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167-550: Sonia Fowler (also Jackson ) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Natalie Cassidy . Her first appearance was on 2 December 1993 and she departed on 2 February 2007. She returned briefly in 2010 along with other members of the Jackson family, and re-appeared in the soap from 8 to 18 February 2010 and again in January 2011. Sonia returned as
334-757: A blighted ovum . Sonia learns Reiss has been using Debbie's money to fund their IVF treatment. Against her sister Bianca's wishes, Sonia does not break up with Reiss, and they agree to continue using Debbie's money since Reiss has legal control of her finances. In July 2024, Sonia finds out she is pregnant again, but her joy is short-lived when Reiss reveals they are penniless due to Debbie's care expenses, but Debbie later dies. Unbeknownst to Sonia, Reiss had murdered her to avoid paying for her care home expenses. Reiss's money problems worsen but he hides this from Sonia. Debbie's parents Hugh (Michael Bertenshaw) and Brenda Collins ( Nichola McAuliffe ) arrive in Walford, and Brenda
501-640: A gastric band in Bulgaria , telling friends and family she is on a course. When she returns, she tries to confess to her class but collapses before she can do so. Sonia and Martin (now played by James Bye ) separate and Sonia starts to feel isolated and depressed. Sonia is supported by Tina but Sonia backs away when Tina goes to kiss her as Sonia is unsure of her feelings. Martin moves back to Walford and Rebecca (now played by Jasmine Armfield ) moves in with him, as she resents Sonia for leaving Martin. Martin believes he can repair his marriage, but Tina and Sonia share
668-598: A "classic problem family". Alan has been described as a good, reliable, hard-working father and well integrated into his community. Alan's main storyline during his initial four years in EastEnders surrounded his interracial marriage to Carol Jackson and being a paternal figure to Carol's children, three of whom were fathered by other men. Antony has revealed that his portrayal was partly based on his own life experiences, as he had grown up with siblings with different fathers to his own. Antony told author Larry Jaffee, "Alan
835-669: A B&B and is not in a good way. Ricky suggests getting Bianca out of the country but Sonia tells him she that Bianca has decided to give herself up. During a conversation with Carol, Sonia reveals she and Martin are no longer together and she and Rebecca are back living in London while Martin remains in Manchester. Carol is surprised but Sonia tells her the split occurred around the time of Billie's death and did not want to burden her with her problems. After Bianca hands herself in, Sonia leaves again. In January 2014, Carol informs Sonia, who
1002-722: A censorship apparatus for the inevitability of war. Due to the BBC's advancements in shortwave radio technology, the corporation could broadcast across the world during the Second World War. Within Europe, the BBC European Service would gather intelligence and information regarding the current events of the war in English. Regional BBC workers, based on their regional geo-political climate, would then further censor
1169-405: A common trait in media representations of gay and lesbian characters — by seducing a formerly heterosexual woman and convincing her to leave her family [...] not too surprisingly, Naomi and Sonia broke up. Afterward, Naomi faded into the background and Sonia ended up back with Martin, seeming to forget entirely about the same-sex attractions she once had [...] It was a sad but not unexpected ending to
1336-528: A date with him. However, Martin still has feelings for Stacey, which upsets Sonia. When Bex decides that she doesn't want to go to university, Sonia pressures Bex into applying to Oxbridge University , much to Bex's annoyance. Bex tells Sonia that she is feeling upset since her boyfriend Shakil Kazemi ( Shaheen Jafargholi ) was killed and that she isn't ready for university, and Sonia supports Bex's decision. Sonia and Dot care for Harold Legg ( Leonard Fenton ) when he becomes ill and he moves into No.25. A swastika
1503-509: A furious Martin moves out anyway. Pauline responds with ire, threatening to cut her son from her life. Sonia tries to build bridges with Pauline but an argument ends with Sonia slapping Pauline. When Pauline is found dead later that day, Sonia fears that she caused her death. She discovers that Rebecca witnessed the slap and tries to silence her daughter, but Rebecca tells Dot at Pauline's funeral. Appalled, Martin refuses Sonia access to Rebecca. Fearing imprisonment, Sonia abducts Rebecca and goes on
1670-466: A great time in EastEnders, but the future looks bright." In 2003, Antony told Jaffee that when he originally quit he intended to return, but decided against it on his agent's advice: "They said the character is incredibly popular, and we are going to bring you back. I said to myself at the time that I had only wanted to do three years, so having done four I thought it might be a good time to see what
1837-515: A kiss, which Martin sees. He tells everyone in The Queen Vic about Sonia and Tina, and Sonia ends their relationship. Martin sends Rebecca, who now wants to be called Bex, to live with Sonia so she can spend more time with her mother, whilst Sonia also repairs her relationship with Tina. Martin begins dating Stacey Slater ( Lacey Turner ), and Sonia also decides to move on by embarking on a full relationship with Tina. Sonia and Martin's divorce
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#17327935758202004-469: A larger brand: in 2003, BBC Choice was replaced by BBC Three , with programming for younger adults and shocking real-life documentaries, BBC News 24 became the BBC News Channel in 2008, and BBC Radio 7 became BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2011, with new programmes to supplement those broadcast on Radio 4. In 2008, another channel was launched, BBC Alba , a Scottish Gaelic service. During this decade,
2171-834: A new man, Dan Sullivan ( Craig Fairbrass ), but this ends after Dan has an affair with Bianca. Alan and Carol later reunite and live in Balham with Billie and Blossom. In February 2010, when Bianca's daughter Tiffany ( Maisie Smith ) visits Carol in Balham, it seems that she and Alan have split once again. When Sonia returns to Walford, it is suggested that Alan has a new partner and now lives in Forest Hill . Later in 2010, Alan comes to Walford to see Billie, not knowing that he has died, Carol avoids him and Bianca tells him before he leaves. He returns for Billie's funeral where Carol tries to kiss him but he pushes her away and reminds her that he
2338-607: A news and information service. In 1978, BBC staff went on strike just before the Christmas, thus blocking out the transmission of both channels and amalgamating all four radio stations into one. Since the deregulation of the UK television and radio market in the 1980s, the BBC has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster Channel 4 ), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services. In
2505-493: A number of additional channels and radio stations have been launched: Radio 5 was launched in 1990, as a sports and educational station, but was replaced in 1994, with BBC Radio 5 Live to become a live radio station, following the success of the Radio 4 service to cover the 1991 Gulf War . The new station would be a news and sport station. In 1997, BBC News 24 , a rolling news channel, launched on digital television services, and
2672-400: A period where Sonia was bullied by her friend Clare Bates ( Gemma Bissix ) after she fell in with the wrong crowd at school. Despite the bullying storyline, Cassidy said that she and Bissix were good friends during their time together on the soap. In 1997, the actress who played Sonia's mother Carol decided to quit EastEnders . It was at this stage that the producers made a decision to write
2839-517: A permanent character on 14 January 2014 , as part of a storyline that saw her mother Carol Jackson ( Lindsey Coulson ) develop breast cancer . Cassidy took maternity leave in 2016 and Sonia left on 20 September 2016 for her dream job in Kettering . Cassidy made two guest stints during her maternity leave, on 25 December 2016 via webcam and for a three episode arc from 14 to 18 April 2017. She returned full-time on 27 June 2017. On 29 December 2020, it
3006-459: A pivotal moment had the program's producers used the opportunity to prove either the quality of their relationship or to reinforce Sonia's parenting abilities. Unfortunately, they did neither of these things. Instead, Margaret's reaction was surprisingly representative of the public response to their relationship. Fans of the show were upset that anyone (let alone a lesbian) had come between Sonia and Martin. Naomi came off looking especially predatory —
3173-744: A proposal to cut 4,000 jobs, and to privatise parts of the BBC, disrupted much of the BBC's regular programming. In 2006, BBC HD launched as an experimental service and became official in December 2007. The channel broadcast HD simulcasts of programmes on BBC One , BBC Two , BBC Three and BBC Four as well as repeats of some older programmes in HD. In 2010, an HD simulcast of BBC One launched: BBC One HD . The channel uses HD versions of BBC One's schedule and uses upscaled versions of programmes not currently produced in HD. The BBC HD channel closed in March 2013 and
3340-462: A rare chance for the BBC to acknowledge lesbian sexuality in its programming and for viewers to witness a positive lesbian relationship that didn't ruin anybody's life [...] Sonia or Naomi [...] had the potential to develop a loving depiction of lesbian sexuality but were failed by the show's writers and, arguably, the BBC's institutionalized homophobia. In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The Daily Mirror placed Sonia 11th on their ranked list of
3507-522: A regular wage causes conflict between him and Carol. He gets a job working on Mark Fowler 's ( Todd Carty ) fruit and veg stall but neglects to inform the Job Centre that he is working, committing benefit fraud so market inspector Richard Cole ( Ian Reddington ) does it for him, so he loses his benefits. Alan also fixes cars for David Wicks ( Michael French ) but is fired following a series of thefts, which eventually turn out to be Robbie's doing. Alan
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#17327935758203674-500: A relationship with Jamie Mitchell ( Jack Ryder ) who is later killed on Christmas Day 2002. Sonia is better known for her problematic marriage with Bex’s father Martin Fowler ( James Alexandrou / James Bye ), which ends in 2006 when Sonia begins an affair with Naomi Julien ( Petra Letang ). The pair eventually reconcile for Bex, however Sonia develops a feud with Martin's mother Pauline Fowler ( Wendy Richard ) which ends when Pauline
3841-426: A second romance, which ends due to Sonia's lingering feelings for Martin. Sonia and Martin receive their divorce papers. However, both regret getting divorced and they reconcile. Pauline eventually finds out and tells Martin that she is dying from a brain tumour to stop him moving in with Sonia. Just as Pauline intends, Martin ends his relationship with Sonia in order to care for her, but when the truth finally comes out,
4008-555: A series of strikes; however, the BBC stated that the cuts were essential to move the organisation forward and concentrate on increasing the quality of programming. On 20 October 2010, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced that the television licence fee would be frozen at its current level until the end of the current charter in 2016. The same announcement revealed that the BBC would take on
4175-600: A stalker, Sarah Cairns ( Alison Pargeter ), who tries to ruin his marriage. This culminates in Sarah holding Sonia and Martin hostage and stabbing Martin, until Sonia knocks her unconscious. Sonia and Martin face further upset when they discover that their daughter's adoptive parents have died in a car crash. They visit Rebecca's (Jade Sharif) guardian, Margaret Wilson ( Janet Amsden ), hiding their true identity but when Margaret realises who they are, she asks them to leave. Pauline also interferes and visits Rebecca with Martin. Sonia
4342-580: A taxi and is about to leave Walford when she sees Martin and Rebecca obstructing the road; Martin has decided that he wants to go with Sonia. The Fowlers reunite and leave as a family. They remarry and spend time touring the USA before settling in Manchester. Bianca invites Sonia and Martin to her wedding to Ricky Butcher ( Sid Owen ) and Sonia attends alone. She rejects a phone call from Martin and gets very drunk. The following day, Sonia walks in on Dot slapping her granddaughter Dotty Cotton ( Molly Conlin ) across
4509-472: Is a valued member of the EastEnders cast and we wish her all the very best during her break from the show". Sonia departed on screen in February 2007, along with her former husband Martin, as his actor, James Alexandrou , also left the serial. Their departing storyline was the culmination of the death of Pauline Fowler , following actress Wendy Richard 's high-profile resignation from the serial in 2006. In
4676-536: Is brutally assaulted by his godfather Phil ( Steve McFadden ). Sonia helps him, nursing him through his injuries and they decide to marry but their happiness is short-lived as Martin accidentally hits Jamie with his vehicle. Sonia keeps a bedside vigil and is with Jamie when he dies. Sonia eventually forgives Martin and as they grow closer, they fall in love and eventually elope. Sonia begins nursing training and she and Martin live with Pauline but struggle to cope with her interference. Martin gets unwittingly involved with
4843-516: Is bullied by Madison Drake (Seraphina Beh), Alexandra D'Costa (Sydney Craven) and her former friend Louise Mitchell ( Tilly Keeper ). Bex breaks down and calls Sonia, prompting her to return, and she accuses Martin and Stacey of not looking after Bex. Sonia decides to take Bex with her along to Kettering and she meets with Bex's headteacher at Walford High in order to report Madison and Alexandra's actions, but Sonia decides not to mention Louise's involvement at Bex's request. When she realises that Bex
5010-440: Is charged with Debbie's murder and remanded in custody. Martin later reveals that Sonia has been moved into a mother and baby unit. Natalie Cassidy won the award for "Best Actress" for the role of Sonia, at the 2001 British Soap Awards . Additionally, in 2004, Cassidy was awarded "best dramatic performance by a young actor or actress" for the role. Referencing Sonia's foray into lesbianism in 2005, TV critic Grace Dent branded
5177-631: Is dismayed when she realises that it was a suicide attempt. She blames herself, and when Martin returns to Walford, Sonia is angry with him for being absent. She is forced to give him a false alibi when police question him about stolen vehicles and she convinces him to tell the truth. She forgives him but Martin's behaviour continues and he is injured during an attack so Sonia throws him out. She forgives him again and realises that she still has feelings for him. When Martin and Charlie "Tubbs" Savage (Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong) knock down George Watson (Jack Bennett), Sonia visits George in hospital to question him about
Sonia Fowler - Misplaced Pages Continue
5344-424: Is furious to be branded a thief and his anger towards David increases soon after when he sees Carol spending time with him. Alan accuses Carol of having an affair, unaware that David is actually Bianca's biological father. Upon discovering this, Alan becomes extremely jealous and is annoyed that Carol kept it from him, finding Bianca and David's father/daughter relationship hard to take. In 1996, Carol and Alan attend
5511-477: Is furious when she learns this and animosity in the Fowlers' home puts a strain on Martin and Sonia's relationship so she spends her time with a colleague, Naomi Julien ( Petra Letang ); feelings develop and they begin an affair. Martin is heartbroken when his marriage ends and the situation is complicated further by Rebecca, who, on Margaret's request, is spending more time at the Fowlers'. Margaret decides to make
5678-527: Is given the all-clear. Sonia supports Tina by looking after her ailing mother Sylvie Carter ( Linda Marlowe ) and ends up becoming her full-time carer. In September 2016, Sonia receives a lucrative job offer at a private hospital in Kettering and, having realised she no longer loves Tina, ends their relationship. Bex is initially furious and thinks that Sonia is abandoning her, but later calms down and she says an emotional farewell. During Sonia's absence, Bex
5845-501: Is graffitied on Dot's door which causes Dr Legg to fall into a panic attack. Sonia blames Dot's new lodger Stuart Highway ( Ricky Champ ) for the attack and threatens to report him to the police if he comes anywhere near No. 25. However Stuart is innocent and the perpetrators behind the attack are young youths. Sonia's niece Tiffany Butcher ( Maisie Smith ) is involved in a drug ring gang and Sonia discovers this when Tiffany's friend Bernadette Taylor (Clair Norris) informs her. Sonia and
6012-485: Is happy staying with Martin and Stacey, Sonia returns to Kettering. Later Sonia returns to Walford and lets herself into Dot's house, finding Dot on the floor after tripping. Sonia and Robbie, who has also returned, move in with Dot to help care for her. It is revealed that Sonia is hiding a secret from her time in Kettering as she no longer chooses to return there. Although Sonia wants Bex to move in with them, Bex chooses to stay with Martin and Stacey. Mr Waters (Andrew Bone),
6179-475: Is having complications with her pregnancy after a fall at the Tube Station in order to push him away from Linda, but Sonia encourages Janine to be honest with Mick, causing Janine to threaten her. Out of concern for Janine, Sonia calls her former brother-in-law (and Janine’s brother) Ricky back to Walford. In December 2022, Sonia receives a phone call from Charlie with the news that Dot has died. As Charlie
6346-470: Is having marital problems with Martin again, about her breast cancer diagnosis. Carol has the BRCA gene and Sonia finds out she has inherited it. Sonia kisses Tina Carter ( Luisa Bradshaw-White ), which Tina's girlfriend, Fiona "Tosh" Mackintosh ( Rebecca Scroggs ), finds out about, so Tina end her friendship with Sonia to protect her relationship. Sonia, who has started a weight loss class, arranges to have
6513-699: Is horrified when she overhears Sharon Watts ( Letitia Dean ) and Teddy Mitchell ( Roland Manookian ) discussing Reiss's use of Debbie's money for IVF treatment with Sonia. Brenda confronts Reiss and reveals to Sonia that she had put her own money into Debbie's account, so Reiss had stolen from her. Sonia clashes with her family and friends when they try to warn her about Reiss, and she decides to sell Dot's house, so that she and Reiss can leave Walford, but changes her mind. Sonia discovers that Reiss had tried to fleece Sharon and Phil with an investment scam, and does not have money to repay them. During their engagement party, Sonia and Reiss are arrested for Debbie's murder. Sonia
6680-549: Is ill, Sonia arranges Dot's funeral with the support of local residents and she contacts some of Dot's old friends who return to pay their respects at the funeral. She becomes close to Dot's relative, Reiss Colwell ( Jonny Freeman ) and they sleep together after the wake. Sonia discovers that she has inherited the majority of Dot’s estate, including her house, much to her disbelief and Dotty’s anger, which results in Dotty leaving Walford. Sonia spends Christmas Day with Janine, Ricky, and
6847-426: Is kidnapped in order to prevent him testifying in court, leaving Alan and Carol frantic with worry. Billie is returned safely but the Jackson family (bar Bianca and Robbie) are placed in a witness protection programme and leave Walford for their safety. However, terror that Billie will disappear again causes Alan to have a nervous breakdown, which leads to him and Carol splitting up again off-screen. Carol gets engaged to
Sonia Fowler - Misplaced Pages Continue
7014-478: Is later finalised and he marries Stacey, with Sonia giving her blessing. After Tina drunkenly humiliates Sonia at an awards ceremony and Sonia rejects her, Tina has sex with Sophie Dodd ( Poppy Rush ) and regrets it, but before she can tell Sonia, Sonia reveals she has found a lump in her breast. Sonia forgives Tina for the humiliation, but Sophie tells Sonia that Tina cheated and their relationship ends, but they soon reunite. After having her breast lump checked, Sonia
7181-411: Is led to believe that she has reunited with her father Terry, whom she never knew. However, this is revealed to be a lie as the man posing as her father is actually Tom "Rocky" Cotton ( Brian Conley ) intending to scam her. Sonia later enters into a relationship with Dot's great-nephew Reiss Colwell ( Jonny Freeman ) who she discovers is married, but they decide to try for a baby via IVF . Later, Sonia
7348-739: Is married. He attends Billie's wake with his wife and their son, Kai , and they leave afterwards with Blossom. 1994 was a historic year for EastEnders , as in April, a third weekly episode was introduced. Due to the programme's increased frequency, a number of new characters were introduced to the regular cast in the latter part of 1993 and early 1994. Among them were the Jackson family: mother Carol Jackson ( Lindsey Coulson ), her four children, Bianca ( Patsy Palmer ), Robbie ( Dean Gaffney ), Sonia ( Natalie Cassidy ), and Billie ( Devon Anderson ), as well as Carol's partner Alan Jackson ( Howard Antony ). Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in
7515-711: Is murdered. Sonia is originally arrested for her murder, but it transpires that Pauline's husband Joe Macer ( Ray Brooks ) is her killer. Since her return in 2014, Sonia's storyline has included divorcing Martin, coming out as bisexual , a cancer scare, an on-off feud with Martin’s wife Stacey Slater ( Lacey Turner ), relationships with Tina Carter ( Luisa Bradshaw-White ) and Bex's teacher Gethin Pryce ( Cerith Flinn ), supporting Bex through her attempted suicide, briefly reconciling with Martin and stealing money from Dot Branning ( June Brown ) to help pay off Martin's hit-and-run victim who had been blackmailing her. In 2021, Sonia
7682-500: Is obviously of paramount importance." Reith succeeded in building a high wall against an American-style free-for-all in radio in which the goal was to attract the largest audiences and thereby secure the greatest advertising revenue. There was no paid advertising on the BBC; all the revenue came from a tax on receiving sets. Highbrow audiences, however, greatly enjoyed it. At a time when American, Australian and Canadian stations were drawing huge audiences cheering for their local teams with
7849-666: Is pregnant and is convinced by Bianca's stepdaughter, Whitney Dean ( Shona McGarty ), to take a pregnancy test. Sonia is reluctant, as Reiss has stated he doesn't want children, but the test is negative. Reiss discovers the test and, believing he cannot be the father, assumes Sonia has been having an affair with Whitney's boyfriend, Zack Hudson ( James Farrar ). Reiss reveals he has a low sperm count and cannot have children naturally, having previously tried IVF with Debbie before her stroke. He then asks Sonia to have his child via IVF, and she agrees. Despite initial struggles to conceive, Sonia becomes pregnant but later discovers she has suffered
8016-495: Is quoted as saying "To be invited back to EastEnders is such an honour and I am very, very excited that Sonia is coming back. For me, to be reunited with the original Jacksons is a dream come true and I think it will be a fantastic storyline." A source told entertainment website Digital Spy : "Everything's being kept hush-hush about the Jacksons' return at the moment, but there are certainly a load of questions to be answered. Will
8183-461: Is quoted saying "There are those above me who make decisions for my character and they're not always ones I like. There were certain aspects of the Frankie story I didn't like. I was frustrated with Alan taking so much nonsense. I thought 'Why are you investing time in Frankie when the woman you've been with for nine years [Carol] wants you back? As an actor it was a difficult pill to swallow. I've had
8350-409: Is responsible for operational management and delivery of services within a framework set by the board, and is chaired by the director-general , currently Tim Davie , who is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief. The corporation has the following in-house divisions covering the BBC's output and operations: Alan Jackson (EastEnders) Alan Jackson is a fictional character from
8517-411: Is revealed. Dumped by Carol and Frankie, Alan becomes severely depressed and his attempts to reconcile with his wife are constantly rejected. Things alter after Robbie is beaten up by Ted Hills ( Brian Croucher ). Alan provides Carol with much-needed support and defends her family, which eventually leads to a reconciliation. In 1997, Billie is the only witness to an armed robbery at a building society. He
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#17327935758208684-457: Is the perfect opportunity for us to bring back the much-loved Jackson characters – Carol, Sonia, Robbie and Billie." In December 2010, it was announced Cassidy would return to EastEnders, as Sonia in order to facilitate a temporary storyline departure for co-star Palmer, who was due to take maternity leave. Sonia's one-off return was broadcast on 21 January 2011. Sonia returned permanently on 14 January 2014. In February 2016, Cassidy announced she
8851-588: Is unaware that Bex is infatuated with him. Bex and Gethin kiss and after Bex attempts to pursue him, he eventually confesses the truth to Sonia. Gethin subsequently resigns his job at the school and leaves Walford. In December 2017, Sonia discovers Kim Fox ( Tameka Empson ) having a miscarriage and supports her. Martin and Stacey's marriage is fractured when Stacey sleeps with Sonia's uncle Max Branning ( Jake Wood ). Stacey kicks Martin out and Sonia agrees for him to move into No. 25 with her and Bex. Sonia discovers that she may still be in love Martin and agrees to go on
9018-525: Is unaware that Reiss is also married to his wife Debbie Colwell (Jenny Meier) and he hides this from Sonia. Ironically Rocky overhears Reiss talking about his wife and also forces Reiss to admit this to Sonia. Sonia proceeds to evict Reiss and he reveals that his wife is in hospital after having a stroke that has left her unresponsive. Sonia follows Reiss to visit Debbie in hospital but Sonia cannot forgive Reiss for lying to her; she realises that she loves him and they reconcile. In August 2023, Sonia worries she
9185-447: Is unwilling to build bridges due to Terry’s abusive treatment of Carol when they were together and she sends him away. Rocky returns and decides to stay to establish a relationship with Sonia, and they eventually bond. Unknown to Sonia, Rocky's real name is Thomas Cotton, and he is working with his niece, Dotty Cotton ( Milly Zero ), to con Sonia who is in control of Dotty's inheritance since Sonia has power of attorney. Rocky later reveals
9352-694: Is wrongly charged with the murder of Reiss' wife Debbie (Jenny Meier) but she is unaware that the culprit is actually Reiss. 1994 was a "historic" year for EastEnders , as in April, a third weekly episode was introduced. Due to the programme's increased frequency, a number of new characters were introduced to the regular cast in the latter part of 1993 and early 1994. Among them were the Jackson family: mother Carol ( Lindsey Coulson ), her four children, Bianca ( Patsy Palmer ), Robbie ( Dean Gaffney ), Sonia ( Natalie Cassidy ), and Billie ( Devon Anderson ), as well as Carol's partner Alan Jackson ( Howard Antony ). Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in
9519-589: The Archbishops of Canterbury and York came to St Paul's to broadcast to the UK and the world on the National Day of Prayer. BBC employees during the war included George Orwell who spent two years with the broadcaster. During his role as prime minister during the war, Winston Churchill delivered 33 major wartime speeches by radio, all of which were carried by the BBC within the UK. On 18 June 1940, French general Charles de Gaulle , in exile in London as
9686-442: The BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Howard Antony . He originally appeared between 16 November 1993 and 16 October 1997, and returned on 12 October 2010 for three episodes. Kind-hearted Alan gives the Jackson family some much needed stability. He loves and cares for Carol's children as if they are his own. Their relationship does not go so smoothly however. Carol's stubborn and nagging nature eventually drives him into
9853-598: The BBC Television Service ) started from Alexandra Palace in November 1936, alternating between an improved Baird mechanical 240-line system and the all-electronic 405-line Marconi-EMI system which had been developed by an EMI research team led by Sir Isaac Shoenberg . The superiority of the electronic system saw the mechanical system dropped early the following year, with the Marconi-EMI system
10020-899: The MediaCityUK development in Salford , with BBC Three moving online only in 2016, the sharing of more programmes between stations and channels, sharing of radio news bulletins, more repeats in schedules, including the whole of BBC Two daytime and for some original programming to be reduced. BBC HD was closed on 26 March 2013, and replaced with an HD simulcast of BBC Two; however, flagship programmes, other channels and full funding for CBBC and CBeebies would be retained. Numerous BBC facilities have been sold off, including New Broadcasting House on Wilmslow Road in Manchester. Many major departments have been relocated to Broadcasting House in central London and MediaCityUK in Salford, particularly since
10187-581: The hit-and-run . Upon realising Sonia and Martin are in a relationship, George blackmails Sonia and threatens to report Martin to the police unless she gives him £10,000. Sonia steals the money from Dot's bank account. Sonia is guilty but Martin decides to take the blame. Dot throws him out and leaves Walford to live with her grandson Charlie Cotton ( Declan Bennett ) and his wife Liz (Michelle Connolly) in Ireland. In June 2020, Sonia decides she wants to get in touch with her birth father, Terry Cant. However,
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#173279357582010354-523: The 2025–26 season of the Women's Super League campaign. The BBC is a statutory corporation , independent from direct government intervention, with its activities being overseen from April 2017 by the BBC Board and regulated by Ofcom . The chairman is Samir Shah. The BBC is a state owned public broadcasting company and operates under a royal charter . The charter is the constitutional basis for
10521-467: The BBC announced a BBC News savings target of £80 million per year by 2022, involving about 520 staff reductions. The BBC's director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth said there would be further moves toward digital broadcasting, in part to attract back a youth audience, and more pooling of reporters to stop separate teams covering the same news. In 2020, the BBC reported a £119 million deficit because of delays to cost reduction plans, and
10688-542: The BBC employs over 21,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 17,200 are in public-sector broadcasting. The BBC was established under a royal charter , and operates under an agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport . Its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee which is charged to all British households, companies, and organisations using any type of equipment to receive or record live television broadcasts or to use
10855-515: The BBC has played a prominent role in British life and culture. It is sometimes informally referred to as the Beeb or Auntie . In 1923 it launched Radio Times (subtitled "The official organ of the BBC"), the first broadcast listings magazine; the 1988 Christmas edition sold 11 million copies, the biggest-selling edition of any British magazine in history. Britain's first live public broadcast
11022-585: The BBC is subject to an additional 'Agreement' between it and the Culture Secretary , and that its operating licence is to be set by Ofcom, an external regulatory body . It used to be that the Home Secretary be departmental to both Agreement as well as Licence, and regulatory duties fall to the BBC Trust , but the 2017 charter changed those 2007 arrangements. The charter, too, outlines
11189-771: The BBC released minutes of the board meeting which led to Greg Dyke's resignation. Unlike the other departments of the BBC, the BBC World Service was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office . The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, more commonly known as the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. A strike in 2005 by more than 11,000 BBC workers, over
11356-440: The BBC suddenly became the primary source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position. On the one hand Reith was acutely aware that the government might exercise its right to commandeer the BBC at any time as a mouthpiece of the government if the BBC were to step out of line, but on the other he was anxious to maintain public trust by appearing to be acting independently. The government
11523-480: The BBC was granted sufficient leeway to pursue the government's objectives largely in a manner of its own choosing. Supporters of the strike nicknamed the BBC the BFC for British Falsehood Company. Reith personally announced the end of the strike which he marked by reciting from Blake's " Jerusalem " signifying that England had been saved. While the BBC tends to characterise its coverage of the general strike by emphasising
11690-536: The BBC", was priced at tuppence (two pence ) on newsstands, and quickly sold out its run of a quarter of a million copies. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee. By now, the BBC, under Reith's leadership, had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified (monopoly) broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit
11857-464: The BBC's airwaves. In 1937, a MI5 security officer was given a permanent office within the organisation. This officer would examine the files of potential political subversives and mark the files of those deemed a security risk to the organisation, blacklisting them. This was often done on spurious grounds; even so, the practice would continue and expand during the years of the Cold War. There
12024-540: The BBC's censorship office, which surveilled and edited American coverage of British affairs. By 1940, across all BBC broadcasts, music by composers from enemy nations was censored. In total, 99 German, 38 Austrian and 38 Italian composers were censored. The BBC argued that like the Italian or German languages, listeners would be irritated by the inclusion of enemy composers. Any potential broadcasters said to have pacifist, communist or fascist ideologies were not allowed on
12191-516: The BBC's revenue comes from its commercial subsidiary BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide ), which sells BBC programmes and services internationally and also distributes the BBC's international 24-hour English-language news services BBC News , and from BBC.com, provided by BBC Global News Ltd. In 2009, the company was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of its international achievements in business. Since its formation in 1922,
12358-707: The BBC's streaming service, iPlayer . The fee is set by the British Government , agreed by Parliament , and is used to fund the BBC's radio, TV, and online services covering the nations and regions of the UK. Since 1 April 2014, it has also funded the BBC World Service (launched in 1932 as the BBC Empire Service), which broadcasts in 28 languages and provides comprehensive TV, radio, and online services in Arabic and Persian . Some of
12525-522: The BBC, and sets out the BBC's Object, Mission and Public Purposes. It emphasises public service , (limited) editorial independence , prohibits advertising on domestic services and proclaims the BBC is to "seek to avoid adverse impacts on competition which are not necessary for the effective fulfilment of the Mission and the promotion of the Public Purposes". The charter also sets out that
12692-568: The Brannings try to help Tiffany and promise to pay off the drug dealers that Tiffany and her friend Evie Steele (Sophia Capasso) owe money to, to stop Tiffany from running away. Tiffany discovers that Sonia is lying and attempts to leave, but Sonia stops her from leaving causing Tiffany to slap her. She locks Tiffany in Dot's from and finally releases her when she agrees to speak up about the drug ring. When Bex takes an overdose , Sonia finds her and
12859-586: The British government's asylum policy on social media. Lineker was suspended from his position on Match of the Day before being re-instated after receiving overwhelming support from his colleagues. The scandal was made worse due to the connections between BBC's chairman, Richard Sharp, and the Conservative Party. In April 2023, Richard Sharp resigned as chairman after a report found he did not disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest in his role in
13026-506: The CBBC Channel and CBeebies Channel. In addition to the television channels, new digital radio stations were created: 1Xtra , 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra . BBC 1Xtra was a sister station to Radio 1 and specialised in modern black music, BBC 6 Music specialised in alternative music genres and BBC7 specialised in archive, speech and children's programming. The following few years resulted in repositioning of some channels to conform to
13193-527: The Carters at The Queen Vic, and is shocked when Scarlett reveals that Janine had framed Linda for a car crash, and Jada Lennox (Kelsey Calladine-Smith) also reveals that Janine had paid her to plant wine bottles in Linda's bag and call social services to take her children. Janine decides to flee when Mick calls the police and she abandons Scarlett with Sonia and Ricky. After Mick is presumed dead from drowning in
13360-649: The Corporation's governance and regulatory arrangements as a statutory corporation, including the role and composition of the BBC Board. The current Charter began on 1 January 2017 and ends on 31 December 2027; the Agreement being coterminous. The BBC Board was formed in April 2017. It replaced the previous governing body, the BBC Trust, which itself had replaced the board of governors in 2007. The board sets
13527-473: The Fowlers' Rebecca's legal guardians but does not include Sonia when she finds out about her lesbian fling. Margaret dies and Martin takes custody of Rebecca and Pauline tries to stop Sonia having any contact with Rebecca. This makes Sonia distraught and preoccupied with Rebecca. Feeling neglected, Naomi ends their relationship. Sonia becomes depressed and begins to neglect her work and drink alcohol, until Gus helps her straighten her life out. Sonia and Gus begin
13694-660: The GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee. The committee recommended a short-term reorganisation of licence fees with improved enforcement in order to address the BBC's immediate financial distress, and an increased share of the licence revenue split between it and the GPO. This was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee to fund broadcasts. The BBC's broadcasting monopoly
13861-505: The Prime Minister, maintained the censorship of editorial opinions on public policy, but allowed the BBC to address matters of religious, political or industrial controversy. The resulting political "talk series", designed to inform England on political issues, were criticised by members of parliament, including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Sir Austen Chamberlain . Those who opposed these chats claimed that they silence
14028-501: The UK's first Independent local radio station, LBC came on-air in the London area. As a result of the Pilkington Committee report of 1962, in which the BBC was praised for the quality and range of its output, and ITV was very heavily criticised for not providing enough quality programming, the decision was taken to award the BBC a second television channel, BBC2 , in 1964, renaming the existing service BBC1 . BBC2 used
14195-593: The United States, the GPO proposed that it would issue a single broadcasting licence to a company jointly owned by a consortium of leading wireless receiver manufacturers, to be known as the British Broadcasting Company Ltd , which was formed on 18 October 1922. John Reith , a Scottish Calvinist , was appointed its general manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. L. Stanton Jefferies
14362-399: The actress's return: "I would love her to come back. I mean, she is family! I've told bosses that it's a good time, when you think about it, as the Jacksons are back now as well." On 25 October 2009 it was announced that Cassidy would return to the soap to reprise her role as Sonia, along with Coulson, Gaffney and Anderson. The characters would reunite with Bianca who returned in 2008. Cassidy
14529-627: The affair, but Frankie is hell-bent on destroying his marriage, and threatens to tell Carol unless he leaves her. When this does not work, Frankie plants lingerie in Alan's clothes and leaves her personal effects around his house. Carol inevitably discovers them and realises what has been occurring. She is furious and after an argument, Alan leaves and moves in with Frankie. The separation causes Carol to reignite her romance with David, infuriating Alan. Frankie soon gets bored of Alan and her history of chasing unobtainable men and losing interest once she has them
14696-629: The air and forced the British government finally to regulate radio services to permit nationally based advertising-financed services. In response, the BBC reorganised and renamed their radio channels. On 30 September 1967, the Light Programme was split into Radio 1 offering continuous "Popular" music and Radio 2 more "Easy Listening". The "Third" programme became Radio 3 offering classical music and cultural programming. The Home Service became Radio 4 offering news, and non-musical content such as quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays. As well as
14863-435: The arms of another woman. Alan was 20, single and a plumber when he met Carol Branning ( Lindsey Coulson ). He came to her council flat to unblock her sink and they started dating each other soon after. Carol had gone through a lifetime of struggle and heartache. In the past, the fathers of her three children, Bianca ( Patsy Palmer ), Robbie ( Dean Gaffney ) and Sonia ( Natalie Cassidy ), had all deserted her, but Alan
15030-423: The baby. Despite pleas from Rebecca's adoptive parents, it is Sonia's step-grandmother, Dot Cotton ( June Brown ), who persuades Sonia to return the baby. Sonia and Jamie get engaged, but due to Jamie's fling with Zoe Slater ( Michelle Ryan ) and constant rowing, the relationship ends. Sonia dates Gus Smith ( Mohammed George ), who plans to propose, but he is devastated when Sonia reconciles with Jamie after he
15197-588: The best EastEnders characters of all time. BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC ) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London , England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company , it evolved into its current state with its current name on New Year's Day 1927. The oldest and largest local and global broadcaster by stature and by number of employees,
15364-526: The big wide world had in store for me. I was worried about getting typecast as well. I'd saved enough money, so I didn't really need to go back." Actor Devon Anderson reprised his childhood role as Billie Jackson in 2010 but producer Bryan Kirkwood made the decision to kill Billie off that year and Alan was reintroduced for three episodes as part of the storyline in October that year. He attended Billie's funeral. According to author Stephen Bourne , Alan
15531-462: The broadcast of baseball, rugby and hockey, the BBC emphasised service for a national rather than a regional audience. Boat races were well covered along with tennis and horse racing, but the BBC was reluctant to spend its severely limited air time on long football or cricket games, regardless of their popularity. John Reith and the BBC, with support from the Crown , determined the universal needs of
15698-555: The ceremony, Alan is attacked by a drunken Derek, who has come simply to cause trouble. David intervenes and beats up Derek, making Alan and Carol grateful. However, cracks begin to show in their relationship. Money is a concern for Carol and her constant nagging about Alan's inability to provide drives him into the arms of another woman. Alan catches the eye of singer Frankie Pierre ( Syan Blake ), who does everything she can to seduce him. Despite Alan's initial protests, he soon succumbs and they have sex. Alan regrets it and tries to call off
15865-631: The challenge of better reflecting and representing a changing UK". Since 2017, the BBC has also funded the Local Democracy Reporting Service , with up to 165 journalists employed by independent news organisations to report on local democracy issues on a pooled basis. In 2016, the BBC Director General Tony Hall announced a savings target of £800 million per year by 2021, which is about 23% of annual licence fee revenue. Having to take on
16032-561: The character "the worst lesbian ever", adding, "The only lesbians with less lesbian tendencies than you are the women on the front cover of the Horny Triple-X Lesbian Specials which they keep at eye level by the sweets in my corner shop. Time to make a u-turn." Lesbian website AfterEllen.com was also critical of the storyline that saw Sonia experimenting with her sexuality and then returning to her heterosexual orientation shortly after. Sharon Hadrian writes: It
16199-469: The closure of BBC Television Centre in March 2013. On 16 February 2016, the BBC Three television service was discontinued and replaced by a digital outlet under the same name, targeting its young adult audience with web series and other content. Under the new royal charter instituted in 2017, the corporation must publish an annual report to Ofcom, outlining its plans and public service obligations for
16366-408: The corporation began to sell off a number of its operational divisions to private owners; BBC Broadcast was spun off as a separate company in 2002, and in 2005, it was sold off to Australian -based Macquarie Capital Alliance Group and Macquarie Group Limited and rebranded Red Bee Media . The BBC's IT , telephony and broadcast technology were brought together as BBC Technology Ltd in 2001, and
16533-561: The division was later sold to the German company Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS). SIS was subsequently acquired from Siemens by the French company Atos . Further divestments included BBC Books (sold to Random House in 2006); BBC Outside Broadcasts Ltd (sold in 2008 to Satellite Information Services ); Costumes and Wigs (stock sold in 2008 to Angels Costumes ); and BBC Magazines (sold to Immediate Media Company in 2011). After
16700-509: The face. Sonia confides in Carol about her marriage problems and Carol advises her to try to stay together for Rebecca's sake. After Ricky and Bianca's wedding, Sonia decides she must make a fresh start with Martin and leaves again. Sonia returns in January 2011, following Bianca's disappearance following her attack on Connor Stanley (Arinze Kene), who had also dating Whitney. She reveals to Ricky and Carol that Bianca has been hiding out with her at
16867-407: The facilitation of a loan to Prime Minister Boris Johnson . Dame Elan Closs Stephens was appointed as acting chairwoman on 27 June 2023, and she would lead the BBC board for a year or until a new permanent chair has been appointed. Samir Shah was subsequently appointed with effect from 4 March 2024. In October 2024 it was announced that the BBC along with Sky Sports signed a deal to broadcast
17034-470: The family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting of Albert Square . Their slow introduction was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period. The Jacksons have been described by EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake as
17201-447: The first fully electronic television system in the world to be used in regular broadcasting. The success of broadcasting provoked animosities between the BBC and well-established media such as theatres, concert halls and the recording industry. By 1929, the BBC complained that the agents of many comedians refused to sign contracts for broadcasting, because they feared it harmed the artist "by making his material stale" and that it "reduces
17368-429: The following year, BBC Choice was launched as the third general entertainment channel from the BBC. The BBC also purchased The Parliamentary Channel, which was renamed BBC Parliament . In 1999, BBC Knowledge launched as a multimedia channel, with services available on the newly launched BBC Text digital teletext service (later rebranded as BBC Red Button), and on BBC Online . The channel had an educational aim, which
17535-402: The forthcoming ending of the remaining £253 million funding towards pensioner licence fees would increase financial pressures. In January 2021, it was reported that former banker Richard Sharp would succeed David Clementi , as chairman, when he stepped down in February. In March 2023, the BBC was at the centre of a political row with football pundit Gary Lineker , after he criticised
17702-506: The four national channels, a series of local BBC radio stations were established in 1967, including Radio London . In 1969, the BBC Enterprises department was formed to exploit BBC brands and programmes for commercial spin-off products. In 1979, it became a wholly owned limited company, BBC Enterprises Ltd. In 1974, the BBC's teletext service, Ceefax , was introduced, created initially to provide subtitling, but developed into
17869-433: The frosty relationship between Carol and Bianca thaw? Are Sonia and Martin still together? And how will Robbie react when he learns of his beloved Wellard's death? Everyone's so pleased to have them back." The family returned for Bianca's second wedding to Ricky Butcher as part of the show's 25th anniversary. Executive producer Diederick Santer explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "The wedding
18036-578: The full cost of running the BBC World Service and the BBC Monitoring service from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and partially finance the Welsh broadcaster S4C . Further cuts were announced on 6 October 2011, so the BBC could reach a total reduction in their budget of 20%, following the licence fee freeze in October 2010, which included cutting staff by 2,000 and sending a further 1,000 to
18203-647: The government. Throughout the 1930s, political broadcasts had been closely monitored by the BBC. In 1935, the BBC censored the broadcasts of Oswald Mosley and Harry Pollitt . Mosley was a leader of the British Union of Fascists , and Pollitt a leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain . They had been contracted to provide a series of five broadcasts on their parties' politics. The BBC, in conjunction with The Foreign Office of Britain, first suspended this series and ultimately cancelled it without
18370-405: The higher resolution 625-line standard which had been standardised across Europe. BBC2 was broadcast in colour from 1 July 1967 and was joined by BBC1 and ITV on 15 November 1969. The 405-line VHF transmissions of BBC1 (and ITV) were continued for compatibility with older television receivers until 1985. Starting in 1964, a series of pirate radio stations (starting with Radio Caroline ) came on
18537-549: The late 1980s, the BBC began a process of divestment by spinning off and selling parts of its organisation. In 1988, it sold off the Hulton Press Library, a photographic archive which had been acquired from the Picture Post magazine by the BBC in 1957. The archive was sold to Brian Deutsch and is now owned by Getty Images . In 1987, the BBC decided to centralize its operations by the management team with
18704-686: The leader of the Free French, made a speech, broadcast by the BBC, urging the French people not to capitulate to the Nazis. In October 1940, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret made their first radio broadcast for the BBC's Children's Hour , addressing other children who had been evacuated from cities. In 1938, John Reith and the Government of the United Kingdom , specifically the Ministry of Information which had been set up for WWII, designed
18871-551: The legs, leading to Dot's arrest, though she is released without charge. Bianca notices Sonia has continuously avoided talking about Martin and Rebecca. Sonia visits Jamie's grave and later returns to The Queen Victoria pub, and drunkenly berates Phil, Jamie's godfather, about his treatment of Jamie. Phil says he considers Jamie to be one of his own children and tells Sonia to go upstairs to sober up. She misunderstands him and gets into his bed, naked. As Phil sees Sonia in bed, Shirley Carter ( Linda Henry ) walks in and slaps Phil across
19038-546: The loss-making consortium, and Reith was keen that the BBC be seen as a public service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 United Kingdom general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production, and with restrictions on news bulletins waived,
19205-420: The majority of the Jackson clan were written out of the serial to facilitate her desire to leave. This was only temporary however, and many of the Jacksons returned shortly after. Antony opted not to re-new his contract. At the time it was reported that he had grown disillusioned with the storylines his character had been given, in particular an affair Alan had with home-wrecker Frankie Pierre (Syan Blake). Antony
19372-461: The majority of the Jackson family out. Cassidy commented, "I thought I was out of a job [on EastEnders ] forever!". Cassidy made several temporary returns on-screen months later to visit Clare or Bianca, but she was still uncertain about the future of her character: "I didn't come back to the show for about four months or so after [ I was written out in 1997]. And after Clare left the Square [in 1998] I
19539-776: The material their broadcasts would cover. Nothing was to be added outside the preordained news items. For example, the BBC Polish Service was heavily censored due to fears of jeopardising relations with the Soviet Union . Controversial topics, i.e. the contested Polish and Soviet border, the deportation of Polish citizens, the arrests of Polish Home Army members and the Katyn massacre , were not included in Polish broadcasts. American radio broadcasts were broadcast across Europe on BBC channels. This material also passed through
19706-534: The modest, church-going elderly or a member of the Clergy . Until 1928, entertainers broadcasting on the BBC, both singers and "talkers" were expected to avoid biblical quotations, Clerical impersonations and references, references to drink or Prohibition in the United States , vulgar and doubtful matter and political allusions. The BBC excluded popular foreign music and musicians from its broadcasts, while promoting British alternatives. On 5 March 1928, Stanley Baldwin,
19873-450: The most inopportune time to turn Sonia into a lesbian, well, the show's writers did it anyway [...] Sonia's sudden lesbian affair was met with disapproval from all sides, and nobody — the fans, characters or even the actors — was particularly supportive of her relationship. As a result, perhaps, the writers wrote what was expected of them [...] there was hardly room in the script for any affection or sympathy at all; instead, their relationship
20040-413: The new corporation adopted the coat of arms , including the motto "Nation shall speak peace unto Nation". British radio audiences had little choice apart from the upscale programming of the BBC. Reith, an intensely moralistic executive, was in full charge. His goal was to broadcast "All that is best in every department of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement.... The preservation of a high moral tone
20207-477: The next year. In its 2017–18 report, released July 2017, the BBC announced plans to "re-invent" its output to better compete against commercial streaming services such as Netflix . These plans included increasing the diversity of its content on television and radio, a major increase in investments towards digital children's content, and plans to make larger investments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to "rise to
20374-413: The notice of the public. Less radical politicians faced similar censorship. In 1938, Winston Churchill proposed a series of talks regarding British domestic and foreign politics and affairs but was similarly censored. The censorship of political discourse by the BBC was a precursor to the total shutdown of political debate that manifested over the BBC's wartime airwaves. The Foreign Office maintained that
20541-559: The opinions of those in Parliament who are not nominated by Party Leaders or Party Whips, thus stifling independent, non-official views. In October 1932, the policemen of the Metropolitan Police Federation marched in protest at a proposed pay cut. Fearing dissent within the police force and public support for the movement, the BBC censored its coverage of the events, only broadcasting official statements from
20708-407: The people of Britain and broadcast content according to these perceived standards. Reith effectively censored anything that he felt would be harmful, directly or indirectly. While recounting his time with the BBC in 1935, Raymond Postgate claims that BBC broadcasters were made to submit a draft of their potential broadcast for approval. It was expected that they tailored their content to accommodate
20875-435: The positive impression created by its balanced coverage of the views of government and strikers, Seaton has characterised the episode as the invention of "modern propaganda in its British form". Reith argued that trust gained by 'authentic impartial news' could then be used. Impartial news was not necessarily an end in itself. The BBC did well out of the crisis, which cemented a national audience for its broadcasting, and it
21042-482: The post, with a note saying 'We regret, etc.'" In the 1930s music broadcasts also enjoyed great popularity, for example the friendly and wide-ranging BBC Theatre Organ broadcasts at St George's Hall , London by Reginald Foort , who held the official role of BBC Staff Theatre Organist from 1936 to 1938. Television broadcasting was suspended from 1 September 1939 to 7 June 1946, during the World War II , and it
21209-504: The pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office (GPO), was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests and moved to rescind its ban in the wake of a petition by 63 wireless societies with over 3,000 members. Anxious to avoid the same chaotic expansion experienced in
21376-466: The public should not be aware of their role in the censorship. From 1935 to 1939, the BBC also attempted to unite the British Empire's radio waves, sending staff to Egypt, Palestine , Newfoundland , Jamaica, India, Canada and South Africa. Reith personally visited South Africa, lobbying for state-run radio programmes which was accepted by South African Parliament in 1936. A similar programme
21543-423: The radio and television divisions joining forces together for the first time, the activities of the news and currents departments and coordinated jointly under the new directorate. During the 1990s, this process continued with the separation of certain operational arms of the corporation into autonomous but wholly owned subsidiaries , with the aim of generating additional revenue for programme-making. BBC Enterprises
21710-421: The return being broadcast on 27 June 2017. Sonia and her family move to Albert Square . She is the third of Carol Jackson 's ( Lindsey Coulson ) four children and the result of her mother's relationship with Terry Cant, whom Sonia never knew and who was violent towards Carol. During her childhood, she becomes close friends with Clare Tyler ( Gemma Bissix ) and the two are inseparable until Clare falls in with
21877-422: The run . Martin is frantic, but days later Sonia returns and she is arrested on a murder charge; however, that same night Dot uncovers the identity of Pauline's real murderer — Pauline's husband Joe Macer ( Ray Brooks ), who had argued with Pauline on Christmas Day and struck her over the head, causing her death. Sonia is released and decides to leave Walford for Manchester. After making peace with Martin, she takes
22044-443: The sales of OBs and costumes, the remainder of BBC Resources was reorganised as BBC Studios and Post Production , which continues today as a wholly owned subsidiary of the BBC. The 2004 Hutton Inquiry and the subsequent report raised questions about the BBC's journalistic standards and its impartiality. This led to resignations of senior management members at the time including the then Director General, Greg Dyke . In January 2007,
22211-471: The sea during a car chase with Janine and Linda, Janine returns and tries to manipulate Scarlett into retracting her statement but Ricky reports her to the police leading to her arrest. He soon returns to Germany with Scarlett, leaving Sonia alone. She decides to invite Reiss to live with her and they begin a relationship. Sonia discovers that Rocky is still married to his first wife, Jo Cotton ( Vicki Michelle ), and she forces Rocky to tell Kathy. However, Sonia
22378-419: The serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billie, the whole family took on Alan's surname. The family was created by writer Tony McHale . Various members of the family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting of Albert Square . Their slow introduction
22545-482: The serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billie, the whole family took on Alan's surname. The family was created by writer Tony McHale . None of the actors cast as the Jackson family were matched for appearance or screen compatibility. Cassidy has commented, "it was all decided without doing that. I don't think it particularly mattered that none of us Jackson kids looked like each other because all our characters had different dads!" Various members of
22712-419: The son of one of Sonia's former patients in Kettering arrives in Walford and accuses Sonia of fleecing his late mother out of her money. Sonia reveals that she had been nursing her and inherited everything in her will, but nobody believes her and Bex assumes that she has run away from Kettering. Bex's teacher Gethin Pryce ( Cerith Flinn ) defends Sonia and orders Mr Waters to leave. Sonia starts dating Gethin but
22879-455: The storyline, Pauline dies in suspicious circumstances and Sonia is blamed for killing her, although Sonia is eventually vindicated when Pauline's husband Joe Macer ( Ray Brooks ) admits to manslaughter. Sonia and Martin and their daughter Rebecca leave Walford as a united family for the United States. In 2010, Cassidy said one of the reasons she decided to leave the show was because of Sonia's affair with Naomi Julien ( Petra Letang ), saying it
23046-427: The strategy for the corporation, assesses the performance of the BBC's executive board in delivering the BBC's services, and appoints the director-general. Ofcom is responsible for the regulation of the BBC. The board consists of the following members: The executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the broadcaster. Consisting of senior managers of the BBC, the committee meets once per month and
23213-399: The subsequent COVID-19 lockdown means that she is busy at the hospital, which leaves Sonia stressed and exhausted. When Ian Beale ( Adam Woodyatt ) makes light of the pandemic, Sonia snaps at him and decides to visit her family abroad. During her 36th birthday, Sonia meets Tom "Rocky" Cotton ( Brian Conley ) who is impersonating her father, Terry. He tells her that he loved Carol but Sonia
23380-578: The truth and Sonia rejects him, although she forms a friendship with Rocky’s partner Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth ). Sonia allows Janine Butcher ( Charlie Brooks ) to live with her and supports her when Social Services investigate Janine as a mother to her daughter, Scarlett (Tabitha Byron). Janine is suspicious that her boyfriend Mick Carter ( Danny Dyer ) is cheating with his ex-wife Linda ( Kellie Bright ), and Sonia investigates Mick's behavior and initially assures Janine that Mick loves her until she sees him embrace Linda. Janine lies to Mick that she
23547-563: The value of the artist as a visible music-hall performer". On the other hand, the BBC was "keenly interested" in a cooperation with the recording companies who "in recent years ... have not been slow to make records of singers, orchestras, dance bands, etc. who have already proved their power to achieve popularity by wireless." Radio plays were so popular that the BBC had received 6,000 manuscripts by 1929, most of them written for stage and of little value for broadcasting: "Day in and day out, manuscripts come in, and nearly all go out again through
23714-412: The wedding of Carol's sister, April Branning ( Debbie Arnold ) to Nikos (Yorgos Glastras). Carol's father Jim Branning ( John Bardon ) and her brother, Derek ( Terence Beesley ) are opposed to their interracial relationship, constantly trying to provoke Alan into violence. Despite Carol's family's prejudices, Alan and Carol decide to marry, taking April's slot at the church after she is jilted. After
23881-563: The wrong crowd at school and starts bullying Sonia but they reconcile before Clare leaves in 1998. Sonia has sex with Martin Fowler ( James Alexandrou ) but starts dating Jamie Mitchell ( Jack Ryder ). Not knowing she is pregnant, Sonia goes into labour and gives birth to Martin's daughter. The baby, who is named Chloe , is subsequently given up for adoption and renamed Rebecca, despite protests from Martin's mother Pauline Fowler ( Wendy Richard ). However, Sonia becomes obsessed with her daughter and abducts her, locking herself in her house with
24048-519: The £700 million cost for free TV licences for the over-75 pensioners, and rapid inflation in drama and sport coverage costs, was given as the reason. Duplication of management and content spending would be reduced, and there would be a review of BBC News . In September 2019, the BBC launched the Trusted News Initiative to work with news and social media companies to combat disinformation about national elections. In 2020,
24215-505: Was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period. The Jacksons have been described by EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake as a "classic problem family". Cassidy was 10 years old when she joined the soap as Sonia. She was spotted doing improvisations at the Anna Scher Theatre School by Tony McHale and EastEnders' Casting Advisor Jane Deitch. They liked Cassidy and she
24382-442: Was a widely reported urban myth that, upon resumption of the BBC television service after the war, announcer Leslie Mitchell started by saying, "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted ..." In fact, the first person to appear when transmission resumed was Jasmine Bligh and the words said were "Good afternoon, everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh ... ?" The European Broadcasting Union
24549-499: Was adopted in Canada. Through collaboration with these state-run broadcasting centres, Reith left a legacy of cultural influence across the empire of Great Britain with his departure from the corporation in 1938. Experimental television broadcasts were started in 1929, using an electromechanical 30-line system developed by John Logie Baird . Limited regular broadcasts using this system began in 1932, and an expanded service (now named
24716-478: Was announced that Cassidy would take an extended break from the show, with Sonia set to leave the Square to return in spring 2021. She departed on 8 January and returned on 16 April. Sonia has been featured in storylines including affairs, feuds, bereavements, family problems, teenage pregnancy and a cancer scare. In 2000, Sonia discovers that she is pregnant at 15 and gives birth to a daughter, Bex Fowler ( Jasmine Armfield ), whom she puts up for adoption. She begins
24883-423: Was asked to audition at Elstree studios, after which she was offered the part. None of the actors cast as the Jackson family were matched for appearance or screen compatibility. Cassidy commented, "it was all decided without doing that. I don't think it particularly mattered that none of us Jackson kids looked like each other because all our characters had different dads!" Early on in the character's narrative, Sonia
25050-472: Was different and he stuck around, giving the family real stability. Soon he had added to her collection of children, fathering Billie ( Devon Anderson ) in 1988. Even though Alan and Carol were not married initially, the whole family took Alan's surname. They were later joined by Alan's grandmother, Blossom ( Mona Hammond ). When Alan arrives in Walford with his family, he is unemployed and although he does odd jobs for his neighbours, his inability to bring in
25217-519: Was divided on how to handle the BBC, but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PM's own. Although Winston Churchill in particular wanted to commandeer the BBC to use it "to the best possible advantage", Reith wrote that Stanley Baldwin 's government wanted to be able to say "that they did not commandeer [the BBC], but they know that they can trust us not to be really impartial". Thus
25384-406: Was expecting her second child, meaning she would be taking maternity leave. Cassidy confirmed the baby is due in "summer" 2016. It was expected that Cassidy would leave in spring 2016, with Sonia departing on-screen in summer 2016. Sonia departed on-screen on 20 September 2016. After returning for a short stint from 14 April 2017 to 18 April 2017, Cassidy returned to the role of Sonia permanently, with
25551-671: Was followed by the Government's acceptance of the recommendation made by the Crawford Committee (1925–26) that the British Broadcasting Company be replaced by a non-commercial, Crown-chartered organisation: the British Broadcasting Corporation. The British Broadcasting Corporation came into existence on 1 January 1927, and Reith – newly knighted – was appointed its first director general. To represent its purpose and (stated) values,
25718-479: Was formed on 12 February 1950, in Torquay with the BBC among the 23 founding broadcasting organisations. Competition to the BBC was introduced in 1955, with the commercial and independently operated television network of Independent Television (ITV) . However, the BBC monopoly on radio services would persist until 8 October 1973 when under the control of the newly renamed Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA),
25885-437: Was given a trumpet to play, which she did badly, infuriating her family and neighbours. According to Cassidy, this was on the behest of Storyliner and future Executive Producer of EastEnders , John Yorke . Cassidy revealed that she took lessons to play the trumpet, but that when she began to play well, she was asked by the producers to pretend to play it badly as Sonia was supposed to be playing it badly. Other storylines included
26052-401: Was gone for another eight months. I just got on with school and all that". However, later in 1998 the producers asked Cassidy to return to the serial full-time, which she said she was "thrilled" about. In April 2006, it was announced that Cassidy would take a break from EastEnders , saying "it's time to try new things. But it doesn't mean Sonia won't be back". A BBC spokesperson added, "Natalie
26219-509: Was its first director of music. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved domestic manufacturers. To this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to "inform, educate and entertain". The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate. Set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between
26386-596: Was left to BBC Radio broadcasters such as Reginald Foort to keep the nation's spirits up. The BBC moved most of its radio operations out of London, initially to Bristol , and then to Bedford . Concerts were broadcast from the Bedford Corn Exchange ; the Trinity Chapel in St Paul's Church, Bedford was the studio for the daily service from 1941 to 1945, and, in the darkest days of the war in 1941,
26553-543: Was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, as was the prohibition on advertising. To avoid competition with newspapers, Fleet Street persuaded the government to ban news bulletins before 7 pm and the BBC was required to source all news from external wire services. The Radio Times , the world's first and longest-running radio and television listings magazine, was launched by Reith in September 1923. The first edition, subtitled "The official organ of
26720-699: Was made from the factory of Marconi Company in Chelmsford in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mail ' s Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba . The Melba broadcast caught the people's imagination and marked a turning point in the British public's attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920,
26887-400: Was modified later on in its life to offer documentaries. In 2002, several television and radio channels were reorganised. BBC Knowledge was replaced by BBC Four and became the BBC's arts and documentaries channel. CBBC , which had been a programming strand as Children's BBC since 1985, was split into CBBC and CBeebies , for younger children, with both new services getting a digital channel:
27054-461: Was reorganised and relaunched in 1995, as BBC Worldwide Ltd. In 1998, BBC studios, outside broadcasts, post production, design, costumes and wigs were spun off into BBC Resources Ltd. The BBC Research & Development has played a major part in the development of broadcasting and recording techniques. The BBC was also responsible for the development of the NICAM stereo standard. In recent decades,
27221-479: Was replaced by BBC Two HD in the same month. On 18 October 2007, BBC Director General Mark Thompson announced a controversial plan to make major cuts and reduce the size of the BBC as an organisation. The plans included a reduction in posts of 2,500; including 1,800 redundancies, consolidating news operations, reducing programming output by 10% and selling off the flagship Television Centre building in London. These plans were fiercely opposed by unions, who threatened
27388-497: Was so family oriented, but I liked that a young black guy who was very responsible, mature - that was something that I was very comfortable with because it was something I grew up with to a point. To me, if you love someone you love everything about them. It's not 'I love you, but I don't love your kids'. It was something I was very glad to do. The whole black-and-white thing, I think we're at a stage now that people are more informed." In 1997, Lindsey Coulson quit her role as Carol, and
27555-583: Was the first time in over a decade that a lesbian couple had been depicted in the East London drama, lending cautious optimism to the idea that the BBC was finally integrating its traditionally heterosexual soaps [...] Lesbian fans, meanwhile, are struggling to care at all after being led on by the show's failed attempts at writing a decent lesbian story line [...] Despite their troubles, Martin and Sonia got married in 2004 and — given their past — many fans believe they are meant to be together. If this seems like
27722-414: Was written around its impact on Martin and the other Albert Square residents. The reaction of Rebecca's guardian, Margaret, was especially hurtful. When the [lesbian] relationship became public, she immediately sought to award sole custody of Rebecca to Martin, citing Sonia's sexual orientation as the reason she would be an unfit mother. This vitriolic response to Sonia and Naomi's relationship could have been
27889-412: Was wrong for the character. Despite Cassidy's departure being specified as a "break", Cassidy commented in 2008, "I feel that door's closed now and I need to go and do other stuff [...] Maybe in nine years I might go back." More recently, in 2009, press reports suggested that the actress was keen to reprise the role. Patsy Palmer , who returned to EastEnders as Sonia's sister Bianca, publicly called for
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