Pat Evans
Encyclopedia
Patricia Louise "Pat" Evans (née
Harris; previously Beale, Wicks and Butcher, and occasionally referred to in the British media as Fat Pat) 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. Pat is also played by Emma Cooke in a soap 'bubble' Pat and Mo: Ashes to Ashes, delving into her past with sister-in-law Mo Harris
, which aired in 2004. Pat is the second-longest-running character in the soap, coming after Ian Beale
(Adam Woodyatt
), who has featured in the soap since it first aired. Pat will leave EastEnders in December 2011.
to Lydia Harris. Her elder sister Joan had Down's syndrome, and was sent to a mental institute when Pat was four. Joan married a man named Michael who also had Down's. Ashamed, Lydia disowned Joan and claimed she died at the age of 22, refusing to allow Pat to attend her funeral.
After leaving school, Pat unsuccessfully tried to become a model. Later she entered a beauty contest in Clacton at the age of 16, winning the title of 'Miss Butlins
'. There she met Frank Butcher
(Mike Reid
), who was holidaying with his girlfriend, June Simmonds. Frank was besotted with Pat, and they slept together. Frank was the first of what would be many lovers in Pat's life, and so began a love affair; however, June became pregnant with Frank's child, so Frank married her, breaking Pat's heart. Pat and Frank would meet up from time to time, and on each occasion the affair would be rekindled, but Frank would not leave June. Pat began working for the shady club owner, Tony Cattani, who got her involved in prostitution
. This shamed her family, particularly her brother Jimmy and their relationship suffered. When Pat discovered that Jimmy's wife and her best friend, Mo Harris
(Laila Morse
), had slept with Tony, she informed her brother; Mo denied it, and Jimmy subsequently disowned Pat. Whilst working as a prostitute, Pat was offered more money to work for up-and-coming gangster Johnny Allen
(Billy Murray
). Pat then worked as a well known woman of the underworld for many years.
Pat embarked on numerous relationships. She had flings with Den Watts
(Leslie Grantham
) and Kenny Beale (Michael Attwell
) — both restless men, unwilling to settle down with her. Kenny's younger brother Pete
(Peter Dean) proved more reliable; he married Pat in the early 1960s, when he thought she was pregnant with his child — a false alarm, which Pete's mother Lou
(Anna Wing
) believed was Pat's ploy to trap her son. While they were together, Pat had two sons, David
(Michael French) and Simon
(Nick Berry
), who Pete believed to be his. Yet Pat could not settle down and embarked on an affair with Brian Wicks (Leslie Schofield
). Pete eventually left her and they divorced in 1966. Soon after, Pat married Brian and he took on responsibility of her two sons. Pat stayed with Brian until 1986, when he started abusing her.
(Wendy Richard
) overhears and tells Pete everything.
Pat lives up to her promiscuous reputation and, with encouragement from Mehmet Osman
(Haluk Bilginer
), ends the year prostituting herself. Animosity between Pat and Pete continues. When Pat is assaulted in February 1987 — left unconscious and close to death in the middle of the Square — Pete is prime suspect in the police investigation. He is later cleared when the real culprit, the Walford attacker, is caught.
The arrival of Kenny Beale in 1988 brings the question of Simon's parentage to the fore once again. Pat informs Simon and the Beale brothers that she does not know which of them is the real father, adding further confusion. She also says that Den Watts is a possibility. Pat later rules Den out, but demands that he sleep with her, or she will tell people that he is the father. In July that year, a dying Lou pleads with Pat to finally come clean to Simon. Pat reveals that Brian Wicks, the man that Simon had believed to be his stepfather, is actually his biological father. Following Lou's death, Pat forms a close friendship with her former foe, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth
), Pete's second wife. Both find they had a common bond, with the dominance of Lou and Pete in their lives.
Frank comes back into Pat's life in 1987. June has died and he and Pat reunite, taking over tenancy of The Queen Vic public house. Pat struggles as stepmother to Frank's children, particularly Janine, who hates Pat. On 22 June 1989, Pat and Frank marry in cockney style, driving out of Albert Square in a horse drawn cart. By the end of the year, the Butchers have moved from The Vic to the B&B across the Square, which Pat runs while Frank opens a used car-lot. Despite family and marital problems, Frank and Pat are happy until 1992, when they begin to struggle financially, forcing them to sell the B&B. Pat tries to turn their fortunes around by starting her own cab firm, PatCabs. However, disaster strikes on Christmas eve
that year, when Pat — whilst doing a short run for a regular customer — hits a teenage girl with her car. When breathalysed, she is found to be just over the limit.
On New Year's Eve, Pat is devastated when the girl dies and finds it hard to cope with the guilt, particularly when she is confronted by the girl's grieving mother. When Pat appears in court, she is given a 6-month prison sentence. In the autumn Pat returns, but by then the Butchers are in financial ruin. In desperation, Frank pays Phil Mitchell
(Steve McFadden
) to torch the car-lot in an insurance scam. When this goes wrong and a homeless boy dies, Frank has a breakdown, and in April 1994, he leaves the Square, abandoning Pat and his children without warning, leaving Pat destitute and heartbroken. Eventually, Frank's daughter Diane
(Sophie Lawrence
) brings news that Frank is alive and has merely run away, so Pat begins getting on with her life.
Car-dealer Roy Evans
(Tony Caunter
) is attracted to Pat, but early attempts to woo her get him nothing but refusals. Pat later softens and goes on a cruise with him, although she makes it quite clear that sex is not on offer. Her carnal abstinence turns out to be blessing for Roy, as he later admits he is impotent and can offer nothing more than platonic love. Pat is relieved to discover that, for once, a man wants something from her other than sex. In November 1995, Roy moves in with Pat, but in December Frank returns to reclaim his wife. Pat finds it hard to contain her rage and emotion upon seeing her estranged husband, but despite him stirring up old feelings, she opts to remain with Roy. Roy and Pat marry in 1996. Pat and Roy weather money problems, Roy's ill-health and depression, brought on by his jealousy of Pat and Frank's shared past, which almost makes him commit suicide in 1999. Pat finally convinces Roy that it was him she wants, although she finds it hard to let go of Frank completely. Frank goes on to marry Peggy Mitchell
(Barbara Windsor
), but he begins to have second thoughts in 2000 after realising that he still loves Pat. Whilst the Butchers and the Evanses are holidaying in Spain
, Frank seduces Pat and they sleep together. Pat tries to end the affair upon their return, but when Frank turns up on her doorstep naked (apart from a comedy bow-tie), she realises that she had never stopped loving him either. Their affair continues and they eventually decide to elope to Manchester
.
They are due to depart on Guy Fawkes Night
in November 2000, but Pat starts to have second thoughts. It is too late however, as Peggy has already discovered Frank's dear John letter
. Peggy shames the cheating duo by reading the letter to the entire pub, and then slaps both Frank and Pat in full view of everyone. Peggy throws Frank out and he leaves Walford without Pat. Roy evicts Pat, leaving her penniless and homeless. Roy later asks Pat for a divorce, but when she decides to emigrate to New Zealand, he relents and takes her back, despite objections from his son Barry
(Shaun Williamson
). Grateful that Roy has given her a second chance, Pat is adamant that she will not mess things up a second time. However, in 2003, Roy discovers that Pat had been covering an affair between Barry's wife, Natalie
(Lucy Speed
), and Frank's son, Ricky
(Sid Owen
). Roy believes that Pat has again chosen Frank over him, because she decided to help Frank's offspring over his own. The stress leads to Roy's second and fatal heart attack. Roy dies intestate, leaving Pat bereft and homeless, as Barry — beneficiary of Roy's estate — evicts her.
Pat moves into a bedsit
. Frank's daughter, Janine, marries Barry and plans to con him out of all of his money and possessions. The day after the wedding, Janine confesses everything to her new husband, and pushes Barry down a cliff to his death. She later brags about it to a disgusted Pat, whilst in control of the Evanses' former house and business. Janine starts to bully Pat's friend Laura Beale
(Hannah Waterman
), and when Laura accidentally falls down the stairs and dies, Janine is arrested on suspicion of murder. Pat, Janine's only alibi, lies to the police, implicating Janine as revenge for Barry's killing. Pat is given a job at the bookies by gangster Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs
) in 2004. They develop a rapport with each other, and when Andy is murdered in 2005, Pat is stunned to discover that he has left her his house in his will. Pat is summoned to be a witness for the prosecution at Janine's trial in December 2005, where she once again meets Frank who has returned after almost five years. Once again, Pat sleeps with Frank, but she soon realises that his primary motive is to convince her to alter her testimony at Janine's trial. Pat refuses, but after a subsequent talk with Laura's mother, Edwina Dunn, Pat realises that Janine being wrongly imprisoned for Laura's death would be an injustice, so she changes her testimony and Janine goes free.
In February 2006, Pat, who is missing the company of a man in her life, begins flirting with Patrick Trueman
(Rudolph Walker
). Despite being married, Patrick cant resist the opportunity of a casual fling with Pat. However, they are seen together by Stacey Slater
(Lacey Turner
) who informs Patrick's wife Yolande
(Angela Wynter
), which ends the affair and ignites a feud between Pat and Yolande.
), break into Joan's care home and eventually discover that Joan died only a few years earlier after marrying a man with Down's. Pat is touched to discover that Joan had often spoken of how much she loved her.
In March 2008, Pat announces she is leaving Walford for Spain. However, she then receives news that Frank has died of cancer. She is devastated, and despite initial feuding, she and Peggy manage to support each other through Frank's funeral. Pat opts to remain in Walford when her granddaughter Bianca Jackson
(Patsy Palmer
) turns to her for help soon after, moving her four children in. Having reconciled with one grandchild, Pat severs her bond with another, when she discovers Steven Beale
(Aaron Sidwell
) is hiding the whereabouts of his runaway sister, Lucy
(Melissa Suffield
). Pat threatens to tell the truth to Lucy's father Ian
(Adam Woodyatt
) and is hit by Roxy Mitchell
's (Rita Simons) car whilst trying to apprehend Steven. She spends time in hospital, where Steven attempts to smother her to death before she can tell Ian the truth. His plan fails, and Lucy returns to Ian.
Pat has a heart-attack in 2010 amidst increasing animosity with her stepdaughter Janine (Charlie Brooks
). It is revealed that she has an underlying condition, and requires a pacemaker but refuses to have the operation. Janine manages to persuade Pat to have the pacemaker fitted and makes a full recovery. Disgusted with the litter in Albert Square, Peggy and Pat both decide to run for council. They are interviewed by journalist Harvey Freeman (Martin Jarvis) but eventually they both pull out of the election. Harvey secretly woos them both, causing various rows between the women when they find out. They both finally unite against Harvey and humiliate him in punishment. Pat and Peggy's friendship strengthens, so Pat is hurt when Peggy leaves Walford without saying goodbye, upset to lose her best friend. When Pat discovers that Janine stabbed herself in order to frame Stacey Slater, she disowns Janine and goes to New Zealand to visit Simon. She returns in April to find that Bianca is in prison and Whitney is missing.
When Pat discovers Janine's gran, Lydia Simmonds (Heather Chasen
), is staying with Janine, she believes that Janine is only interested in Lydia's inheritance and Janine jokingly admits this to Pat, although a close bond soon forms between Janine and Lydia. When Lydia dies in the night, Pat comforts Janine but later turns on her, believing that she killed Lydia to get her money, despite the fact Janine had already seen the will and knew that Lydia was donating her money to charity. When the police take Janine in for questioning over Lydia's death, Janine believes Pat phoned them, although it is later revealed that it was Ryan. Pat is still adamant that Janine murdered Lydia, which causes an emotional argument. When it is discovered that Lydia has changed her will and leaves her whole estate to Janine, Pat persuades Lydia's son Norman (George Layton
) to contest the will. He initially agrees to do this, but after Janine agrees to share the money with Ricky, Pat convinces him to change his mind. Although Norman likes Pat and wants to see her again, Pat is oblivious to this.
When Pat discovers that her son, Simon, is going to lose his home in New Zealand, she fails to get a loan to help him because of her age. Norman offers to help and organises a loan for her. After speaking to her great grandson Liam Butcher
(James Forde
), Pat decides she likes Norman and they kiss, she also asks him to stay. However, the next day Norman tells Patrick Trueman that he regularly earns commission for organising loans for people. Patrick then warns Pat about this, and once Pat finds out the the terms of the loan mean if she misses a payment she could lose her house, she rejects Norman, tells him to leave and says she never wants to see him again. Derek Branning
(Jamie Foreman
) arrives in Walford and recognises Pat. She runs away, but he chases her and forces his way into her home. Pat is fearful of Derek, and he taunts her, asking Pat if she is still a prostitute. Derek also tells her to tell David Wicks that he has not forgotten about their fight. When Roxy Mitchell asks Pat about Derek's past, Pat confirms that he is dangerous.
and Julia Smith, in 1984. Although not one of the serial's original protagonists, Pat is referred to in the character outline of Pete Beale
, who appeared on-screen in EastEnders first episode, as written by Smith and Holland in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story
: "[Pete] 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, [Pat] was a vicious shrew...[Pete] divorced [Pat] and married Kathy when he was 24...His two sons by his first marriage are nineteen and twenty and he hardly sees them..."
Pat was first seen on-screen in June 1986, over a year after the show debuted. The character's introduction was the result of a deliberate policy "to add an extra edge of toughness to the show." Prior to this point, Holland and Smith had begun to feel that EastEnders was starting to get "a bit soft". During a meeting with scriptwriters, the programme makers decided to try and recapture some of the soap's "original grittiness that seemed to be getting lost in its own success". Thus the character of Pat was introduced to "add a new hardness to the atmosphere."
Pat, played by actress Pam St. Clement
, was initially introduced on a three-episode trial basis. She was given an extensive backstory, heavily intertwined with various focal characters within the serial, including all of the Beale and Fowler family who mostly disliked her, particularly her ex-husband Pete Beale (Peter Dean), her son Simon Wicks
(Nick Berry
), and Pete's mother Lou Beale
(Anna Wing
). In addition, she was an old friend of Angie Watts
(Anita Dobson
), a former lover of Angie's husband Den
(Leslie Grantham
) and, as a supposed former resident of Walford, she was known to many of the other regular characters such as Dot Cotton
(June Brown
) and Ethel Skinner
(Gretchen Franklin
).
The character's initial three-episode stint marked the beginning of what has been described as one of the soap's most complicated storylines, the paternity of Simon Wicks. Pat immediately "threw a spanner in the works" by telling Pete that he was not Simon's biological father, as she had previously claimed. After causing havoc Pat then disappeared; however, she was reintroduced later in the year, returning as a regular character, barmaid of The Queen Victoria
public house
. St. Clement had reservations about returning to the soap. In 1995 she told The Independent
, "I couldn't envisage how this character, who creates absolute havoc everywhere she goes and is not at home with herself or with anybody else in the Square, could possibly fit in". However she was persuaded to continue by producer Julia Smith, who said: "'We've only seen one layer of the onion skin—the defensiveness—now we'll start to peel away more and get to the vulnerability that lies behind it'."
said her departure would be a "fitting" storyline. Pat's son David Wicks
will return for her departure.
in the cartoon
sketch show 2DTV
. The impressionist
who provides the voice is Jan Ravens
. Ravens has not only provided the voice of Pat, she has also acted the part on-screen in several episodes of BBC's Big Impression
, which devoted a regular sketch to various EastEnders characters and she also played Pat in the other impressionist show Dead Ringers
. She is also the frequent target of jokes in Harry Hill's TV Burp
, usually alluding to her former prostitution
and alleged sexual promiscuity. Comedian Lee Evans
had once used Pat as one of his jokes in his latest tour Live at the O2 Arena. In the first episode of Series 3 of The Inbetweeners
, Jay gets his ears pierced with large, round ear rings and is mocked by his friend Simon Cooper, who calls it the "Pat Butcher look".
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Harris; previously Beale, Wicks and Butcher, and occasionally referred to in the British media as Fat Pat) is a fictional character
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...
. She has been played by Pam St. Clement
Pam St. Clement
Pamela Ann Clement , known by the stage name Pam St. Clement, is an English actress. She has played Pat Evans in the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 1986, and is now one of the programme's longest-serving cast members. St. Clement announced her intention to leave EastEnders on 8 July 2011 and will...
since 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired. Pat is also played by Emma Cooke in a soap 'bubble' Pat and Mo: Ashes to Ashes, delving into her past with sister-in-law Mo Harris
Mo Harris
Maureen "Big Mo" Harris is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who has been in the series since 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo is also played by Lorraine Stanley in a soap 'bubble' Pat and Mo, delving into her past with Pat Evans, which aired in 2004...
, which aired in 2004. Pat is the second-longest-running character in the soap, coming after 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...
(Adam Woodyatt
Adam Woodyatt
Adam Brinley Woodyatt is an English actor and media personality, best known for his role as Ian Beale in the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders...
), who has featured in the soap since it first aired. Pat will leave EastEnders in December 2011.
Backstory
Pat, the youngest of four children, was born 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...
to Lydia Harris. Her elder sister Joan had Down's syndrome, and was sent to a mental institute when Pat was four. Joan married a man named Michael who also had Down's. Ashamed, Lydia disowned Joan and claimed she died at the age of 22, refusing to allow Pat to attend her funeral.
After leaving school, Pat unsuccessfully tried to become a model. Later she entered a beauty contest in Clacton at the age of 16, winning the title of 'Miss Butlins
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
'. There she met 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...
(Mike Reid
Mike Reid (entertainer)
Michael Reid was an English comedian, actor, author and occasional television presenter from Hackney in east London, who is best remembered for playing the role of Frank Butcher in EastEnders and hosting the popular children's TV show Runaround...
), who was holidaying with his girlfriend, June Simmonds. Frank was besotted with Pat, and they slept together. Frank was the first of what would be many lovers in Pat's life, and so began a love affair; however, June became pregnant with Frank's child, so Frank married her, breaking Pat's heart. Pat and Frank would meet up from time to time, and on each occasion the affair would be rekindled, but Frank would not leave June. Pat began working for the shady club owner, Tony Cattani, who got her involved in prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. This shamed her family, particularly her brother Jimmy and their relationship suffered. When Pat discovered that Jimmy's wife and her best friend, Mo Harris
Mo Harris
Maureen "Big Mo" Harris is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who has been in the series since 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo is also played by Lorraine Stanley in a soap 'bubble' Pat and Mo, delving into her past with Pat Evans, which aired in 2004...
(Laila Morse
Laila Morse
Laila Morse is an English actress, best known for playing Mo Harris in BBC series EastEnders and Janet in the 1997 movie Nil by Mouth ."Laila Morse" is an anagram of an Italian phrase for "my sister" - a name she...
), had slept with Tony, she informed her brother; Mo denied it, and Jimmy subsequently disowned Pat. Whilst working as a prostitute, Pat was offered more money to work for up-and-coming gangster Johnny Allen
Johnny Allen (EastEnders)
Jonathan "Johnny" Allen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Billy Murray.-Storylines:Johnny Allen was a businessman and retired gangster, who grew up in Walford but moved away to start up an empire of his own which he named J.A. Enterprises...
(Billy Murray
Billy Murray (actor)
Billy Murray is an English actor, best known for playing Don Beech in The Bill from 1995 to 2004, Johnny Allen in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2005 to 2006, Captain John Price in the video games Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare...
). Pat then worked as a well known woman of the underworld for many years.
Pat embarked on numerous relationships. She had flings with Den Watts
Den Watts
Dennis Alan "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"....
(Leslie Grantham
Leslie Grantham
Leslie Michael Grantham is an English actor best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the soap opera EastEnders. He is also a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a German taxi driver, and he generated significant press coverage as the result of an online sex scandal...
) and Kenny Beale (Michael Attwell
Michael Attwell
Michael John Attwell was an English actor.He is possibly best known for his role as Kenny Beale in the television soap opera EastEnders....
) — both restless men, unwilling to settle down with her. Kenny's younger brother Pete
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...
(Peter Dean) proved more reliable; he married Pat in the early 1960s, when he thought she was pregnant with his child — a false alarm, which Pete's mother Lou
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:...
) believed was Pat's ploy to trap her son. While they were together, Pat had two sons, David
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) and Simon
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...
(Nick Berry
Nick Berry
Nicholas "Nick" Berry is a British television actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in the British soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1990 and as PC Nick Rowan in the British drama television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998.-Career:Berry started acting at the age of...
), who Pete believed to be his. Yet Pat could not settle down and embarked on an affair with Brian Wicks (Leslie Schofield
Leslie Schofield
Leslie Schofield is an English actor who is most famous in the UK for his role as Jeff Healy in the popular soap opera, EastEnders where he played Jeff from 1997 to 2000. His character was famous for unsuccessfully proposing to Pauline Fowler...
). Pete eventually left her and they divorced in 1966. Soon after, Pat married Brian and he took on responsibility of her two sons. Pat stayed with Brian until 1986, when he started abusing her.
1986–2006
Pat comes to Walford in June 1986, to tell Pete that he is not Simon's father. Many arguments erupt, but Lou is quick to step in and she convinces a devastated Pete that Simon is his. Later in the year however, when Pat starts work as barmaid in The Queen Vic, it emerges that Lou thinks Simon is the product of an affair Pat had with Kenny. Lou is adamant that Pat should keep this secret and not upset her close-knit family. However, Pete's sister PaulinePauline 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...
(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...
) overhears and tells Pete everything.
Pat lives up to her promiscuous reputation and, with encouragement from Mehmet Osman
Mehmet Osman
Mehmet Osman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Haluk Bilginer. Mehmet was portrayed as a charmer, rogue and a serial womaniser, played as a recurring character until 1989.-Storylines:...
(Haluk Bilginer
Haluk Bilginer
Haluk Bilginer is a Turkish actor. In addition to his acting career in Turkey, he has also worked in the United Kingdom and remains best known for his role as Mehmet Osman in the television soap opera EastEnders during the 1980s. He has also starred in Hollywood movies as a minor actor...
), ends the year prostituting herself. Animosity between Pat and Pete continues. When Pat is assaulted in February 1987 — left unconscious and close to death in the middle of the Square — Pete is prime suspect in the police investigation. He is later cleared when the real culprit, the Walford attacker, is caught.
The arrival of Kenny Beale in 1988 brings the question of Simon's parentage to the fore once again. Pat informs Simon and the Beale brothers that she does not know which of them is the real father, adding further confusion. She also says that Den Watts is a possibility. Pat later rules Den out, but demands that he sleep with her, or she will tell people that he is the father. In July that year, a dying Lou pleads with Pat to finally come clean to Simon. Pat reveals that Brian Wicks, the man that Simon had believed to be his stepfather, is actually his biological father. Following Lou's death, Pat forms a close friendship with her former foe, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth
Gillian Taylforth
Gillian Taylforth is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Kathy Mitchell on the BBC soap opera, EastEnders and as Jackie Pascoe-Webb on ITV's Footballers Wives , but more recently as Sgt. Nikki Wright in ITV's The Bill...
), Pete's second wife. Both find they had a common bond, with the dominance of Lou and Pete in their lives.
Frank comes back into Pat's life in 1987. June has died and he and Pat reunite, taking over tenancy of The Queen Vic public house. Pat struggles as stepmother to Frank's children, particularly Janine, who hates Pat. On 22 June 1989, Pat and Frank marry in cockney style, driving out of Albert Square in a horse drawn cart. By the end of the year, the Butchers have moved from The Vic to the B&B across the Square, which Pat runs while Frank opens a used car-lot. Despite family and marital problems, Frank and Pat are happy until 1992, when they begin to struggle financially, forcing them to sell the B&B. Pat tries to turn their fortunes around by starting her own cab firm, PatCabs. However, disaster strikes on Christmas eve
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...
that year, when Pat — whilst doing a short run for a regular customer — hits a teenage girl with her car. When breathalysed, she is found to be just over the limit.
On New Year's Eve, Pat is devastated when the girl dies and finds it hard to cope with the guilt, particularly when she is confronted by the girl's grieving mother. When Pat appears in court, she is given a 6-month prison sentence. In the autumn Pat returns, but by then the Butchers are in financial ruin. In desperation, Frank pays Phil Mitchell
Phil Mitchell
Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy...
(Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden is an English actor, known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which he has played since1990.-Early life:...
) to torch the car-lot in an insurance scam. When this goes wrong and a homeless boy dies, Frank has a breakdown, and in April 1994, he leaves the Square, abandoning Pat and his children without warning, leaving Pat destitute and heartbroken. Eventually, Frank's daughter Diane
Diane Butcher
Diane Maureen Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sophie Lawrence. Diane appeared as a regular character between 1988 and 1991, when Lawrence decided to leave. The character made several brief returns in 1993, 1994, and 1997...
(Sophie Lawrence
Sophie Lawrence
Sophie Lawrence is an English actress, best known for playing the role of Diane Butcher in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders....
) brings news that Frank is alive and has merely run away, so Pat begins getting on with her life.
Car-dealer Roy Evans
Roy Evans (EastEnders)
Roy Edmund Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tony Caunter. Introduced by Series Producer Barbara Emile in 1994, Roy was scripted as a love interest for Pat Butcher...
(Tony Caunter
Tony Caunter
Anthony Peter "Tony" Caunter is a British actor best known for his role as Jack Shepherd in the Yorkshire TV sitcom Queenie's Castle and also his portrayal of Roy Evans in EastEnders from 1994-2003....
) is attracted to Pat, but early attempts to woo her get him nothing but refusals. Pat later softens and goes on a cruise with him, although she makes it quite clear that sex is not on offer. Her carnal abstinence turns out to be blessing for Roy, as he later admits he is impotent and can offer nothing more than platonic love. Pat is relieved to discover that, for once, a man wants something from her other than sex. In November 1995, Roy moves in with Pat, but in December Frank returns to reclaim his wife. Pat finds it hard to contain her rage and emotion upon seeing her estranged husband, but despite him stirring up old feelings, she opts to remain with Roy. Roy and Pat marry in 1996. Pat and Roy weather money problems, Roy's ill-health and depression, brought on by his jealousy of Pat and Frank's shared past, which almost makes him commit suicide in 1999. Pat finally convinces Roy that it was him she wants, although she finds it hard to let go of Frank completely. Frank goes on to marry Peggy Mitchell
Peggy Mitchell
Margaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared on 30 April 1991, featuring in the series on a recurring basis over several weeks. Peggy was reintroduced in 1994, recast and was then played by...
(Barbara Windsor
Barbara Windsor
Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
), but he begins to have second thoughts in 2000 after realising that he still loves Pat. Whilst the Butchers and the Evanses are holidaying in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Frank seduces Pat and they sleep together. Pat tries to end the affair upon their return, but when Frank turns up on her doorstep naked (apart from a comedy bow-tie), she realises that she had never stopped loving him either. Their affair continues and they eventually decide to elope to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
They are due to depart on Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
in November 2000, but Pat starts to have second thoughts. It is too late however, as Peggy has already discovered Frank's dear John letter
Dear John letter
A "Dear John letter" is a letter written to a husband or boyfriend by his wife or girlfriend to inform him their relationship is over, usually because the author has found another lover. Dear John Letters are often written out of an inability or unwillingness to inform the person face to face...
. Peggy shames the cheating duo by reading the letter to the entire pub, and then slaps both Frank and Pat in full view of everyone. Peggy throws Frank out and he leaves Walford without Pat. Roy evicts Pat, leaving her penniless and homeless. Roy later asks Pat for a divorce, but when she decides to emigrate to New Zealand, he relents and takes her back, despite objections from his son Barry
Barry Evans (EastEnders)
Barry Evans is a fictional character played by Shaun Williamson. He appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 1994 and 2004. The character was portrayed as a "buffoon." Williamson controversially left the serial after ten years in 2003 after executive producer Louise Berridge refused to...
(Shaun Williamson
Shaun Williamson
Shaun Williamson is an English actor, singer, media personality and occasional presenter, best known for his former role as Barry Evans in soap opera EastEnders and as a version of himself in BBC sitcom Extras.- Career :...
). Grateful that Roy has given her a second chance, Pat is adamant that she will not mess things up a second time. However, in 2003, Roy discovers that Pat had been covering an affair between Barry's wife, Natalie
Natalie Evans
Natalie Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Speed between 1994 and 2004. Natalie first appeared in January 1994, depicted initially as an unhappy, insecure teenager; she was among various regular characters brought in to increase the cast following the...
(Lucy Speed
Lucy Speed
Lucy Renee Speed is an English actress known for her television roles as Natalie Evans in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, and DS Stevie Moss in the ITV1 police drama series The Bill.-Early life:...
), and Frank's son, Ricky
Ricky Butcher
Richard Francis "Ricky" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running, male protagonists to feature in EastEnders. Owen originally left the role in 2000 to pursue a music career...
(Sid Owen
Sid Owen
Sid Owen is an English actor, television presenter and former singer, most famous for playing the role of Ricky Butcher in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, which he appeared in from 1988 until 2000, 2002 until 2004 and then again from March 2008.-Career:Prior to his role in EastEnders he had a...
). Roy believes that Pat has again chosen Frank over him, because she decided to help Frank's offspring over his own. The stress leads to Roy's second and fatal heart attack. Roy dies intestate, leaving Pat bereft and homeless, as Barry — beneficiary of Roy's estate — evicts her.
Pat moves into a bedsit
Bedsit
A bedsit, also known as a bed-sitting room, is a form of rented accommodation common in Great Britain and Ireland consisting of a single room and shared bathroom; they are part of a legal category of dwellings referred to as Houses in multiple occupation....
. Frank's daughter, Janine, marries Barry and plans to con him out of all of his money and possessions. The day after the wedding, Janine confesses everything to her new husband, and pushes Barry down a cliff to his death. She later brags about it to a disgusted Pat, whilst in control of the Evanses' former house and business. Janine starts to bully Pat's friend Laura Beale
Laura Beale
Laura Ellen Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Hannah Waterman.Laura only ever wanted a happy marriage, but was always made to feel inferior and unattractive by her husband, Ian Beale...
(Hannah Waterman
Hannah Waterman
Hannah Waterman-Groves is an English actress, daughter of Minder star Dennis Waterman and his second wife, actress Patricia Maynard.-Career:...
), and when Laura accidentally falls down the stairs and dies, Janine is arrested on suspicion of murder. Pat, Janine's only alibi, lies to the police, implicating Janine as revenge for Barry's killing. Pat is given a job at the bookies by gangster Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs
Michael Higgs
Michael Higgs is a British actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's The Bill, and Andy Hunter in EastEnders....
) in 2004. They develop a rapport with each other, and when Andy is murdered in 2005, Pat is stunned to discover that he has left her his house in his will. Pat is summoned to be a witness for the prosecution at Janine's trial in December 2005, where she once again meets Frank who has returned after almost five years. Once again, Pat sleeps with Frank, but she soon realises that his primary motive is to convince her to alter her testimony at Janine's trial. Pat refuses, but after a subsequent talk with Laura's mother, Edwina Dunn, Pat realises that Janine being wrongly imprisoned for Laura's death would be an injustice, so she changes her testimony and Janine goes free.
In February 2006, Pat, who is missing the company of a man in her life, begins flirting with Patrick Trueman
Patrick Trueman
Patrick Neville Loftus Alfonso Trueman is a fictional character from the popular British BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Rudolph Walker. He made his first appearance on 13 September 2001.-Backstory:...
(Rudolph Walker
Rudolph Walker
Rudolph Walker, OBE is a British character actor. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Walker came to the United Kingdom in 1960....
). Despite being married, Patrick cant resist the opportunity of a casual fling with Pat. However, they are seen together by 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...
) who informs Patrick's wife Yolande
Yolande Trueman
Yolande Trueman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Angela Wynter. The character made her final appearance on 3 October 2008.-Storylines:...
(Angela Wynter
Angela Wynter
Angela Wynter is a British actress. She is probably most famous for playing the character of Yolande Trueman in the soap opera EastEnders first appearing on 16 October 2003 to her last appearance on 3 October 2008. She based the character on her late sister Merlene and played a similar character...
), which ends the affair and ignites a feud between Pat and Yolande.
2007–11
In August 2007, Pat discovers her mother lied about the date of her sister Joan's death. She and a kindly stranger, Len Harker (Christopher EllisonChristopher Ellison
Christopher Michael Ellison is an English actor. He is best known for his role as DCI Frank Burnside in the popular ITV police series The Bill and short lived spin off series Burnside....
), break into Joan's care home and eventually discover that Joan died only a few years earlier after marrying a man with Down's. Pat is touched to discover that Joan had often spoken of how much she loved her.
In March 2008, Pat announces she is leaving Walford for Spain. However, she then receives news that Frank has died of cancer. She is devastated, and despite initial feuding, she and Peggy manage to support each other through Frank's funeral. Pat opts to remain in Walford when her granddaughter Bianca Jackson
Bianca Jackson
Bianca Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted to leave. In 2002 executive producer John Yorke brought the character...
(Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...
) turns to her for help soon after, moving her four children in. Having reconciled with one grandchild, Pat severs her bond with another, when she discovers Steven Beale
Steven Beale
Steven Peter Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Edward Farrell from 1989 to 1990, Stuart Stevens from 1992 to 1996, Edward Savage from 1997 to 2002, and Aaron Sidwell from 2007 to 2008...
(Aaron Sidwell
Aaron Sidwell
Aaron Michael Sidwell is a British actor and singer . He is known for playing Steven Beale in the British soap opera EastEnders, a role he played from September 2007 to May 2008...
) is hiding the whereabouts of his runaway sister, Lucy
Lucy Beale
Lucy Katherine Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, 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 from 2012 onwards. Lucy was introduced in December 1993 as the newborn baby...
(Melissa Suffield
Melissa Suffield
Melissa Hollie Suffield is a British actress from London, best known for her role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Lucy Beale. Her first appearance on the show was 28 October 2004 and her last on 27 August 2010.-Career:...
). Pat threatens to tell the truth to Lucy's father Ian
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...
(Adam Woodyatt
Adam Woodyatt
Adam Brinley Woodyatt is an English actor and media personality, best known for his role as Ian Beale in the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders...
) and is hit by Roxy Mitchell
Roxy Mitchell
Roxanne Lizette "Roxy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Rita Simons. Roxy arrived in Walford with her sister Ronnie on 24 July 2007 and decided to move permanently to Walford from Ibiza where they ran a bar together. Roxy is the younger of the two...
's (Rita Simons) car whilst trying to apprehend Steven. She spends time in hospital, where Steven attempts to smother her to death before she can tell Ian the truth. His plan fails, and Lucy returns to Ian.
Pat has a heart-attack in 2010 amidst increasing animosity with her stepdaughter Janine (Charlie Brooks
Charlie Brooks
Charlene "Charlie" Brooks is a Welsh actress, best known for playing Janine Butcher on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Acting career:...
). It is revealed that she has an underlying condition, and requires a pacemaker but refuses to have the operation. Janine manages to persuade Pat to have the pacemaker fitted and makes a full recovery. Disgusted with the litter in Albert Square, Peggy and Pat both decide to run for council. They are interviewed by journalist Harvey Freeman (Martin Jarvis) but eventually they both pull out of the election. Harvey secretly woos them both, causing various rows between the women when they find out. They both finally unite against Harvey and humiliate him in punishment. Pat and Peggy's friendship strengthens, so Pat is hurt when Peggy leaves Walford without saying goodbye, upset to lose her best friend. When Pat discovers that Janine stabbed herself in order to frame Stacey Slater, she disowns Janine and goes to New Zealand to visit Simon. She returns in April to find that Bianca is in prison and Whitney is missing.
When Pat discovers Janine's gran, Lydia Simmonds (Heather Chasen
Heather Chasen
Heather Jean Chasen is a Singapore-born English actress. Her best known roles are playing Valerie Pollard in the ITV soap opera Crossroads and voicing many roles in BBC Radio 2's The Navy Lark...
), is staying with Janine, she believes that Janine is only interested in Lydia's inheritance and Janine jokingly admits this to Pat, although a close bond soon forms between Janine and Lydia. When Lydia dies in the night, Pat comforts Janine but later turns on her, believing that she killed Lydia to get her money, despite the fact Janine had already seen the will and knew that Lydia was donating her money to charity. When the police take Janine in for questioning over Lydia's death, Janine believes Pat phoned them, although it is later revealed that it was Ryan. Pat is still adamant that Janine murdered Lydia, which causes an emotional argument. When it is discovered that Lydia has changed her will and leaves her whole estate to Janine, Pat persuades Lydia's son Norman (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...
) to contest the will. He initially agrees to do this, but after Janine agrees to share the money with Ricky, Pat convinces him to change his mind. Although Norman likes Pat and wants to see her again, Pat is oblivious to this.
When Pat discovers that her son, Simon, is going to lose his home in New Zealand, she fails to get a loan to help him because of her age. Norman offers to help and organises a loan for her. After speaking to her great grandson Liam Butcher
Liam Butcher
Liam Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by twins Jack and Tom Godolphin in 1998 and 1999, Gavin and Mitchell Vaughan in 2002, and by Nathaniel Gleed from 2002 to 2004...
(James Forde
James Forde
James Forde is a young British character actor.James Forde is currently starring as Liam Butcher the son of Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson in long running soap EastEnders and has been there since April 2008 at the age of ten, taking over the role from Nathaniel Gleed. He is the 6th actor to play...
), Pat decides she likes Norman and they kiss, she also asks him to stay. However, the next day Norman tells Patrick Trueman that he regularly earns commission for organising loans for people. Patrick then warns Pat about this, and once Pat finds out the the terms of the loan mean if she misses a payment she could lose her house, she rejects Norman, tells him to leave and says she never wants to see him again. Derek Branning
Derek Branning
Derek Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Terence Beesley in 1996 and then Jamie Foreman from 2011 onwards. Derek is the eldest child of Jim and Reenie Branning . He made his first appearance on 29 April 1996 and departed not long after...
(Jamie Foreman
Jamie Foreman
Jamie Foreman is an English actor best known for his roles as Duke in Layer Cake and Bill Sikes in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist . He played opposite Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke in Gary Oldman's Nil by Mouth and also featured in Elizabeth , Gangster No. 1 and Sleepy Hollow...
) arrives in Walford and recognises Pat. She runs away, but he chases her and forces his way into her home. Pat is fearful of Derek, and he taunts her, asking Pat if she is still a prostitute. Derek also tells her to tell David Wicks that he has not forgotten about their fight. When Roxy Mitchell asks Pat about Derek's past, Pat confirms that he is dangerous.
Character creation
The character of Pat was conceived by the creators of EastEnders, Tony HollandTony Holland
Anthony John "Tony" Holland was an English television screenwriter best known as a writer and co-creator of the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early career:...
and Julia Smith, in 1984. Although not one of the serial's original protagonists, Pat is referred to in the character outline 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...
, who appeared on-screen in EastEnders first episode, as written by Smith and Holland in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story
EastEnders books
This is a list of books about or relating to the British soap opera EastEnders.-Non-fiction books:* EastEnders: The Inside Story* Public Secrets: EastEnders and its Audience* EastEnders Special...
: "[Pete] 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, [Pat] was a vicious shrew...[Pete] divorced [Pat] and married Kathy when he was 24...His two sons by his first marriage are nineteen and twenty and he hardly sees them..."
Pat was first seen on-screen in June 1986, over a year after the show debuted. The character's introduction was the result of a deliberate policy "to add an extra edge of toughness to the show." Prior to this point, Holland and Smith had begun to feel that EastEnders was starting to get "a bit soft". During a meeting with scriptwriters, the programme makers decided to try and recapture some of the soap's "original grittiness that seemed to be getting lost in its own success". Thus the character of Pat was introduced to "add a new hardness to the atmosphere."
Pam St. Clement
Pamela Ann Clement , known by the stage name Pam St. Clement, is an English actress. She has played Pat Evans in the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 1986, and is now one of the programme's longest-serving cast members. St. Clement announced her intention to leave EastEnders on 8 July 2011 and will...
, was initially introduced on a three-episode trial basis. She was given an extensive backstory, heavily intertwined with various focal characters within the serial, including all of the Beale and Fowler family who mostly disliked her, particularly her ex-husband Pete Beale (Peter Dean), her son 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...
(Nick Berry
Nick Berry
Nicholas "Nick" Berry is a British television actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in the British soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1990 and as PC Nick Rowan in the British drama television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998.-Career:Berry started acting at the age of...
), and Pete's 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:...
). In addition, she was an old friend of Angie Watts
Angie Watts
Angela "Angie" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anita Dobson from the first episode of the show until 1988 when the actress decided to quit and the character was written out....
(Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson
Anita Dobson is an English television actress and singer. She gained her highest profile while playing Angie Watts in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
), a former lover of Angie's husband Den
Den Watts
Dennis Alan "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"....
(Leslie Grantham
Leslie Grantham
Leslie Michael Grantham is an English actor best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the soap opera EastEnders. He is also a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a German taxi driver, and he generated significant press coverage as the result of an online sex scandal...
) and, as a supposed former resident of Walford, she was known to many of the other regular characters such as 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...
(June Brown
June Brown
June Muriel Brown, MBE is a British actress, best known for her role as the busy-body, chain-smoking gossip Dot Cotton in the long-running British soap opera EastEnders and for making other high profile television appearances on shows such as Doctor Who, Coronation Street, Minder, The Bill and...
) and 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...
(Gretchen Franklin
Gretchen Franklin
Gretchen Franklin was an English actress with a career in showbusiness that spanned over eighty years.She was born in Covent Garden, west London, a cousin of the actor Clive Dunn. She was best known for playing the character of Ethel Skinner in the long running BBC One, soap opera, EastEnders...
).
The character's initial three-episode stint marked the beginning of what has been described as one of the soap's most complicated storylines, the paternity of Simon Wicks. Pat immediately "threw a spanner in the works" by telling Pete that he was not Simon's biological father, as she had previously claimed. After causing havoc Pat then disappeared; however, she was reintroduced later in the year, returning as a regular character, barmaid of The Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria is a fictional Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.-Appearance and development:...
public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. St. Clement had reservations about returning to the soap. In 1995 she told The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, "I couldn't envisage how this character, who creates absolute havoc everywhere she goes and is not at home with herself or with anybody else in the Square, could possibly fit in". However she was persuaded to continue by producer Julia Smith, who said: "'We've only seen one layer of the onion skin—the defensiveness—now we'll start to peel away more and get to the vulnerability that lies behind it'."
Departure
On 7 July 2011, it was announced that St. Clement had quit EastEnders. The actress revealed that she wanted to try other things, saying "I have enjoyed 25 and a half wonderful years in EastEnders creating the character of Pat but feel it's time to hang up her earrings. Leaving the EastEnders 'family' will be akin to a bereavement. But I'm looking forward to the other work and life opportunities that I will have the time to pursue." Pat will leave later in the year and executive producer Bryan KirkwoodBryan Kirkwood
Bryan Kirkwood may refer to:*Bryan Kirkwood , Scottish television producer for British soap operas Hollyoaks and EastEnders *Bryan and Denny Kirkwood, one of a pair of identical twin American actors...
said her departure would be a "fitting" storyline. Pat's son 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...
will return for her departure.
Reception
As of May 2005, the 1992 episode that saw Pat run over a teenage girl is the 11th most watched TV episode in the UK, and the second highest rated episode of EastEnders. It was watched by 24.2 million viewers.In popular culture
The character of Pat Evans has been spoofedParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
in the cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
sketch show 2DTV
2DTV
2DTV is a British satirical animated television show that was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom, directed by Tim Searle.2DTV employs the same satirical style as Spitting Image, but using animation rather than puppets. The animation was produced on computer, frequently with animators working up...
. The impressionist
Impressionist (entertainment)
An impressionist or a mimic is a performer whose act consists of imitating the voice and mannerisms of others. The word usually refers to a professional comedian/entertainer who specializes in such performances and has developed a wide repertoire of impressions, including adding to them, often to...
who provides the voice is Jan Ravens
Jan Ravens
Janet "Jan" Ravens is an English actress and impressionist, famous for her voices on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers.-Early life:...
. Ravens has not only provided the voice of Pat, she has also acted the part on-screen in several episodes of BBC's Big Impression
Big Impression
The Big Impression, known as Alistair McGowan's Big Impression for the first three series, is a British comedy sketch show. It features Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona impersonating personalities from entertainment and sport...
, which devoted a regular sketch to various EastEnders characters and she also played Pat in the other impressionist show Dead Ringers
Dead Ringers (comedy)
Dead Ringers is a UK radio and television comedy impressions broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and later BBC Two. The programme was devised by producer Bill Dare and developed with Jon Holmes, Andy Hurst and Simon Blackwell. It starred Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry...
. She is also the frequent target of jokes in Harry Hill's TV Burp
Harry Hill's TV Burp
Harry Hill's TV Burp is a British television comedy programme produced by Avalon Television for ITV and hosted by comedian Harry Hill. The show presents a satirical look at the week's television, including extracts from TV shows with added sketches, observational voice-overs, and guest appearances...
, usually alluding to her former prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and alleged sexual promiscuity. Comedian Lee Evans
Lee Evans (comedian)
Lee Evans is an English comedian, writer, actor and musician.-Personal life:Lee Evans was born in Avonmouth, Bristol, England to an Irish mother and a Welsh father, Dave Evans, a nightclub performer. He left Bristol at the age of 13 and then went to The Billericay School in Billericay, Essex...
had once used Pat as one of his jokes in his latest tour Live at the O2 Arena. In the first episode of Series 3 of The Inbetweeners
The Inbetweeners
The Inbetweeners is a British sitcom which aired for three series from 2008 to 2010 on E4. Created and written by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, the show follows the life of suburban teenager Will , and three of his friends at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive. The Inbetweeners Movie was...
, Jay gets his ears pierced with large, round ear rings and is mocked by his friend Simon Cooper, who calls it the "Pat Butcher look".