Charlie Slater

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Not to be confused with
Charli Slater
.

Charlie Slater
EastEnders character
Derek Martin as Charlie Slater
Portrayed byDerek Martin (2000–2016)
Jason McGregor (2001 flashback)
Richie Daysh (2018 flashback)
Duration2000–2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
First appearanceEpisode 1997
4 September 2000 (2000-09-04)
Last appearanceEpisode 5385/5386
25 December 2018 (2018-12-25)
ClassificationFormer; regular
Created byTony Jordan
Introduced by
Spin-off
appearances
In-universe information
OccupationTaxi driver
Potman
Family
Viv Slater
(backstory)
Daughters
Adoptive daughtersZoe Slater
Grandsons
Granddaughters
Dermot Dolan
NiecesZoe Slater
Other relatives

Charlie Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Derek Martin. Charlie's first appearance is in the episode first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2000. He was played by Jason McGregor in flashbacks broadcast in 2001 and Richie Daysh in a 2018 flashback. He also makes a cameo appearance in the second series of the spin-off EastEnders: E20.

In April 2010, the character was axed among five others by new executive producer

heart attack during this stint.[6]
The character very briefly appeared in a flashback on 25 December 2018.

Storylines

Charlie, a taxicab driver, who is widowed from

Graham Foster (Alex McSweeney). When Charlie finds out, he attacks Graham after locking him in his taxi. Charlie is arrested and remanded in custody for grievous bodily harm, to which he pleads guilty, but the family has to pay Graham £10,000 compensation. Charlie's cab license is revoked, but is later restored. Lynne, now married to Garry, leaves Walford after her baby, Vivienne, is stillborn. Charlie's great-niece Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) moves in, and Charlie becomes a father figure to her, helping her curb her rebellious and wayward attitude. At the same time, he comforts Zoe after she has an abortion. Zoe eventually leaves, soon followed by Kat, who is now married to Alfie Moon (Shane Richie). However, Stacey's mother Jean Slater (Gillian Wright
) moves in with the family.

Charlie puts an advertisement in a lonely hearts column and becomes a member of an internet dating website, meeting and falling for

Richard
is unwell, however after driving part way, Charlie tells her the symptoms are normal. As he turns around, he reverses into some boxes in front of a van, and is then stopped by a police officer (Laurence Mitchell). The next day, Mo opens a letter for Charlie and learns he was caught driving over the limit. They argue as he could lose his driving licence, and Charlie later apologises to Stacey for forcing her to take her pills.

Charlie is shocked when his daughter Kat returns to Albert Square. Kat is trying to avoid some thugs to whom she owes money. They catch up with her at Charlie's house, and Kat tries to escape. In the commotion, Charlie reminds Kat that she hasn't even asked about his life or anyone else's in Walford. Kat's estranged husband, Alfie, then arrives and chases the thugs away. However, Charlie is then dismayed to learn that Kat is pregnant, and Alfie is not the father. Alfie and Kat reopen The Queen Vic as landlords and give Charlie a job there as a

Shenice Quinn
(Lily Harvey) go to visit him in hospital and stay with him for a while. Soon after, Alfie returns with Shenice and reveals Kat and Tommy are staying with Charlie until he recovers. Kat later returns to Walford with Tommy. Charlie visits Kat and Alfie for Christmas to celebrate their last days in The Queen Vic, and is delighted to learn that Kat is pregnant again.

Charlie returns, following the birth of Stacey's son

Arthur Fowler. Kat then learns that she had given birth to a boy, along with Zoe. Charlie admits to Kat that he knew about Stacey's father, Brian's, other family and that he did nothing to stop him. When an angry Kat demands the truth from Mo about her son, Charlie suffers a heart attack. Charlie manages to tell Kat that he loves her, before going into cardiac arrest. The paramedics arrive minutes later, but are unable to save Charlie and he is pronounced dead. Alone, Kat says her final goodbyes to her father before kissing him goodnight on the forehead. Shortly afterwards, Stacey runs away from Walford; however, she has a hallucination of Charlie (a symptom of her postpartum psychosis
) in the form of a taxi driver, who convinces her to return home.

Creation and development

In a last minute scene, Charlie and Patrick Trueman discussed George Osborne's Spending Review.

Brenda Boyle (Carmel Cryan), however BBC confirmed that he would return in a "few weeks time".[10] The storyline involved Charlie jumping in front of a bus to stop her from emigrating to Madeira.[11] A spokesperson said, "Charlie's move is only temporary and that he will return soon. His heart remains in Walford."[10] It was reported in February 2010 that Martin's real-life knee surgery would be scripted into the show. He said, "My operation will probably be in the middle of May and then hopefully you'll see Charlie on crutches".[12] Martin's operation was in April 2010 and Martin revealed, "I went back to EastEnders at that point and a runner followed me round with a chair and my sticks."[13]
Although Charlie was never seen on crutches, he had a limp in episodes broadcast in April 2011.

Departure and 2011 return

Charlie left EastEnders on 13 January 2011.

killed off, and would simply go to live with eldest daughter, Lynne.[18]

On 2 March 2011, it was announced that Martin had recently returned to film two episodes. An EastEnders source told

Kat Moon, said that Charlie would help Kat come to terms with the fact that her baby is still alive, "With what happened the night they thought Tommy died, things were still unresolved for them. Although they cleared the air before he left, things weren't right between them, so to have him back with her now makes it all the more special. It's also Charlie that makes Kat realise that she needs to bond with Tommy. He makes her see that she can do this."[20] Martin returned for two episodes, on 19 and 21 April 2011,[21][22]
with his return bringing in 10.31 million viewers on 19 April, and 8.43 million on 21 April.

2013 and 2016 returns

It was announced on 3 November 2013 that Charlie would be making a brief return to screens over the Christmas period. Martin was revealed to have already filmed his return and would appear in one episode in December. Details surrounding Charlie's reason to return was being kept secret from the public, but was tipped to involve his daughter, Kat. A show spokesperson confirmed Martin's return.

Stacey Branning, expressed an interest in Charlie and her on-screen mother, Jean (Gillian Wright) returning, "Having scenes with the Slaters is my favourite thing, though. It would be great if we could get Derek Martin and Gillian Wright back."[24]

In April 2014, Martin revealed that cast members, including

Daily Star that he would be returning for a handful of episodes for an unknown storyline, an EastEnders spokesperson said the return was to be finalised. The spokesperson said: "It hasn't been confirmed if Derek will be returning, as it is still a little while off yet as we are still at the planning stages."[26]
Martin did not return to the show as previously rumoured.

In October 2015, it was announced that Martin would be returning to the show for a guest appearance over the Christmas period. The announcement that Charlie would returning on-screen came only a day following the announcement Kat and Alfie would make a brief return over the Christmas period. The show released no further information surrounding Charlie's return, but said the return of Charlie, Kat and Alfie would lead to the latter's 2016 six-part drama. Speaking of his return, Martin said: "I'm so excited to be coming back into such a big and important storyline and I can't wait to get stuck in and be back with the family again."[4] The character was killed off. Martin said of his on-screen death, "I spoke to Dominic, the executive producer, and he explained [the storyline] and said he'd give me a good send off. In a way its closure, after 11 years, which for an actor is wonderful."[27]

In popular culture

The character of Charlie Slater has been

Marjorie Dawes as "Charlie Slater".[29]

Other appearances

Charlie makes a cameo appearance in episode 6 of EastEnders: E20, where he is eating dinner in front of the television when there is a power cut, caused by Sol Levi (Tosin Cole) and Stevie Dickinson (Amanda Fairbank-Hynes).[30]

Reception

James Donaghy from The Guardian called Charlie "a lovely bloke" and "the embodiment of salt-of-the-earth decency and stupidity", saying one of his favourite moments in Charlie's time in EastEnders was his attack on Trevor.[31] Grace Dent, also from The Guardian, said that one of her favourite soap opera moments of 2008 was when an escaped tarantula crawled up Charlie's leg.[32]

The episode in which he left following the aftermath of the baby swap storyline attracted 10 million viewers, according to Digital Spy.[33] His two-episode return saw on 19 April, 10.31 million people watch and 8.43 million on 21 April.[34][35] Christopher Hooton from the Metro newspaper negatively reviewed Charlie's exit scenes, saying, "Unfortunately the long-time cast member's exit felt a little rushed. [...] As EastEnders characters' last hurrahs go, Charlie Slater's will not be going down in TV history."[36] Stuart Heritage from The Guardian criticised Kirkwood's axing of the characters, saying, "By rights, this should be a national day of mourning. EastEnders has got a new executive producer – Bryan Kirkwood – and, as executive producers so often do, he's decided to spend his first few days hiding in a bush, taking out several characters with a poisoned blowpipe.[37] This weekend it emerged that six EastEnders characters are to get the chop. Some of them are long-standing and beloved, like Charlie Slater and Minty."[37] Phil Daniels, who played Kevin Wicks in the soap, criticised the axing of Charlie, along with that of the other five cast members, as they were "good characters".[38] A reporter writing for the Inside Soap Yearbook 2017 (released in November 2016) described Charlie's death as "tragic".[39]

In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Charlie 91st on their ranked list of the best EastEnders characters of all time, calling him "Salt-of-the-earth" and commenting "No wonder he died of a stroke" due to giving out "tea and sympathy to the wild Slater women".[40]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Drewett, Meg (3 November 2013). "'EastEnders' Charlie Slater to return for Christmas storyline - EastEnders News - Soaps - Digital Spy". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b Director: Nic Phillips; Executive Producer: Dominic Treadwell-Collins; Writer: Daisy Coulam (24 December 2013). "Episode dated 24/12/2013". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
  3. ^ a b Director: Karl Neilson; Executive Producer: Dominic Treadwell-Collins; Writer: Simon Ashdown (25 December 2013). "Episode dated 25/12/2013". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One.
  4. ^ a b Babbage, Rachel (18 October 2015). "EastEnders: Derek Martin's Charlie Slater returning for guest appearance at Christmas". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  5. ^ "BBC One - EastEnders, 04/01/2016".
  6. ^ Brown, David (2 January 2016). "EastEnders spoilers: first look at Charlie Slater's death". Radio Times. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Interview: Derek Martin". Daily Mirror. 2002. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  8. ^ "Charlie Slater played by Derek Martin". EastEnders. BBC Online. Archived from the original on 20 April 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  9. ^ "EASTENDERS: KAT MOON'S REUNION". 9 April 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Charlie to say goodbye?". Holy Soap. 8 August 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2011.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ Kris, Green (13 August 2009). "POTD: Charlie runs in front of a bus in 'Enders". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  12. ^ Rollo, Sarah (6 February 2010). "'Enders star's knee injury to be scripted". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  13. ^ Love, Ryan (19 April 2011). "'EastEnders' Derek Martin admits knee agony". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  14. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (January 2011). "Charlie leaves Albert Square". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  15. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (5 January 2011). "'Enders star backs Jean Slater return". Digital Spy. London. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  16. ^ a b Kilkelly, Daniel. "'Enders actor: 'Baby plot surprised me'". Digital Spy. London. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  17. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel. "Exclusive: 'EastEnders' to reference spending review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  18. ^ a b c d EastEnders Derek Martin: "I hope Charlie Slater return is permanent" - EastEnders News | Soaps | Digital Spy
  19. Hachette Filipacchi UK
    ). Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  20. Hachette Filipacchi UK
    ). Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  21. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (April 2011). "Jack struggles to get answers from Ronnie". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  22. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (April 2011). "Whitney faces more troubles on the Square". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  23. ^ Corrie kiss, EastEnders return, Hollyoaks cruelty, Emmerdale scan
  24. ^ EastEnders' Lacey Turner: 'Stacey Branning return was a no-brainer' - EastEnders News - Soaps - Digital Spy
  25. ^ Ex-EastEnders star Derek Martin: 'Cast members want me back on soap'
  26. ^ EastEnders: Derek Martin tipped for return as Charlie Slater
  27. ^ Babbage, Rachel (3 February 2016). "EastEnders star Derek Martin opens up over his son's depression after soap storyline". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  28. Hachette Filipacchi UK
    ). Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  29. Little Britain. Series 3. Episode 3. 1 December 2005. BBC. BBC One
    .
  30. ^ "Episode 6". EastEnders: E20. Series 2. Episode 6. 23 September 2010. BBC. BBC Online.
  31. ^ Donaghy, James (26 July 2008). "James Donaghy has the knowledge on the best screen cabbies". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  32. ^ Dent, Grace (13 December 2008). "2008 in lists: Grace Dent's four fave soap moments". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  33. Hachette Filipacchi UK
    ). Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  34. Hachette Filipacchi UK
    ). Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  35. Hachette Filipacchi UK
    ). Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  36. ^ Hooton, Christopher (13 February 2011). "EastEnders sees Charlie Slater wave goodbye to Albert Square". Metro. London. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  37. ^ a b Heritage, Stuart (19 April 2010). "EastEnders: six characters to get the chop. But are they the right ones". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  38. Hachette Filipacchi UK
    ). Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  39. ^ "The best bits of January: EastEnders' Stacey - Rooftop Terror!". Inside Soap Yearbook 2017: 6. 2016. First they were hit by the tragic death of family patriarch Charlie
  40. ^ Sara Wallis; Ian Hyland (12 June 2020). "100 Best EastEnders characters ever". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 20 October 2023.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charlie_Slater&oldid=1223541245"