Arthur Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Bill Treacher from 1985 to 1996.
The father of the Fowler family, Arthur was essentially a good man but made some foolish choices that he always ended up paying dearly for. His storylines involved being bossed to the brink of insanity by his mother-in-law Lou Beale (Anna Wing), an affair with Christine Hewitt (Elizabeth Power), suffering a mental disorder, being sent to prison twice, and eventually dying of a brain haemorrhage in 1996.
Storylines
Unemployed Arthur lives in Walford with his wife Pauline (Wendy Richard), their two children Mark (David Scarboro and Todd Carty) and Michelle (Susan Tully) and Pauline's mother Lou Beale (Anna Wing). Pauline is pregnant with her third child, and gives birth to a son, Martin Fowler (Jon Peyton Price, James Alexandrou and James Bye). Arthur's greatest pleasure is gardening and he obtains a spot in the local allotment, which he regularly uses as a foil to escape his nagging wife and his equally nagging mother-in-law. Over the years Arthur finds a steady stream of odd jobs to keep him occupied. He works for Tony Carpenter (Oscar James) as a carpenter's helper, deliveryman and as a road sweeper in the market. For a brief period in 1986, he is also employed by Walford Cleaning Services to clean the local schools. Lou dies in 1988. Arthur initially has a distant relationship with Mark and is unable to keep him in check when he turns to crime in his late teens.
Arthur's lack of employment becomes a huge problem for him in 1986 when his daughter, Michelle, announces her engagement to Lofty Holloway (Tom Watt). Desperate to give his daughter a wedding that the family can be proud of, Arthur decides to take money from the Walford residents' Christmas Club savings scheme that he has been running, telling the community he got the money from his cousin Doreen, who had emigrated. However, with Christmas fast approaching, Arthur realises that he will have to do something to explain the lack of money in the account to everyone that contributed. Arthur announces to the members that he has withdrawn the money, then stages a fake burglary at his house and tells the police that the Christmas Club money has been stolen. However, Arthur's attempts to make the robbery look legitimate fail, and the police soon realise that Arthur is the culprit. When questioned by the police, he confesses and after his arrest he becomes severely morose, withdrawn and depressed. This culminates in Arthur finally having a nervous breakdown on Christmas Day and smashing his living room in a violent rage. By early 1987, Arthur has become so despondent that he is admitted to hospital. He returns the following spring to stand trial for the theft of the Christmas Club money. Despite Arthur having the whole community behind him, he is sent to prison for 28 days. After his release, he makes things worse by borrowing money from a loan shark.
Mark returns in 1990 and announces on Christmas Day the following year that he is HIV positive. Arthur has a difficult time accepting his son's illness and his lack of education concerning HIV leads him to react in trepidation. Mark eventually helps him come to terms with his status, and he and Arthur enjoy a close relationship in the following years. In 1991, Arthur starts his own gardening business and is awarded a contract to maintain the Albert Square gardens. This leads to Arthur being employed by lonely divorcee Christine Hewitt (Elizabeth Power). Christine and Arthur soon become friends and Christine becomes Arthur's assistant. In May, Pauline goes to New Zealand to care for her brother, Kenny (Michael Attwell), who has been in a car accident. In Pauline's absence, Christine becomes a regular visitor to Albert Square and becomes very fond of Arthur. By Christmas, Arthur and Christine embark on an affair. Christine begins to crave more commitment and when he refuses, she gets a job at Kathy Beale's (Gillian Taylforth) café so she can be as close to him. The affair continues until Kathy sees them kissing and forces a confession from Christine. Faced with the threat that Pauline may find out, Arthur begins to cool their romance. Christine, sensing that she is losing Arthur, becomes emotionally erratic and begins to drink heavily, stalks Arthur around the square and attempts to buy the affections of his youngest son, Martin. This only infuriates Arthur.