Ian Beale

Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) grew up in the Square surrounded by his family. He had an eye for business as soon as he hit his teens. Has been constantly let down in love and this has made him bitter and cynical.

Marriages Cindy Williams (deceased), Melanie Owen (divorced), Laura Dunn (deceased), Jane Collins

Children Lucy, Peter, Bobby

1985 Just 16, he learns boxing to combat his wimpy image and wins his one and only fight.

1986 Dates first proper girlfriend Sharon Watts, adopted daughter of the Queen Vic's Den and Angie.

1987 Takes a catering course at college and lands his first job, working part-time in Ali's café.

1988 Runs his own business hiring out a mobile disco with the Square's Barry Clark. Finishes his catering course and gets a full-time job at the cafe.

1989 Falls for the glamorous Cindy Williams and she gets pregnant. They marry in October and baby Steven is born in December.

1990 Cindy confesses that Ian's 'mate' Simon Wicks is Steven's real father. A distraught Ian ends up in intensive care after crashing his car in a rage. Recovers and threatens Cindy and Simon with a shotgun.

1991 Starts a catering business, The Meal Machine, employing teenager Hattie Tavernier.

1992 Sinks to an all-time low, kerb-crawling for prostitutes. Tracks down Cindy in a bedsit and convinces her to come back to him.

1993 Cindy falls pregnant and twins Peter and Lucy are born two months premature. Ian's dad, Pete, dies in a car crash.

1994 Ian starts a loan-shark business then sells it to open up a chip shop.

1996 Cindy has an affair with David Wicks and hires a hitman to kill Ian. Ian survives. Cindy flees to Europe with Steven and Peter, leaving Lucy behind.

1997 Hires private detective Ros Thorne to get his kids back and she finds Cindy in Italy.

1998 Cindy returns to Britain to fight for custody but is jailed for the attempted murder of Ian. She dies in prison. Ian raises Steven as his own.

1999 Has a whirlwind romance with Melanie Owen. She dumps him just minutes after their Millennium Eve wedding when she discovers that Ian lied that Lucy had cancer to ensure that Mel married him.

2000 Employs nanny Laura Dunn and they get together. Goes bankrupt.

2001 Laura raises the money to buy him back the chippy and they marry and make a fresh start with the kids.

2002 Argues a lot with Laura and visits prostitute Janine Butcher. Steven tells Laura about Janine then leaves to live with his biological father Simon Wicks in New Zealand. Ian has a secret vasectomy. Laura gets pregnant and Ian kicks her out, thinking Garry Hobbs is the dad.

2003 Baby Bobby is born. Laura secretly has a paternity test done and discovers that Ian is his father - the vasectomy failed.

2004 Laura falls to her death. Ian discovers in the aftermath that he's Bobby's dad and takes Bobby from Garry. Employs Jane Collins to work in the cafe and falls for her.

2005 Jane moves in. Tries to buy the Queen Vic, but his hated ex-stepdad Phil Mitchell gets in first.

2006 Mum Kathy Mitchell dies in South Africa and he brings half-brother Ben to Walford. Sets up a fake wedding to humiliate Jane after discovering she slept with Grant Mitchell, but they reunite. His Auntie Pauline Fowler dies.

2007 Moves into Pauline Fowler's house. Marries Jane. Discovers Lucy has been emailing someone who claims to be Cindy. Held hostage by deranged stepson Steven, who was pretending to be Cindy. Sees Jane shot when she comes to rescue him. Gets Steven help at a private clinic.

2008 Flattered by Clare Bates but Jane teaches him a lesson. Lucy runs away. Finds Lucy and stops her from leaving for France with Steven. Disowns Steven. Discovers Jane doing a stand-up comedy routine that targets their relationship. Thrown out of home after secretly investing in Masala Masood.

2009 Forms a business with the Masoods, Jane and Christian called Masala Queen. Turns 40 in February and gets a sexy pole dance from Jane. Returns from family holiday to burnt-out café. Opens new-look cafe dressed as Willy Wonka.

Nov 2009 His long-suffering wife Jane leaves him after he reveals he doesn't want to have any more children.

Dec 2009 Has a rebound night with Janine, who secretly records their tryst. When Janine tries to blackmail into selling Phil's loan to her and Archie, he later breaks in to steal her laptop. Sells Phil's loan to the evil pair.

Jan 2010 Zainab overhears the audio recording on his laptop and decides to show Jane just as Ian walks in! He confesses all his sins to Jane, but then Janine says she's going to the police with the recording. Ian's arrested and charged with Archie's murder in the Queen Vic. But Janine feels guilty and explains to the police it wasn't him.

March 2010 Lucy reveals she's pregnant and he and Jane decide to adopt the child. But then, secretly, he helps Lucy get a termination.

Nov 2010 Confronts Jane when he discovers she has a secret bank account. He's devastated when he overhears Jane telling Zainab and others that she can never trust him again and is leaving him...

Played by Adam Woodyatt

Adam was born on June 28 1968 in Walthamstow, east London to father, Brinley, a policeman, and mother Maureen. Adam attended Sylvia Young’s acting school when he was a child and won several parts in advertising campaigns, including a starring... Read More