Ted Hills
Encyclopedia
Ted Hills is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Brian Croucher
. He was introduced in 1995 as the patriarch of the Hills family, who were the extended family of established character Kathy Beale. Ted was axed in 1997.
and came from an impoverished family headed by an alcoholic father. He was protective towards his family, in particular his younger sister Kathy, so when she started dating a local named Pete Beale
c.1965, Ted initially took a dislike to him. Pete seemingly won Ted's blessing and for a while Ted worked with Pete on his market stall. One day Ted asked Pete if he could store some of his stuff in his lock-up over night. Pete agreed and that night the police came and found stolen goods in the lock-up. Pete was arrested but would not implicate Ted and came close to being imprisoned as a result. Pete's best friend Den Watts
believed Ted had planted the stolen goods on purpose to get Pete in trouble. Den threatened Ted's life so Ted fled from Walford.
Ted married Irene Carter
and they had two children, Tony
in 1976 and Sarah
in 1980. Irene was discontent in marriage and she left Ted and her children. Ted's building company got into trouble because of a health and safety "accident" and he was fined for negligence when an employee died of injuries while working for Ted. In actuality, the boy's death was not an accident; Ted's friend Jimmy had killed him when he tried to warn the boy away from sexually harassing 14 year-old Sarah. Jimmy hit the boy and he fell from scaffolding and died. Ted covered for Jimmy because in the past, Jimmy had taken the blame for a crime Ted committed and had served a prison sentence. Ted's family started to get victimized by the dead boy's family and were forced to leave their area of residence in 1995.
, who still blames him for almost ruining her brother's life. Baker, the father of the boy Jimmy killed, follows Ted to Walford and makes threats towards his family. Kathy's husband Phil Mitchell
intervenes and informs Baker that Ted is not responsible for the boy's murder as he suspects; Jimmy is. Jimmy was beaten ny the Bakers and decides to flee Walford so Ted and his family will be safe. Ted purchases a shop on Bridge Street and names it 'Hills' Hardware'; he attempts to get Tony involved, but Tony is largely uninterested.
Ted is strict and overprotective of his family and has a bad temper which gets him into trouble. He struggles when he finds out that his son Tony is bisexual
and nearly disowns him, losing many friends in the Square as a result. When his daughter Sarah runs away, he beats Robbie Jackson
and puts him in hospital, suspecting that he has rape
d Sarah. In fact, Sarah had propositioned Robbie and fled Walford
in shame after they had sex. Ted's behaviour frequently alienates his children and is his main source of conflict in Walford.
By 1997, Ted's business was floundering; he runs up huge debts and has to close the shop. When he is offered a job on a building project in Dubai
, he accepts, leaving Walford and his children who refuse to go with him. He later moves to South Africa
, and is joined there by Kathy in 1998 until her death from a road accident in 2006.
in 1994. Croucher was short-listed to play Roy, a love interest for Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement), but the show ultimately decided they did not want to use him for Roy and instead cast him as Ted Hills, the older brother of original character Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth
). Ted was the patriarch of a family of three introduced in 1995. In his storyline, Ted moved back to Walford, the area he was born and raised in, with his son Tony Hills
(Mark Homer
) and daughter Sarah Hills
(Daniela Denby-Ashe
).
In 1997, Brian Croucher was axed from the show. It was reported that his character Ted would "go out with a bang". A source said, "Brian was near the end of his contract and it was an opportunity to create a classic EastEnders moment."
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...
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...
, played by Brian Croucher
Brian Croucher
Brian Croucher is an English actor and director perhaps best known for his role as Ted Hills, which he played from 1995 to 1997, in the soap opera EastEnders....
. He was introduced in 1995 as the patriarch of the Hills family, who were the extended family of established character Kathy Beale. Ted was axed in 1997.
Backstory
Ted grew up in WalfordWalford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
and came from an impoverished family headed by an alcoholic father. He was protective towards his family, in particular his younger sister Kathy, so when she started dating a local named 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...
c.1965, Ted initially took a dislike to him. Pete seemingly won Ted's blessing and for a while Ted worked with Pete on his market stall. One day Ted asked Pete if he could store some of his stuff in his lock-up over night. Pete agreed and that night the police came and found stolen goods in the lock-up. Pete was arrested but would not implicate Ted and came close to being imprisoned as a result. Pete's best friend Den Watts
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"....
believed Ted had planted the stolen goods on purpose to get Pete in trouble. Den threatened Ted's life so Ted fled from Walford.
Ted married Irene Carter
Irene Raymond
Irene Constance Ethel Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Roberta Taylor. Introduced in 1997 as the matriarch of the Hills family, Irene remained in the serial until 2000, when the actress opted to leave...
and they had two children, Tony
Tony Hills
Tony Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mark Homer.-Storylines:Tony arrives in Walford from Norfolk on 7 September 1995 with his sister, Sarah Hills . He is unsympathetic and sells ecstasy with a friend, Dan Zappieri . Eventually, he quits dealing after Dan...
in 1976 and Sarah
Sarah Hills
Sarah Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Daniela Denby-Ashe.-Storylines:Sarah was rather troublesome when she arrived on Albert Square, shoplifting from various market stalls. This was noticed by Alistair Matthews, a shop manager and religious cult leader...
in 1980. Irene was discontent in marriage and she left Ted and her children. Ted's building company got into trouble because of a health and safety "accident" and he was fined for negligence when an employee died of injuries while working for Ted. In actuality, the boy's death was not an accident; Ted's friend Jimmy had killed him when he tried to warn the boy away from sexually harassing 14 year-old Sarah. Jimmy hit the boy and he fell from scaffolding and died. Ted covered for Jimmy because in the past, Jimmy had taken the blame for a crime Ted committed and had served a prison sentence. Ted's family started to get victimized by the dead boy's family and were forced to leave their area of residence in 1995.
1995-1997
After 30 years away, Ted returns to Walford in 1995 with his children after hearing of Den (believed dead at the time) and Pete's deaths. His return is not welcomed by Pete's sister, Pauline FowlerPauline Fowler
Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional London borough of Walford. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between 1985 and 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland and producer...
, who still blames him for almost ruining her brother's life. Baker, the father of the boy Jimmy killed, follows Ted to Walford and makes threats towards his family. Kathy's husband Phil Mitchell
Phil Mitchell
Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy...
intervenes and informs Baker that Ted is not responsible for the boy's murder as he suspects; Jimmy is. Jimmy was beaten ny the Bakers and decides to flee Walford so Ted and his family will be safe. Ted purchases a shop on Bridge Street and names it 'Hills' Hardware'; he attempts to get Tony involved, but Tony is largely uninterested.
Ted is strict and overprotective of his family and has a bad temper which gets him into trouble. He struggles when he finds out that his son Tony is bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
and nearly disowns him, losing many friends in the Square as a result. When his daughter Sarah runs away, he beats Robbie Jackson
Robbie Jackson
Robert "Robbie" Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Dean Gaffney from 1993 to 2003. The character was axed in 2003 by executive producer Louise Berridge. He made brief returns in 2004 and 2010 for two family weddings.-Backstory:Robbie was the product of a...
and puts him in hospital, suspecting that he has rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d Sarah. In fact, Sarah had propositioned Robbie and fled Walford
Walford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
in shame after they had sex. Ted's behaviour frequently alienates his children and is his main source of conflict in Walford.
By 1997, Ted's business was floundering; he runs up huge debts and has to close the shop. When he is offered a job on a building project in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, he accepts, leaving Walford and his children who refuse to go with him. He later moves to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and is joined there by Kathy in 1998 until her death from a road accident in 2006.
Creation and development
Brian Croucher was selected to play Ted Hills after auditioning for the part of Roy EvansRoy Evans (EastEnders)
Roy Edmund Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tony Caunter. Introduced by Series Producer Barbara Emile in 1994, Roy was scripted as a love interest for Pat Butcher...
in 1994. Croucher was short-listed to play Roy, a love interest for Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement), but the show ultimately decided they did not want to use him for Roy and instead cast him as Ted Hills, the older brother of original character Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth
Gillian Taylforth
Gillian Taylforth is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Kathy Mitchell on the BBC soap opera, EastEnders and as Jackie Pascoe-Webb on ITV's Footballers Wives , but more recently as Sgt. Nikki Wright in ITV's The Bill...
). Ted was the patriarch of a family of three introduced in 1995. In his storyline, Ted moved back to Walford, the area he was born and raised in, with his son Tony Hills
Tony Hills
Tony Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mark Homer.-Storylines:Tony arrives in Walford from Norfolk on 7 September 1995 with his sister, Sarah Hills . He is unsympathetic and sells ecstasy with a friend, Dan Zappieri . Eventually, he quits dealing after Dan...
(Mark Homer
Mark Homer
Mark Homer is a British actor of stage, television and film. He is best known for playing Tony Hills in the popular British soap opera EastEnders from 1995 to 1999. His subsequent work includes guest appearances in Silent Witness and Spine Chillers, both also for the BBC...
) and daughter Sarah Hills
Sarah Hills
Sarah Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Daniela Denby-Ashe.-Storylines:Sarah was rather troublesome when she arrived on Albert Square, shoplifting from various market stalls. This was noticed by Alistair Matthews, a shop manager and religious cult leader...
(Daniela Denby-Ashe
Daniela Denby-Ashe
Daniela Denby-Ashe is an English actress, best known for playing the character Janey Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life:...
).
In 1997, Brian Croucher was axed from the show. It was reported that his character Ted would "go out with a bang". A source said, "Brian was near the end of his contract and it was an opportunity to create a classic EastEnders moment."