Peter Beale
Encyclopedia
Peter Beale is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
. He was played by Thomas Law
from 2006 until 2010. The character has previously been portrayed by James Martin
, Joseph Shade, Alex Stevens and Francis Brittin-Snell. Law took over the role on 31 August 2006. Peter left EastEnders on 24 December 2010, with a return for 2011 not ruled out but unconfirmed.
(Adam Woodyatt
) and Cindy Beale
(Michelle Collins
) on 9 December 1993. He is named after his paternal grandfather, Pete Beale
(Peter Dean), who dies on the day of his birth. Peter is brought up by both his parents until 1996, when Cindy absconds with him and his half brother Steven
following her failed attempt to have Ian killed by a hitman. Peter is taken to Italy, where Ian finds him in 1997 and takes him home without Cindy's consent. Cindy is given custody of all three children in 1998, but she is arrested directly after the court case for the attempted murder of Ian. She dies during childbirth in prison, but her baby, Cindy Williams, survives and is given to Cindy's sister Gina Williams (Nicola Cowper
). Peter then grows up with various women acting as his stepmother, one of whom, Laura Beale
(Hannah Waterman
), provides Peter with another half brother, Bobby Beale (Alex Francis), in 2003. Peter is injured in a fair ground collapse in 2004 but is saved from the wreckage by Den Watts
(Leslie Grantham
) and Dennis Rickman
(Nigel Harman
). Ian meets his fourth wife, Jane Beale (Laurie Brett
), at this fair.
In May 2007, Ian and Peter go camping with Phil Mitchell
(Steve McFadden
) and his son Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones
later Joshua Pascoe). On the drive home, Phil swerves the car to avoid a fallen tree; the car flips, crashes and rolls into a lake with Ben and Peter still inside. Ben is conscious however Peter is knocked out in the crash. As the car sinks and fills with water, Phil goes to rescue the boys; however, Peter's foot gets caught on a seatbelt, he passes out and nearly drowns, but is saved by CPR from Phil. A budding athlete, Peter's PE teacher tells Ian that Peter could compete in the 2012 Olympics. Keen for Peter to succeed in this, Ian begins to pressurise Peter to train hard, and is unhappy when Peter becomes distracted by his girlfriend Lauren Branning
(Madeline Duggan
), who Peter begins dating in December 2007. Lauren's father Max Branning
(Jake Wood
) is equally displeased, especially when he catches Peter and Lauren playing truant and drinking alcohol.
Peter ends his relationship with Lauren in October 2008 after Max orders him to. When Max sees Lauren and Peter together in the cafe, Peter tries to stand up to him, but in his anger Max grabs Peter and throttles him. Peter subsequently reveals to Lauren that her dad was behind their breakup, leading Lauren to attempt to kill Max. Peter later gives his evidence in court. He states that when Lauren left his house, she was upset and angry. When Lauren returns home (after the jury decide that she is not guilty for attempting to murder her father), Peter settles his differences with Max and declares his love for Lauren. Peter tries to look impressive by lying that he and Lauren have had sex in the allotments. Jay Brown
(Jamie Borthwick
) and Lucy quickly spread this rumor around school and Lauren breaks up with Peter. Max is furious the find out that Peter has said these things about Lauren and attempts to punch Peter. Peter and Lauren reconcile and Lauren tells Peter she is ready to have sex. However, Lauren's mother, Tanya Branning
(Jo Joyner
), finds the condoms Peter and Lauren are using for sex and Lauren's older brother Bradley Branning
(Charlie Clements
) overhears Peter talking about it. The next day, Lauren and Peter try to see each other without Max finding out, but fail to hide it. Peter tells Max that he loves Lauren and Max finally accepts it.
At a party, Peter meets Zsa Zsa Carter
(Emer Kenny
) and they end up kissing, which Lauren sees. Lauren slaps Peter, and also slaps Zsa Zsa, and they subsequently fight. After the party, Peter walks Zsa Zsa to her bus stop and wonders if he will see her again. She kisses him passionately, and says "maybe". Peter discovers Leon Small
(Sam Attwater
) slept with Lucy at the same time he was seeing Zsa Zsa, which leads to a violent confrontation where Peter's nose is bloodied. Leon tells Lucy off for Peter's intervention, and at Ian's birthday dinner Lucy flies into a rage and attacks Peter. Later, Peter discovers Lucy's abortion clinic letter and they have a heartfelt talk where Peter assures Lucy he is behind her, to which she responds positively. However, he does not support Lucy's decision to let Jane and Ian raise the baby, and later discovers that Lucy has lost the baby. He begins sending anonymous gifts to Zsa Zsa, but is discovered when Leon and his friend Fatboy
(Ricky Norwood
) try to find out who is sending them. Lucy plans to break up Leon and Zsa Zsa by exposing his affair, so tells Zsa Zsa about the baby. Zsa Zsa is disgusted and during a confrontation Leon announces that Lucy had an abortion, not a miscarriage. Peter is disgusted as he knows how much Jane wants a baby, he is shocked further when he discovers Ian knew.
Peter is annoyed when his father assumes Lucy will get better GCSE grades than him, and that Lucy did not put in any effort. Peter and Lucy both receive good grades, though Lucy's are exceptionally better. As the family celebrate, they are interrupted by the headteacher Mr Allcock (Bill Buckhurst) who says Lucy's results are inconsistent and there has been an allegation of cheating, and that the exam board will have to look at both Lucy and Peter's exam papers. However, Lucy admits to cheating and gets Peter out of trouble. When Jane realises that Lucy may have had an abortion, Peter confirms this. Lucy decides to move to Devon to avoid spending another year studying, while Jane secretly plans to leave Ian. At Billie Jackson's (Devon Anderson
) birthday party, Peter offers to get Lauren a drink but she is not interested. Peter ends up kissing Whitney Dean
(Shona McGarty
). Whitney stays the night but later regrets it after Billie is found dead, as she believes she could have saved him if she had stayed at home. However, the fact that he slept with Whitney puts Peter in a very upbeat mood. Whitney later goes to Peter for comfort, and the couple begin a relationship. Peter quickly develops strong feelings for Whitney, and plans to ask her to marry him. However Jane persuades him to wait until Valentine's Day, explaining that Whitney might feel it's too soon.
At Peter's birthday party, Ian insults Whitney, calling her "a walking STD
." This causes Peter to storm out. Peter is then left devastated when Whitney breaks up with him. He gets drunk without anyone knowing until he vomits on Glenda Mitchell
(Glynis Barber
). Jane is supportive and understanding towards Peter, but Ian is resentful which Peter says makes him sick. Peter then discovers Ian and Glenda's affair and he warns Glenda to keep her distance, which makes her believe that he was the person who pushed her down the stairs in her flat. Upset with Ian, Peter throws a brick through his chip shop window. Glenda tells Ian that Peter practically confessed to pushing her, and when Phil confronts Ben at a family gathering, Ian does not defend Peter. Later, Ian begs for forgiveness, saying he will tell Jane about the affair, but Peter just walks off. He packs a bag and leaves a card for Jane saying "I'm sorry". He then goes to stay with Lucy in Devon. Ian later receives news that Peter and Lucy have been involved in a car crash and takes Bobby to visit them.
Peter was introduced in 1993 along with his twin sister Lucy
, and was originally played by Francis Brittin-Snell as a baby and toddler from 1993 to 1996. In 1997, the role was given to Alex Stevens and he played Peter until 1998. Joseph Shade took over until 2004 and James Martin
played him from 2004 until 2006. It was announced on 17 August 2006 that actor Thomas Law
had been cast as Peter. Law said of the role: "I couldn't believe it when I heard that I got the part, I'm really excited as I am a big fan of EastEnders." He made his first appearance on 31 August 2006. He is described on the EastEnders
website as being laid back, and Ian's "golden boy".
In 2007, Peter was part of a storyline which saw he and his father, as well as Phil Mitchell
(Steve McFadden
) and Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones
), involved in a car accident, when the Range Rover
they were travelling in crashed into a lake. The scenes cost £1 million to produce, and external scenes were filmed in Surrey over four days, with underwater scenes being filmed in a specially designed stunt tank. The scenes aired on 18 May 2007. It was not known to viewers if Peter would survive at the time. Law praised the scenes, calling them "fantastic".
In November 2010, it was reported that Peter would leave EastEnders at the end of the year, with a possible, yet unconfirmed, return for 2011. In storylines, Peter is accused of pushing Glenda Mitchell
down her stairs. Law felt that Peter would not be strong enough to do it and it would not be in his character, though he feels backed into a corner. Peter made his final appearance on 24 December 2010. When asked if he could return, Law said, "I don't know. They're leaving the door open. That's all I can tell you."
praised the younger cast of EastEnders, including Law. Stuart Heritage from The Guardian
expressed a dislike for Peter in April 2010, saying he should be written out, "before his increasingly spectacular haircut goes power mad and starts to colonise the entire set. Also, his voice has been breaking for what seems like seven full years, so he could probably use his new-found free time to consult a doctor or something."
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...
. He was played by Thomas Law
Thomas Law
Thomas John Law is a British actor. He is the fourth actor to play Peter Beale in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders...
from 2006 until 2010. The character has previously been portrayed by James Martin
James Martin (actor)
James Edward Martin is an English actor best known for portraying Peter Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He took over the role from Joseph Shade in October 2004, playing the character until August 2006. He was succeeded by Thomas Law...
, Joseph Shade, Alex Stevens and Francis Brittin-Snell. Law took over the role on 31 August 2006. Peter left EastEnders on 24 December 2010, with a return for 2011 not ruled out but unconfirmed.
Storylines
Peter and his twin sister Lucy are born to Ian BealeIan 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 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...
(Michelle Collins
Michelle Collins
Michelle Danielle Collins is a British actress best known for her roles on television in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, as Cindy Beale, Coronation Street as Stella Price, and BBC dramas Sunburn and Two Thousand Acres of Sky...
) on 9 December 1993. He is named after his paternal grandfather, 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...
(Peter Dean), who dies on the day of his birth. Peter is brought up by both his parents until 1996, when Cindy absconds with him and his half brother Steven
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...
following her failed attempt to have Ian killed by a hitman. Peter is taken to Italy, where Ian finds him in 1997 and takes him home without Cindy's consent. Cindy is given custody of all three children in 1998, but she is arrested directly after the court case for the attempted murder of Ian. She dies during childbirth in prison, but her baby, Cindy Williams, survives and is given to Cindy's sister Gina Williams (Nicola Cowper
Nicola Cowper
Nicola Jane Cowper is a British actress. Cowper is the younger sister of twin actresses Gerry Cowper and Jackie Cowper. Cowper made an impression as a film actress in her early career, but she is best known for her work on British television, in particular her role as D.S Helen Diamond in BBC's...
). Peter then grows up with various women acting as his stepmother, one of whom, 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:...
), provides Peter with another half brother, Bobby Beale (Alex Francis), in 2003. Peter is injured in a fair ground collapse in 2004 but is saved from the wreckage by 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 Dennis Rickman
Dennis Rickman
Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nigel Harman. He entered the show on 14 April 2003 and made his last appearance on 30 December 2005, when he was fatally stabbed as the midnight fireworks began. He is part of the Watts family, though his...
(Nigel Harman
Nigel Harman
Nigel Derek Harman is an English actor, most famous for his role as Dennis Rickman in the UK soap opera EastEnders. He has worked extensively in theatre, with the stage being described as his "first love"...
). Ian meets his fourth wife, Jane Beale (Laurie Brett
Laurie Brett
Laurie Brett is a Scottish actress, currently known for her role as Jane Beale in EastEnders, in which she has starred since 2004.-Personal life:...
), at this fair.
In May 2007, Ian and Peter go camping with 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:...
) and his son Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones
Charlie Jones
Charles "Charlie" Jones was a Welsh international footballer.Born in Troedyrhiw, Merthyr Tydfil, Jones started his career at Cardiff City, but was released in the summer of 1921 after just one appearance, a 1-0 defeat to Stoke City...
later Joshua Pascoe). On the drive home, Phil swerves the car to avoid a fallen tree; the car flips, crashes and rolls into a lake with Ben and Peter still inside. Ben is conscious however Peter is knocked out in the crash. As the car sinks and fills with water, Phil goes to rescue the boys; however, Peter's foot gets caught on a seatbelt, he passes out and nearly drowns, but is saved by CPR from Phil. A budding athlete, Peter's PE teacher tells Ian that Peter could compete in the 2012 Olympics. Keen for Peter to succeed in this, Ian begins to pressurise Peter to train hard, and is unhappy when Peter becomes distracted by his girlfriend Lauren Branning
Lauren Branning
Lauren Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She first appeared in the show on 3 July 2006 played by Madeline Duggan, was absent from 23 June to 27 September 2010, and returned as played by Jacqueline Jossa.-Storylines:...
(Madeline Duggan
Madeline Duggan
Madeline Elizabeth Duggan is an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lauren Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Personal life:...
), who Peter begins dating in December 2007. Lauren's father Max Branning
Max Branning
Max Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jake Wood. He made his first appearance on 27 June 2006.-Backstory:Max is the fifth child and second son of Jim and Reenie Branning...
(Jake Wood
Jake Wood
Jake Dylan Wood is an English actor, best known in his homeland for playing Max Branning on "EastEnders" and in the United States as the current voice of the GEICO gecko.-Biography:...
) is equally displeased, especially when he catches Peter and Lauren playing truant and drinking alcohol.
Peter ends his relationship with Lauren in October 2008 after Max orders him to. When Max sees Lauren and Peter together in the cafe, Peter tries to stand up to him, but in his anger Max grabs Peter and throttles him. Peter subsequently reveals to Lauren that her dad was behind their breakup, leading Lauren to attempt to kill Max. Peter later gives his evidence in court. He states that when Lauren left his house, she was upset and angry. When Lauren returns home (after the jury decide that she is not guilty for attempting to murder her father), Peter settles his differences with Max and declares his love for Lauren. Peter tries to look impressive by lying that he and Lauren have had sex in the allotments. Jay Brown
Jay Brown
James "Jay" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jamie Borthwick. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 14 December 2006.-Backstory:...
(Jamie Borthwick
Jamie Borthwick
Jamie Simon Borthwick is a British actor.-Career:Borthwick portrays Jay Brown in EastEnders, though his first appearance on mainstream television was as an orphan in the Celebrate 'Oliver!' musical alongside Shane Richie and Joseph McManners...
) and Lucy quickly spread this rumor around school and Lauren breaks up with Peter. Max is furious the find out that Peter has said these things about Lauren and attempts to punch Peter. Peter and Lauren reconcile and Lauren tells Peter she is ready to have sex. However, Lauren's mother, Tanya Branning
Tanya Branning
Tanya Lauren Jessop is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jo Joyner. She made her first appearance on 27 June 2006. She left the show temporarily on 25 December 2009 for maternity leave and returned for one episode on 23 June 2010. She made her full-time return on...
(Jo Joyner
Jo Joyner
Joanne Mary Joyner is an English actress who is best known for her role as Tanya Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, in which she has appeared since June 2006.-Career:...
), finds the condoms Peter and Lauren are using for sex and Lauren's older brother 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....
(Charlie Clements
Charlie Clements
Charlie Clements is an English actor, best known for the role of Bradley Branning in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from January 2006 to February 2010. He has won several soap and magazine awards for his performance.-Biography:...
) overhears Peter talking about it. The next day, Lauren and Peter try to see each other without Max finding out, but fail to hide it. Peter tells Max that he loves Lauren and Max finally accepts it.
At a party, Peter meets Zsa Zsa Carter
Zsa Zsa Carter
Zsa Zsa Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Emer Kenny. She made her first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20...
(Emer Kenny
Emer Kenny
Emer Gwynne Morganna Kenny is an English actress from Haringey, London, best known for her role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20, as Zsa Zsa Carter.-Career:...
) and they end up kissing, which Lauren sees. Lauren slaps Peter, and also slaps Zsa Zsa, and they subsequently fight. After the party, Peter walks Zsa Zsa to her bus stop and wonders if he will see her again. She kisses him passionately, and says "maybe". Peter discovers Leon Small
Leon Small
Leon Small is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Sam Attwater. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January and appears in all twelve episodes of the first series of EastEnders: E20...
(Sam Attwater
Sam Attwater
Samuel "Sam" Attwater is an English actor and singer best known for playing Leon Small in the British soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20...
) slept with Lucy at the same time he was seeing Zsa Zsa, which leads to a violent confrontation where Peter's nose is bloodied. Leon tells Lucy off for Peter's intervention, and at Ian's birthday dinner Lucy flies into a rage and attacks Peter. Later, Peter discovers Lucy's abortion clinic letter and they have a heartfelt talk where Peter assures Lucy he is behind her, to which she responds positively. However, he does not support Lucy's decision to let Jane and Ian raise the baby, and later discovers that Lucy has lost the baby. He begins sending anonymous gifts to Zsa Zsa, but is discovered when Leon and his friend Fatboy
Fatboy (EastEnders)
Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and its Internet spin-off EastEnders: E20, played by Ricky Norwood. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January 2010 before appearing in the spin-off...
(Ricky Norwood
Ricky Norwood
Richard Colin "Ricky" Norwood is a British actor who plays Fatboy in the soap opera EastEnders and its online spin-off EastEnders: E20. He was born in Tower Hamlets, London, and lives in Forest Gate. From the age of 12 he attended the Theatre Royal Stratford East's Youth Theatre, and he also...
) try to find out who is sending them. Lucy plans to break up Leon and Zsa Zsa by exposing his affair, so tells Zsa Zsa about the baby. Zsa Zsa is disgusted and during a confrontation Leon announces that Lucy had an abortion, not a miscarriage. Peter is disgusted as he knows how much Jane wants a baby, he is shocked further when he discovers Ian knew.
Peter is annoyed when his father assumes Lucy will get better GCSE grades than him, and that Lucy did not put in any effort. Peter and Lucy both receive good grades, though Lucy's are exceptionally better. As the family celebrate, they are interrupted by the headteacher Mr Allcock (Bill Buckhurst) who says Lucy's results are inconsistent and there has been an allegation of cheating, and that the exam board will have to look at both Lucy and Peter's exam papers. However, Lucy admits to cheating and gets Peter out of trouble. When Jane realises that Lucy may have had an abortion, Peter confirms this. Lucy decides to move to Devon to avoid spending another year studying, while Jane secretly plans to leave Ian. At Billie Jackson's (Devon Anderson
Devon Anderson
Devon Carlo Anderson is an English actor who has been acting since an early age and became a CBBC presenter on BBC One and the CBBC Channel...
) birthday party, Peter offers to get Lauren a drink but she is not interested. Peter ends up kissing Whitney Dean
Whitney Dean
Whitney Dean is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, played by Shona McGarty. The character is the adoptive daughter of long-running character Bianca Jackson , and was introduced in April 2008 when Palmer returned to the series after a six year absence...
(Shona McGarty
Shona McGarty
Shona Bernadette McGarty is an English actress from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, best known for her role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, as Whitney Dean.-Career:...
). Whitney stays the night but later regrets it after Billie is found dead, as she believes she could have saved him if she had stayed at home. However, the fact that he slept with Whitney puts Peter in a very upbeat mood. Whitney later goes to Peter for comfort, and the couple begin a relationship. Peter quickly develops strong feelings for Whitney, and plans to ask her to marry him. However Jane persuades him to wait until Valentine's Day, explaining that Whitney might feel it's too soon.
At Peter's birthday party, Ian insults Whitney, calling her "a walking STD
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
." This causes Peter to storm out. Peter is then left devastated when Whitney breaks up with him. He gets drunk without anyone knowing until he vomits on Glenda Mitchell
Glenda Mitchell
The following is a list of characters who first appeared or are due to appear in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2010, by order of first appearance...
(Glynis Barber
Glynis Barber
Glynis Barber is a South African actress of Afrikaner descent, born and brought up in South Africa. She was born Glynis van der Riet. When she was five years old, her parents divorced, and she and her mother moved to Johannesburg. She is best known for her portrayal as Sgt...
). Jane is supportive and understanding towards Peter, but Ian is resentful which Peter says makes him sick. Peter then discovers Ian and Glenda's affair and he warns Glenda to keep her distance, which makes her believe that he was the person who pushed her down the stairs in her flat. Upset with Ian, Peter throws a brick through his chip shop window. Glenda tells Ian that Peter practically confessed to pushing her, and when Phil confronts Ben at a family gathering, Ian does not defend Peter. Later, Ian begs for forgiveness, saying he will tell Jane about the affair, but Peter just walks off. He packs a bag and leaves a card for Jane saying "I'm sorry". He then goes to stay with Lucy in Devon. Ian later receives news that Peter and Lucy have been involved in a car crash and takes Bobby to visit them.
Casting and development
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...
, and was originally played by Francis Brittin-Snell as a baby and toddler from 1993 to 1996. In 1997, the role was given to Alex Stevens and he played Peter until 1998. Joseph Shade took over until 2004 and James Martin
James Martin (actor)
James Edward Martin is an English actor best known for portraying Peter Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He took over the role from Joseph Shade in October 2004, playing the character until August 2006. He was succeeded by Thomas Law...
played him from 2004 until 2006. It was announced on 17 August 2006 that actor Thomas Law
Thomas Law
Thomas John Law is a British actor. He is the fourth actor to play Peter Beale in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders...
had been cast as Peter. Law said of the role: "I couldn't believe it when I heard that I got the part, I'm really excited as I am a big fan of EastEnders." He made his first appearance on 31 August 2006. He is described on the 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...
website as being laid back, and Ian's "golden boy".
In 2007, Peter was part of a storyline which saw he and his father, as well as 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:...
) and Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones
Charlie Jones
Charles "Charlie" Jones was a Welsh international footballer.Born in Troedyrhiw, Merthyr Tydfil, Jones started his career at Cardiff City, but was released in the summer of 1921 after just one appearance, a 1-0 defeat to Stoke City...
), involved in a car accident, when the Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
they were travelling in crashed into a lake. The scenes cost £1 million to produce, and external scenes were filmed in Surrey over four days, with underwater scenes being filmed in a specially designed stunt tank. The scenes aired on 18 May 2007. It was not known to viewers if Peter would survive at the time. Law praised the scenes, calling them "fantastic".
In November 2010, it was reported that Peter would leave EastEnders at the end of the year, with a possible, yet unconfirmed, return for 2011. In storylines, Peter is accused of pushing Glenda Mitchell
Glenda Mitchell
The following is a list of characters who first appeared or are due to appear in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2010, by order of first appearance...
down her stairs. Law felt that Peter would not be strong enough to do it and it would not be in his character, though he feels backed into a corner. Peter made his final appearance on 24 December 2010. When asked if he could return, Law said, "I don't know. They're leaving the door open. That's all I can tell you."
Reception
In May 2009, Executive producer Diederick SanterDiederick Santer
Diederick Santer is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera EastEnders, a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010...
praised the younger cast of EastEnders, including Law. Stuart Heritage from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
expressed a dislike for Peter in April 2010, saying he should be written out, "before his increasingly spectacular haircut goes power mad and starts to colonise the entire set. Also, his voice has been breaking for what seems like seven full years, so he could probably use his new-found free time to consult a doctor or something."