Lisa Fowler (also Shaw) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Benjamin. The character was introduced as a "home-wrecking blonde" by executive producer Matthew Robinson on 7 December 1998. The character made her initial departure on 3 October 2002, when she was written out by producer Louise Berridge.
Berridge later reintroduced the character on two occasions in 2003. Despite several reports stating she would return, Benjamin did not reprise the role until 2010 when Bryan Kirkwood brought the character back for a single episode on 5 August 2010. The actress reprised the role again in 2017 for a brief stint, returning on 21 July 2017 and departing on 3 August 2017. On 27 May 2019, it was announced that Benjamin would once again be reprising the role for a "specific storyline" and Lisa returned on 2 September 2019. She departed once again on 24 January 2020. On 23 May 2023, it was announced that Benjamin had signed up to reprise the role for another short stint later in the summer, alongside Lisa's granddaughter Peggy Taylor. They returned on 10 July and departed on 20 July 2023.
Lisa is characterised as "a loyal, romantic Earth Mother" who is "feisty, independent and ambitious". Initially, show scriptwriters and BBC controller of drama, Mal Young, doubted Benjamin's casting in the role. However, after a volatile relationship with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Lisa became an "eternal victim". The characters became instrumental in one of EastEnders most highly publicised and anticipated storylines, dubbed Who Shot Phil? in 2001, in which an unknown assailant guns down Phil. An estimated 23 million viewers watched Lisa confess to Phil's attempted murder, causing the third-largest power surge on record. Other storylines included Lisa's pregnancy with Phil's child, in which she opted not to tell him and claimed that her partner, Mark Fowler (Todd Carty), was the father, giving birth to Louise Mitchell (Rachel Cox/Brittany Papple/Tilly Keeper); in the show's Christmas 2001 episodes, Louise's parentage is revealed. In Lisa's returns, the storylines have centred around her daughter Louise's pregnancy, falling out with and coping with best friend Mel Owen's (Tamzin Outhwaite) death, a feud with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and partially making amends with Phil.
Creation and development Casting The character's arrival was announced by the press in November 1998. She was one of Executive Producer Matthew Robinson's introductions, and was described as a "home-wrecking blonde". According to actress Lucy Benjamin, who played Lisa, the scriptwriters had doubts about casting her in the role: "I just knew in my heart that I'd be able to do it well. And I desperately wanted the security of a regular income. But after the audition they kept me hanging on for such a long time. They tortured me by saying yes then saying no. It's the only job I've ever cried about when I thought I didn't have it." Benjamin said that she was overjoyed when she was eventually given the part. In 2010, Matthew Robinson discussed Lisa's introduction with Walford Web, suggesting that Lisa and several other new characters introduced were an attempt to fill in character gaps in the soap resulting from a large number of axings. Lisa was conceptualised as a "totty" contingent. He indicated that the casting of Benjamin had been awkward, as BBC controller of drama Mal Young was hesitant about her hiring. He eventually relented and, according to Robinson, admitted after seeing her in the role that "she was, after all, a great asset to the show".
Personality Prior to the 2000s, Lucy Benjamin described Lisa Shaw, as "feisty, independent and ambitious". Later, she described her as "a loyal, romantic Earth Mother". It was revealed through dialogue on-screen that Lisa had nursed her mother through terminal cancer, and that she had not lost her virginity until the age of 28, when she came to Walford.
The character's demeanour altered somewhat circa 2000. Due to her romantic pairing with Phil Mitchell, she became "mentally battered". Rupert Smith, author of EastEnders: 20 years in Albert Square, classified the character as an "eternal victim": one who endures misfortune and misery, and is an endless sufferer. He adds, "She was intelligent, beautiful and young — and so, of course, Lisa had to lie down and let men walk all over her [...] a snivelling, suicidal wreck." Benjamin has noted that her character was "constantly crying".
Relationship with Phil Mitchell Lisa became more prominently featured in 1999, when she was paired romantically with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden). The relationship was scripted as problematic, and included storylines about miscarriage, emotional and mental abuse, and infidelity, when Phil slept with Lisa's best friend, Mel Healy (Tamzin Outhwaite).
One of EastEnders''' most highly anticipated storylines involved the couple. "Who Shot Phil?" saw Phil Mitchell gunned down outside his home in March 2001 in a Dallas-style whodunnit mystery. Various key characters were in the frame for the deed, and viewers were left guessing for weeks as to which one was the real culprit. Several outcomes were allegedly filmed, and it was reported that only a few TV executives knew the identity of the would-be assassin; even the actors were kept in the dark. A spokesman commented, "The cast are only getting their own scripts. They are not being told anyone else's storylines. Not even Phil knows who shot him. It's top secret." Scriptwriters were reportedly given private security after a writer's laptop was stolen, in what was believed to be an attempt to gain the identity of the assailant. The storyline captivated the public's imagination, leading to thousands of bets being placed at the bookies across the UK: bookmaker William Hill said there was about 50,000 bets on who was responsible for the shooting.
An estimated 22 million viewers watched EastEnders on 5 April 2001 to find out that Lisa – Phil's spurned ex-girlfriend – was the culprit. The episode caused the third-largest power surge on record, and the Liverpool and Barcelona UEFA Cup semi-final was postponed for 15 minutes to accommodate a special 40-minute edition of the soap.
Lucy Benjamin told the Daily Star that keeping the secret that her character was responsible for the attempted murder had been the "worst two months of her life"."Cost of foot-and-mouth leads papers ", BBC News. Retrieved 26 June 2009. She commented to The Mirror, "For two months I've carried this secret and it's been tough, really hard. I've had to lie to my colleagues — all the suspects were told to say it wasn't us. I've become very good at lying! The lies went on and on. The first person I told that it wasn't me was Todd Carty, who plays Mark [Fowler]. I thought he was a good chap to try my lies on to see if he believed it! And he did. I was delighted that it was me. I think Lisa had every reason to do it". At the time, Benjamin expressed fear that the high-profile storyline would spell the end of her character, who she had thought would be imprisoned. However, in a further plot twist, Phil framed Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass) for the shooting. Subsequent storylines involved in Lisa and Phil's narratives surrounded Lisa's pregnancy. In the storyline, Lisa, secretly expecting Phil's baby, married Mark, and claimed the baby was his. This secret was revealed in the Christmas Day 2001 episodes.
Departure (2002) In June 2002, Lucy Benjamin was axed from her role of Lisa, whose departing storyline revolved around the rekindling of her romance with Phil. After beginning an affair, she left Mark, taking her daughter to live with the Mitchells. However, Lisa realised she had made a mistake when Phil and his family began excluding her from her daughter's life; she absconded with the baby in October 2002. In a subsequent plot, Phil retrieved his daughter off-screen, chasing Lisa to Portugal, and returning with Lisa and Louise's passport.
Guest stints (2003–2017) In January 2003, the BBC announced that Lucy Benjamin would reprise the role of Lisa for a special set of episodes that revealed Lisa's fate in flashbacks. The episodes were filmed on-location in and around Albufeira on the Portuguese Algarve. It was claimed that several endings to the episodes had been filmed, and that the outcome was a "closely guarded secret". Despite initial claims that Lisa would be killed off in the episodes, this did not occur; instead, Lisa gave Phil custody of Louise after he convinced her she was unstable, and threatened to tell the police that she had once shot him if she returned to England.
However, in June 2003, it was confirmed that Lisa would once again be returning to the serial. Benjamin said, "I couldn't believe it when I got the call a few months ago to ask if I would return to Walford. I didn't think Lisa would give up baby Lou without one last fight." The return storyline was temporary, allowing Lisa to usurp Phil and once again take custody of her daughter, with the help of Den Watts (Leslie Grantham). The character then disappeared, exiting in November 2003.
Following this exit, numerous press reports suggested that the character would be returning to the serial again; these turned out to be false, with an EastEnders spokesperson saying in 2006 and 2007 that there were no current plans to bring the character back.
When asked if she would return in 2004, Benjamin said, "I loved Lisa. She was a great character and I loved playing all those story lines. It was a wonderful opportunity for me but all that angst and that drama can sometimes get to you. She hasn't been killed off. Loads of characters are revived and brought back but I don't know if it's something I'd want to do again at the moment. It still feels like only yesterday I was there and it's good to kind of recharge your batteries and get out there and do other things. But I love the show and I'd never say never! And I liked playing Lisa. I thought she was a great character so you just don't know."
In April 2010, it was reported that Lisa would return for a single episode later in the year in a bid to retrieve Louise from Phil, who gained custody of her earlier in the year. Benjamin said of her return: "I'm really looking forward to returning to EastEnders for this episode. It will be great to see some familiar faces and work alongside old friends again." Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood commented, "Lucy's character Lisa was responsible for one of the biggest cliffhanger episodes in EastEnders, so it's a real treat to have her back on screen," while a spokesperson for the show added, "Lisa Fowler was a major part of Phil's life – she knows him as well as anyone, so she won't be happy about him looking after his daughter. With their history, you know that this storyline is going to be an explosive episode in the Mitchells' history." The episode was broadcast on 5 August 2010.
Discussing her brief return, Benjamin said, "What I liked about doing this storyline was that it did explain where Lisa had been. When I was watching it, I was thinking 'Where's her mother? Where is Lisa? It's just ridiculous'. But it does make sense. She is mentally unstable and she does have times like that and the little girl is old enough to make her own decisions and say, 'I want to live with my dad now'. So she had to let her go. I liked that I was able to come back and defend myself because Lisa was kind of being slaughtered in the Square for being a rubbish mum!"