Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the drama's longest-serving main character, and, following the departure of Pauline Fowler (Wendy Richard) in 2006, he was the only original character to have appeared continuously. The character appeared in his 2,000th episode in the show on 26 March 2007, and his 3,000th on 27 May 2016. After 36 years on the show, Woodyatt departed EastEnders on 22 January 2021. Ian is the most-married character in EastEnders history, with six marriages to five women (Cindy Williams, Mel Healy, Laura Dunn, twice to Jane Collins, and Sharon Watts) and two aborted engagements to Mandy Salter and Denise Fox. Ian is the current owner of 45 Albert Square, traditionally represented within the series as the family home of the Beale and Fowler family, and in 2020 he bought the Queen Victoria pub for Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).