Michelle Fowler
Michelle Fowler (also Holloway) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera "EastEnders", played by Susan Tully from the first episode in 1985 until the character's departure in 1995. In December 2016, it was announced Michelle would be returning to the show after 21 years, with actress Jenna Russell taking over the role making her first appearance on 24 December 2016. In her first stint Michelle made some huge mistakes during her time in Albert Square mainly through having a habit of choosing the wrong men and her stubborn nature meant that she rarely accepted help or listened to good advice. Being determined and outspoken, she has never been afraid to defend herself or her beliefs. Since the recast to Russell in 2016, Michelle's storylines have revolved around her having had an illegal relationship with her student, Preston Cooper (Martin Anzor) in America, a love triangle involving her niece Bex Fowler (Jasmine Armfield), crashing Phil Mitchell car into the local chip shop and being stalked by Tom Bailey (Daniel Casey). Russell's departure from the show was announced in March 2018, and Michelle departed on 17 April 2018.
Pauline Fowler
Pauline is a member of the Beale family. Her storylines focus on drudgery, money worries and family troubles. The matriarchal stalwart of the fictional London community of Albert Square, she is portrayed as a loving, doting mother who is very family-oriented. In later years however, she becomes a more stoic, opinionated battle-axe who alienates her relatives through overbearing interference. Pauline is married to the downtrodden Arthur Fowler (Bill Treacher), though she finds out he has had a one-night stand with Christine Hewitt (Elizabeth Power) which leads to her hitting him with a frying pan. Their marriage remains rocky until his death in 1996. She is used for comedic purposes in scenes with her launderette colleague, Dot Cotton (June Brown), and scriptwriters included many feuds in her narrative, most notably with her daughter-in-law, Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy), and Den Watts (Leslie Grantham), a family friend who got her daughter, Michelle Fowler (Susan Tully), pregnant at 16. A famous episode in 1986, which includes Pauline discovering that Den is the father of Michelle's baby, drew over 30 million viewers, and was listed at number 36 in "The Times"' 1998 list of "Top 100 cult moments in Film". Richard announced Pauline's retirement from the serial in July 2006, and the character was killed off in a "whodunnit?" murder storyline, with Richard making her final appearance on 25 December 2006.