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 character, Mark Fowler; Mark's actor David Scarboro had left...
, by marking notes that went into the till. Simon Wicks was discovered to have the notes in his possession, but it was later revealed that they had been planted on him in revenge, by Ian Beale
Ian Beale
Ian Albert Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the longest-serving character and the only remaining original character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on 19 February 1985...
.
Eddie was the least popular landlord of the Vic and didn't really have any real friends in 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...
, but his one faithful ally, his father John, often turned up in Walford to keep his son company. John was a bit of a character, often saying more than he should and getting himself and Eddie into all sorts of scrapes. In his time as the landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
of the Queen Vic, Eddie rented a room to Sharon Watts, who also worked there as a barmaid. Although he never approved of her relationship with the local thug, Grant Mitchell
Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)
Grant Anthony Mitchell is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by Ross Kemp. Grant first appeared in 1990, introduced by producer Michael Ferguson to revamp the show. Kemp remained until 1999 when he opted to leave...
, and this often made things awkward between the pair.
Eddie, a bachelor, had never married as a policeman, as he'd been witness to his colleagues' marriages buckling under the strain of police life. However, in Walford, he decided he needed a mate. He patiently pursued Kathy Beale, sending her flowers and dinner invitations, but after a few dates, she became hesitant and resisted any further advances. However, one night, after she had refused him a date, she had a change of heart and went round to the pub to tell him, only to find him kissing another woman — Eibhlin O'Donnell, who was his former girlfriend visiting from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. She refused to accept his explanation of the events and so their lukewarm romance ended.
In April 1991, when Sharon seemed to be opening her heart to him and was fed up with Grant, he rashly offered himself as a replacement, but was rejected. When Grant found out, he beat him up so badly that he was hospitalised and needed brain surgery. While recovering, he received another visit from Eihblin. He ended up proposing marriage and she accepted.
Eddie got his health back within weeks, but his confidence had taken a severe bashing after Grant's attack. For a while he skulked away upstairs as chaos reigned below in his bar; too afraid to confront the trouble makers. Finally, after Sharon struggled to control a gang of vandals one night, he was forced to eject them, but only with Grant's help.
Despite this, Eddie could not forgive Grant for his violent assault and so he contacted an old police colleague, D.S. Manning, to check up on Grant's dodgy dealings - with the hope he would find some incriminating evidence. However, Sharon discovered what he was doing and managed to remove some dodgy packages from Grant's garage before the police arrived. Eddie was furious at her interference and was even more enraged when he discovered that she'd agreed to marry Grant. He sacked her for it and then decided to change the name of The Queen Vic to The Victoria Tavern, which didn't please the locals, and many protested against it. Furious, Sharon decided to take Eddie to an industrial tribunal for unfair dismissal. She won her case, but Eddie still refused to reinstate her.
In August 1991 Eihblin transferred to London and moved in with Eddie. He was overjoyed that things were finally looking less bleak for him in Walford. Meanwhile, Eddie had begun coaching Clyde Tavernier in boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and that same month he was approached by an old friend, who was coaching Clyde's upcoming opponent. He and Eddie tried to bribe Clyde to purposefully lose the fight in a betting scam, which caused a blazing row between Clyde and Eddie. Grant's rage towards Eddie had also resurfaced when he discovered that it was he who had tipped him off to the police about his shady dealings. This further alienated the community and it seemed that everyone in Walford had something against Eddie.
Poodle
The Poodle is a breed of dog. The poodle breed is found officially in toy, miniature, and standard sizes, with many coat colors. Originally bred as a type of water dog, the poodle is highly intelligent and skillful in many dog sports, including agility, obedience, tracking, and even herding...
, Roly
Roly
Roly is a fictional dog from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Roly was an apricot coloured Standard Poodle, who appeared in the first episode of the programme and remained in the show until 1993.-Storylines:...
, for a walk. Unfortunately he didn't make it home, as he was stabbed to death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
. Clyde Tavernier discovered his bloody body in the Square, and after foolishly picking up the murder weapon, he fled in panic. Dot Cotton
Dot Branning
Dorothy "Dot" Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by June Brown since 1985. In a special episode entitled EastEnders: Dot's Story a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in flashbacks. Dot first appeared in EastEnders in July 1985 as the mother of...
eventually discovered Eddie's body. She contacted the police and they confirmed that Eddie had been stabbed through the heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
. Because of their past altercations the police suspected Grant, who had no sound alibi, and Clyde of the murder. Both of them protested their innocence, but unfortunately for Clyde, there was a witness who had seen him standing over Eddie's body and fleeing the scene — Nick Cotton
Nick Cotton
Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders played by John Altman on a recurring basis from the soap's debut episode in February 1985, through to his last appearance to date in 2009. Nick is the son of characters Charlie and Dot Cotton, and the father of Ashley and...
, the local drug addled villain. Clyde was arrested for his murder and imprisoned.
Fortunately, a second witness, Joe Wallace, later came forward to attest that he had seen Nick Cotton in the vicinity on the night of the murder. His mother Dot managed to extract a confession of murder from her repentant son. It turned out that Nick was attempting a robbery when Eddie saw him, and in order to silence him, Nick stabbed him. Clyde was released and Nick was arrested for the murder, but surprisingly he was found 'not guilty' at the trial in 1993, as there was not enough evidence to convict.