The Beales and the Fowlers are a fictional family in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. They were the main family for storylines in early episodes of EastEnders, and remained as such ever since. With at least one member of the family having been a member of the cast from the first episode in February 1985, they are the show's longest serving family. The original Beale/Fowler family consisted of matriarch Lou Beale (Anna Wing) and her children Pete (Peter Dean) and Pauline (Wendy Richard), alongside their families including their children Ian (Adam Woodyatt), Mark (David Scarboro/Todd Carty), Michelle (Susan Tully/Jenna Russell) and their spouses Kathy Hills (Gillian Taylforth) and Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher). Additionally, several members of the family have been introduced at a later point, including Pauline and Arthur's son Martin (Jon Peyton-Price/James Alexandrou/James Bye) who was the first baby to be born into the show in 1985. The family has been headed with a matriarch first seen with Lou, and over the years, Lou's daughter Pauline, Ian's wife Jane Collins (Laurie Brett) and more recently Pete's wife Kathy, have filled this role. The Beale family have been rejuvenated several times. In 2004, Peter Beale and Lucy Beale were recast to give them a more mature look. By 2007, there were few members of the Beale family left and no Fowlers, so the family were revamped. Peter was recast again. Ian Beale started a relationship with Jane, who later became his wife, and Steven Beale also returned. By 2010, the number of Beales had fallen again. Lucy was recast and in 2013, Peter and Bobby were recast and Cindy Williams Jnr, the half-sister of Peter and Lucy, was reintroduced. In addition to this at the start of 2014 Bex Fowler returned to the serial with her mother Sonia Fowler, with Martin Fowler following 11 months later in December. In 2014 Lucy is found dead, causing her family and friends to struggle to come to terms with her death and the secrets she left behind, putting many people in the frame for her murder. In 2014, Cindy Jr's daughter Beth Williams is also introduced to the serial. It was revealed on 19 February 2015 that she was killed by her own 11-year-old brother, Bobby. It was also revealed that Kathy Beale, who was presumed dead in 2006, was alive after having faked her death with her new husband in South Africa.