EastEnders character
Roly
Portrayed by	Roly
Duration	1985–1993
Date of birth	1984
Date of Death	1993
Occupation	Pet
Owner(s)	Sharon, Grant

Roly was a fictional dog in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Roly was an apricot coloured Standard Poodle, who appeared in the first episode of the programme and remained in the show until 1993. Sharon Anne Rickman (née Hanley, previously Watts and Mitchell) was a fictional character in the popular BBC1 soap opera EastEnders. ... Grant Anthony Mitchell was a fictional character in the British soap opera EastEnders. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog is a mammal in the order Carnivora. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ... The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... EastEnders is a popular BBC television soap opera, first broadcast on BBC1 on 19 February 1985[2] and continuing today. ... Apricot is a color that attempts to represent the color of apricots. ... The Poodle is a breed of dog; specifically, it is a gundog noted for its ability in the water. ...

Casting

Roly was cast less than a week before the filming of EastEnders began. From the beginning it was decided that the occupants of The Queen Victoria pub, Den, Angie and Sharon Watts, were to have an Alsatian named Prince. However, finding an Alsatian that was light enough in colour not to merge into the background of the set proved to be difficult. Eventually, the co-creator/producer of the show, Julia Smith, was contacted by a company named Janimals, who specialised in providing and training animals for television and films. They had found a seven month-old Poodle, called Roly, who might still be young enough to be trained. Training was said to take three weeks, and as the Poodle was a similar size to an Alsatian, Roly got the part. Roly was made the property of the BBC, given an ID card, and taken to live with Julia Smith at her home in London. Roly and Willy the pug shared a dressing room at Elstree studios.^[1] The Queen Victoria (often referred to as The Vic or The Queen Vic) is the fictional Victorian public house in the popular BBC soap opera, EastEnders. ... Angie tells Den she has 6 months to live Dennis Den Watts was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. ... Angela Angie Watts, played by Anita Dobson, was a fictional character on the British soap opera EastEnders. ... Sharon Watts (now known as Sharon Rickman) is a character on the popular BBC1 soap opera EastEnders, played by Letitia Dean. ... The German Shepherd Dog or Alsatian(originating from Anti-German sentiment during WWI and WWII), is a breed of dog. ... Julia on the EastEnders set. ... Pug is also a common name for some smaller moths in the family Geometridae. ...

Storylines

Roly was given to Sharon Watts by her father, Den. Sharon's mother, Angie, did not like the dog much and once even accused him of deliberately causing her to trip and fall on the stairs.

Roly was involved in many storylines during his time in the show. He was often used by his owners as a silent sounding board, and was made privvy to all their secrets and woes. It was Roly who first alerted viewers to the fact that his owner, Den, had got the 16 year old schoolgirl, Michelle Fowler, pregnant in October 1985; one of the soaps most renowned 'whodunit' plots. After months of speculation, Michelle went to meet the father at a nearby canal, and Roly bounded out of the mystery man's car, showing the identity of the man, Den.^[2] Michelle Fowler (previously Holloway) was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... A whodunit or whodunnit (for Who done it? and sometimes referred to as a Golden Age Mystery novel) is a complex, plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is paramount. ...

Roly was a bit of a rogue from time to time. He trampled over Tom Clements' prize leeks, which led to Tom stealing Arthur Fowler's leeks and winning first prize in the London in Bloom competition. He also bit Alan McIntyre on the bottom after he tried to evict Ali and Sue Osman.^[2] Tom Clements was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Leek is a placename in more than one country: Netherlands: Leek, Netherlands United Kingdom: Leek, Staffordshire Leek is also a vegetable: Leek (vegetable) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Arthur George Fowler was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Alan McIntyre was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Ali Osman was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Sue Osman was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ...

Roly gave everyone a fright when he ate some rat poison that Debbie Wilkins had laid down in the First til Last grocery store. However, after being sick on the floor of James Willmott-Brown's new carpet at The Dagmar, he made a full recovery.^[2] A rat in urban environment Rat poisons are a category of pest control chemicals intended to kill rats. ... Debbie Wilkins was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... This is a list of buildings in the fictional London borough of Walford, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... James Willmott-Brown was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... This is a list of buildings in the fictional London borough of Walford, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ...

Roly was the first to find Pat Wicks in Albert Square gardens when she'd been savaged by the Walford ripper. Pat later demanded that he be kicked out of The Vic when the Butchers moved in in 1988. Roly then ran away but was found by Junior Roberts and returned to the Butchers. Fortunately for Roly, Diane and Ricky Butcher changed Pat's mind and Mo, who at first suggested they get a kennel for Roly, warmed to him so much that he went to live with her at her flat for a while.^[2] Patricia Pat Evans (née Harris; formerly Beale, Wicks, Butcher) is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Albert Square is the fictional location of the British soap opera Eastenders. ... Junior Roberts was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. ... Daughter of secondhand-car salesman, Frank, student Diane Butcher arrived in Albert Square in 1988 when her father married Pat Wicks and took over as landlord of the Queen Victoria pub. ... Richard Ricky Butcher was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Mo Butcher was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... The word kennel has several meanings in relation to dogs: A doghouse, run, or other small structure in which a dog is kept. ...

When Eddie Royle became the new landlord of The Vic in 1990, Roly lived with him and Sharon Watts, who lodged there as barmaid. It was whilst out walking Roly one evening that Eddie was stabbed and left to die in the middle of the Square. His body was only found after Roly began barking. Roly then lived with his original owner Sharon and her husband Grant.^[2] Eddie Royle was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... Grant Anthony Mitchell was a fictional character in the British soap opera EastEnders. ...

He had several brushes with death over the years. He was injured in a car accident caused by a drunk Pete Beale and was nearly burnt alive (along with Sharon) when Grant torched The Vic in an insurance scam. However, in October 1993, Roly's luck finally ran out when Sharon asked Grant to take Roly for a walk, but he paid Mandy Salter £10 to do it for him. A few hours later, Mandy returned to explain the circumstances of Roly's death to Grant and Sharon. According to Mandy, Roly slipped his lead to chase a cat and was run over by a lorry. Sharon was devastated. 14.8 million viewers tuned in to see Roly's last appearance on-screen.^[3] Peter Pete Beale was a fictional character played by Peter Dean on the popular British BBC1 soap opera EastEnders. ... Mandy Salter was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. ... For details of notes and coins, see British coinage and British banknotes. ...

Off-screen, the real Roly was getting too old to appear regularly on television so it was decided that he should retire to live with his owner, Julia Smith. On 2 August 1995, Roly died following an operation for breathing problems aggravated by the 1995 heatwave.^[4] August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of pets in EastEnders

The following is a list of pets from the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. ...

References

Julia on the EastEnders set. ... Tony Holland (born in London, England) is a television writer. ... This is a list of books about or relating to the British soap opera EastEnders. ... This is a list of books about or relating to the British soap opera EastEnders. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... Colin Brake (born 1963) is a television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programs such as Bugs and EastEnders. ... This is a list of books about or relating to the British soap opera EastEnders. ...

External links

• Pets in EastEnders
• Roly the poodle, EastEnders cast cards [1] [2]
• Roly's demise