Ian Beale

Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the longest-serving character and the only remaining original character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on 19 February 1985. The character appeared in his 2,000th episode in the show on 26 March 2007, and his 3,000th on 27 May 2016. Since January 2021, Woodyatt has been on an extended break with his return date set in 2022 at the earliest.

Ian is the son of Pete (Peter Dean) and Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), nephew of Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard), and cousin of Mark (David Scarboro/Todd Carty), Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully/Jenna Russell), and Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou/James Bye). He has fathered three children (Peter Beale, Lucy Beale, and Bobby Beale), and he has raised two of Cindy's children and Peter and Lucy's half-siblings, Steven and Cindy Jr.

As of 2021, Ian has been on the show for 36 years. He is the most-married character in EastEnders history, with six marriages to five women (Cindy Williams, Mel Healy, Laura Dunn, twice to Jane Collins, and Sharon Watts) and two aborted engagements to Mandy Salter and Denise Fox. Ian is the current owner of 45 Albert Square, traditionally represented within the series as the family home of the Beale and Fowler family, and in 2020 he bought The Queen Victoria pub for Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).