Roly
Encyclopedia
Roly is a fictional
dog
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
. Roly was an apricot
coloured Standard Poodle, who appeared in the first episode of the programme and remained in the show until 1993.
) by her father, Den
(Leslie Grantham
). Sharon's mother, Angie
(Anita Dobson
), did not like the dog much and once even accused him of deliberately causing her to trip and fall on the stairs. However, during Den and Angie's divorce in 1987, Angie was horrified to hear that Den was considering selling Roly. She stormed round to The Queen Victoria
public house
and demanded that Den give Roly to her.
Roly was involved in many storylines during his time in the show. He was often used by his owners as a silent sounding board, and was made privvy to all their secrets and woes. It was Roly who first alerted viewers to the fact that his owner, Den, had got the 16 year old schoolgirl, Michelle Fowler
(Susan Tully
), pregnant in October 1985; one of the soaps most renowned 'whodunit
' plots. After months of speculation, Michelle went to meet the father at a nearby canal, and Roly bounded out of the mystery man's car, showing the identity of the man to be Den.
Roly was a bit of a rogue from time to time. He trampled over Tom Clements' (Donald Tandy
) prize leek
s, which led to Tom stealing Arthur Fowler
's (Bill Treacher
) leeks and winning first prize in the London in Bloom competition. He also bit Alan McIntyre (Pip Miller) on the bottom after he tried to evict Ali
(Nejdet Salih) and Sue Osman
(Sandy Ratcliff
). He also tore apart Ethel Skinner
's (Gretchen Franklin
) Christening gown she'd been knitting for the Fowlers.
Roly gave everyone a fright when he ate some rat poison
that Debbie Wilkins
(Shirley Cheriton
) had laid down in the First til Last grocery store. However, after being sick on the floor of James Willmott-Brown
's (William Boyde
) new carpet at The Dagmar, he made a full recovery.
Roly was the first to find Pat Wicks
(Pam St. Clement
) in Albert Square
gardens when she'd been savaged by the Walford ripper. Pat later demanded that he be kicked out of The Vic when the Butchers moved in in 1988. Roly then ran away but was found by Junior Roberts (Aaron Carrington) and returned him to the Butchers. Fortunately for Roly, Diane
(Sophie Lawrence
) and Ricky Butcher
(Sid Owen
) changed Pat's mind and Mo
(Edna Doré
), who at first suggested they get a kennel
for Roly, warmed to him so much that he went to live with her at her flat for a while.
When Eddie Royle
(Michael Melia
) became the new landlord of The Vic in 1990, Roly lived with him and Sharon Watts, who lodged there as barmaid. It was whilst out walking Roly one evening that Eddie was stabbed and left to die in the middle of the Square. His body was only found after Roly began barking. Roly then lived with his original owner Sharon and her husband Grant Mitchell
(Ross Kemp
).
He had several brushes with death over the years. He was injured in a car accident caused by a drunk Pete Beale
(Peter Dean) and was nearly burnt alive (along with Sharon) when Grant torched The Vic in an insurance scam. However, in October 1993, Roly's luck finally ran out when Sharon asked Grant to take Roly for a walk, but he paid Mandy Salter
(Nicola Stapleton
) £10 to do it for him. A few hours later, Mandy returned to explain the circumstances of Roly's death to Grant and Sharon. According to Mandy, Roly slipped his lead to chase a cat and was run over by a lorry. Sharon was devastated. 14.8 million viewers tuned in to see Roly's last appearance on-screen.
Off-screen, the real Roly was getting too old to appear regularly on television so it was decided that he should retire to live with his owner, Julia Smith. On 2 August 1995, Roly died following an operation for breathing problems aggravated by the 1995 heatwave.
pub, Den
, Angie
and Sharon Watts
, were to have an Alsatian
named Prince. However, finding an Alsatian that was light enough in colour not to merge into the background of the set proved to be difficult. Eventually, the co-creator/producer of the show, Julia Smith
, was contacted by a company named Janimals, who specialised in providing and training animals for television and films. They had found a seven month-old Poodle, called Roly, who might still be young enough to be trained. Training was said to take three weeks, and as the Poodle was a similar size to an Alsatian, Roly got the part. Roly was made the property of the BBC, given an ID card, and taken to live with Julia Smith at her home in London. Roly and Willy
the pug
shared a dressing room at Elstree studios.
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...
dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
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...
. Roly was an apricot
Apricot (color)
Apricot is a light yellowish-orangeish color that attempts to represent the color of apricots. Actually, it is somewhat paler than actual apricots....
coloured Standard Poodle, who appeared in the first episode of the programme and remained in the show until 1993.
Storylines
Roly was given to Sharon Watts (Letitia DeanLetitia Dean
Letitia Dean is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Sharon Watts in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, who was one of the serial's original characters. Dean was part of the original cast in 1985 and remained in the series until 1995...
) by her father, 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...
). Sharon's mother, Angie
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...
), did not like the dog much and once even accused him of deliberately causing her to trip and fall on the stairs. However, during Den and Angie's divorce in 1987, Angie was horrified to hear that Den was considering selling Roly. She stormed round to 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...
and demanded that Den give Roly to her.
Roly was involved in many storylines during his time in the show. He was often used by his owners as a silent sounding board, and was made privvy to all their secrets and woes. It was Roly who first alerted viewers to the fact that his owner, Den, had got the 16 year old schoolgirl, Michelle Fowler
Michelle Fowler
Michelle Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actress Susan Tully.Although she was one of the brighter people in Walford, that didn't stop Michelle making some huge mistakes during her time in Albert Square...
(Susan Tully
Susan Tully
Susan Tully is an English television producer, director and former actress.Her most prominent television roles to date have been those of single mother Michelle Fowler in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and her pivotal part in early Grange Hill...
), pregnant in October 1985; one of the soaps most renowned 'whodunit
Whodunit
A whodunit or whodunnit is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest. The reader or viewer is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed in the final...
' plots. After months of speculation, Michelle went to meet the father at a nearby canal, and Roly bounded out of the mystery man's car, showing the identity of the man to be Den.
Roly was a bit of a rogue from time to time. He trampled over Tom Clements' (Donald Tandy
Donald Tandy
Donald Tandy in London, England) is a British actor who played Tom Clements in the BBC soap opera EastEnders -Career:Tandy started his career in 1950 when he got a place in a small budget film called Chance of a Lifetime....
) prize leek
Leek
The leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum , also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Allioideae...
s, which led to Tom stealing Arthur Fowler
Arthur Fowler
Arthur George Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Bill Treacher.The father of the Fowler family, Arthur was essentially a good man, but he made some foolish choices and he always ended up paying dearly for them, also being bossed to the brink of insanity by...
's (Bill Treacher
Bill Treacher
Bill Treacher is an English actor. Most famous for playing Arthur Fowler on the BBC soap opera EastEnders, for 11 years, from 1985-1996.-Early life:Treacher grew up in the East End of London...
) leeks and winning first prize in the London in Bloom competition. He also bit Alan McIntyre (Pip Miller) on the bottom after he tried to evict Ali
Ali Osman
Ali Osman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nejdet Salih. He was a member of the original EastEnders cast, appearing in the first episode on 19 February 1985. He remained with the show for nearly five years afterwards, making his final appearance on 10 October...
(Nejdet Salih) and Sue Osman
Sue Osman
Susan "Sue" Osman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sandy Ratcliff. She was one of the serial's original characters, appearing in its first episode on 19 February 1985 and departing on-screen in May 1989. Created by Tony Holland and Julia Smith, Sue was...
(Sandy Ratcliff
Sandy Ratcliff
Alexandria "Sandy" Ratcliff is an English former actress. Ratcliff made an impression as a model and film actress in the 1970s, but she is best known for being one of the original cast members in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in the 1980s...
). He also tore apart 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...
's (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...
) Christening gown she'd been knitting for the Fowlers.
Roly gave everyone a fright when he ate some rat poison
Rat poison
Rodenticides are a category of pest control chemicals intended to kill rodents.Single feed baits are chemicals sufficiently dangerous that the first dose is sufficient to kill....
that Debbie Wilkins
Debbie Wilkins
Deborah "Debbie" Wilkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shirley Cheriton.Debbie was Walford's first upwardly mobile character...
(Shirley Cheriton
Shirley Cheriton
Shirley Cheriton is a British actress and performer, best known for her roles as Debbie Wilkins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and her portrayal of Miss Prescott in the Are You Being Served? follow up, Grace & Favour...
) had laid down in the First til Last grocery store. However, after being sick on the floor of James Willmott-Brown
James Willmott-Brown
James Sebastian Willmott-Brown is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by William Boyde.- Background :Willmott-Brown was an ex-army officer, arriving in Albert Square in March 1986 as area manager for 'Luxford and Copley', the brewery that owned The Queen Vic...
's (William Boyde
William Boyde
William Boyde is a British actor, best known for his work on British television. He has appeared in Just William ; the BBC drama Secret Army ; Bergerac and the detective series Dempsey & Makepeace...
) new carpet at The Dagmar, he made a full recovery.
Roly was the first to find Pat Wicks
Pat Evans
Patricia Louise "Pat" Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She has been played by Pam St. Clement since 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired...
(Pam St. Clement
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...
) in Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
gardens when she'd been savaged by the Walford ripper. Pat later demanded that he be kicked out of The Vic when the Butchers moved in in 1988. Roly then ran away but was found by Junior Roberts (Aaron Carrington) and returned him to the Butchers. Fortunately for Roly, 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....
) and Ricky Butcher
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...
) changed Pat's mind and Mo
Mo Butcher
Maureen "Mo" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Edna Doré between 1988 and 1990. She was introduced as the matriarch figure of the Butcher family, Frank Butcher's elderly mother. She was portrayed as a battle-axe, tough and interfering...
(Edna Doré
Edna Doré
Edna Doré is a British actress. Doré is one of Britain's best known senior citizen actresses. She is known for her bit-part roles in situation comedies and for playing the character of Mo Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders .- Career :She began her career as a chorus girl in ENSA, then spent...
), who at first suggested they get a kennel
Kennel
A kennel is the name given to any structure or shelter for dogs. A kennel is a doghouse, run, or other small structure in which a dog is kept...
for Roly, warmed to him so much that he went to live with her at her flat for a while.
When Eddie Royle
Eddie Royle
Edward "Eddie" Royle is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael Melia from 1990 until 1991.-Storylines:...
(Michael Melia
Michael Melia
Michael Melia is an established British actor best known for his work on television.Melia was born in Berkshire and attended St. Mary's College, Twickenham, the oldest Roman Catholic college in England. Before taking up acting he was a teacher. At one stage he ran a bar in Spain and thought about...
) became the new landlord of The Vic in 1990, Roly lived with him and Sharon Watts, who lodged there as barmaid. It was whilst out walking Roly one evening that Eddie was stabbed and left to die in the middle of the Square. His body was only found after Roly began barking. Roly then lived with his original owner Sharon and her husband Grant Mitchell
Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)
Grant Anthony Mitchell is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by Ross Kemp. Grant first appeared in 1990, introduced by producer Michael Ferguson to revamp the show. Kemp remained until 1999 when he opted to leave...
(Ross Kemp
Ross Kemp
Ross James Kemp is a BAFTA award-winning British actor, author and journalist, who rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
).
He had several brushes with death over the years. He was injured in a car accident caused by a drunk 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) and was nearly burnt alive (along with Sharon) when Grant torched The Vic in an insurance scam. However, in October 1993, Roly's luck finally ran out when Sharon asked Grant to take Roly for a walk, but he paid Mandy Salter
Mandy Salter
Mandy Salter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nicola Stapleton. Introduced on 12 March 1992, Mandy was portrayed as a teenage tearaway. She was featured in storylines about homelessness, child and drug abuse. Her relationship with Aidan Brosnan was one of the...
(Nicola Stapleton
Nicola Stapleton
Nicola Kathleen Stapleton is an English actress. Stapleton began her career at an early age. She is most famous for her work on British television, in particular her roles as Mandy Salter in BBC's EastEnders and Janine Nebeski in ITV's Bad Girls.-Early life:Stapleton grew up off East Street, which...
) £10 to do it for him. A few hours later, Mandy returned to explain the circumstances of Roly's death to Grant and Sharon. According to Mandy, Roly slipped his lead to chase a cat and was run over by a lorry. Sharon was devastated. 14.8 million viewers tuned in to see Roly's last appearance on-screen.
Off-screen, the real Roly was getting too old to appear regularly on television so it was decided that he should retire to live with his owner, Julia Smith. On 2 August 1995, Roly died following an operation for breathing problems aggravated by the 1995 heatwave.
Casting
Roly was cast less than a week before the filming of EastEnders began. From the beginning it was decided that the occupants of The Queen VictoriaThe 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:...
pub, 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"....
, Angie
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....
and Sharon Watts
Sharon Rickman
Sharon Anne Rickman is a fictional character from the popular BBC1 soap opera EastEnders, played by Letitia Dean, who was a regular cast member for the first 10 years after the programme began on 19 February 1985. She returned in May 2001, and appeared on and off, having most recently appeared in...
, were to have an Alsatian
German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog , also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd, is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog...
named Prince. However, finding an Alsatian that was light enough in colour not to merge into the background of the set proved to be difficult. Eventually, the co-creator/producer of the show, Julia Smith
Julia Smith
Julia Smith was an English television director and producer.- Early career :London-born Smith became involved in television production when she directed the series Suspense in 1962...
, was contacted by a company named Janimals, who specialised in providing and training animals for television and films. They had found a seven month-old Poodle, called Roly, who might still be young enough to be trained. Training was said to take three weeks, and as the Poodle was a similar size to an Alsatian, Roly got the part. Roly was made the property of the BBC, given an ID card, and taken to live with Julia Smith at her home in London. Roly and Willy
Willy (EastEnders)
Willy is a fictional dog from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Willy was a Pug, who appeared in the first episode of the programme and remained in the show until 1992.-Storylines:...
the pug
Pug
The pug is a "toy" breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. They have been described as multum in parvo , referring to the pug's personality and...
shared a dressing room at Elstree studios.