Irene Raymond (also Carter and Hills) is a fictional character from the BBC

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

'' EastEnders'', played by Roberta Taylor. Introduced in 1997 as the matriarch of the Hills family, Irene remained in the serial until 2000, when the actress opted to leave. Involved in comical and dramatic storylines, Irene is paired romantically with Terry Raymond (

Gavin Richards Gavin Richards (born 3 July 1946) is an English actor, writer and director. He is best known for playing Captain Alberto Bertorelli in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!'' from 1987 to 1989, and Terry Raymond in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' be ...

), and is prominently featured as part of the 1999 Christmas Day episodes, where her extra-marital affair with a toy boy is discovered by Terry. Her departure storyline was filmed on-location in Spain, where she ends her marriage to Terry.

Storylines

Irene is the ex-wife of Ted Hills ( Brian Croucher) and the estranged mother of

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pio ...

and Tony Hills ( Daniela Denby-Ashe and Mark Homer), and she arrives in

Albert Square Walford is a fictional London borough, borough of East End of London, east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood, England, Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, tow ...

following Ted's departure to

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...

in August 1997. She comes to stay with her children after she was fleeced out of her divorce settlement by a

conman A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have ...

. Her children are initially hostile to her for being absent for so many years, as is her sister-in-law

Kathy Kathy is a feminine given name. It is a pet form of Katherine, Kathleen and their related forms. Kathy may refer to: In sports * Kathy Bald, Canadian freestyle swimmer *Kathy May, American tennis player *Kathy Radzuweit, German volleyball playe ...

( Gillian Taylforth), who resents her for her treatment of her brother. Irene soon manages to sway her children's opinion back in her favour and they begin to grow close, although she does manage to ruin her son's relationship with

Simon Raymond Simon Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Andrew Lynford. Simon is introduced in 1996 as the homosexual brother of Tiffany Mitchell ( Martine McCutcheon). His relationship with the bisexual charac ...

(

Andrew Lynford Andrew Lynford (born 14 June 1972) is a British television presenter and actor. Since 2010, he has worked extensively as a theatre & television director, talent agent and casting director. He is widely remembered for playing Simon Raymond, th ...

), when she reveals Tony's fling with his colleague Polly Becker ( Victoria Gould). It isn't long before Irene finds an eligible man to flirt with, and this happens to be the recovering

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

, Terry Raymond (

), Their romance soon begins to blossom and it isn't long before they plan to marry. The ceremony takes place in 1998, but just as Terry is about to say "I do", his first wife, Louise (

Carol Harrison Carol Harrison (born 8 February 1955) is an English actress and writer. She is known mostly for her work on British television, in particular her role as Louise Raymond in BBC's ''EastEnders''. Career Harrison made her acting debut in 1976, i ...

), halts the proceedings by announcing that she and Terry are still married. Irene is furious and humiliated, but Terry manages to win her round and they decide to go on their

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...

anyway. Despite this hitch, Irene goes on to marry Terry, secretly at a registry office, after his divorce from Louise has been finalised. Irene becomes good friends with local restaurant owner Rosa di Marco (

Louise Jameson Louise Jameson (born 20 April 1951) is an English actress with a wide variety of television and theatre credits. Her roles on television have included playing Leela (Doctor Who), Leela in ''Doctor Who'' (1977–1978), Anne Reynolds in ''The Ome ...

) and she is a fan of any new-age fad she ever comes across; during her time she participates in feng shui,

aromatherapy Aromatherapy is based on the usage of aromatic materials including essential oils and other aroma compounds, with claims for improving psychological and physical well-being. It is offered as a complementary therapy or as a form of alternative ...

, and

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

, much to the bemusement of her sceptical husband. Together, Terry and Irene run the local grocery store, 'The First Til Last'. Despite Terry's desperate attempts to please Irene, he always seems to manage to get it wrong and their relationship is often volatile, with Irene seemingly unable to communicate what she really wants of Terry. Things reach an all-time low when Irene starts going through

menopause Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often d ...

in 1999. She often gets severely emotional, depressed, and irritated, particularly with Terry, who often unintentionally humiliates her about her condition. Terry is incapable of doing anything right in Irene's eyes at this time. Irene's restless nature means that she soon begins to tire of married life with Terry and in 1999, after continual chasing, Irene succumbs to the advances of her lodger

Troy Harvey The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 1999, by order of first appearance. Many were introduced by the show's executive producer, Matthew Robinson. Nina Harris Nina Harris, played ...

(Jamie Jarvis). Troy is considerably younger than Irene (almost half her age), and although he makes her feel special and desirable, Troy is only playing the field and later tries it on with Irene's best friend Rosa. Irene refuses to believe Rosa however and the affair continues. Things reach a head on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

in 1999. Terry discovers a

watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached ...

that Irene had got engraved for Troy and suddenly understands what has been occurring. Terry is hurt, but his angst is directed at Troy and not Irene. After sending Irene on an errand, he confronts Troy and evicts him without his wife knowing. When Irene returns she is devastated to learn that Troy has gone. Terry forgives Irene, but the marriage is severely strained and Irene is never fully content or happy with her life after Troy's departure. Terry is desperate to hang on to Irene, so after a man smashes his van into the First 'til Last by mistake, Terry uses the

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

money to buy her a holiday in a luxury villa in

Alicante, Spain Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...

in 2000. Irene is over the moon but her joy soon turns to rage when she discovers that Terry has invited fellow

Walford Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location wo ...

residents Frank and

Peggy Butcher Margaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. ...

( Mike Reid and

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.Roy and Pat Evans (

Tony Caunter Anthony Patrick Caunter (born 22 September 1937) is a Retired British actor best known for his role as Jack Shepherd in the Yorkshire TV sitcom ''Queenie's Castle'' and also his portrayal of Roy Evans in '' EastEnders'' from 1994 to 2003. The ...

and Pam St. Clement). Whilst on holiday, Terry begins to despair over Irene's obvious unhappiness with their marriage and her complaints about her dull life in Walford. In an attempt to 'call her bluff' he sets Irene up with a rented car, gives her a wad of money and suggests that she leave there and then and travel the world like she has always dreamed. Unluckily for Terry, Irene leaps at the chance of freedom and leaves him, and he goes back to Walford alone. Her current location is currently unknown, although when Terry departs in 2002 he contacted Irene to give their marriage another chance.

Creation and development

Irene was introduced in 1997 as the estranged mother of the already established characters

( Daniela Denby-Ashe) and Tony Hills ( Mark Homer). Her introduction followed the axing of the Hills' family patriarch Ted ( Brian Croucher), who departed the serial the episode before Irene's arrival. Taylor was asked to play Irene by the producers, commenting, "When I was asked to play her I said I didn't mind what she was like as long as she didn't wear a cardigan!". She has claimed that she based the somewhat comical and sarcastic characterisation of Irene on her deceased mother and sisters, adding, "They wouldn't have liked it if I didn't make you laugh. That was their whole ''raison d'etre''." Author Kate Lock has described Irene as "restless" and an unlikely "sex siren". While author Rupert Smith has stated that she was "flighty, bitchy and self-centred ..the mother from hell", but noted that she was a "breath of fresh air when compared to her ghastly children". Irene was instantly paired romantically with Terry Raymond (

), and Rupert Smith has suggested that in Terry, Irene "met her match in dreadfulness" and likened them to a "geriatric ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

''". He went on to say that, "separately, the Hills and Raymonds were disastrous, dysfunctional families. Joined together, as they were by Terry and Irene's distasteful romance, they were unbearable." In 2000, Taylor announced that she was leaving ''EastEnders''. She had originally planned to leave the year before but she decided to stay when she saw the storyline that had been penned for Irene. Producers were disappointed by her decision to leave, with one source commenting, "Roberta's an outstanding actress who brought a little extra magic to Walford. We would have loved her to stay." Taylor said: "EastEnders has been a fantastic experience but I'm pleased to be leaving. I was always thinking, 'When can I learn my lines?' I gave over much of my life to the show and if I was to carry on at such a pace I'd have to continue to put my life on hold. I didn't want to do things at half-cock ..I had a lot of fun playing Irene, and Gavin, who plays my screen husband Terry, and I got on brilliantly. Irene was a complicated lady. I never knew what was going to happen next, but that's what life is like. We worked hard at our characters. People thought we were comical but actually there was a lot of sarcasm." When asked if she would return in 2002, Taylor stated that she would be open to a one-off return, not a full-time comeback.

Reception

Taylor told

Sharon Marshall Sharon Jean Marshall (born 21 September 1971) is a British entertainment journalist and screenwriter best known for being the resident "Soap Expert" from 2003 to 2022 on ITV's '' This Morning''. Television career In 2006, Marshall appeared as a ...

in 2000, that following the storyline where Irene had an affair with a toy boy, she was harassed by younger men: "I get letters from young men outlining exactly what they want to do to me. They're pretty detailed. I even get sex offers in the street. One guy, a very pretty boy in his twenties, sent me a letter containing all the explicit things he would like to do to Irene. It was shocking. Another guy marched up to me in a London store and demanded to know if he was young enough to go to bed with me." The Christmas Day 1999 scenes in ''EastEnders'' involving Terry, Troy and Irene were described as "compelling viewing" by Merle Brown, critic for the ''Daily Record''. She added, "All three played their parts excellently, especially Gavin Richards as Terry, who actually made you feel heartfelt sorrow for his usually despicable character." The character of Irene was praised by Gareth Mclean, television critic of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'', who noted the development that had occurred in her narrative: "When Irene first appeared in Walford ..she was a harpie in a satinette dressing gown. But ..her transformation into sympathetic, thwarted heroine

s now S, or s, is the nineteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''. History ...

complete. Never entirely happy with Terry - and even less so since her plundering of Troy ..and when renebroke, the torrent of rage, frustration, self- loathing and self-doubt that Roberta Taylor unleashed was undeniably moving."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raymond, Irene EastEnders characters Fictional shopkeepers Television characters introduced in 1997 Female characters in television