Fatboy (EastEnders)

Arthur "Fatboy" Chubb (also credited as Fat Boy) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and its Internet spin-off '' EastEnders: E20'', played by Ricky Norwood. He made his first appearance in ''EastEnders'' on 5 January 2010 before appearing in the spin-off. Fatboy is one of four main characters in the first series of ''E20'' and makes cameo appearances in the second and third series. He was created by the ''EastEnders: E20'' writing team during a BBC summer school in August 2009. He frequently uses London street slang and is described as brash, confident, caring, a hustler and a womaniser. Norwood won the Best Newcomer award at the 2010 ''Inside Soap'' Awards and Most Popular Newcomer at the 2011 National Television Awards for his portrayal of Fatboy, and has been nominated for two further awards. In 2014, Norwood was temporarily suspended from the soap for two months after a tape of improper conduct involving him leaked onto the internet. In November 2015, the character lost his nickname and was simply credited as Arthur Chubb from 20 November until his final appearance.

On 16 October 2015, it was announced that Norwood was to leave ''EastEnders'' at the end of his contract. Details of when or how Fatboy would leave were not revealed but Norwood filmed his final scenes later that month. He departed on 24 December 2015, but was killed off-screen in the next episode. In 2023, Norwood filmed an unannounced cameo appearance as part of a flashback sequence to coincide with the return of Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), which aired on 29 August 2023.

Creation and development

Fatboy is one of four characters created for the first series of the ''EastEnders'' online spin-off ''EastEnders: E20'' who also appear in the main show, along with Zsa Zsa, Leon and Mercy. Fatboy, along with the other characters from ''E20'', was created by the show's thirteen writers during a summer school run by the BBC in August 2009. Open auditions for the cast were held at Theatre Royal Stratford East. Norwood's casting was announced on 25 November 2009, on which he said "I am so excited to be on the show. It's an honour to now be part of a show that has been on in my house for as long as I have been alive. I am born and bred in the East End—a stone's throw from the real Albert Square. It feels like a homecoming. I love being part of a cast that feels like family and can't wait to have a scene in The Vic." Kenny, who was also one of the writers, said a character like Fatboy would not have appeared in ''EastEnders'' had he not been written by young people. Norwood stated in 2013 that being from east London and playing a character from east London meant that he could "bring the truth to that character from the knowledge I have. cantry and bring the truth out of that instead of doing it from an outside perspective."

Although his co-stars Attwater and Kenny were axed from the cast in May 2010, Norwood revealed his contract had been extended to December 2010, saying that the producers saw "some future in Fatboy". In January 2011 it was reported that due to the character's popularity, producers were planning to expand Fatboy's family and were in the process of casting his father, Ashley Chubb. An ''EastEnders'' insider is reported to have said "Fatboy has been a real hit with viewers and the bosses have decided that it's now time to bring in his dad so people can see what Fatboy is really all about." Norwood's contract was once again renewed in late 2013 for another year, by the new executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who promised "juicy storylines" for the character. One source from the programme said "Fatboy is a popular character and appeals to all ages. He's not had a decent storyline for a while but always provides much-needed humour in Albert Square. ..He’s got some good stuff coming up and is an important member of the cast."

Characterisation

When the character was announced, he was described as a hustler who sees everything as an opportunity, and has created several personas since the age of seven to hide his real self. Norwood expanded on this, saying "when he was in school and the register was being read out and it got to his name it would be 'Chubb!' and all the kids in school would start taking the mickey out of it. What he did was create something even more ridiculous to take away from that. He took the mickey out of himself and took the power away from those that were taking the mickey out of him. ..For the same reason most kids put on a front, it's to protect himself from the world. He doesn't like his real name so he tried to create something that would get away from that and Fatboy was that creation. The street and the slang stuff is not something that is far away from him, it is still from the area that he lives in. Fatboy was someone he adopted to put a brave face on, to put a mask on himself, to protect Arthur from the world." Before adopting the "Fatboy" persona, he would adopt personas of men he saw on television, and Norwood said Fatboy was "an awkward kind of child". Fatboy comes from a wealthy background, and gets what he wants from his parents, with whom he has a good relationship, but hustles to hide the fact. He often wears clothing brand Ed Hardy, and his speech has, according to Norwood, a "unique rhythm". Norwood is able to make viable changes to the script to make it sound more authentic.

Norwood said the character's introduction was "trying to bring the street to Albert Square" and that the street slang the character uses is what he grew up with himself. He described the character in an interview with entertainment website Digital Spy as "antingto be a gangsta at times, a caring person, a player, a womaniser, the businessman... There are so many things that he wants to be and that shifts depending on the situation," adding that he is quick to solve problems and always has a plan. Additionally, a profile for the character on the official ''EastEnders'' website calls him brash, a wheeler-dealer

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