Nellie Ellis

Nellie Ellis
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Elizabeth Kelly
Duration	1993–1998, 2000
First appearance	Episode 928 23 December 1993 (1993-12-23)
Last appearance	Episode 2003 18 September 2000 (2000-09-18)
Classification	Former; regular
Introduced by	Leonard Lewis (1993) John Yorke (2000)
In-universe information Occupation Retired Family Beale Mother Nora Husband George Ellis First cousins Lou Beale Other relatives Pauline Fowler Pete Beale Ian Beale David Wicks Michelle Fowler Mark Fowler Martin Fowler

Nellie Ellis is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Elizabeth Kelly.^[1] Nellie is introduced as the interfering relative of Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) in 1993 and appears regularly until 1998. She makes a further appearance in 2000 for the funeral of Ethel Skinner (Gretchen Franklin). She moves in with the Fowlers in early 1994, and appears to be extremely annoying and interfering. However, she proves useful in getting Michelle Fowler's (Susan Tully) money back from Frank Butcher (Mike Reid), who had unwittingly sold Michelle a stolen Austin Metro, which was subsequently apprehended by the police.

Nellie decides to move out from the Fowlers' in November, and moves in with Jules Tavernier (Tommy Eytle), which proves awkward, as Jules suffers from lumbago due to sleeping on his sofa while Nellie has his bed. In early 1995, she is seen drinking with Ethel in The Queen Victoria public house. They do not see eye to eye, but seem to enjoy each other's company. During Ethel's 80th birthday party, Nellie is told she has a flat in the same sheltered accommodation as Ethel. They are both irritated by this, but Ethel later turns up to see her exit from the square, and holds her cat Mandoo on the way to the flats.

Nellie only returns to the square occasionally from then on, being mostly seen with Ethel. Nellie is frequently a discreet physical support for the older Ethel, especially in outdoor scenes. The duo's sparring continues, but it is clear that they are good friends, with Ethel defending her against Mark Fowler (Todd Carty) during an argument at Pauline's, caused by the distress of Arthur's (Bill Treacher) recent death.

She has an old rivalry reignited when Arthur's aunt attends his funeral in June 1996, and is present during Mark's HIV revelation the following month. By 1997, Ethel is seen much less frequently, so Nellie often appears alongside Dot Cotton, who initially seems to feel lumbered by Nellie's presence. They often talk about Ethel, and organise a party for her in The Queen Vic in 1998, only to be dumped by Ethel for a date with a toy boy. Nellie last appears in 2000, attending Ethel's funeral with Dr. Harold Legg (Leonard Fenton).