his mum to the cemetery. He has a good relationship with Kathy, emotionally and sexually (Maybe he's a little concerned that she's keeping her good looks a bit longer than he is?). Peter Dean was an actor known to Smith and Holland for his role in the crime drama Law and Order. Dean was from the East End of London and his family owned a stall in the market, just as the character he auditioned for did. Holland and Smith have said that despite the fact that Dean gave a disappointing reading at his audition, his tremendous enthusiasm for the part and for the show made up for it. He was subsequently offered the part. Adam Woodyatt, the actor playing Pete's son Ian, suggested in 2010 that Dean, along with Wendy Richard (Pauline Fowler), Susan Tully (Michelle Fowler) and Shirley Cheriton (Debbie Wilkins) were "the big names" of the original cast, all formerly known to the public; therefore, media interest in them was greater initially. Characterisation Author Hilary Kingsley has described Pete as "rough and ready [...] Rough with his tongue and his fists, and ready to jump into an argument whether he knows anything about it or not. Act first, think later, if at all, is Pete's attitude." She implied that he was unintelligent suggesting that he would not get into Mensa and that he seems "thick as a brick". It has been suggested by writer Dorothy Hobson that the character of Pete was a portrayal of a typical East End male, "macho and mouthy". Author Christine Geraghty has suggested that Pete was seemingly intolerant of difference, but that his position was always undermined "by his blustering espousal of an excessively masculine position. Pete's [homophobic jokes for instance], like much else he does, are not followed through." Discussing the character's other qualities, author Kate Lock has suggested that Pete was "a simple, amiable sort of chap [who] left others to get on with the complicated things in life." Lock added that complications were beyond Pete's grasp and that he had trouble articulating emotions. Meanwhile, author Rupert Smith has classified Pete as a "soft touch" character. He added that Pete started off as "a cheery chappy" but became "hard to like", using his failure to support his wife Kathy through her rape ordeal in 1988 as a reason why he lost public sympathy. David Buckingham, author of Public Secrets: EastEnders