Ruth Fowler
Ruth Fowler | |
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EastEnders character | |
Jessie Moore (foster) |
Ruth Aitken (also Fowler) is a fictional character from the popular British BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Caroline Paterson from 1994 to 1999. Ruth was Mark Fowler (Todd Carty)'s ex-wife and she is far more comfortable with his HIV status than many of his other girlfriends. However, their marriage eventually disintegrates due to Mark's habit of shutting her out and his inability to give Ruth a child. They split and she strays with Mark's cousin, Conor Flaherty (Seán Gleeson). Her betrayal deeply hurts Mark but it also gives her the chance to be a mother as she becomes pregnant with Conor's child.
Storylines
Ruth, who is from
They soon start to argue because Ruth although she tells Mark she is happy about not having children, this is not true. They visit a counsellor who tells them their options, and they decide to be
Ruth spends much time partying, clubbing, and enjoying her freedom. Her wild behaviour attracts barman
Creation and development
Ruth was introduced in 1994 by Series Producer Barbara Emile as a former love-interest for Mark Fowler (Todd Carty), who was HIV positive in the serial. Her storyline focused upon the marriage of the couple, and in particular the difficulties that they faced due to Mark's HIV status (Ruth was HIV negative).[6]
In 1998, executive producer Matthew Robinson axed a large number of characters from EastEnders, among them Ruth Fowler. An EastEnders spokeswoman said, "In any long-running drama there are going to be changes from time to time. We have some powerful storylines coming up this autumn, and some characters will not have a role in them."[7]
Ruth's exit storyline surrounded the break-up of her marriage to Mark Fowler (Todd Carty).[8] In the storyline, Ruth had an affair with Mark's cousin Conor Flaherty (Sean Gleeson), which left her pregnant.[9] The character departed in February 1999 to be a single mother, with Paterson saying she was relieved to be leaving. At the time she commented, "I was doing EastEnders and being a mother. It felt like I wasn't fully there for either, which was awful."[10] Paterson has since claimed it was her decision to quit the soap and that producers wanted her to sign another two-year contract when her son was born in 1998 but she declined and would only sign one.[6][11] In 1999 she added, "EastEnders wasn't just about acting in a soap opera. You had to deal with the media and your social life was non-existent because you were so busy. I left because of my son. He made me realise the type of life I was leading. I felt guilty about leaving Louis after three months to go back to work."[12]
Reception
In 1998, EastEnders featured a storyline where several of its characters visited France as part of a World Cup storyline. In the storyline, the character Pat Evans (Pam St Clement) was dressed in clothing with "Scotland" printed on it, to signify her support of the Scottish football team's participation in the tournament. An EastEnders spokeswoman said, "Pam is not Scottish but thinks she is descended from the Scots. She asked to wear the Scotland top and will be supporting Scotland." However, the use of Pat, a cockney character, as the Scottish supporter in this storyline instead of Ruth, whose actress is Scottish, provoked criticism from the media and the Tartan Army (a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team).[13]
Rick Fulton of the Daily Record was critical of the character. He stated, "Unfortunately, because she's a Scottish actress in a prime-time soap, no one likes or cares about Ruth. She's a moaning pinched-faced bore whose voice can grate the neighbour's cheese. [...] She is the one character in British soap who is annoying for all the wrong reasons. She is no Mrs Mangel [from Neighbours] or Mrs Mack [from Take the High Road], characters we love to hate. We just hate Ruth." He suggested that Ruth had very few "strong" storylines. He called for the character to be killed off so that she would not return again and stated that like viewers, Ruth's husband Mark "deserves a break, a nicer woman who doesn't make us Scots sound like moaning minnies."[9]
Actress Caroline Paterson was also critical of her character upon leaving, denouncing her as dreary and saying "Good riddance, Ruth."[12]
References
- ^ "Ruth Fowler character profile (see Arrival)", BBC. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
- ^ "EastEnders THU 28-JUL-94 episode description", Walford.net. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
- ^ "EastEnders THU 20-APR-95 episode description", Walford.net. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
- ^ "EastEnders TUE 03-FEB-98 episode description", Walford.net. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
- ^ "EastEnders THU 11-FEB-99 episode description", Walford.net. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
- ^ a b "MY ESCAPE FROM A DRUGS HELL". The Mirror. 22 March 2003. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- The Birmingham Post. 27 June 1998. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ "Musical Martine aims for the top". Daily Record. 9 January 1999. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ a b "Final fling for whining Ruth". Daily Record. 17 October 1998. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ "I can't wait to lay Ruth to rest; THE LUCKY SUIT". Daily Record. 28 November 1998. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ "Family means it all to me". The Mirror. 14 March 2003. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ a b "I'm glad Ruth has come to an Ender". Daily Record. 7 May 1999. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ "PAMMED OFF; Tartan Army mock EastEnders stunt". Daily Record. 3 June 1998. Retrieved 30 January 2011.