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  Character Name Mark Fowler
  Actor Name Todd Carty
  Years 1985 , 1987 , 1990 – 2003
  Dob 2 February 1968
  Status Deceased
  Occupation Fruit and veg stall holder


Mark Albert Fowler was a Fictional Character in the popular British BBC Soap Opera '' EastEnders ''.

When the series began in February 1985 , the role of Mark was originally played by David Scarboro , however he was abruptly fired from the series later that year due to refusing to play Mark as a racist. In the storyline, Mark disappeared without a farewell scene one night. Scarboro made brief returns to the series in December of that year and in early 1987 , but this was to be Scarboro's last ever appearance as Mark. Sadly Scarboro committed Suicide in 1988 and the role was subsequently recast, with Todd Carty taking over the role in 1990 . At this time, Mark was returned to the series as a permanent character.


MARK'S BEGINNING


Mark was the son of Albert Square residents Arthur and Pauline Fowler (two of the key original characters in the series). Initially, Mark was a brooding and rebellious teenager. He ran away from home and got involved in drugs with Nick Cotton , attempted to join a Racist organisation and was a suspect of Reg Cox 's murder. After endless problems, he left Walford, without informing his parents he was going, and wasn't seen again until eight months later. Mark had settled in Southend-on-Sea with an older woman and her children. A year later he was visited by his mother in a Detention Centre after he had been arrested for assualting a policeman. After his release he briefly came back to Walford, but soon left again.


HIV

Mark subsequently returned to Albert Square in 1990 a changed man. Mark was more caring and sedate, having left his rebellious stage well behind. His gained maturity was in no small way due to the fact that he had contracted HIV whilst he was living away from the Square, which forced him to become more responsible. Mark was forced to confront the Square's prejudices, including his own father, who disowned him for a while after finding out about his status. Arthur's ignorance was obviously apparent initially. He would often get scared that he would catch HIV from Mark, so he went to painstaking attempts to bleach all the cutlery that Mark had used to avoid infection. Mark's mother and sister Michelle were understandably distraught, but they were also instrumental in helping Arthur understand Mark's illness, and were a huge support to Mark during this time. Mark initially tried to keep his status a secret from the other residents of the Square, only telling a few select people. He had a serious relationship with Diane Butcher , who supported him through some hard times, but she ended up shooting trough after he proposed. Mark soon took over the running of the family fruit and veg stall in the market after his uncle Pete Beale's death.

When Peggy Mitchell learned of Mark's HIV status she was initially outraged that he was handling and selling food, and tried to instigate a boycott. Later she realised how stupid she had been.

Mark had relationships with his sister's housemates, Rachel Kominski and Shelly Lewis , but neither could handle all the ramifications of Mark's illness, so they didn't last.


MARK'S FAILED MARRIAGES


Mark's first marriage was to Gill , his girlfriend from his early years, who Mark had initially thought infected him with HIV, although this was never confirmed. When they met again years later, she had developed AIDS . The day after they married, Gill died.

Mark later found love with Ruth Aitken . They married but their inablity to have children was always a problem. They fostered a little girl named Jessie, who they adored, but her mother turned up and won a custody battle. This was a damaging blow to their marriage. This, and the fact they couldn't have children (due to Mark's HIV), led to their split. Mark was devastated when Ruth ran off to her native Scotland after falling pregnant to his newly-found cousin, Conor Flaherty .

Mark held a soft spot for Lisa Shaw , who was in a rocky relationship with his enemy, Phil Mitchell . When she left Phil, she looked to Mark. Mark took her in and they began a relationship, much to Pauline's despair. Together, they concocted a plan to pretend that the child she was carrying was Mark's, even though the real father was Phil. Mark offered to raise the baby so Phil could be completely erased from Lisa's life, and they had everyone fooled for a while. Mark stayed with Lisa after she lost it and shot Phil, who survived, and they married shortly after baby Louise's birth. Phil discovered the truth about the child's parentage when Sharon Watts blabbed, and after just five months of marriage, Lisa left Mark after beginning another affair with Phil. However it turned out that Phil only wanted Louise, and upon realising this Lisa escaped to Portugal with Louise in tow.


MARK'S EXIT AND DEATH


When Mark's doctor told him that his body was rejecting the medication he was using to stop the AIDS becoming fatal, he accepted the fact that he was going to die, and decided to leave Walford rather than let his mother see him slowly disintegrate into weakness. He made a tearful farewell to his family and friends and rode off out of Albert Square forever in February 2003 . In April 2004 , Pauline received the news that Mark had died of an AIDS related illness, and he was given a heart-felt send-off by the residents of Walford .


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