Nellie Ellis
Encyclopedia
Nellie Ellis is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Elizabeth Kelly
. Nellie was introduced as the interfering relative of Pauline Fowler
in 1993 and appeared regularly until 1998. She made a further guest appearance in 2000 for the funeral of Ethel Skinner
.
, first appeared in Walford
in December 1993 for the funeral of Pete Beale
. When she fell and broke her hip the following month, Lou's daughter Pauline allowed her to move in with her family so she could be cared for until she was better. Not wanting to live alone in Ilford
, Nellie manipulated Pauline via emotional blackmail and a monetary loan, so she could remain living with the Fowlers; Pauline felt obliged to allow it.
Nellie knew Ethel Skinner
, and the two would go drinking together but had little in common and they usually ended up squabbling. She befriended the much younger Cindy Beale
and David Wicks
; the latter only began spending time with her and she would invest money into his car business. She also had a cat named Mandoo, who was found dead under schizophrenic Joe Wicks
' bed.
She was often seen criticising Pauline's husband Arthur
, who tried in vain to get her to move out. Nellie's husband had left her for a woman named Doreen, and because Arthur had cheated on Pauline, she resented him. For forty years, Nellie had not given her husband George a divorce and he'd never asked for one. He died in November 1994, and Nellie went to his funeral, resulting in some conflict with George's daughter. Before Nellie returned to Walford, she and Doreen managed to find closure and she also sorted out her differences with Arthur. Following this, Nellie decided that she would move out of the Fowlers' house, in order to give them space to rebuild their marriage. She briefly moved in with pensioner Jules Tavernier
, but despite flirtations the relationship remained platonic. When Jules started getting back pains from sleeping on his sofa (Nellie had his bed), Nellie attempted to manipulate the Fowlers into letting her return by pretending that she'd had various accidents to gain sympathy. This almost worked, until Michelle Fowler
managed to get Nellie residence in sheltered accommodation alongside Ethel, much to Nellie's chagrin. Following this Nellie would show up sporadically in Walford for visits. She attended Ethel's funeral in 2000, and sent a wreath to Pauline's funeral in 2007 but did not attend.
in December 1993, the other being David Wicks
(Michael French). They were the beginning of an array of new characters introduced to accommodate the advent of EastEnders screening of three weekly episodes, early in 1994. Nellie was introduced as the relative of Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard
), and made a brief appearance for Pete Beale
's (Peter Dean) funeral, before moving to the soap's setting of Albert Square
in 1994. Nellie resided with the Fowlers and her primary purpose initially was to antagonise Pauline's husband Arthur Fowler
(Bill Treacher
). Writer Colin Brake
has suggested that Arthur found Nellie to be an "interfering old lady", reminiscent of Pauline's deceased mother Lou Beale
(Anna Wing
) "at her worst".
Nellie has been described as a "pantomime baddie". Her name preceded her in the soap before her initial appearance as she was frequently used as an excuse for Pauline to leave the soap's setting to visit her. Author Kate Lock described Nellie as stingy and an interfering old busybody. She stated, "When stingy Nellie wasn't giving Arthur grief, she was flirting in a button-up sort of way with Jules Tavernier
."
On-screen Nellie remained living with the Fowlers until she was rehoused late in 1994. Following this, Nellie appeared sporadically as a semi-regular character until 1998. She and several of the other semi-regular pensioner characters, including Ethel and Jules, were not used throughout the tenure of executive producer Matthew Robinson (1998–2000). However, Nellie returned under executive producer John Yorke for a one-off appearance in September 2000 for Ethel's funeral, which was her last appearance to date.
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 Kelly
Elizabeth Kelly
Elizabeth Kelly is a British actress.She started acting on television in the early 1970s...
. Nellie was introduced as the interfering relative of Pauline Fowler
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...
in 1993 and appeared regularly until 1998. She made a further guest appearance in 2000 for the funeral of Ethel Skinner
Ethel Skinner
Ethel May Skinner is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Gretchen Franklin. Ethel Skinner also features in a 1988 EastEnders special, entitled Civvy Street, set on Albert Square during the Second World War, where the character is played by Alison...
.
Storylines
Nellie, the second cousin of Lou BealeLou Beale
Louise Ada "Lou" Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anna Wing. The character is played by Karen Meagher in the 1988 EastEnders special, Civvy Street, set during the Second World War....
, first appeared 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...
in December 1993 for the funeral of 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...
. When she fell and broke her hip the following month, Lou's daughter Pauline allowed her to move in with her family so she could be cared for until she was better. Not wanting to live alone in Ilford
Ilford
Ilford is a large cosmopolitan town in East London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Redbridge. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It forms a significant commercial and retail...
, Nellie manipulated Pauline via emotional blackmail and a monetary loan, so she could remain living with the Fowlers; Pauline felt obliged to allow it.
Nellie knew Ethel Skinner
Ethel Skinner
Ethel May Skinner is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Gretchen Franklin. Ethel Skinner also features in a 1988 EastEnders special, entitled Civvy Street, set on Albert Square during the Second World War, where the character is played by Alison...
, and the two would go drinking together but had little in common and they usually ended up squabbling. She befriended the much younger Cindy Beale
Cindy Beale
Cindy Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michelle Collins.Cindy always had an eye for the lotharios of Walford and despite trying to settle down repeatedly with the more reliable Ian Beale, she was unable to remain faithful to him. She had a selfish...
and David Wicks
David Wicks
David Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael French. He originally appeared between 1993 to 1996...
; the latter only began spending time with her and she would invest money into his car business. She also had a cat named Mandoo, who was found dead under schizophrenic Joe Wicks
Joe Wicks
Joe Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Paul Nicholls. He appeared on screen between 25 March 1996 and 14 November 1997. EastEnders was praised for the character's portrayal of schizophrenia.-Storylines:...
' bed.
She was often seen criticising Pauline's husband Arthur
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...
, who tried in vain to get her to move out. Nellie's husband had left her for a woman named Doreen, and because Arthur had cheated on Pauline, she resented him. For forty years, Nellie had not given her husband George a divorce and he'd never asked for one. He died in November 1994, and Nellie went to his funeral, resulting in some conflict with George's daughter. Before Nellie returned to Walford, she and Doreen managed to find closure and she also sorted out her differences with Arthur. Following this, Nellie decided that she would move out of the Fowlers' house, in order to give them space to rebuild their marriage. She briefly moved in with pensioner Jules Tavernier
Jules Tavernier (EastEnders)
Jules Tavernier is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tommy Eytle between 1990 and 1997. Jules was depicted as a flirtatious older gentleman. He was introduced in 1990 and remained in the show after the departures of all of his on-screen family...
, but despite flirtations the relationship remained platonic. When Jules started getting back pains from sleeping on his sofa (Nellie had his bed), Nellie attempted to manipulate the Fowlers into letting her return by pretending that she'd had various accidents to gain sympathy. This almost worked, until Michelle Fowler
Michelle Fowler
Michelle Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actress Susan Tully.Although she was one of the brighter people in Walford, that didn't stop Michelle making some huge mistakes during her time in Albert Square...
managed to get Nellie residence in sheltered accommodation alongside Ethel, much to Nellie's chagrin. Following this Nellie would show up sporadically in Walford for visits. She attended Ethel's funeral in 2000, and sent a wreath to Pauline's funeral in 2007 but did not attend.
Creation and development
Nellie, played by Elizabeth Kelly, was one of two characters introduced by Executive Producer 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...
in December 1993, the other being David Wicks
David Wicks
David Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael French. He originally appeared between 1993 to 1996...
(Michael French). They were the beginning of an array of new characters introduced to accommodate the advent of EastEnders screening of three weekly episodes, early in 1994. Nellie was introduced as the relative of Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
), and made a brief appearance for 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...
's (Peter Dean) funeral, before moving to the soap's setting of 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...
in 1994. Nellie resided with the Fowlers and her primary purpose initially was to antagonise Pauline's husband 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...
). Writer Colin Brake
Colin Brake
Colin Brake is an English television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programs such as Bugs and EastEnders. He has also written spin-offs from the BBC series Doctor Who...
has suggested that Arthur found Nellie to be an "interfering old lady", reminiscent of Pauline's deceased mother Lou Beale
Lou Beale
Louise Ada "Lou" Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anna Wing. The character is played by Karen Meagher in the 1988 EastEnders special, Civvy Street, set during the Second World War....
(Anna Wing
Anna Wing
Anna Eva Lydia Catherine Wing, MBE is an English actress. She has had a long career in television and theatre.-Personal life:...
) "at her worst".
Nellie has been described as a "pantomime baddie". Her name preceded her in the soap before her initial appearance as she was frequently used as an excuse for Pauline to leave the soap's setting to visit her. Author Kate Lock described Nellie as stingy and an interfering old busybody. She stated, "When stingy Nellie wasn't giving Arthur grief, she was flirting in a button-up sort of way with Jules Tavernier
Jules Tavernier (EastEnders)
Jules Tavernier is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tommy Eytle between 1990 and 1997. Jules was depicted as a flirtatious older gentleman. He was introduced in 1990 and remained in the show after the departures of all of his on-screen family...
."
On-screen Nellie remained living with the Fowlers until she was rehoused late in 1994. Following this, Nellie appeared sporadically as a semi-regular character until 1998. She and several of the other semi-regular pensioner characters, including Ethel and Jules, were not used throughout the tenure of executive producer Matthew Robinson (1998–2000). However, Nellie returned under executive producer John Yorke for a one-off appearance in September 2000 for Ethel's funeral, which was her last appearance to date.