EastEnders’ Slater family tree explained – from baby swaps to secret siblings
THE Slaters are welcoming back one of their own in Albert Square next week as Freddie Slater returns.
But with weddings, deaths, baby swaps and secret siblings, it can be easy to lose track of who's actually part of the EastEnders clan.
Charlie Slater
Actor Derek Martin made his Walford debut as Slater patriarch Charlie in 2000, the son of Frederick and Mary and the older brother of Harry and Violet Slater.
The cab driver first stepped into the Square widowed from his wife Viv Slater and alongside his mother-in-law, Mo Harris.
He was also introduced as a father of five as he appeared with his daughters, Lynne, Kat, Belinda, Little Mo and Zoe.
However, in an unexpected twist which made EastEnders history, it was revealed Charlie wasn't Zoe's father but her grandfather as Kat had actually given birth to her as a teenager.
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But there was a another nasty surprise for both Charlie and Zoe when Kat gave them the identity of her baby daddy.
During his time in Walford, Charlie's protective nature was made obvious as he was ready to do anything to save his family from any harm.
While he adopted Zoe and raised her as his own to protect Kat, he also helped his other daughter Little Mo escape an abusive relationship.
Charlie was also seen taking his niece Stacey in before welcoming her mother and brother into his home.
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A well-liked cab driver in Albert Square, Charlie had a brief relationship with The Vic landlady Peggy Mitchell and found love in the form of Brenda Boyle.
Charlie left the Square in 2011 and made sporadic appearances in the BBC One show until his death five years later.
He succumbed to a heart attack, leaving his family devastated.
While he claimed he would have stayed in the long-running drama if it had been up to him, Derek Martin has put the show on blast, disappointed with recent storylines.
Mo Harris aka "Big Mo" (1936)
As mentioned above, Maureen "Big Mo" Harris, née Porter, is the mother of Charlie's late wife Viv and the grandmother of Lynne, Kat, Belinda and Little Mo.
Mo is the oldest child of an impoverished family in the East End of London.
She became pregnant at the age of 14 after a one-night stand with Stuart Mullins, a ticket collector for the Waltzer ride at a fairground in South London.
This led to the birth of her daughter Vivienne in 1951.
During her friendship with Pat Harris, she fell for her older brother Jimmy, whom she married in 1959.
This led her to give birth to two other children, Billy and Jean but Pat threatens to disrupt their marriage due to her alcoholism and possible prostitution.
As Jimmy turned his attention away from Mo, she embarked on an affair with Pat's pimp Tony Cattani.
Pat finds out and warns Jimmy but, due to Mo denying the accusations, she's disowned.
Jimmy and Pat never had the chance to make amends and Mo even neglected to tell her about his death and funeral.
While she's not a Slater by blood and only a member of the family through marriage, Big Mo has been a constant presence in her granddaughters' lives, reputed for her scheming.
But Mo's antics are known for sometimes going too far.
BBC One viewers may remember that she once stole money from her own granddaughter Kat.
She even went as far as to assert Kat had died while staying in Tenerife with Alfie Moon and convinced residents to raise money for her funeral - only for her own financial issues to be revealed.
Ready to do anything to get herself some cash, Big Mo once claimed she had psychic abilities but, instead, listened into people's conversations with recording devices.
When Kat started a cleaning business and she was forced to join her, Big Mo barely worked and stole from the employers.
Mo left Walford in June, 2021, to go on a cruise with her fiancé Fat Elvis.
But in recent scenes of the long-running show, actress Laila Morse reprised her role as Stacey reconnected with her mother Jean at her caravan park.
Harry Slater (1946-2002)
Harry was Charlie's younger brother and was portrayed by actor Michael Elphick.
He first came to Walford in 2001 to pay Charlie and his family a visit, where he met and fell in love with Peggy Mitchell.
The pair get ready to tie the knot and make plans to emigrate to Spain, where Harry resided.
Zoe then announced to her family that she'd be leaving Albert Square to live with Harry in Spain.
A furious Kat refused to let her leave and confessed she was her mother - before revealing that Harry was her biological father.
While nobody in the Slater family knew Kat's secret, Big Mo was aware that she had been raped at the age of 13 years old by her uncle Harry.
Kat fell pregnant and gave birth to Zoe in February 1984... But there was ANOTHER twist.
After learning the truth, Zoe tells her grandfather Charlie everything and the latter attacks Harry, urging him to end his engagement with Peggy Mitchell.
Harry was last seen in Albert Square amid a tense confrontation with Kat who told him Zoe had exposed him to everybody in the family.
He then climbed into a taxi, after dropping a B-bomb on Kat and left, never to be seen again.
In 2002, Charlie got wind that his brother died of a heart attack.
Harry even left Zoe with £18,000 in his but she refused to take any of his money.
Off-screen, actor Michael Elphick breathed his last the same his alter ego did at the age of 55 years old.
Lynne Slater (1968)
Initially portrayed by Elaine Lordan before being played by Isabelle Jones in a 2018 flashback, Lynne is Charlie's oldest daughter.
Much like her father, sisters and niece, Lynne first appeared in Walford in 2000.
She was known as a fierce judge of right and wrong but was often unable to even practiced what she'd preach.
Lynne most notably had a turbulent relationship with her husband Garry Hobbs, whom she was married to from 2001 to 2004, and despaired at his lack of commitment to their relationship.
Matters were made worse by EastEnders villain Janine Butcher, who worked with her in Ian Beale's café and continuously flirted with Garry to wind her up.
Ironically, Lynne was the one who strayed from Garry on multiple instances.
She first strayed with womanising club owner Beppe di Marco, and almost didn't go through with her wedding because he felt Garry didn't deserve her.
Lynne then reconnected with an ex-lover, Jason James, behind her mechanic husband's back.
Garry eventually found out and forgave her - before cheating on her with Ian's wife Laura Beale.
At the time, Lynne was desperate to have a baby and was shocked when Laura came to Garry asking him for money and help as she had found she was supposedly pregnant.
Lynne threw Garry to the curb, which prompted him to have a one-night stand with Lynne's sister Belinda and to move in with Laura.
She agreed to give him another chance when she found she was also pregnant in 2004 but disaster soon struck.
A badly put together fairground ride collapsed in the Square and Lynne was buried under the debris.
She survived and was immediately rushed to hospital but her worst fears were becoming a reality when she started getting severe pains in her abdomen.
Garry was told by doctors her only option was an emergency caesarean section, to which he agreed without consulting her.
Lynne survived the operation but her baby died as a result and she was no longer able to have children.
Once she was told the tragic news, Lynne blamed Garry for the whole situation.
In July 2004, feeling like she had nothing left to hold on to, Lynne left Albert Square and Garry behind.
Three years later, the Slaters hears she was engaged to another man.
Meanwhile, actress Elaine Jordan has gone through her own turmoil and stepped back from the box.
Kat Slater (1970)
Perhaps one of the most iconic EastEnders characters, Kat Slater is portrayed by Jessie Wallace.
As mentioned above, Kat was raped by her uncle Harry at the age of 13 which led her to give birth to her daughter Zoe.
She then acted like a sister to her child as her father Charlie adopted the baby as his own, unaware his brother Harry had groomed and abused his daughter.
Throughout her two decades in the Albert Square, Kat has been involved in many dramatic storylines and continues to be at the forefront of some explosive events.
She has been romantically linked to many residents including her brother-in-law Garry Hobbs, Steve Owen, Derek Branning, Max Branning and Kush Kazemi.
Kat was engaged to the late Andy Hunter but eventually tied the knot with Alfie Moon.
Since 2021, she has been in a relationship with Phil Mitchell, whom she's set to marry in upcoming weeks on-screen.
Aside from her daughter Zoe, Kat is also the mother of four sons - Tommy, Bert and Ernie Moon as well as Dermott Dolan aka Luke Slater.
Speaking of Tommy Moon, the young boy as at the core of a jaw-dropping storyline in December, 2010.
At the time, both Kat (then married to Alfie Moon) and Ronnie Branning gave birth in the same episode.
But in the following instalment, Ronnie's son James dies of suddent infant death syndrome.
In a sickening move, Ronnie secretly swapped her son with Kat's child Tommy.
Unable to cope with her lie, Ronnie eventually came clean and, after some convincing by Jean Slater and an interview with social services, Kat was reunited with Tommy.
Belinda Peacock (1975)
Née Slater, Belinda is Charlie and Viv's third daughter and she was portrayed by two actresses from 2000 to 2018 - Leanne Lakey and Carli Norris.
Belinda first made an appearance in 2001, dressed extravagantly, but only revealed her true identity during Lynne's hen night, while under the influence of alcohol.
She has had brief flings with Jamie Mitchell and her brother-in-law Garry Hobbs.
Belinda eventually married a wealthy man called Neville Peacock and makes sporadic appearances in the Square when she is having marriage problems, although she's known to be living in Kent.
She was most notably seen following her father's death.
Little Mo (1977)
The daughter of Charlie, Maureen "Little Mo" Slater first stepped into the fictional London borough alongside her family in September, 2000, the day of Ethel Skinner's funeral.
She is perhaps best known for being part of a powerful domestic abuse storyline, years before Chantelle and Gray Atkins.
While she settled into the Square without him, her husband Trevor Morgan eventually joined her and it was soon revealed he was abusing her.
Little Mo was worn down so much, she had become unable to leave Trevor - until New Year's Eve in 2001.
But while she's known for being the most timid out of all the Slater girls, Little Mo struck back by repeatedly hitting Trevor with an iron, leaving him for dead.
When it was revealed she hadn't killed him, she was charged with attempted murder but she made a deal with Trevor not to press charges.
Trevor was eventually killed off during a fire in the Slater home.
Little Mo was then able to move on from Trevor in Billy Mitchell but was then raped by Graham Foster, which resulted in her son Freddie's birth.
Unable to cope with the thought of raising the child with her, Billy called time on their relationship.
And after a string of failed romances, Little Mo decided she had seen enough of Albert Square and left with her son in 2006.
Since her Walford debut, the long-suffering character was portrayed by actress Kacey Ainsworth.
Although her return remains unsure, her son Freddie will be making a comeback to Albert Square in upcoming EastEnders scenes.
Zoe Slater (1984)
As mentioned above, Zoe was raised by Charlie and Viv as their own daughter and arrived in Walford in 2000.
Her world was turned upside-down by Kat's revelations regarding her parentage and, while her biological mother attempts to take her own life, Zoe runs away, shell-shocked.
Zoe's life then spiralled out of control, although Little Mo tried to convinced her to come home.
A homeless, sick and penniless Zoe is eventually found and pimped out by Roxy Drake before being saved from a sad fate.
During her time in EastEnders, Zoe was most notably engaged to Anthony Trueman and was romantically involved with Den Watts, Jamie Mitchell, Dennis Rickman and Ronny Ferreira.
But in some shocking scenes, Zoe was led to believe she had killed Den Watts and left Albert Square for Ibiza after an emotional goodbye with her mother Kat.
Actress Michelle Ryan's last scenes in EastEnders aired in June, 2005.
Zoe has since been briefly mentioned as she was engaged but hasn't seen Kat in 15 years.
In 2022, Kat was even reluctant to send her a wedding invite and it was revealed Zoe was back living in London.
Luke Slater (1984)
Kat and Zoe's relationship was left somewhat strained.
However, Kat had no idea she'd had ANOTHER child she could be reconnecting to after almost losing her son Tommy.
Shortly after her uncle Harry arrived in the Square, Kat revealed he had raped her, which led to Zoe's birth.
But Kat had to wait until 2015 to even find out she had actually given birth to twins in February, 1984.
Luke was conceived at the same time as Zoe but Kat was told she only had her daughter.
Her son was unexpectedly born mere minutes after Zoe but Kat, being so young, was told by her mother Viv it was only the afterbirth.
Viv had known all along that Kat was raped by Harry but kept quiet and, with the help of her mother Big Mo, she decided to name Kat's son Luke before handing him away out of fear he'd turn out like his biological father.
Luke was later adopted by an Irish couple, Peter and Iris, who changed his name to Dermott.
While Kat's long-lost son has never appeared in EastEnders, she has managed to reconnect with him in Redwater, in Ireland, where she had settled along with Alfie Moon in an attempt to find him.
Jean Slater (1963)
Much like Big Mo Harris, Jean (Gillian Wright) is only a member of the Slater clan through marriage as she tied the knot with Violet Slater's son and Charlie's nephew, Brian.
Jean was married to Brian from 1982 to 1999 and the pair welcomed two children, Sean and Stacey.
She was first introduced to EastEnders viewers in 2004 and has remained in Albert Square ever since, despite a few sporadic absences.
These were mostly due to the fact she suffers from bipolar disorder, leading her to try and commit suicide before being sectioned.
Her condition has made her relationship with both of her children slightly strained but she has tried multiple times to make it up to them.
Due to her experience with bipolar disorder, Jean has been able to help her daughter Stacey deal with the condition when it became apparent she inherited it.
Throughout her time in Walford, Jean has landed herself into plenty of financial trouble but also formed an unlikely friendship with Shirley Carter.
She even supported Ian Beale during his own mental health crisis but their bond turned sour after he opened up a new restaurant and appointed her as his sous-chef.
In 2015, Jean remarried as she found love in the form of Ollie Walters but the pair's union fell apart when he had an affair with a woman named Elsie.
Jean returned him her wedding ring and remained in the Square and has since been romantically linked to Daniel Cook and Harvey Monroe.
While her life Walford led to a better representation of bipolar disorder on screens, Jean has also been seen battling cancer, notably alongside Daniel.
In heart-breaking scenes, Daniel succumbed to his illness, leaving Jean devastated and alone.
As of 2022, Jean is trying to get her life back on track after a manic episode pushed her daughter Stacey to have her hospitalised.
During this episode, she was seeing behaving erratically... and proposing to local cabbie Harvey Monroe.
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Sean Slater (1983)
Robert Kazinsky made his EastEnders debut in 2006 as Brian and Jean's son Sean.
Five years after his birth on Christmas Day 1983, Sean became a big brother to Stacey.
Upon his first steps into Walford, Stacey is the first face he recognises as he is seen following a man named Al, breaking into his flat and tracking him down in The Vic.
At the time, the siblings had been estranged for six years and it's revealed Sean simply fled following their father's death in 1999.
Sean then blamed Jean's bipolar disorder for his departure.
Over the years in Albert Square, the soldier worked as a drug dealer, a barman and has been romantically involved with several residents.
He has been known for turning his sights on to Roxy Mitchell, who became his wife in 2008 before they separated a year later, Taya Cross, Preeti Choraria and Chelsea Fox.
Sean left the Square in August, 2009, but the troubled character has made sporadic appearances ever since.
Stacey Slater (1988)
Much like her cousin Kat, Stacey is another icon and one of the last-standing Slaters in the Square.
As mentioned above, she's the youngest child of Jean and Brian Slater and is portrayed by Lacey Turner.
Stacey first arrived in Walford as a teenager, sent to live with her great-uncle Charlie after having been thrown out by her mother Jean.
She was soon sent back to her mother after her immoral behaviour wreaked havoc.
Stacey returned, growing closer to the rest of her family.
While living in the borough, Stacey became best friends with Ruby Allen in 2005 (although this changed throughout the years) and was heavily involved in Den Watts' murder by giving her cousin Zoe a false alibi.
She was then romantically involved with Bradley Branning, who became her husband, but embarked on an affair with his father Max.
Things took a turn for Stacey after the death of her friend Danielle Jones.
She began to behave erratically, stealing from her loved ones, sleeping with many men and becoming reliant on alcohol - which led to her being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
After being sectioned and returning home, reconciling with Bradley in the process, Stacey found out she was three months pregnant and revealed she had been raped by Archie Mitchell.
Archie was then killed by a mysterious assailant and Bradley was quickly blamed by his eldest daughter Ronnie.
Stacey ran away from Walford after Bradley died while trying to escape the police but Max tracked her down and brought her back home.
She gave birth to her first child, Lily, who turns out to be Ryan Malloy's daughter and their feelings for one another grow - much to his girlfriend Janine Butcher's annoyance who knows that Stacey is responsible for Archie's death.
Adamant on on escaping justice, Stacey takes her daughter and leaves the Square a first time as she fled to Mexico in 2010.
But this would only be the beginning of a VERY dramatic life in Walford for Stacey, which also included a love triangle with her cousin Kat and Kush Kazemi, the father of her son Arthur.
She returned to the Square four years later and has since remained a regular resident.
Things went south for her again when she tied the knot with Martin Fowler and her friendship with Ruby Allen crumbled.
Over the years, Stacey has struggled with her bipolar been accused of stabbing Janine Butcher and pushing her former best friend down the stairs, causing her to supposedly miscarry.
The latter (which turned out to be a lie) led Stacey straight to prison and pushed her to file for divorce from Martin on the grounds of adultery.
As of 2022, Stacey has remarried with fellow former convict Eve Unwin, although their marriage was a sham to get out of prison, and is in a relationship with Kheerat Panesar.
Kyle Slater (1994)
Transgender actor Riley Carter Millington was cast as Stacey and Sean's half-brother Kyle in 2015, thus making history as the first trans man to play a regular transgender character in British soap history.
After divorcing from Jean, Brian Slater remarried with a woman named Alison and welcomed three daughters, one of which was Sarah.
Sarah realised who she really was and transitioned, taking on the name Kyle.
Most of Kyle's time in Albert Square revolved around him getting to know his long-lost family, particularly Stacey who was the first one to spot him.
Stacey believed Kyle was stalking her until Jean told her that her father Brian had another family after their separation.
When Stacey confronted Kyle with the knowledge her father had had three daughters after welcoming her and Sean, Kyle was forced to come out as a transgender man to her.
Eventually, Kyle formed a bond with Stacey and the rest of his family, although Jean was reluctant to welcome him.
In 2016, he was offered a promising job in France and was encouraged by Stacey and Martin to take it.
Kyle shared one last meal with his Walford family and followed their advice when his mother called him by his chosen name for the first time.
Bev Slater
It's unclear how Bev Slater is related to the clan but Ashley Maguire gleefully slipped into the skin of a character EastEnders fans loved to hate in 2018.
The mother of Hayley Slater, she became a major antagonist upon her first ever appearance.
She arrived in the Square upon learning that her daughter was pregnant and she seemed eager to stoop to any low to get some cash.
Her rocky relationship with Hayley and the rest of the Slaters - particularly Jean - also left many fans livid.
Bev's last appearance in the soap was aired in January, 2019, as Hayley realised she couldn't take care of her baby Cherry.
The pair left after Bev suggested they could find the child a nice forever family... and even get some money out of it.
Hayley Slater (1991)
As mentioned above, Hayley is Bev Slater's daughter and the mother of Cherry Slater.
The character played by Katie Jarvis has had a hard life in Walford and turned to alcohol thinking booze could solve her problems - and even drank throughout her pregnancy.
Hayley wreaked considerable havoc from February 2018 to 2019, particularly for Martin Fowler... and Kat Slater.
In a shocking twist aired in 2018, it's revealed that Kat's husband Alfie Moon is the father of Hayley's then-unborn child, which led to an explosive confrontation with Kat.
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The pair eventually resolved their differences and Kat was a source of support for Hayley through and after her pregnancy.
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Other family members include:
- Vivienne Hobbs (died in 2004): Vivienne is the daughter Lynne Slater miscarried after the collapse of a fairground ride in Albert Square.
- Tommy Moon (b.2010): the son of Kat Slater and Alfie Moon
- Bert Moon (b.2014): the son of Kat Slater and Alfie Moon and Ernie's twin brother.
- Ernie Moon (b.2014): the son of Kat Slater and Alfie Moon and the twin brother of Bert.
- Scarlett Moon (b.2012): Scarlett is the daughter of Janine Butcher and Michael Moon but Kat Slater was once her legal guardian.
- Freddie Slater (b.2004): the son of Little Mo Slater and Graham Foster.
- Violet Slater (?-1988): the daughter of Frederick and Mary Slater, Violet was also Charlie and Harry's sister.
- Lily Slater (b.2010): the daughter of Stacey Slater and Ryan Malloy.
- Arthur Fowler (b.2015): the son of Stacey Slater and Kush Kazemi, he was adopted by Martin Fowler.
- Hope Fowler (b.2017): the daughter of Stacey Slater and Martin Fowler.
- Siobhan Slater (unknown date of birth): the daughter of Brian and Alison Slater and Shannon's sister.
- Shannon Slater (unknown date of birth): the daughter of Brian and Alison Slater and Siobhan's sister.
- Cherry Slater (b.2018): the daughter of Hayley Slater and Alfie Moon.