Joe Macer

Name: Joe Macer
First Appeared: 19th August 2005
Last Appeared: 26th January 2007
Played by: Ray Brooks

Joe Macer wasn’t exactly your run-of-the-mill Walford resident. Widowed in 1982, Joe had two daughters, Megan and Shelly, from his first marriage. He found solace and a bit of spice in his life when he met Pauline Fowler at their salsa dance club. The two became fast friends, and Joe soon fell head over heels. His first proposal in The Queen Vic was a swing and a miss, but our man Joe didn’t give up. In February 2006, after a cheeky fib about moving to Dubai, he popped the question again, and this time, Pauline said yes. They tied the knot in February 2006, though Pauline kept her surname as Fowler, not wanting a brand-new identity. 

Soon after their wedding, Joe’s shady past came knocking. He confessed to Pauline about his criminal history and how his lifelong friend Bert Atkinson took the fall for his crimes. Pauline, not one for secrets, threw him out, but not for long. After converting Pauline’s loft with Bert, Joe was allowed back home. However, the harmony was short-lived as Pauline became obsessed with a vendetta against her daughter-in-law, Sonia, making the household dynamics rather tense. 

Things took a nosedive in December 2006 when Pauline falsely claimed she was dying of a brain tumour. Joe, discovering the truth, left her in a huff. Their final encounter was like a scene from a dramatic play, with insults flying and Joe smashing family photos. He spent Christmas with his daughter, only to return on Boxing Day to find Pauline dead. Initially shocked, Joe soon got drunk and let it slip that he was pleased she was gone. At Pauline’s funeral, the police announced a murder inquiry, leading Martin to suspect Joe and try to strangle him until Sonia confessed she was the one under investigation. Joe subsequently moved in with Megan, promising to return for Pauline’s second funeral – a promise he conveniently broke. 
 
But the drama wasn’t over. In January 2007, Joe made an unexpected return to the Fowlers’ house, much to the horror of Pauline’s friend Dot Branning, who was inside at the time. Joe revealed to Dot that he had gone back to the house on Christmas Day to try and patch things up with Pauline, but that she harshly told him to leave. After an argument, he hit her across the head with her own frying pan and left. Dot tried to convince Joe to confess to the police, but he refused. Dot’s husband Jim stormed to the rescue, knocking Joe aside and out of the upstairs window, where he hit the floor, dead.