Lou Beale

Lou Beale
EastEnders character
Anna Wing as Lou Beale
Portrayed byAnna Wing
Karen Meagher (flashback)
Duration1985–1988
First appearanceEpisode 1
"Poor Old Reg"
19 February 1985 (1985-02-19)
Last appearanceEpisode 362
26 July 1988 (1988-07-26)
ClassificationFormer; regular
Created byTony Holland
Introduced byJulia Smith
Book appearances
  • Home Fires Burning
  • Swings and Roundabouts
  • Good Intentions
  • The Flower of Albert Square
Spin-off
appearances
CivvyStreet (1988)

Lou as she appeared in CivvyStreet, played by Karen Meagher
In-universe information
Other namesLouise Ada Beale
OccupationHousewife
FamilyBeale
BrothersTerence
Sisters
  • Flo
  • Doris Miller
  • Liz
  • Elsie
  • Queenie
HusbandAlbert Beale (backstory)
Sons
Daughters
Grandsons
GranddaughtersMichelle Fowler
Elizabeth Beale
Other relativesVicki Fowler

Lou Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anna Wing. Her first appearance is in the first episode, which was broadcast on 19 February 1985, and her last is in episode 362, first shown on 26 July 1988, after which the character was killed off. The character is played by Karen Meagher in the 1988 EastEnders special, CivvyStreet, set during the Second World War. She appears in 232 episodes.[1]

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.

Lou is the archetypal East End matriarch throughout EastEnders' first three years. An intimidating force within the local community, she is the dowager of Albert Square's central family, the Beales and Fowlers. Never afraid to speak her mind, and woe betide anyone who manages to get on her wrong side, Lou has the respect of her friends and family, even if they do find her a bit of a nuisance at times.

  1. ^ Wyatt, Daisy (12 July 2013). "Anna Wing, famous as EastEnders' Lou Beale, dies aged 98". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2020.