Slater family (EastEnders)

Slater family
EastEnders family
The original Slater family as they appeared in 2000
First appearance	Episode 1997 4 September 2000 (2000-09-04)
Created by	Tony Jordan John Yorke
Introduced by	John Yorke
Duration	2000−present
Spin-offs	Slaters in Detention (2003) Pat and Mo (2004) Kat & Alfie: Redwater (2016) EastEnders: The Podcast (2018)
Family members Charlie Slater Mo Harris Lynne Hobbs Kat Slater Little Mo Mitchell Zoe Slater Harry Slater Belinda Peacock Stacey Slater Freddie Slater Jean Slater Sean Slater Lily Slater Tommy Moon Bert Moon Ernie Moon Kyle Slater Arthur Fowler Alison Slater Dermott Dolan Hope Fowler Hayley Slater Bev Slater Cherry Slater Charli Slater

The Slater family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, that have appeared since Episode 1,997, first broadcast in September 2000. The family are introduced as a central family unit, originally consisting of father Charlie Slater (Derek Martin), grandmother Mo Harris (Laila Morse), Charlie's daughters, Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), Little Mo Morgan (Kacey Ainsworth) and Kat's teenage daughter Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan), and Lynne's partner Garry Hobbs (Ricky Groves). A fifth sister, Belinda Peacock (Leanne Lakey), was introduced one year later. The family were the eighth to be introduced in the soap's history, replacing the di Marco family who departed during the previous month. The Slaters were created by Tony Jordan and introduced by John Yorke. The Slater sisters were cast in an improvisation session. In their first years on the show, the family were involved in storylines about child sexual abuse and domestic violence.

Following multiple cast departures, three new cast members — Lacey Turner (Stacey Slater), Gillian Wright (Jean Slater) and Robert Kazinsky (Sean Slater) — joined the show as an extension of the family. Stacey and her mother, Jean were used to highlight the topic of bipolar disorder, working with the charity Mind. In 2010, Wallace reprised her role and Turner left the series. The following year, Kat featured in a controversial story which sees her newborn son swapped for a deceased baby. Turner returned in 2014 and the Slater family were later expanded. Riley Carter Millington, the first transgender actor to portray a transgender character in a British soap opera, was cast as Stacey's half-brother, Kyle Slater. Former Coronation Street actress, Denise Welch, appeared in one episode as Kyle's mother, Alison Slater.

The family became a focal point across New Year 2016 when Kat discovers that she has a secret son and Charlie is killed-off. The events are followed by a spin-off drama, Kat & Alfie: Redwater, focusing on Kat's search for her son in Ireland, who is revealed to be murderous Catholic priest, Dermott Dolan (Oisín Stack). 2016 also sees Stacey begin suffering from postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness associated with bipolar mothers. Prior to the storyline, the family were merged with the Fowler family following Stacey's pairing with Martin Fowler (James Bye). Following his reappointment, Yorke revived the Slater family by reintroducing Kat, Jean and Big Mo, and casting Katie Jarvis as new family member Hayley Slater. He also made the family a focal point across Christmas 2018 with a paternity reveal.^[1]

As of 2024, a total of ten blood Slaters appear on the program. Kat; her sons Tommy Moon, Bert Moon and Ernie Moon; Kat's cousin Stacey; her children Lily Slater, Arthur Fowler and Hope Fowler; Lily's daughter Charli Slater; and Little Mo's son Freddie Slater. There are others that marry into the family like Kat's husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and her ex-husband Alfie Moon (Shane Ritchie), Stacey's mother Jean and her wife Eve Unwin (Heather Peace), while Kat's grandmother and Charlie's mother-in-law, Mo Harris (Laila Morse), is also considered to be part of the family.