Ethel Skinner

Ethel May Skinner is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gretchen Franklin. Ethel also features in a 1988 EastEnders special, entitled Civvy Street, set on Albert Square during the Second World War, played by Alison Bettles.

Ethel is an EastEnders original character and in the early years she can always be found wandering the square with her adored pug Willy. She and Dot Cotton (June Brown) are lifelong friends, and although they wind each other up, they are completely dependent on each other. In fact Ethel trusts Dot so much that she even asks her to help her die in 2000, after she is diagnosed with inoperable cancer.

Storylines

Backstory

Ethel Skinner is one of the original characters that appears in the first episode of EastEnders in 1985 and her early history is depicted in EastEnders spin-off, Civvy Street. Ethel lived in Albert Square for most of her life, remaining there through the Second World War, and even witnessing the death of her entire family, who were wiped out by a doodlebug. This tragic event sent a young Ethel into shock and subsequently she developed eccentric behaviour. She began dressing outrageously, wearing garish make-up, flirting with anyone in trousers, and knocking back Gin - traits that lasted well into her old-age. Ethel's husband William (Ian Brimble) had died and she never really recovered from it - she even named her pug dog after him, 'Willy', or "my little Willy" as she often calls him.