Development
Wellard's name is a portmanteau of "well hard", meaning "very tough". The character was originally played by a Belgian Shepherd (Tervuren) named Zenna, who was cast at the age of one. Producers had envisioned Wellard as a "rough, tough mongrel", and Zenna's owner, dog-handler Gill Raddings, explained: "She had the look they wanted and the ability to do what was needed on command." EastEnders' producers were initially unaware that Zenna was female, and had to find a canine double to serve as temporary replacement in 1996 when it transpired that she was pregnant, going on to deliver 10 puppies. Zenna was retired in 1998, as she was "losing her looks".
Zenna was replaced in the soap by her daughter Chancer, who was in turn succeeded by her own daughter, Kyte. Kyte played Wellard for seven years, longer than Zenna and Chancer. The dog, whose pedigree name is Minka Independance Kyte, came to the soap from Raddings' company Stunt Dogs, along with another EastEnders dog, Terence. She had previous experience in the television and film industry, having appeared on A Touch of Frost, The Jonny Vaughan Show, 102 Dalmatians and Gladiator. Raddings revealed that Kyte came to understand the words "action" and "cut", meaning the director would sometimes have to give an alternate cue such as "go" during scenes featuring Wellard, as the dog would become instantly alert upon hearing the usual commands, which appeared incongruous in scenes which called for Wellard to be relaxed. Kyte worked closely with Mohammed George, who played Wellard's owner Gus. George was afraid of dogs as a child, but after working with Kyte for three years, commented that they were so close he "sometimes like dad."
Wellard was briefly written out of the show under executive producer Matthew Robinson, but returned in 2000, when Robinson was succeeded by John Yorke. A show insider commented: "Wellard just disappeared. It seemed odd because Robbie loved that dog and never noticed it had gone." An EastEnders spokesman stated of his return: "John Yorke believes Wellard should be an integral part of Robbie's character."
When a 2005 storyline saw Wellard threatened with euthanasia for biting local café owner Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), James Desborough of The People suggested that EastEnders producers were hoping to emulate the success of a storyline from rival soap opera Coronation Street, which saw fans protest the arrest of character Deirdre Rachid (Anne Kirkbride), going as far as to lobby the UK Parliament for her release. Desborough deemed the storyline "bizarre" and accused the BBC of being "desperate to boost flagging ratings". An EastEnders spokesman responded that it was simply "a funny story which we hope the nation will get behind."
In June 2008, it was reported that Wellard was to be killed off. A show insider explained: "Wellard has been a much-loved character and everyone will be sad to see him go. But if you think about it, Wellard was not a puppy when he arrived on Albert Square, so he would be over 100 in dog years by now. It makes sense for him to bow out of the show gracefully." Raddings commented: "I used to take Kyte on set everyday but I found the scenes when Wellard was put down too hard to watch so I asked someone else to take her to filming." The scene in which Wellard was euthanised had to be re-edited, as Kyte could be seen breathing when supposedly dead. At the time of his death, Wellard had been in EastEnders for 14 years, making him one of the show's longest-running characters, and its longest-serving pet.
Read more about this topic: Wellard
Famous quotes containing the word development:
“Understanding child development takes the emphasis away from the child’s character—looking at the child as good or bad. The emphasis is put on behavior as communication. Discipline is thus seen as problem-solving. The child is helped to learn a more acceptable manner of communication.”
—Ellen Galinsky (20th century)
“Good schools are schools for the development of the whole child. They seek to help children develop to their maximum their social powers and their intellectual powers, their emotional capacities, their physical powers.”
—James L. Hymes, Jr. (20th century)
“The man, or the boy, in his development is psychologically deterred from incorporating serving characteristics by an easily observable fact: there are already people around who are clearly meant to serve and they are girls and women. To perform the activities these people are doing is to risk being, and being thought of, and thinking of oneself, as a woman. This has been made a terrifying prospect and has been made to constitute a major threat to masculine identity.”
—Jean Baker Miller (20th century)