Jean Slater
Encyclopedia
Jean Elaine Slater is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Gillian Wright
. She appeared in December 2004 briefly and in December 2005. She returned as a recurring character in June 2006 and returned again as a regular character from November 2006. She departed from the series on 13 January 2011 and returned on 29 March 2011.
(Robert Kazinsky
) and Stacey Slater
(Lacey Turner
). Brian died in December 1999 following an accident on a building site; it was later revealed that Sean had punched him, causing him to fall from scaffolding. Sean ran away after the accident and joined the army, and Jean later believed he died in combat. Jean, a sufferer of bipolar disorder
, was unable to cope with the loss of her husband and son. She was non-compliant with medication and ordered Stacey, her main carer, to leave her house in 2004. Stacey subsequently moved in with her paternal great uncle Charlie
(Derek Martin
) and his family in Walford
.
ed in 2005. Over the following years, she attempts to rebuild her relationship with Stacey and Sean (following his return from the army). She makes progress with Stacey, but Sean continues to reject her.
Jean moves in with the Slater family in Walford in 2006 and meets Ted (Richard Hope
) at a singles night. They begin a brief romance; however, Ted ends it because he cannot handle Jean's personality. Jean takes the rejection badly, has a breakdown and is admitted to a psychiatric ward for several months. When Stacey begins showing symptoms of bipolar, Jean intervenes and Stacey is sectioned. During her stay in hospital, Stacey grows close to another patient, Becca Swanson (Simone James
); upon Stacey's release, Becca returns to live with her. Becca vies for Stacey's attention. She grows jealous of Stacey's husband Bradley Branning
and Jean. Following Bradley's death and the birth of Stacey's baby in 2010, Becca successfully attempts to exclude Jean from Stacey's life. It is not until the true extent of Becca's involvement in Bradley's death is revealed (Becca had called the police and implicated him for Archie Mitchell
's murder and Bradley died in the subsequent police chase) that Stacey finally sees sense and begins to trust Jean again.
While at R&R nightclub, Jean is saved by Billy Mitchell
(Perry Fenwick
) from a man who pesters her. Jean invites Billy back to her house and they have sex, but Billy hurts her feelings the next day when she hears him making insulting comments about her and Stacey punches him. Despite her upset, she accepts Billy's apology, dismissing it as just a one-night stand.
Following Stacey's confession that it was her, not Bradley, who murdered Archie a year before, Jean begins to doubt Stacey is fit to care for Lily. This is made worse by Janine stabbing herself and making it look like Stacey was responsible. She phones the police asking them to detain Stacey. Fearing prison, Stacey attempts to flee and she is eventually helped to escape by Jean once Stacey reveals her motive behind Archie's murder - he had raped her. Stacey takes Lily and leaves on Christmas Day 2010. Jean is heartbroken by her departure; she grows depressed and Kat Moon
(Jessie Wallace
) finds her in the bath fully clothed attempting to drown herself. Realising that she is not coping, she decides to admit herself into a psychiatric hospital. Kat visits Jean three months later and Jean reveals she is better and can leave. Kat invites her to stay with her, which she does. She starts working as a barmaid when Kat and Alfie go on holiday and becomes fascinated by Alfie's second cousin Eddie Moon
(David Essex
), who is looking after the pub. She is excited to learn that he wears silk underwear, but when she tries to tell him she knows this, he thinks she read a private letter and shouts at her. Jean then takes a liking to Norman Simmonds (George Layton
) but he prefers Pat Evans
(Pam St Clement). However, she soon becomes infatuated and a comment he makes, leads her to believe he wants to move in with her. He is surprised by this as they are not even dating, and he tells her they should just be friends as she is too good for him. Jean is thrilled when she wins £8000 on a lottery scratchcard.
, played by Lacey Turner
, struggles to look after her in December 2005. In the storyline, Stacey returned to live with her mother, who suffers from bipolar disorder
, amidst one of her mental breakdowns. Scenes showed Jean, who had "sank into the dark despair of her illness", living in squalor, off her medication, starved, petrified, suicidal, and being abused and ridiculed by her neighbours. Stacey is forced to admit her to a mental institution for her own safety. The episodes, described as a "harrowing and bleak", were praised by critics in the media. Wright and Turner were complimented for giving "graphically powerful performances", and the storyline won a Mental Health Media Award in September 2006.
The character eventually became a regular, but Wright said she did not believe this was originally intended: "She's a character that's grown after being created for a week of episodes back in 2005 for that big storyline where Stacey found Jean in the flat that was all boarded up. There was the odd little bit here and there over the following months and it just gradually built up to becoming a regular. It was quite hard to turn her from someone who was quite an intensive character to someone who could be watched on a regular basis."
In May 2009, Stacey started showing signs of bipolar disorder. Series consultant Simon Ashdown
said the storyline tests Jean, adding, "you'll see her attempt to adopt more of a maternal role towards Stacey. Up till now it's Stacey who has been the 'carer' in the relationship."
On 29 April 2010, it was announced that Jean and Stacey were both to depart from the soap later in the year. Wright said of her departure: "It's been an honour to play Jean especially as the public response to her has always been so supportive. It's been a real privilege to be able to heighten awareness of bipolar disorder. I've thoroughly enjoyed working with my onscreen Slater family, in particular working with Lacey and developing such a great rapport over the years." Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood
added: "Gillian has brought real heart and pathos to the role of Jean Slater, a complex and fragile character who has really been taken into the public's affection." However, Wright was given a reprieve in late 2010, when it was announced that a storyline had been created for Jean and Wright had signed a new contract to return in 2011.
In an interview with entertainment website Digital Spy
, Wright discussed Jean's complex character, saying "She's slightly quirky and off-kilter but also has bipolar, if that makes sense? The disorder's different for everybody. I wait until the scripts come in and sometimes I think 'we've been on a flat level for too long' so I find a way within the dialogue to make it a bit difference." The actress also revealed that she greatly enjoys working on EastEnders as it is always full of surprises. In May 2010, Wright told Kris Green of Digital Spy that working with EastEnders is a privilege. Before her return was announced, she said of her departure: "Things can't last forever. I am an actress and it's all a big adventure, isn't it? It's wonderful to have been in it for so long. [Jean] wasn't meant to be a regular character, so to have crept in slowly, then become a regular... for the audience to love and for me to be able to play something a little quirky, fun and also bipolar has been a privilege."
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 Gillian Wright
Gillian Wright
Gillian Wright, is an English actress who is best known for portraying the role of Jean Slater on the long running BBC soap opera EastEnders...
. She appeared in December 2004 briefly and in December 2005. She returned as a recurring character in June 2006 and returned again as a regular character from November 2006. She departed from the series on 13 January 2011 and returned on 29 March 2011.
Backstory
Jean married Brian Slater and had two children in the 1980s, SeanSean Slater
Sean Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Robert Kazinsky. Sean left the Square temporarily on 27 March 2007, as Kazinsky was suspended from work for two months. He returned on 28 May 2007...
(Robert Kazinsky
Robert Kazinsky
Robert Kazinsky is an English actor and model. He is best known for his appearances as Casper Rose in Sky One drama Dream Team in 2005/2006 and Sean Slater in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders from 2006 to 2009.-Background:Kazinsky was born in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England, the son of...
) and Stacey Slater
Stacey Slater
Stacey Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lacey Turner. She made her first appearance on 1 November 2004. The character was introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager, an extension of the already established Slater clan...
(Lacey Turner
Lacey Turner
Lacey Amelia Turner is an award-winning English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role for which she has won 33 awards...
). Brian died in December 1999 following an accident on a building site; it was later revealed that Sean had punched him, causing him to fall from scaffolding. Sean ran away after the accident and joined the army, and Jean later believed he died in combat. Jean, a sufferer of bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, was unable to cope with the loss of her husband and son. She was non-compliant with medication and ordered Stacey, her main carer, to leave her house in 2004. Stacey subsequently moved in with her paternal great uncle Charlie
Charlie Slater
Charles "Charlie" Slater is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Derek Martin, making his first appearance on 4 September 2000. He is played by Jason McGregor in flashbacks broadcast in 2001. He also makes a cameo appearance in the second series of the...
(Derek Martin
Derek Martin
Derek Martin is a British actor who is best known for his role as Charlie Slater in the British soap opera EastEnders which he played from 2000 to 2011.-Personal life:...
) and his family in Walford
Walford
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...
.
2004—
Jean's condition steadily deteriorates and despite Stacey's help, Jean attempts suicide and is sectionInvoluntary commitment
Involuntary commitment or civil commitment is a legal process through which an individual with symptoms of severe mental illness is court-ordered into treatment in a hospital or in the community ....
ed in 2005. Over the following years, she attempts to rebuild her relationship with Stacey and Sean (following his return from the army). She makes progress with Stacey, but Sean continues to reject her.
Jean moves in with the Slater family in Walford in 2006 and meets Ted (Richard Hope
Richard Hope (actor)
Richard Hope is a British actor.-Career:Born in Kettering and brought up in Norfolk, Mr. Hope attended Oakham School in Rutland from 1967–1971 and trained at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain from 1972 - 1976. He is a member of the National Youth Theatre Association and an Associate...
) at a singles night. They begin a brief romance; however, Ted ends it because he cannot handle Jean's personality. Jean takes the rejection badly, has a breakdown and is admitted to a psychiatric ward for several months. When Stacey begins showing symptoms of bipolar, Jean intervenes and Stacey is sectioned. During her stay in hospital, Stacey grows close to another patient, Becca Swanson (Simone James
Simone James
Simone James is a British actress best known for her role as Becca Swanson in television soap opera, EastEnders.- Career :James trained at Corona Theatre School and Rose Bruford College. She received minor roles in various television programmes including Holby City...
); upon Stacey's release, Becca returns to live with her. Becca vies for Stacey's attention. She grows jealous of Stacey's husband Bradley Branning
Bradley Branning
Bradley Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Charlie Clements. He made his first appearance on screen on 24 January 2006 and last appeared on 22 February 2010. Clements has won multiple awards for his portrayal....
and Jean. Following Bradley's death and the birth of Stacey's baby in 2010, Becca successfully attempts to exclude Jean from Stacey's life. It is not until the true extent of Becca's involvement in Bradley's death is revealed (Becca had called the police and implicated him for Archie Mitchell
Archie Mitchell
Archibald Lionel "Archie" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Larry Lamb.The character of Archie is the father of already established characters Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell , and a member of the Mitchell family, who have appeared in the soap since 1990...
's murder and Bradley died in the subsequent police chase) that Stacey finally sees sense and begins to trust Jean again.
While at R&R nightclub, Jean is saved by Billy Mitchell
Billy Mitchell (EastEnders)
William "Billy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Perry Fenwick, who made his first appearance on 2 November 1998. Billy was seen when Phil went to visit his godson Jamie. However, he didn't arrive in the Square until 2 August 1999, almost a year after...
(Perry Fenwick
Perry Fenwick
Perry Fenwick is an English film and television actor. He has one sister, Tracey, and two brothers, Faron and Lee. He is, also, the second cousin of Georgina Hagen, who played Lauren Waters in the series of Britannia High....
) from a man who pesters her. Jean invites Billy back to her house and they have sex, but Billy hurts her feelings the next day when she hears him making insulting comments about her and Stacey punches him. Despite her upset, she accepts Billy's apology, dismissing it as just a one-night stand.
Following Stacey's confession that it was her, not Bradley, who murdered Archie a year before, Jean begins to doubt Stacey is fit to care for Lily. This is made worse by Janine stabbing herself and making it look like Stacey was responsible. She phones the police asking them to detain Stacey. Fearing prison, Stacey attempts to flee and she is eventually helped to escape by Jean once Stacey reveals her motive behind Archie's murder - he had raped her. Stacey takes Lily and leaves on Christmas Day 2010. Jean is heartbroken by her departure; she grows depressed and Kat Moon
Kat Moon
Kathleen "Kat" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessie Wallace. She was also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001. She appeared in the show from September 2000 to November 2004, then returned in May 2005...
(Jessie Wallace
Jessie Wallace
Jessie Wallace is an English actress best known for her portrayal as Kat Moon in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early life:...
) finds her in the bath fully clothed attempting to drown herself. Realising that she is not coping, she decides to admit herself into a psychiatric hospital. Kat visits Jean three months later and Jean reveals she is better and can leave. Kat invites her to stay with her, which she does. She starts working as a barmaid when Kat and Alfie go on holiday and becomes fascinated by Alfie's second cousin Eddie Moon
Eddie Moon
Edward "Eddie" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by David Essex. Eddie is the father of Michael Moon , Tyler Moon and Anthony Moon . Along with his children, Eddie was introduced to bring a "new generation" of the Moon family to the programme...
(David Essex
David Essex
David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
), who is looking after the pub. She is excited to learn that he wears silk underwear, but when she tries to tell him she knows this, he thinks she read a private letter and shouts at her. Jean then takes a liking to Norman Simmonds (George Layton
George Layton
George Layton is an English actor, director, screenwriter and author. He was educated at Belle Vue Boys' Grammar School in Bradford and later studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where he won the Emile Littler award. He went on to leading parts at Coventry and Nottingham and...
) but he prefers Pat Evans
Pat Evans
Patricia Louise "Pat" Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She has been played by Pam St. Clement since 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired...
(Pam St Clement). However, she soon becomes infatuated and a comment he makes, leads her to believe he wants to move in with her. He is surprised by this as they are not even dating, and he tells her they should just be friends as she is too good for him. Jean is thrilled when she wins £8000 on a lottery scratchcard.
Creation and development
Jean was originally a minor character, appearing for a storyline where her daughter StaceyStacey Slater
Stacey Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lacey Turner. She made her first appearance on 1 November 2004. The character was introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager, an extension of the already established Slater clan...
, played by Lacey Turner
Lacey Turner
Lacey Amelia Turner is an award-winning English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role for which she has won 33 awards...
, struggles to look after her in December 2005. In the storyline, Stacey returned to live with her mother, who suffers from bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, amidst one of her mental breakdowns. Scenes showed Jean, who had "sank into the dark despair of her illness", living in squalor, off her medication, starved, petrified, suicidal, and being abused and ridiculed by her neighbours. Stacey is forced to admit her to a mental institution for her own safety. The episodes, described as a "harrowing and bleak", were praised by critics in the media. Wright and Turner were complimented for giving "graphically powerful performances", and the storyline won a Mental Health Media Award in September 2006.
The character eventually became a regular, but Wright said she did not believe this was originally intended: "She's a character that's grown after being created for a week of episodes back in 2005 for that big storyline where Stacey found Jean in the flat that was all boarded up. There was the odd little bit here and there over the following months and it just gradually built up to becoming a regular. It was quite hard to turn her from someone who was quite an intensive character to someone who could be watched on a regular basis."
In May 2009, Stacey started showing signs of bipolar disorder. Series consultant Simon Ashdown
Simon Ashdown
Simon Ashdown is a British television writer, best known as being a BAFTA award-nominated EastEnders writer.Ashdown is currently series consultant and lead writer on EastEnders. He was involved in the creation of the Slater family, and along with other writers, developed the characters around the...
said the storyline tests Jean, adding, "you'll see her attempt to adopt more of a maternal role towards Stacey. Up till now it's Stacey who has been the 'carer' in the relationship."
On 29 April 2010, it was announced that Jean and Stacey were both to depart from the soap later in the year. Wright said of her departure: "It's been an honour to play Jean especially as the public response to her has always been so supportive. It's been a real privilege to be able to heighten awareness of bipolar disorder. I've thoroughly enjoyed working with my onscreen Slater family, in particular working with Lacey and developing such a great rapport over the years." Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood
Bryan Kirkwood (producer)
Bryan Kirkwood is a Scottish-born British television producer. He was the producer of teen Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2006 until 2009 and has been the executive producer of the BBC soap EastEnders since 2010.- Personal life :...
added: "Gillian has brought real heart and pathos to the role of Jean Slater, a complex and fragile character who has really been taken into the public's affection." However, Wright was given a reprieve in late 2010, when it was announced that a storyline had been created for Jean and Wright had signed a new contract to return in 2011.
In an interview with entertainment website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
, Wright discussed Jean's complex character, saying "She's slightly quirky and off-kilter but also has bipolar, if that makes sense? The disorder's different for everybody. I wait until the scripts come in and sometimes I think 'we've been on a flat level for too long' so I find a way within the dialogue to make it a bit difference." The actress also revealed that she greatly enjoys working on EastEnders as it is always full of surprises. In May 2010, Wright told Kris Green of Digital Spy that working with EastEnders is a privilege. Before her return was announced, she said of her departure: "Things can't last forever. I am an actress and it's all a big adventure, isn't it? It's wonderful to have been in it for so long. [Jean] wasn't meant to be a regular character, so to have crept in slowly, then become a regular... for the audience to love and for me to be able to play something a little quirky, fun and also bipolar has been a privilege."