Lou Beale was the first EastEnders character to be created by series co-creator Tony Holland, taking the inspiration for some of the series' earliest characters from his own London family and background.
•
The creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith, had always intended the programme to be primarily based around a large family "in old East-end tradition".
Mark Fowler was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith.
Naima Jeffery was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith.
Saeed Jeffery was one of the original twenty-three characters invented by the creators of EastEnders, Tony Holland and Julia Smith.
Tony Blair | Tony Bennett | Tony Award | Holland | Tony Curtis | Tony Scott | Tony Conrad | Tony Cragg | Tony Hawk | Tony | Later... with Jools Holland | Jools Holland | Tony Benn | Tony Kushner | Tony Danza | Tony Blackburn | Tony Rice | Tony Allen | Tony Robinson | New Holland | Tony Visconti | Tony Stewart | Tony Soprano | Tony Hawks | Tony Orlando | Tony O'Reilly | Tony La Russa | Tony Hawk's American Wasteland | Tony Allen (musician) | South Holland |
Her final contribution to EastEnders, along with that of fellow creator Tony Holland, came in early 1989, amid a dispute with BBC bosses as to whether the character of Den Watts (played by Leslie Grantham) could ever return to the show after being shot and supposedly killed.
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 coinciding with the exit of one of EastEnders most successful characters, Den Watts (Leslie Grantham).
The Watts family were one of the central families introduced to viewers when EastEnders began in 1985, created by the show’s co-creators Tony Holland and Julia Smith.
Naima was originally intended to be named Najma; named after one of Tony Holland's Bengali friends, the wife of Saeed (who was also the character name of Naima's on-screen husband).