EastEnders: The New Moons

Tonight, the Moons were torn apart.

-Please, Dad!

-You're not my son anymore.

As Eddie turns his back on his eldest son,

we look back on the history of those Walford dads who failed as fathers.

Before going behind the scenes to shine a light on the secrets of the new Moons.

# Fly me to the moon... #

The Queen Vic. Not long ago, the scene of a happy family reunion.

-What a great day. I feel like a king.

-To King Eddie!

But tonight, we saw the dark side of the Moons, and a tragedy unfold.

-On your knees!

-It was an accident!

-You're not my son anymore.

Over the past few months, father and son have been at the centre

of one of the most compelling storylines the Square has ever seen.

The Moons joining the Square has been incredibly successful.

It was brilliant.

Betrayal, selfishness, greed, manipulation.

Dun-dun-dun!

This evening, the twisted tale of Eddie and Michael came to its dramatic conclusion.

Please, Dad!

You're not allowed to mess with Eddie Moon.

Ever since Eddie's arrival in Walford,

new Moons have been popping up all over the place.

I think the Moons have been sent in to stir a few things up

and to cause a bit of havoc.

I know that the Moons are a bit complicated, it's taken me

a long time to work out who is related to who. And how.

Well, first there was Alfie, who is married to Kat,

-then along came Alfie's cousin, Michael.

-Alfie!

Who is actually Tommy's dad, but let's not worry about that now.

Eddie is Michael's dad, and he's also father to Craig and those two cheeky chappies, Anthony and Tyler.

I think that covers it.

The two new Moon boys had a very good start.

There was a lot of nudity early on,

which is always a plus as a female viewer, I think.

All right, darlin'?

What is it about them? Hmm.

Maybe that they're all gorgeous?

The Moons bring youth, good looks, humour.

Aaargh!

Energy, charm and sexiness as well.

-What are you doing?

-I'm helping you out! Being that hot must be illegal.

I think people do enjoy the cheekiness,

and the banter that's in the family.

-Oi, Kat.

-You ain't bad for an old bird, either.

-Thanks.

But when it comes to charming the residents of Walford, I think we all know who's the daddy.

# Daddy, daddy cool. #

He's a charmer, isn't he? And he's just got that, I don't know,

that kind of thing where every woman that looks at him either is intrigued by him or wants a bit of him.

Oh, I say!

There was obviously only ever one man for the role, but I had a few things on.

So producers went for BAFTA nominee David Essex instead.

It was brilliant working with David. He's a legend.

I was there on David Essex's intro,

and he was very cool.

Very cool, very suave.

-Am I going the right way for Albert Square?

-That way, you can't miss it.

David in real life and Eddie on screen bring that courtesy,

that old fashioned East End courtesy that I think we haven't seen in a while.

Thanks for that, I appreciate it.

My mum, who really told me how big David Essex was.

I always knew the name, obviously, but he was a bit before my time.

Yup. When Eddie Moon was just a twinkle in a writer's eye,

David Essex was busy being a '70s heart throb.

He was huge, he was a big rock and pop star back in the day.

-Bigger than Duran Duran, love!

-He definitely has it.

If you look at him on Top of the Pops back in 1975,

or whenever it was, he's got something about him.

No wonder the girls where throwing their knickers at him back then,

and I think probably today.

There is a certain breed of woman who are even yet throwing their metaphorical knickers

at the television screen!

All the ladies were swooning, definitely.

Linda Cox was all, "Hello! Hello! Lovely to meet you! Aah!

"Oh, my God! David Essex! Aah!"

Only he could be that role. It's a man who has to come into the Square,

instantly seducing everyone, even Carol Jackson's snogging him after about five minutes!

-A little TLC.

-I could do with a little touch up.

Uh, sorry, I mean, um, TLC!

It's got to be someone like David Essex.

Eddie appeals to everyone, he's very charming

and the women like him, the men like him, so he fits in very well.

Although there is at least one person who would have

preferred it if Eddie Moon had never come to Walford at all.

Michael Moon hates Eddie.

If he was dying on the street I wouldn't gob on him.

Michael and Eddie's history is long and complicated and dates back

to an event 33 years ago, where Michael's mother

killed herself, and he walked in to find her body.

Michael has always blamed Eddie for this.

He thinks that his father killed his mother, he is responsible for wrecking his mother's life,

for wrecking his own life, and he wants revenge.

He wants to destroy everything that his father ever had.

-She knew you cheated on her, Dad, you cheated on her and it broke her heart.

-No.

-Yes, it did.

It broke her heart and it killed her, Dad, it killed her!

Michael is a survivor of suicide.

It does leave a very long lasting scar in his psyche, and the

temptation to look for somebody to blame is almost overwhelming.

Michael, in a few words. Damaged, complicated, lonely, lost.

Bloody good looking, though!

Well, he's just like his father in that department. But it's a lot more than good looks

that Eddie and Michael share.

We were keen to make clear that Eddie has a very shady past.

This is a man who, 30-odd years ago, was a bit of a hell raiser.

Bit of a womaniser.

If the story about Eddie and his son is compelling,

it's because it makes real a lot of the feelings that

simmer between fathers and sons.

In what we refer to as real life.

You see me on my knees and you go for the throat.

-What kind of monster does that make you?

-I didn't make me, Dad.

You made me.

While Eddie may have made some monumental mistakes,

when it comes to faulty fatherhood, he's not the first and he certainly wont be the last.

Relationships between fathers and kids, they're just really messed up in Albert Square.

The dads of Albert Square go wrong, usually when it comes to money or women.

Tradition in EastEnders, as a father, to get it as wrong as possible.

But there must be some decent dads on the Square?

-Umm...

-Umm...

-Umm...

-Umm...

-Umm...

It's hard to say, because I don't know any great examples of dads,

really, in Albert Square.

There isn't a dad in Albert Square who hasn't committed some

deadly sin at some point.

Yes, those deadly sins can be a problem.

But when it comes to fatherhood, it's the Dad-ly Sins that cause the real trouble!

-The Seven Dad-ly Sins.

-Exactly.

-From Max Branning's liaison with his daughter-in-law...

-You're my son's girlfriend.

To Phil Mitchell's wrathful rages, almost all the dads

on Albert Square have been guilty of some fatherly felony, even Eddie Moon.

So, to our first Dad-ly Sin, envy.

And one man stands out above the rest.

I think of all the dads in EastEnders, I think

top of the tree, really, has got to be Den Watts.

From what I remember from all those years ago,

Den was an adulterer, I think he was a little bit of a gangster,

and I think he was an all-round butt-head!

He was also one of the founding fathers of Walford, and devoted father to daughter, Sharon.

I don't think he was "dirty" Den. When it came to his daughter, nobody was ever good enough for her

and her bubble perms and her splendid pullovers(!)

But yeah, he doted on her. She was his blue-eyed little princess.

Despite her terrible taste in jumpers, Den adored Sharon,

and the feeling was mutual.

Sharon absolutely loved him to bits.

He was the epitome of swashbuckling glamour.

And what kid wouldn't want a dad who seemed as glamorous and powerful

and king of the square?

Which is what he was.

What's bothering my princess, eh?

I loved the way Den used to call Sharon "princess".

"'Allo, Princess."

Den's weakness was Sharon, which made him a much more interesting character.

It was such a weak spot for him, that he would do anything for her.

I think everybody has a love of their life.

It's generally just one, kind of like your soul mate.

If you're really lucky, that will be your wife.

And I think with Den, that wasn't the case.

The love of his life, his soul mate, was Sharon.

And that's what made that relationship fascinating.

Boyfriends came and went, but no-one ever posed a threat to Den's

position as the number one man in Sharon's life.

Until one day...

When little Den turned up, "Fit Den",

as we liked to call him, I guess Big Den's parenting took a new twist.

Because when Sharon got it on with Den's long lost son,

Daddy Watts was not a happy bunny.

You might just have met your match there.

Sharon got to see the possessive side of him,

the manipulative side of him, and the very, very jealous side of him.

I'm not talking to you in that state. Look at you. Standing there like some slut.

Don't you dare call me that, I am not a slut!

When Sharon was obsessed with Dennis,

that, Den... This is the woman he loved. Den loved Sharon.

You just had this feeling that he thought

he was the only person good enough for her, but she was his daughter. It was a weird relationship.

He just didn't want anybody to have anything to do with Sharon

other than himself.

-But there was no pulling the wool over Fit Den's pretty eyes.

-You're jealous!

-What?

-You're jealous!

Perhaps it was envy.

Dennis was a younger version of him.

He could see that this man was taking his precious daughter away from him.

He knew that if she went off with Dennis,

she wouldn't love him as much

Den wanted Sharon all to himself,

and he'd stop at nothing to get his way.

He was so utterly ruthless in the way he split the two of them up.

Sleeping with Zoe, getting her to lie that she was pregnant.

You either lie to him or you lose him, for good!

Driving his daughter away from the only love of her life.

I mean, it was ruthless stuff, he was determined to split them up.

And he did. Still, it wasn't long before Den's princess discovered

the truth about her delightful dad.

Secrets never stay secret in Albert Square,

so of course the truth is found out.

And there was this scene where Sharon comes back to the Square,

and it's been engineered that she would just overhear, just as

her father is confessing everything he's done to ruin her life.

Go on, Zoe, go and tell your family the reason that Dennis left you is because he caught you in bed with me.

Tell them I'm the father of your baby. Let them broadcast it to the world!

There's not one single person around here who I give a toss about.

Princess...

It's only when she finds out exactly all the terrible things that

he's done that she just can't stomach it anymore.

You lost me my darling.

-The person who made me happier than I'd ever been.

-But that's me!

-No, it ain't.

And this time, she just says no, I don't have a father anymore, and goes...

My dad died a long time ago.

I buried him. And my mum's buried next to him.

I don't know who you are, but you ain't my dad. I'm an orphan.

Most things, Den can cope with. He moves on as a bit of a hustler.

But to be rejected by Sharon actually really cuts him to the core.

Den had lost the only thing he ever loved.

And just weeks ago, Michael was planning a similar

fate for Eddie, as he put Tyler in the ring on fight night.

-He's looking sharp! Right?

-Yeah.

When Michael starts taking an interest in Tyler with the boxing,

that's the first time Tyler really feels like that's his brother.

-All right, champ?

-Feeling good.

-All right, yeah.

It's the first time that Michael has ever bonded with Tyler

and taken an interest in him.

I think Tyler is secretly chuffed about that.

You're going to put this family on the map.

You know how to grab a chance and make the most of it.

-You set it up for me, bruv.

-That's what big brothers are for, yeah.

Little does he know, he's going to try and kill him!

Michael has basically put Tyler in a boxing ring in an unlicensed

fight with a psychopath.

In Michael's eyes, he wants me to die. Just to hurt Eddie.

-That's my boy!

-You can't go in there!

-My boy!

So in Michael's twisted, warped mind,

on the anniversary of his mother's death, he chooses to mark it with a

boxing match which could potentially not only financially ruin people, it could Anthony's money away.

All the money, I bet it!

Gambling could shame Eddie. It could also kill Tyler!

It seems to be a rather harsh reaction to that he was jealous of Tyler's with Eddie.

Get him out of there! Stop the fight!

'I don't think it's any accident that Michael's revenge'

also involves the possible death -

certainly huge injuries and pain -

to one of his brothers.

'All of these things he's done'

because he's seeking revenge.

While Michael was concentrating on revenge,

the two new mini-Moons were concentrating on their biggest scene so far.

The set they've got here is tremendous -

it's like being on a set for a film.

There was a great buzz around the set, and Clive Arnold who directed it captured everything.

He's fantastic, he brought the best out of us.

Everyone had their own sort of little things - Michael was there conjuring up his plan,

Eddie was there making sure he was all right, Vanessa on his shoulder, Carol comes in and sees that,

you've got Whitney there

who doesn't know if she's falling for Tyler yet...

So there's loads - so much going on, and so much to capture.

As the tension builds outside the ring, INSIDE it was all kicking off.

Well - punching off!

It was quite exhausting, cos we was filming

from 8:00 in the morning till 6:00 at night.

-Let's go one more time. >

-Just do one there first?

We was repeating the routine over and over again.

Tony did tremendously, to do a few takes with that fight.

But it was really fulfilling, it was really good to do, and I really enjoyed it.

As Tony Discipline ended the day on a high...

..Tyler ended up in intensive care!

TYLER!

I don't think it was ever about Tyler. I don't think he particularly likes Tyler,

but it's all about hurting Eddie. That's what it all boils down to in the end.

Well, Michael certainly succeeded there - but the evening's events took an unexpected turn,

as father and son finally began to reconcile their differences.

But reconciliation takes effort - and that's not something our next dad is very familiar with.

-DOORBELL Who's that?

-I don't know yet!

-Well, tell 'em we already gave.

Keith Miller... No, he's rubbish, isn't he?

-Think you better come to the door.

-No, the door better come to ME.

The first person that comes to mind for sloth and laziness

would definitely be Keith Miller.

I don't think that I remember seeing him out of his armchair.

'He represented the no-hoper.'

Someone going nowhere, didn't care where they were going,

living off the state...

Did nothing, believed in nothing...and achieved nothing.

Exactly! My point, well made!

Capitalism is a corrupt institution based on survival of the fittest.

And the grindin' down of the little man!

Talk...English, man!

You can't judge a man by what he does or how much he earns, it's immoral!

It's WHO we are that's more important.

Yeah. And you are an idle, lazy, scrounging old arse!

There was only one thing he loved more than his family, which was that armchair.

And his remote control - those are his prize possessions.

# We're busy doin' nothin', workin' the whole day through

# Trying to find lots of things not to do... #

Always on that settee, he was. Watching a documentary.

Never did a day's work in his life.

Go and get us a drink, sweetheart.

Nice cup of tea, eh?

That's it, Keith - wouldn't want to strain yourself.

No, that's not being a good dad, it's just rubbish.

He's rubbish - he's a rubbish dad.

I think he loved the kids...

just couldn't be bothered getting off the sofa to tell them!

If anyone's asking, mine's a pint an' all.

'I love the character, don't get me wrong. But no, rubbish dad.'

Sits in an armchair for three years... Watching quizzes.

That's no way to behave, is it?

Keith's slothfulness knew no bounds. He couldn't even be bothered

to keep an eye out for the crazed doctor stalking his stepdaughter.

I just thought you might want to help!

Course I want to help! I can keep an eye on the Square from here. Rally the troops, spread the word.

What?

Not surprisingly, Keith's lookout wasn't very successful -

and the doolally doctor managed to set the Millers alight!

Help us! Do something!

-Leave it to the experts...

-No, you stay put - it's what you always do.

He redeemed himself at the end, Keith.

He finally got out of his chair.

In Dawn's darkest hour, Keith went from zero...to hero.

Dad?

DAD...!

Finally doing something worthy of the title "father",

Keith Miller moved at least 15 feet to save Dawn from impending doom.

Help me, please. I don't think she's breathing!

To be honest, Keith NEEDED to be a hero, because he'd been so useless.

I suppose it's something to have saved Kara for Strictly Come Dancing,

that's some kind of achievement.

Yeah. Yeah, it was.

But no marks for achievement for our next father -

who committed HIS dad-liest sin back in 2006.

In a storyline that shocked the nation, Max let lust take over,

before getting his leg over with the love of his son's life.

Max Branning, king sleazeball -

get your hands

off of your daughter-in-law, you pervert.

I think he's just a bit of a horny devil, really.

I think Max Branning, definitely, for lust.

You're my son's girlfriend...

Yes. She is! Bradley's girlfriend.

Lovable, loyal, dependable Bradley.

Surely this makes Max one of the dirtiest dads on the Square?

Well, I think - this might be controversial -

I think Max is a great dad.

Yeah - er...no, you've lost me there.

There's no way we'd want to watch Max for ever

if he didn't have redeeming qualities.

You know? He's a really well-rounded character.

He isn't just a terrible father by sleeping with everything that moves.

He loves bringing home the money, bringing home the bread...

and making sure everyone's safe - and he's cuddly with his girls and he's there for Oscar...

He loves being a dad, and he's good at being a dad

in all the very fundamental ways!

And then he goes and does something monumentally stupid.

Ahem - no offence, Stacey.

Max was completely responsible

for the whole Bradley/Stacey

epic years of guilt and misery.

You do think, "How could you? This is your own son's partner here."

-Sorry...

-And he just couldn't resist it.

-Me and Bradley were fine until you came along.

-I've done nothing but be nice to the boy.

-Making him see what a worthless little tart I am?

-That ain't true.

-I've encouraged him, yeah...

-To look elsewhere.

'Poor little Bradley.'

'It obviously does make Max the worst dad ever, doesn't it?'

God, am I turning into Tanya? I feel like I'm forgiving him everything. It's unforgivable.

What kind of man moves in on his son's girlfriend, anyway?

Max, as a character, is very driven. If he wants something, he gets it.

And it was there from the very first moment -

Stacey was on her way home from a night out,

and she was barefoot, going across the Square,

and Max just caught her eye and said something cheeky to her.

I like your shoes.

And I remember going, "Ooh, hello... What's going to happen here?"

You're lovely. D'you like me an' all?

-Bald, middle-aged... My perfect man.

-Yeah.

He just can't help himself.

You're like a dog caught with a scent, and you just can't let go.

There is a big hole - and it looks too good to avoid.

Just have to walk straight into that trap.

'He just can't resist it -'

if there's a pretty woman in front of him, he just can't say no.

He's a dog!

Our families are sitting round the Vic. Your mum...

Your wife.

I don't know if his first instinct is to put himself before his children...

but I think he accidentally does.

I'm Bradley's dad. I'm married. I'm twice your age.

I find that appealing.

Oh, it was awful.

And things were about to get a whole lot worse, as nearly 14 million viewers tuned in to watch

when Max's dad-ly sin was revealed.

The whole family was sitting there for Christmas,

to watch the Queen's speech.

And instead we got a video of Max and Stacey.

MUSIC: "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"

Even on her wedding day! She's standing in the wedding dress, she's about to marry his son.

He can't resist it - in there trying to get another snog!

He's dirty.

Max was indeed dirty. And Bradley - ooh! He was angry.

Poor old Bradley... I just cannot imagine.

Cos he thought his world was rosy, that the whole future is bright -

and he's sitting there, with a stupid paper hat on,

watching his dad - eurgh! - snog his wife.

It's a joke.

How can you behave in that way and betray your own flesh and blood?

Just tell her, Stace, just tell her!

Tell 'em, all right, it's a joke.

(I'm sorry.)

Max didn't have long to deal with it before Bradley threw him into the Christmas tree, as I recall.

I'll kill you... I'll kill you, Dad!

Come back... Stay back! Come on!

-Just leave it...

-Get your hands off me!

What was he thinking? Yes, he is a bad father.

'Would anybody WANT to be Max? I certainly wouldn't to be Max.'

To live with that cluster of lies... It's not a life to be envied.

It's true. Lust can only ever lead to no good.

But it's something the dads of Albert Square

just can't seem to avoid!

Even Eddie fell foul of THIS dad-ly sin.

But that's exactly what Michael was hoping for when he employed the services of Vanessa.

Michael, in order to hurt his father,

has paid Vanessa to split Carol and Eddie up -

and then for me to break his heart as well.

Knowing full well that very few fathers can resist the lure of lust,

Michael used it as part of his plan to destroy his dad.

Break his heart.

It's there, for the taking.

Break it.

And I'll see you right.

Michael is very manipulative. And he's very clever.

I'm offering you security.

You move in on my dad...

you get money...

you get a place to stay...

and as a nice little bit of icing on your cake,

you get to turf Carol Jackson out on her ear. Huh?

The corrupt and devious character Michael is...

'Picks on the people that are the weakest, and then at that point she was the weakest.'

Vanessa may have been weak - but she was also hot. Surely no man could resist?

Hello, boys...

Every dad in Albert Square has at some point committed the sin of lust.

Even Eddie Moon. I mean, he should have stuck with Carol,

nice, cuddly, lovely Eddie Moon, he couldn't resist the lady in white.

Vanessa - one flick of those shoulder pads, and he was in there,

and that was his downfall.

It wasn't long before Vanessa snared her man,

and it looked like Michael's lust-led plan had worked.

Possibly there's some old man's vanity in that as well,

that this younger, attractive woman would still be interested in him.

'So he does fall for that.'

The main thing Michael wants is for Vanessa to go, and take Eddie with her. That's his main game.

But over the relationship that they establish, she actually falls for him.

You've been really good to me.

Vanessa's feelings for Eddie start to grow

just after she's had to start trying to kind of...woo him.

'He's such a nice guy, and it's so easy'

for her to fall for him.

But when Craig smelled a rat, the plot began to unravel

and Vanessa was forced to reveal everything.

'We shot the scene where Vanessa has to tell Eddie'

that his son hates him so much

that he's paid me to split him up with Carol,

and to break his heart...

Thank you, we are recording... Shot one, take two - and action.

I want the truth. And I want it right now.

Leave anything out, and I find out later, we're over.

Tell me now - and we've got a chance.

Having to tell somebody that sort of stuff

'in order to save your own skin -'

horrible to have to say that to, you know, to poor Eddie.

Michael...he hates you so much,

that he paid me, to split up you and Carol and to...break your heart.

'Vanessa knew that'

unless she gave all this information she was absolutely out on her ear,

and there was a possibility that if she

'explained to him, maybe, you know,

'she could rectify the relationship,

'and he would understand and he would forgive her.'

Think what you will of me. But you've got to know what he's like.

He planned it all.

Vanessa knew that Eddie would be absolutely devastated by that news.

Especially as the relationship has been developing between Michael and Eddie

and everything's all happy families, and suddenly it's all...

it's all gone again.

No-one in their right mind could argue with Eddie's reaction to Michael's betrayal.

Yet there's one dad on the Square that consistently divides opinion.

Ian... I love a bit of Ian.

Ian Beale's quite a good dad, really.

I think he's done a pretty good job of screwing up his kids.

Ian Beale for Dad of the Year...

I'm not sure!

I don't think he's a BAD dad...

His children don't think he's a good dad.

The best dad...is Ian.

He's a tremendous dad, isn't he?

-Thanks.

-Not!

No matter what you think of Ian Beale,

there's no getting away from the fact

that when it comes to our next "dad-ly" sin, he's a serial offender.

The obvious sin for Ian is greed because he always seems to want more.

I think Ian Beale is one of those dads that means well

but never gets it right, has no sense of authority with his children

but because Ian is Ian, he's driven by...

..greed and money.

That's what I like about you, Ian,

in fact it's the only thing I like about you, you're ruled by money.

Ian is a product of Thatcher's England

and greed does run kind of central to that character.

# Money, Money, Money... #

Mum, lend us a couple of quid.

His main focus, the driving force behind Ian Beale is status.

Mum, if I didn't have this house, the business, the money,

I'd be nothing.

He needed to be the Richard Branson of Walford.

None of that matters. It's what's inside that counts.

That's what I'm worried about.

I think Ian is motivated by money.

It's been an obsession with him since he was a teenager.

Ian, he likes to flash his cash, prove what a big man he is.

-Look at the size of that wad.

-You know what they say, big wad...

-Huge wallet.

-Something like that.

Ian Beale has all his priorities so wrong.

He cares more about making a profit in the chip shop than

where his children are at night.

With Ian, it's definitely a status thing.

This man has massively insecure.

That is the secret to writing Ian,

whether it's acquiring a new sports car

or acquiring a new girlfriend, it's always about the way that it looks.

And things were looking pretty good in 1999

when Ian managed to acquire this new model.

Here's to the most beautiful woman in the world, Melanie Beale, my wife.

Ian saw Mel as a kind of trophy blonde wife.

But made him feel better about herself.

He felt more of a man

because he had a beautiful woman like that on his arm.

Mel is the only girlfriend, wife of Ian who has not been able to

buy the affection of full stop and so when he felt her slipping

through his fingers, he really did sink about as low as you can go.

In one of the worst crimes ever committed by a father,

Ian persuaded Mel to marry him

using the only collateral he had left, his young daughter's health.

Ian told Mel his daughter was dying of cancer. So Mel would stay.

And what about Lucy?

In six months' time, she might not even be here by then.

I mean, are you really going to be the one to take away from her.?

-Her big fairy-tale wedding?

-Only Ian Beale would do something like that.

It's probably the worst thing he's ever done, don't you agree, Mel?

I do.

To Melanie, my wife.

Yeah, Ian was very bad in that wedding

and pretending his daughter had cancer when she didn't

was probably one of the lowest things he'd ever done.

And before the clock struck midnight,

Mel had discovered the truth and Ian was declared morally bankrupt.

I'm sorry.

Yeah, I don't think that's going to cut it.

She was just as appalled as everyone else would be watching the show.

How could you?

It's just Ian Beale all-over, isn't it?

You let me think that she had cancer.

I know. Stupid, I've really messed up.

You lied to me, to Cathy...

-What else could I do?

-Tell the truth!

How could I? I couldn't risk it.

You can't cheat someone into loving you, Ian, don't you know that?

Unforgivable actually

and she rightly ran off on their wedding night I think.

Good for her.

Don't leave me like this, please.

I need you, Mel. I love you.

Well guess what, Ian, I don't love you.

And I never have done.

Three, two, one...

BIG BEN SOUNDS

He's a bumbling idiot because he's another one that everything

he tries to do, it's always wrong.

Ian actually pretended his daughter had cancer

to con one woman into marrying him, you know?

Yeah, try and keep up, Jane.

Ian Beale tries to be a good dad, he does, and he wants to be a good

dad but he is not capable of being a good anything

because he's one of the most selfish people ever to walk Albert Square.

Sadly, that is Ian Beale.

Ian is of the many dads that don't quite make the grade

but of all of our featured fathers, Masood is the man

who takes most pride in his paternal responsibilities.

Being Asian and coming from an Asian family,

family comes before everything else.

You take your responsibilities quite seriously.

I'll be damned if I let you malign my family.

I think pride plays a massive part in the character of Masood.

In fact, the whole family have something much more in common

with the old fashioned East End values of the Fowlers,

for instance, in that keeping up appearances is vitally important

to the household.

And I think that's one of the flaws deep within Masood,

his desire to be a good father plays against the pride

he feels in being an upstanding member of the community.

Well, we all know what pride comes before.

Indeed we do, Peggy,

and Masood's case it was a spectacular fall.

Not so long ago, Masood was the man who had it all.

# Oh, the good life... #

A loving wife... a child destined for academic greatness...

As soon as you leave for Oxford,

we're going to go to Egypt, Africa, the Far East.

-It's going to be amazing.

-Yeah.

And most importantly, his first-born son happily married

and in love with a nice, respectable girl.

Syed, I am so proud

of the man you've become.

Well, we all know what pride comes before.

Yeah, all right, Peggy.

This is all your fault, do you know that?

-What?

-Tam's not going to be a doctor.

Just tell them.

I'm a gay man in a sham marriage.

Masood's pride took a massive tumble but was the worst part was

realising that he was the last to know about Syed's sexuality.

Masood discovering Syed was gay

came right at the tail-end of everything.

Zainab had found out, Tamwar had found out.

Everyone had known except Masood.

-Did you know about Syed?

-I found out just before the wedding.

-You let him go through with it knowing all along...

-What was I supposed to do?

You were supposed to tell me, Zainab!

Given that he's a postman and knows everyone else's business,

the one thing he didn't know was that his own son was gay.

Anyone would think you were ashamed. Dad!

Of your gay son.

I think he was in a terrible situation with my Syed

because he loves him clearly.

Or maybe it is his big, gay boyfriend that really offends you.

-I am sick of people ignoring me.

-Be quiet, son.

That's it, Masood, sweep it under the carpet.

Having said that, Masood and Syed at their best

have had some lovely father/son moments.

I know you've had to be brave.

But accepting what you are...

that's strength.

He's torn. He really wants this relationship with his son

and Syed wants this relationship with his dad.

In fact, all Masood ever wanted was to be a good father

but his pride has been his downfall.

Now, Zainab has chucked him out,

-Tamwar one seems to have forgotten who he is...

-I'm your father!

And his relationship with Syed is still a bit strained.

I feel like there is hope for that relationship because Nitin

plays him so brilliantly

and because he's a genuinely likeable man, isn't he?

You can't really believe that Masood could stay angry

with anyone for long.

Masood may not be able to stay angry with anyone

but for Eddie Moon, it's a different story.

Still reeling from Vanessa's revelations of Michael's betrayal,

not only was he about angry, he was about to get even.

It's a hard-hitting time for Eddie as he was just

accepting his sons and getting his family back together.

He's not going to just sit back and take it

and wallow in self-pity because that isn't him...

at all.

At this point in the Moon family story,

we're coming in at the end of a 25- year conflict between father and son.

It's like a game that has been played out of all those years,

of rejection and alienation.

And now it's the endgame of it,

so the question is who is going to come out on top?

Now he knows what Michael is capable of, it's time

for Eddie to show everyone who's the daddy.

First positions.

And teach Michael a lesson he'll never forget.

This is what you call payback time. He's done some wicked things

and now he's going to find out how it feels

to be on the receiving end.

Eddie Moon has convinced Vanessa that it's a good idea

to have burgled the boxing gym.

Here's the door code,

that's the front door to the gym and that one's the safe.

They're going to steal money from the safe for them

to run off together basically to Spain and live with his daughter.

OK, from the top...

-Is this shirt right?

-No, it will be changed. This is a final rehearsal.

OK.

OK, let's rehearse.

The CCTV is never switched on.

-How do you know that?

-Well, because I do.

Stay focused, don't panic.

But what Vanessa doesn't know is that Eddie

is setting Vanessa up completely.

So this scene is when we find out

that you are not allowed to mess with Eddie Moon.

Tyler, Anthony, down here now!

Eddie' been really pushed to the limits

and he's risen to the situation and has dealt with it accordingly.

There's a little crossover between Eddie and Michael.

If you put Eddy in a corner,

then he can be crafty and quite steely.

It won't be long until Michael feels the force of his father's wrath.

Nothing unusual there though because in Albert Square, wrath is rife.

There's a lot of wrath on the square, isn't there,

there's no doubt about that.

It's the bread and butter of EastEnders, isn't it, really?

And it when it comes to fatherly fury,

one man stands out above all the rest.

I think Phil has been a very interesting dad

with the dealing with his son.

What's that supposed to mean, eh?

Phil is a very, very angry man and we're very fortunate in having

an actor in Steve McFadden who does angry very well indeed.

-Violence never solved anything.

-Well, I don't know about that.

Phil as a dad is useless.

I can't think of a worse or more deplorable role model

as a father as Phil Mitchell.

-Leave him alone.

-You're hurting me.

Not recommended. Ask Ben.

What do think you're doing?

I'm going to do what my old man would have done to me,

I'm going to tan his backside, that's what I'm going to do.

He is a bully, a thug.

-What have you done?

-I couldn't put together in one go.

Well, you've totally ruined it now, ain't you?

-All in all, he's a terrible dad.

-Who do you think you are?!

When he goes nose-to-nose with you, my God, that's going to send your heart racing, leaping.

Do you Know What, Phil, you should write a book: Child Abuse by Philip Mitchell.

-Why don't you shut your mouth, Beale?

-Oh, yeah, go on. Do what you always do, hit him.

-Thanks, love.

But where does all this anger come from? Perhaps Charlie Brooks knows.

Phil was brought up in a very specific way by his own father

and thinks that's the right way to be,

dragging them around and giving them a bit of a hiding.

He finds it acceptable because that is how his father treated him.

Ben certainly takes the brunt of his dad's anger.

Come on, stand up, be a man and take it.

Ben is always trying to please Phil

and it must be absolutely horrendous for him, to have a father like Phil.

In fact, father and son could not be more different if they tried.

Ben liked Billy Elliott, musicals and probably Liza Minelli.

He was always going to be the complete opposite of Phil.

He was going to be slightly effeminate, into dancing

and acting and what's not, just to make him

appear everything that Phil isn't basically.

Oh, that's not good.

He's a boy. You've got him dressed up like

some drag show Christmas dinner, dancing around like a proper nancy.

That's like the Antichrist for Phil, isn't it?

So, he didn't take too kindly to any of that.

Are you ashamed of me?

I'm not ashamed of you, you just need to stand up for yourself.

So that's exactly what then did but perhaps it wasn't

the best advice because he ended up in a juvenile detention centre.

I sentence you to a 15-month detention and training order.

-Ben!

-Dad!

Who knows what goes on in those places

but when Ben emerged he looked like a completely different boy.

I don't know what happened to you inside that prison

but half the time I don't recognise you any more.

Ben has changed to an extent to please his dad.

Your son is a vicious bully.

-Shirley, I'll sort it out.

-No, you won't.

-He's my son, isn't he?

-Yeah, and he's proving that all right.

The lashing out, and the attacks,

that's what he's seen all his life, growing up,

it's what he's seen his dad do.

Phil is a very manly, hands-on guy. Maybe he tries to emulate that for a bit.

That's what you always say, isn't it? Actions speak louder than words.

What's that supposed to mean?

I suppose Phil gets aggro about Ben being a new-found pain in the bum.

But I think he probably deep down likes it,

because he's starting to get the thug son he wanted.

You little beauty! Come here!

For me, what's at the heart of Phil is a man who is desperate

to be a good father.

Don't you think it's a bit late to start playing father and son?

I'm not "playing" anything.

The fact that he is so desperate to reach out to his son

but doesn't quite have the words to do so.

That's what makes that relationship so interesting.

-You're just some bloke that got my mum pregnant.

-You are my son.

Go on. Hit me then.

Cos that's what Mitchell dads do, innit?

While Phil may have uncovered the fighter in Ben,

he's still yet to come to terms with the lover.

I'm sorry.

Phil is about as unreconstructed a man as it's possible to be.

And so when his son admits that he kissed a boy,

shock, horror, I don't think it is much of a surprise to Phil,

actually, he's probably been dreading this news for many years.

But it is still not something he particularly wants to hear.

And how Phil reacts really kicks off the next big story for the Mitchells.

-This conversation never happened, all right?

-You can't just leave it!

Yes, I can! Get out of my way!

This arc that we're writing for Ben is a long one.

And he will learn wrath, from Phil.

Wrath is just one of the many sins you can learn from your father

but it's probably not as much fun as learning about gluttony, as we're about to find out.

It may surprise you to learn that gluttony isn't all about over-indulging in food.

If it was, we could focus our attentions entirely on this man.

Yes, it's the champion of Walford,

the one, the only, Barry 'The Belly' Evans!

ALL: Barry! Barry! Barry!

Yeah!

In fact, the dad-ly sin of gluttony refers to a father who over-indulges his children.

And on Albert Square, this man was the biggest culprit.

Frank the biggest heart on the show.

And he always wanted to be a great dad, and his fear was that he wasn't.

And I think he overcompensated, so he gave Janine too much

and it didn't do her any favours.

Back when Janine looked like this

whatever Frank's little sweetheart wanted, she got.

Even in those early years

you see Frank being that kind of doting father,

kind of making up for his shortcomings,

spoiling her, indulging her.

What is your pleasure, young lady?

She wants a gin and tonic.

She wants a gin and tonic!

He spoilt her rotten, I think, when she was young.

You know, he bought her things all the time.

-I only want to make you happy.

-I am happy!

She was a very sort of spoilt, obnoxious child.

-You sit down there and...

-Get off!

You're a fat old cow and I hate you!

Go on then, hit me, and see what me dad says!

I remember young Janine, all three of them, very well, actually.

Particularly when she turned Greek for a couple of months!

But what's interesting about Janine

is her father was probably the most flawed in EastEnders history.

Frank was such a great character

because he just made mistakes all the time.

He may have made mistakes

but Frank Butcher also provided us with hours of entertainment.

Frank was such a big personality. Being a dad was just a small part of it.

You've got this kind of big showman, you know?

Naked with a bow tie, smiling,

rose in his mouth, always got an answer for everything.

And who wouldn't want a dad that wanders around in nothing but a bow tie?

He's really warm and paternal and fun.

So that side of being a dad

he was great at.

But again, he was kind of selfish, and when it came to it,

he wouldn't really be there.

Well, that's a bit of an understatement.

In fact, Frank abandoned his kids a total of eight times.

Oh, he made more comebacks than Status Quo, didn't he?

What would you do if Frank Butcher was your dad?

He's in, he's out, he's there, he's not.

All that coming and going was bound to have repercussions.

Eventually, Frank's little princess turned into a little monster.

I've got to learn to fight my own battles now.

He definitely had the ability to wrap him around her little finger.

I think a lot of that may have come from guilty because he probably knew,

you know, you can't buy somebody's love

showering them with presents when all the want is your time, really.

What are you laughing at?

You can absolutely trace Janine's roots in Frank.

The trouble is, Janine honed her skills with Frank,

learning she could get exactly what she wanted, and when she wanted it,

but when she became an adult, that became, kind of,

instead of demanding a new bracelet or a new watch,

it was, "I want to throw someone off a cliff,

"cos I don't want to be married any more." So it's Frank's fault.

So, no matter how lovable they are, no father is flawless.

But there is one man who went beyond dad-ly sin

and ventured far into the dark side.

Number one, my dad. Archie.

He was the dad that a lot of people want...

minus the murdering, kind of, rapist part.

Archie as a dad - you can even give him that name - was horrendous.

Probably the worst dad you could ever wish for.

Archie goes beyond sin. Beyond original sin.

He was just evil personified.

He abused Ronnie. Yeah, he's the worst.

No-one could have foreseen how evil Archie would become.

-I know girls like you.

-I bet you do.

Only one thing keeps your mouth shut.

You sad old man.

When Archie was first conceived, he wasn't going to be quite that dark.

But there was just something in the way he played him

that made me think, "Yeah, let's make him really, spectacularly evil."

Without doubt, Archie Mitchell was the most despicable dad to ever walk the streets of Walford.

Yet it took a while for everyone to see him for the nasty piece of work he really was.

Archie was probably the most charming dad, but also the most villainous.

You're no match for me, girl, you never were!

That's the problem with the devil, you don't recognise he's in disguise till it's too late.

Archie as a character has two sides, for me.

The side that Roxy saw was the perfect father, perfect gentleman,

he was loving, kind, generous, honest.

And the side that everyone else saw

was that he was a liar, rapist, paedophile, and murderer.

La-la-la-la-la! You know what, Ron? You got a problem with dad,

that's your problem, I don't want to know.

Archie was an amazing character.

Even that very first time you met him, you saw immediately something very dark, very horrible here,

and you instantly knew that something here just isn't right.

(I'll kiss your gravestone when you're dead.)

Ronnie had a while to wait but a year after his arrival on the square Archie met a sticky end,

courtesy of the sharp end of the Queen Vic bust.

It's really hard for me to say whether Archie deserved to die in that way or not,

because I had such a different relationship with him, on screen.

I do understand he was a bad, bad man.

But, erm...does anyone deserve to die like that?

Mind you, rapist, paedophile, maybe. Maybe, yeah.

Quite rightly, Archie got his just desserts.

And back in the present, Eddie was about to make sure that Michael got the same.

Eddie is absolutely heartbroken to find out he's been double-crossed by Michael.

So Eddie is forced to come up with a plan that sees him get the better of both Michael and Vanessa.

Despite the rain, it's all smiles on location in Hertfordshire for the filming of Vanessa's last scene.

But the lady in white

will soon be smiling on the other side of her face.

Action!

Where have you been? I've been going out my mind.

Eddie did the right thing in leaving Vanessa

because he can't trust her.

Eddie!

Yeah, it's too little, too late, Vanessa,

all that, "I genuinely quite like him."

She took the money off Michael, she's a wrong'un!

I say go and tell Carol what you did.

But then it's probably not a good idea as the police were looking for you.

Eddie! Eddie!

As much as I would have love to have seen Vanessa and Eddie going off into the sunset

I appreciate why Eddie did that.

Actually, finally, we see her, in one episode

where she is looking a little bit grubby in the old white suit,

and that probably would have hurt her more than anything else!

Eddie may have settled the score with Vanessa

but his real vengeance was saved for his eldest son.

Eddie's given Michael so many chances.

So many chances.

And although he's mucked up himself along the way,

I just think this is the straw that broke the camel's back.

Have you been in the safe?

The money's missing. The money in the safe.

Tell him I know where the money is.

Instead of going round and shouting at Michael, venting his anger,

he is quite calculated about it.

You see the other side of Eddie. The slightly more darker side.

He quite coldly extracts his revenge.

How do you know where the money is?

Cos I've stolen it.

Eddie tells us that he's stolen Michael's money.

And it just kind of snowballs from there, really.

Was it just bad luck that you landed up in hospital?

Fighting for your life?

Or was the whole thing set up?

Is it possible that the whole object of the exercise

was to leave you brain-damaged?

Or worse!

We go to the gym and we find him, and everything was revealed.

Wow. Yeah. That was a hard-hitting scene.

So I got my son back.

Imagine how I felt, Michael.

To find out...

..you just wanted to break my heart.

The final big confrontation between Michael, Eddie, Anthony and Tyler

that takes place in the gym, my natural instinct

when I'm writing drama,

is to find ways that indicate relationships can be healed.

And I wanted, I think, something deep inside me, wanted the relationship to be healed,

I didn't want it to be nasty.

-Please.

-Please, what?

Just give me a chance! To explain...to explain to you!

A chance? You, who were prepared to see his own brother die,

just for the look on my face?!

When Eddie says to Michael,

"On your knees!"

I didn't want to write it, at first, but once I'd got that mythical archetype,

then I could write it, and it felt true and it felt right.

If you had an ounce of decency in yourself,

you'd be down on your knees, begging them for forgiveness!

On your knees!

Please...Dad!

Too late for regrets, now. You've done what you've done, mate.

I think at that point,

that's when Eddie no longer regards Michael as a son.

Don't call me "Dad". Cos you're not my son any more.

It was really emotional.

It was great to film, but it was so emotional.

We was all crying, still crying after they called, "Cut!"

It was draining. Quite draining.

But me and Dave spoke the next day and said, when we drove home,

we was just driving like zombies, cos we was just empty!

The tears continue to fall,

as after four months David's time on the square came to an end.

It's like having a father figure here. He's been a true legend.

He's a great actor, got great acting experience.

He's been giving me tips all along the way.

Him now leaving feels like a little part of me has left.

It's been a joyful journey, as they say.

And it's been a challenge.

It's sad to see him go, because not only is he a very fine actor,

he's fun to be around.

I'm going to miss swooning over him in the cafeteria.

Because I did! He is a very, very handsome man.

All I'd like to say is, thank you for all your work.

I wanted him to be here forever!

Yeah, I was really sad to see David go.

I think you're terrific. Thank you.

The man is a proper gent, a proper star,

and I'm hopeful we haven't seen the back of Eddie or David in EastEnders.

We're going to miss him on the square, yeah.

-I hope we've done him proud.

-It's all been good.

Of course I'm sad to see Eddie Moon go,

but I'm also hopeful that he'll come back.

So he'll stick around, cos the final showdown in his story is yet to be played.

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