Marge Green
Marge Green | |
---|---|
EastEnders character | |
Brown Owl Cleaner | |
Mother | Florence Green |
First cousins | Fred Ada |
Marge Green (credited as Brown Owl in her first appearance) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Pat Coombs.[1] from 9 May 1989 to 8 February 1990. Introduced in 1989, elderly Marge is scripted as comical and timid. The character was one of many to be axed in 1990 when Michael Ferguson took over the role as executive producer from her introducer Mike Gibbon.
Creation and development
Writer Colin Brake has suggested that 1989 was a year of big change for EastEnders, both behind the cameras and in front of them. Original production designer Keith Harris left the show, and co-creators Tony Holland and Julia Smith both decided that the time had come to move on too; their final contribution coincided with the exit of one of EastEnders' most successful characters, Den Watts (Leslie Grantham).[2] Producer Mike Gibbon was given the task of running the show and he enlisted the most experienced writers to take over the storylining of the programme, including Charlie Humphreys, Jane Hollowood and Tony McHale.[2]
According to Brake, the departure of two of the soap's most popular characters, Den and
At the time, the programme had come under criticism in the British media for being too
Brake describes Marge as a "well-meaning, slightly batty older lady" who he said worked well in partnership with the much tougher older character
Brake suggests that humour was an important element in EastEnders' storylines during 1989, with a greater amount of slapstick and light comedy than ever before. He has classed 1989's changes as a brave experiment, and has suggested that while some found this period of EastEnders entertaining, many other viewers felt that the comedy stretched the programme's credibility somewhat.[2] Although the programme still covered many issues in 1989, such as domestic violence, drugs, rape and racism, Brake reflected that the new emphasis on a more balanced mix between "light and heavy storylines" gave the illusion that the show had lost a "certain edge".[2]
By the end of the year, EastEnders had acquired a new executive producer,
Storylines
Marge is first seen in May 1989 as a friend of
Marge is timid and a bit of a soft-touch and tends to be bossed around by the more domineering personalities on the square, such as her friend Mo. Marge lives at 93 Victoria Road and devotes her life to caring for her sickly 93-year-old mother, Florence Maisie Green. This is a massive strain on her, particularly when her mother's health suddenly deteriorates after a second
Although Marge is devastated to lose her mother, her friends help her through it and she eventually comes to look forward to a future where she can concentrate on her own needs instead of caring for others. However, the following year, Marge's cousin Fred (Richard Addison) arrives in Walford and cons her into becoming his invalid mother's companion on a cruise ship. Despite Mo warning her against it, Marge feels obligated to care for her sick relative and in February 1990, she leaves Walford.
Reception
According to Brake, the storyline involving Marge and the unruly Brownies was intended to be fun, but references to Brownies behaving badly caused great offence to the Brownie movement, and an official complaint was made and upheld. The broadcasting commission said the EastEnders Brownie episodes "came near to parody," were unfair to the Brownies and harmed the
References
- ^ "Pat Coombs", The Guardian. URL last accessed on 2007-02-15.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-563-37057-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-0685529577.
- ^ Comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ "Poll tax blamed for pushing Britons into debt". Toronto Star. 12 March 1990. Retrieved 13 August 2009.