- Willy (EastEnders)
Infobox EastEnders character
character_name=Willy
actor_name=Willy
years=1985–1992
species =Dog
dob=1982
dod=May 14 1992
status=
occupation=Pet
owner=Ethel Skinner Willy was a fictional
dog in theBBC soap opera "EastEnders ". Willy was aPug , who appeared in the first episode of the programme and remained in the show until 1992.Casting
Willy was cast less than a week before the filming of "EastEnders" began. From the beginning it was decided that the pensioner
Ethel Skinner was to have aYorkshire Terrier named Willy (after her dead husband). However, finding a suitable Yorkie proved to be difficult. The company Janimals, who specialized in providing and training animals for television and films, contacted "EastEnders" co-creator/producerJulia Smith , and informed her that they could provide an experienced Pug for the part (he had previously starred in "Swallows and Amazons "). The dog was brought to the studio to meetGretchen Franklin , the actress who played Ethel. She took a shine to him straight away and so the pug was cast as Willy. Willy andRoly the poodle shared a dressing room atElstree Studios .cite book |last=Smith|first= Julia|authorlink= Julia Smith|coauthors=Holland, Tony|title= EastEnders - The Inside Story |year=1987|publisher=Book Club Associates|id=ISBN 0-563-20601-2]torylines
Willy was Ethel Skinner's constant companion. She rarely appeared on-screen without him tucked under her arm. He was named after her late husband, William Skinner. A lot of rather puerile humour was derived from Willy's name. Ethel's famous lines being either, "Where's my Willy?" or, in a
double entendre , "Has anyone seen my Willy"Willy could often be quite mischievous. When Ethel was preparing the food in
The Queen Vic one day, Willy ate all the expensivesteak for thesteak and kidney pie s when her back was turned. Ethel replaced the meat with a less costly cut and everyone commented that the pies were not up to standard. At Christmas 1990, he sneaked into the Fowlers' and began eating the turkey.cite book |last= Kingsley|first= Hilary|title= The EastEnders Handbook |year=1990|publisher=BBC books|id=ISBN 0-563-36292-8]Willy was kidnapped in 1986. He was eventually found by Detective
Roy Quick in a pet shop, but when Quick returned with Ethel, Willy had been sold. They tracked Willy down to his new owner, Mr. Pavasars, who had renamed him Rasputin.Lou Beale bought him back and returned Willy to his concerned owner. When Ethel fell and broke her hip, Willy went to stay withDot Cotton , and they found each other a strain. Dot wasn't the only one who wouldn't tolerate Willy.Ernie Mears andBenny Bloom wanted to marry Ethel, but only if she got rid of Willy. Ethel couldn't part with her beloved dog so she turned them both down.When Ethel and her friends went on a holiday to
Clacton , Willy had to go too, in a holdall. He was discovered by the owner of thebed and breakfast , but fortunately for Ethel he was a dog-lover too and allowed Willy to stay.Willy was a touch sensitive, and whenDr. Harold Legg made several remarks about "dog mess" in the Square, Ethel feared it upset him to the extent that he couldn't perform at all. Luckily, Willy'sconstipation was eventually resolved.Sadly, after succumbing to old-age, Willy fell ill in 1992 and Ethel had to make the heart-breaking decision to put him down. Ethel was devastated to lose her dog, so the residents of Albert Square all clubbed together to buy her a new dog. However, Ethel wouldn't accept it, saying Willy was irreplaceable.cite book |last= Lock|first= Kate|title= Who’s Who in EastEnders |year=2000|publisher=BBC books|id=ISBN 0-563-55178-X]
Two weeks and two days after being written out of "EastEnders", the dog who played Willy died. [" [http://www.wgazette.com/int-fran.html Walford Gazette interview with Gretchen Franklin] ", "Walford Gazette". URL last accessed on
2006-10-24 .]References
External links
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