| abstract | - Roly was an apricot coloured Standard poodle who was on the first episode of EastEnders and remained in the programme until the 19th October 1993, when the real Roly was getting to old to appear on screen regularly. According to Mandy Salter, who was paid £10 to walk Roly, he slipped his lead to pursue a cat and was run over by a lorry. Roly was given to Sharon Watts by her fatherDen, whilst her motherAngie disliked him for deliberatley trying to make her 'trip and fall down the stairs'. However after Den and Angie's divorce she was horrified to hear that Den was considering selling Roly, and stormed round The Queen Vic, demanding that he gave Roly to her. Involved in many storylines, Roly was the one who alerted viewers of the fact that Den had gotten 16 year old school girl Michelle Fowler pregnant. Michelle went to visit the father of her baby at a nearby canal, and Roly jumped out of the then unknown mans car, revealing the mystery man as Den. Also a bit of a rogue, Roly trampled over Tom Clements' prize leaks, bit Alan Mclntyre on the bottom, and tore apart Ethel Skinner 's knitted Christening gown she had been planning to give to the Fowlers. When Pat Wicks was savaged by the Walford ripper, Roly was the first to find her in the Albert Square gardens. However, when the Butchers moved into The Vic in 1988, Pat demanded that Roly was to be kicked from out from the pub, causing him to run away. Luckily, Roly was found by Junior Roberts who returned him to the Butchers, where Diane and Ricky Butcher changed Pat's mind. Mo, who initially suggested buying him a kennel, then warmed up to him and took him to live in her flat for a while. When Eddie Royle became the new landlord of The Vic in 1990, Roly returned to live with him and Sharon Watts, his previous owner, when Sharon lodges there as a barmaid. It was out walking Roly that Eddie was stabbed and left to die in the middle of the Square, and his body was only found after Roly began barking. Roly then finally continued to live with Sharon and her husband Grant Mitchell . Roly was nearly killed when Grant Mitchell set fire to the Vic for the insurance money, and died on screen when he was run over while chasing a cat in 1993. Roly’s real-life owner was EastEnders creator Julia Smith. He died in real life in 1995.
|
