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EastEnders character
Charlie Slater
Portrayed by	Derek Martin Jason McGregor (flashback)
Created by	Tony Jordan
Introduced by	John Yorke
Duration	2000—
First appearance	4 September 2000
Classification	Present; regular
Profile
Date of birth	13 May 1941
Home	23 Albert Square
Occupation	Taxi driver
Family Wife Viv Harris (1968–1999) Father Frederick Slater Mother Mary Slater Brothers Harry Slater Sisters Violet Slater Daughters Lynne Hobbs Kat Moon Little Mo Mitchell Belinda Peacock Grandsons Freddie Mitchell Granddaughters Zoe Slater Vivienne Hobbs Nephews Brian Slater Nieces Zoe Slater Great nephews Sean Slater Great nieces Stacey Slater

Charles "Charlie" Slater is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Derek Martin, making his first appearance on 4 September 2000. He is played by Jason McGregor in flashbacks broadcast in 2001.

[edit] Storylines

Charlie, a widower, arrives in Walford in September 2000 with his mother-in-law Mo Harris, daughters Lynne, Kat, Little Mo and his granddaughter Zoe as well as Lynne's boyfriend Garry Hobbs. Their arrival causes problems for the residents of Albert Square as their moving van blocks the road, meaning Ethel Skinner's hearse is unable to get into the Square. A cab driver, Charlie is shown to be a quiet, easygoing man who is wrapped round his daughters' fingers. Fiercely protective, Charlie will do anything for them. However all of his daughters have their problems.

First comes the revelation that Kat is Zoe's mother. Kat got pregnant with Zoe at 13 and Viv decided she and Charlie should raise Zoe. However, Charlie is unaware of the circumstances that led to Kat's pregnancy and is devastated to discover Zoe's biological father is his younger brother, Harry, who subjected Kat to sexual abuse. As a result, Zoe runs away, leaving the family worried sick. When she returns, the family discover that she has been living with an old school friend Kelly Taylor in a brothel, where they worked as prostitutes. Soon after, Kelly arrives in Walford and Charlie agrees that she can stay with the Slaters.

Little Mo, normally a timid and shy young woman, assaults her husband Trevor Morgan with an iron. It is revealed to the devastated family that Trevor has subjected Mo to domestic abuse for years, but worse comes when Little Mo is found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to eight years inprisonment. Charlie and the rest of the family appeal and a retrial is ordered. Mo is found not guilty and freed.

Two years later Little Mo, now happily married to Billy Mitchell, is raped in the The Queen Victoria public house by Graham Foster, a darts-playing friend of Charlie's. When Charlie discovers the truth, he violently attacks Graham in the back of his taxi after giving him a lift. Charlie is arrested and remanded in custody for GBH, to which he pleads guilty, but pleads not guilty when Graham sues him for compensation. Charlie's cab license is revoked, but is later restored.

Little Mo discovers she is expecting Graham's baby. Her family advise her to have an abortion, but she refuses and leaves Walford. Lynne, now married to Garry, is expecting a baby, a girl they name Vivienne after Lynne's mother. However a fairground ride collapses on Lynne and she suffers a placental abruption, meaning she needs an emergency Caesarean section. Vivienne dies and Lynne is only saved by a hysterectomy. Devastated, she leaves Walford.

Kat leaves Walford when her marriage to Alfie Moon deteriorates. With his family crumbling around him, Charlie is shocked when his great-niece Stacey Slater arrives after being thrown out by her mother Jean. Charlie becomes a father figure to Stacey, helping her curb her rebellious and wayward attitude. At the same time, he comforts Zoe after she has an abortion.

After Stacey takes a drugs overdose, Charlie begins feeling helpless as he sees her life take a downward spiral. At the insistence of Mo and Jean, Charlie puts an advertisement in a lonely hearts column and becomes a member of an internet dating website. He subsequently meets and falls for Brenda Boyle, a Salvation Army member from Clacton. Charlie and Brenda form a relationship, but their romance begins to fizzle out. At the insistence of his friend Patrick Trueman, Charlie tries to take his relationship with Brenda to the next level but to no avail. After not seeing Brenda for several weeks, she tells Charlie she wants to end their relationship. Mo confronts Brenda, who reveals she is moving with her brother to Madeira in Spain. Mo tells Charlie and he and Brenda decide to spend one final day together. Charlie is adamant he will visit Brenda, but fails to take her hints that she wants him to come with her. As Brenda leaves on a bus, Charlie stops her. At a farewell meal, Charlie gets approval from Stacey and Mo to go to Madeira with Brenda. He returns not long after with a Russian woman named Orlenda. Mo is suspicious of her and follows her around. On seeing her with another man, Mo takes a photo to show Charlie. Charlie confronts Orlenda who admits that she was using Charlie for his money and he asks her to leave. She pays back the money and leaves Walford with the man Mo saw her with.

[edit] In popular culture

Charlie Slater, spoofed in 2DTV.

The character of Charlie Slater has been spoofed in the cartoon sketch show 2DTV. Also, when Derek Martin appeared as a guest star on the third series of Little Britain, he played himself and was constantly referred to by the character of Marjorie Dawes as "Charlie Slater".

[edit] External links

• Charlie Slater at BBC Online