Jane Beale (also Collins) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Laurie Brett. She made her first appearance on 21 June 2004. Brett took maternity leave in 2011 and departed on 19 May. She returned on 8 November and departed again on 27 January 2012. Jane made a temporary return to the show on 6 January 2014 until 20 May of that year and permanently from 24 November 2014 to 23 October 2017.
Jane's storylines have included her relationship and later marriages to Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), an affair with Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp), being accidentally shot by Ian's adoptive son Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell) which results her desire to have a child of her own following a hysterectomy, a relationship with Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra), her popular friendship with Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner), covering up her adopted son Bobby's (Eliot Carrington) role in the murder of her stepdaughter Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater), being paralysed after being brutally attacked with a hockey stick by Bobby, caught up in the fire at Beale's restaurant, which was started by Steven before she was then left in the blaze by Max Branning (Jake Wood) and being forced by Max to leave Walford which led to a second departure.
Following the conclusion of her second stint, she made two voiceover appearances on 8 and 25 December 2017. The character made an unannounced return in the episode broadcast on 15 July 2024, and appeared until 17 July, before making a further appearance on 19 September of the same year to accommodate the exit of Bobby (Clay Milner Russell).
Creation and development Brett joined the cast of EastEnders in 2004 and was asked to dye her hair red and keep it short for the part. She also put on an English accent to disguise her natural Scottish accent. Brett described Jane as "warm, kind, caring and nurturing but she's not somebody that will be pushed around. She is quite feisty. She's a matriarch. Not as a dominant woman but she's definitely a matriarch, she's the centre of a family in the making for EastEnders."
In 2006, Jane has an affair with Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp). The scenes began after writers saw chemistry between Kemp and Brett. Brett considered the storyline to be a turning point for the character as "All I did for the last year was say: 'What can I get you?' in the café." Jane was given a sexier look after a new producer came in and asked Brett to grow her hair and bleach out the red dye.
Jane marries Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), after co-habiting for around two years. Brett described Jane as "the straight man to Ian's buffoon. She's the other half who makes him whole." Speaking on the character's relationship with her husband, she likened herself to his mother, Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), stating: "if Jane doesn't work out for Ian, no one will! Perhaps because Ian is finally married to his mother. Jane is very Kathy-esque. They'd have got on really well, though I can't imagine Kathy would've been too impressed with Jane's affair with Grant – despite the fact she got through a few Mitchells herself!" She stated that she hoped Jane and Ian's marriage would be a lasting one, commenting that so far: "it's panned out brilliantly. There are millions of marriages like this one, involving a strong woman behind an incredibly weak man. But it's Ian's flaws that make everyone love him so much. The only time a character becomes boring is when they're two dimensional, and that's something you could never say about Ian. I can't imagine being anyone else's missus!"
On the Beale family as a whole, Brett commented: "we're probably the most normal family in Albert Square. The Beales are like the Trotters from Only Fools and Horses in many ways. They're salt-of-the-earth people who are trying to better themselves, so there's plenty of scope for drama and comedy. The writers certainly haven't run out of ideas for us yet – I haven't stopped working on big stories since I joined the show!"
Reintroduction (2014) Jane returned to EastEnders in the 6 and 7 January 2014 episodes. Brett's return to filming was not announced by the show's producers so that viewers would be surprised. Brett found it easy to keep her return a secret, but said that the EastEnders press office and executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins probably found it more difficult. Brett said that she was "absolutely thrilled" with the reaction that she received, after the episode was broadcast, opining that it proved that Jane is a popular character. Brett's character returned to screens from late February to early May, and returned on 24 November 2014.
Second departure (2017) On 23 October 2017, Jane made a previously unannounced departure from the show after being forced to leave Walford by Max Branning (Jake Wood). Of her departure, Brett commented: "I've loved every minute of playing Jane Beale. To return to EastEnders with such a huge storyline was an absolute gift. However, what I have known from the start is that with the soap gods watching us at all times, there is only so long before things go full circle. It's been hard keeping the secret but the storyline has been great to play out and I have loved every minute of it."
Second reintroduction (2024)
Jane made an unannounced return in July 2024. It was revealed on-screen that Ian had been meeting with Jane in secret, with her return scenes showing her first meeting with Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).
Storylines 2004–2012 Jane comes to Walford with a funfair, working the candyfloss stall. She argues with Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) but helps out when the funfair collapses. She moves to the Square and becomes friends with Ian. She reveals that her husband, David Collins (Dan Milne), is in a hospice with Huntington's disease. After he dies, Jane and Ian start dating and she moves in with him and his children, twins Lucy (Melissa Suffield) and Peter (Thomas Law), and Bobby (Alex Francis). When Jane and Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) intervene in a feud between Ian and Grant's brother Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), they end up kissing. Jane tells Grant she is not in love with him. After an argument with Ian, she has sex with Grant but stays with Ian, and Grant leaves Walford. Phil tells Ian about the affair so Ian proposes to Jane, quietly planning to humiliate her at the wedding. Jane learns this on their wedding day and disappears. Ian finds her and they fight but realise they love each other and want to be together. They marry in secret.
Ian's stepson Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell), who has been living overseas, returns to Walford and takes Ian hostage, locking him in a flat. The family eventually learn where Ian is and try to rescue him, but Jane is shot in the process. She and Ian agree to have a baby when she recovers but Jane needs an emergency hysterectomy, leaving them devastated. Jane starts going to a stand-up comedy club, telling Ian that she is going to the gym. However, he knows she is lying so Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel) takes him to the club where she is onstage. Amused initially, he is hurt by her jokes about him and their sex life. He gives her an ultimatum: give up her hobby or end their marriage. After she is accepted by a talent scout, she's shocked when Ian insists on being her agent. His interfering takes the fun out of her comedy career so she ends it.
After Ian invests in Masala Masood, the curry business run by Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) and his wife Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia), the Masoods and Beales go into business together, and Jane has a flirtatious relationship with Masood. When Ian refuses to consider the possibility of adopting a child, Jane turns to Masood for comfort and they kiss. Ian changes his mind but she knows it's only for her sake and leaves Walford, refusing to come home when Ian finds her and only returning when Bobby goes missing. Jane discovers her brother, Christian Clarke (John Partridge), is having an affair with Masood's son, Syed Masood (Marc Elliott), while acting as Syed's wedding planner. Zainab discovers this, and blames Jane for Christian coming to Walford. When Zainab hears Tamwar playing an audio recording of Ian having sex with Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), she plays it to Jane. Ian explains that Janine was blackmailing him and admits he stole Archie Mitchell's (Larry Lamb) laptop on the day he was murdered to retrieve the recording. Ian is arrested when Janine implicates Ian in Archie's death, but the charges are dropped. This damages Jane's chances of adopting.
Jane learns that Lucy is pregnant and suggests Lucy consider an abortion but Lucy wants Jane and Ian to adopt the baby. Jane agrees but Ian refuses and blames Jane for taking advantage of Lucy. Ian convinces Lucy to have an abortion and arranges it, then tells Jane that Lucy has miscarried. Fearing that Jane will learn the truth, Ian persuades her to visit her mother, Linda Clarke (Lynda Baron), in Florida. Jane is suspicious but Lucy convinces her to go. That night, Masood reminds her of their kiss and asks if he can go with her, but she goes alone as Masood stays in Walford after Syed attempts suicide. When Jane returns, the family learn that there are inconsistencies in Lucy and Peter's exam results and the papers will be investigated. Lucy denies cheating but later admits that she did. When Jane tells Lucy's friend Zsa Zsa Carter (Emer Kenny) that she is upset about Lucy's lies, Zsa Zsa assumes Jane is talking about the abortion and tells her about it. Jane asks Lucy to promise her that she is not hiding anything else and she does, but Jane learns that Ian knew about the abortion and that Lucy planned to cheat on her exam, so she decides to leave once she has what she feels she is owed. She opens another bank account and plans to transfer funds secretly before leaving, telling Ian that she no longer wants to adopt, but Ian suggests that she adopt Bobby and she agrees, as she can fight for access to him. Jane tells Christian about the abortion and he urges her to leave Ian, offering to help.
Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) brings Ian a letter from the bank about Jane's secret account. He asks Jane about it and she says she's been saving for a holiday and then has to book one, but suspicious Ian watches her every move. Jane discovers that Ian plans to buy the local Indian restaurant, the Argee Bhajee, without consulting her. Jane angrily tells friends that she no longer loves Ian, unaware that he has overheard. Ian attempts to woo Jane by cooking for her and offering the Argee Bhajee after her, admitting that he overheard what she said at Zainab's house. Jane then reveals that she knows about Lucy's abortion and is sick of his lies. She meets Masood and the pair console each other about their respective partners. They go to a hotel to have sex, but change their minds and decide to remain friends. When Jane returns home, she confesses to Ian and they reconcile.