EastEnders created the Beale and Fowler family, drawing on his own background. His mother, Ethel Holland, was one of four sisters raised in Walthamstow. Her eldest sister, Lou, had married a man named Albert Beale and had two children, named Peter and Pauline. These family members were the basis for Lou Beale, Pete Beale and Pauline Fowler. Holland also created Pauline's unemployed husband Arthur Fowler, their children Mark Fowler and Michelle Fowler, Pete's wife Kathy Beale and their son Ian Beale. Smith used her personal memories of East End residents she met when researching Victorian squares. Ethel Skinner was based on
Pauline Fowler 1985, since Wendy Richard was the most recognisable actor from the original cast, she and her character Pauline were used heavily to promote "EastEnders" in the media. Wendy Richard, in character as Pauline, was chosen to narrate a special "dial-a-soap" service for "EastEnders". Run by British Telecom, the facility allowed people who had missed an episode to ring a number and get an instant update, up to 88 seconds long. It was the first television show to provide such a service. Between 1985 and 2006, Pauline was featured in much "EastEnders"-related merchandise and promotional material, including calendars, cast-cards, annuals, novels,