Ted Hills

Name: Ted Hills
First Appeared: 29th August 1995
Last Appeared: 12th August 1997
Played by: Brian Croucher

Ted Hills, born in 1945 in Walford, hailed from a destitute East End family living in a tenement block. With six siblings, including Kathy, Ted’s early life was anything but easy, especially with an alcoholic father, Dennis. During the 1960s, Ted hung around with the likes of Gavin Sullivan, Henry Hubbard, Den Watts, and Eric Mitchell. Despite knowing Eric, Kathy never met him, even though he later became her father-in-law. In 1966, Ted’s attempt to frame Kathy’s then-boyfriend, Pete Beale, for robbery led to Den Watts banishing him from Walford with threats of dire consequences if he ever returned. Ted later married Irene Carter, and they had two children: Tony in the 1970s and Sarah in 1980.

In 1994, Ted’s building company faced trouble when a young lad died on a job site. Ted’s friend, Jimmy Doyle, had accidentally caused the death while defending Sarah from harassment. Ted covered for Jimmy, who had previously done time for a crime Ted committed. This incident prompted Ted to move his family back to his hometown of Walford in 1995, after hearing about the deaths of Den Watts and Pete Beale. His return wasn’t welcomed by everyone, particularly Pauline Fowler, who held a grudge for the trouble he’d caused Pete. Threats from Baker, the father of the deceased lad, followed Ted, but Phil Mitchell’s intervention redirected the blame to Jimmy, who fled Walford.

Ted, strict and overprotective, often clashed with his children and the community. He struggled with Tony’s bisexuality, nearly disowning him and losing many friends in the Square. When Sarah ran away, Ted wrongly accused and assaulted Robbie Jackson, believing he had raped her. In reality, Sarah had propositioned Robbie and fled in shame after their encounter. Ted’s behaviour frequently alienated his children and created conflict in Walford.

By 1997, Ted’s business faltered, and he faced mounting debts, leading to the closure of his shop. Offered a job on a building project in Dubai, Ted accepted and left Walford, though his children refused to join him. He later moved to South Africa, and in 1998, Kathy joined him.