Steven Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Edward Farrell from 1989 to 1990, Stuart Stevens from 1992 to 1998, Edward Savage from 1998 to 2002, and Aaron Sidwell from 2007 to 2017. It was announced on 22 February 2008 that the character would be written out at the end of Sidwell's contract, and made his on-screen departure on 9 May 2008. On 2 May 2016, it was announced that Sidwell had returned to the role. Steven made his return on 27 May 2016. On 9 August 2017, it was announced that Sidwell would leave the show again. Steven made his final exit on 8 September 2017 when the character was killed off during a high-profile stunt week. In the 1990s, Steven's storylines mostly concerned his paternity and the ongoing custody battle between his mother, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), and his adoptive father, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). In the early 2000s, a darker side to adolescent Steven emerged as he began writing poison pen letters to neighbours, before moving to New Zealand to be with his father. In the late 2000s, Steven's storyline focused on his hostile relationship with his dad, and involved stalking Ian, taking Ian hostage, multiple suicide attempts, and accidentally shooting his step mum, Jane (Laurie Brett). Steven also dates Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) but struggles with his sexuality and an attraction to Jane's brother Christian Clarke (John Partridge), and he attempts to murder , Pat Butcher (Pam St. Clement). Since his 2016 return, Steven becomes deceitful with his girlfriend Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) by having an affair with her sister Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald) - which sparks the events of the character being responsible for Abi's pregnancy; fabricating a lie about having a brain tumour; and nearly killing Jane again after Lauren and Abi's father, Max (Jake Wood), blackmails him in setting fire to his dad's restaurant in his plan to kill her as revenge for her contribution to getting him wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his sister Lucy (Hetti Bywater), who was previously killed by their half brother Bobby (Eliot Carrington). Ultimately, Steven contemplates on rescuing Jane and ends up getting injured in the fire by Max - which consequently triggers the character suffering a fatal cardiac arrest in hospital; he dies and his lies are soon discovered at his funeral a week later.