Obviously the lose of his own daughter at such a young age is dreadful and i wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, However letting Mick take the blame to do with Rainine and it completely upsetting the whole of his families lives is terrible. He's a coward and a weasel at that. I just cant find anyway to sympathise with him anymore

I've always had a soft spot for Ian he is flawed bu that makes him a more realistic, interesting well-rounded character. He does bad things but he's ultimately a good honest hardworking man, yet constantly has nothing but misery. How many times he has been made bankrupt or been cheated on? Now he's gone though the ultimate pain of losing a child. His misdemeanours pale in comparison to others peoples as well look at the far worse things Phil has done and he struts around the square and lives like a king. Ronnie Ben and Stacey have also killed people. Everybody does awful things now and again on eastenders. For example look at Lola a typically 'nice' character she was prepared to frame Peter for his own sisters murder to get billy off the hook a few weeks back.

Ian is in the worst possible place atm, he has lost his only daughter, whilst I am not excusing his behaviour at all I do, to some extent, understand why he did what he did - he is very lucky to have a friend like Mick to cover for him, not many friends would do that, but I do feel he needs to explain to the police where he was that night and what he was doing, its all very well Mick covering for him and taking the blame but the truth will come out. I also understand why Ian begged Mick to cover for him, he was right in saying the press will make a field day of it, and they would, Ian needs the press to focus on Lucy and who murdered her and if his indiscretion comes out, that is what the press will focus on

I do sympathise with him but I also do think he needs to come clean, at least to the police and his family

I can't sympathise with him but it's largely due to the continuing terrible performances by Adam. When he cries over Lucy, it reminds me of how a child cries when they a told no by their parent in the toy shop. It's silly, a bit embarassing and damn right childish.

I have always loved Ian even if I despair of his actions and think he is a deeply flawed and sad man who I have immense sympathy for - even before this storyline with Lucy. However I can understand why others don't feel the same as he can be distinctly unlikeable and his cowardly actions do end up hurting other people.

But, I do sympathize with him - for his experiences with Cindy (which made him the man he is now with all his insecurities) and all the death he.has had (really losing both parents, a sister - even if he didn't like her, cousin who was like a brother and 2 ex wives by the age of 35 is just horrible bad luck) and now to lose a daughter to murder. I'd feel sorry for anybody who'd gone through that. I might not like them much or want to be their friend but i'd feel sorry for them.

I sympathise with him from the point of view that he has lost his daughter - but that's it. I find him cowardly, immoral and a total weasel, always have.

What he is doing to Mick and the Carters is just not right; not to mention Patrick. He does not care how many others have to pay for his sins, just as long as he does not have to.

Yes, Cindy's actions made him the man he is, I agree, kitkat, but many people get hurt by their partners in real life (and in soaps) and still go on to be decent human beings. Ian is a nasty little man, treats people very badly and yet expects others to put themselves out for him. He constantly plays the sympathy card, using his own child's murder to his own advantage. Lucy was 'alive' when he went with Rainie - if she hadn't been killed he would be looking for some other way to hide the truth from Denise. He could have passé on an STD to both her and Jane but he doesn't give a damn.

Beale should have gone to the Police at the start.

No, you're not the only one. I put him into two categories: (1) the weasel who plays the victim when he wants something or someone's sympathy, and (2) the wannabe business man (?) when he can step all over someone he considers beneath him. He isn't suppose to be likeable, I think. His selfish actions are the catalyst for stories involving others, which makes a good soap. Losing his daughter is horrible and he plays it in a gut-wrenching way but how he's treated Peter & others, and now with the Mick deceit, I hope he gets a thrashing.

I agree that cindys actions aren't an excuse for his behaviour but they are a reason. And to be fair, whilst many people in life and soap will be cheated on, not that many have their spouse try to kill them and then kidnap 2 of their children. Not to mention having pretended Steven was his for months, trapped him into marriage and then just casually turn round and say "no, actually your brothers, we're going to live with him now and you just have to deal with it" and then do it again with his other brother after being given a second chance.

Ian's trouble is he is deeply insecure - he has this need to have the prettiest blonde on his arm, be the richest man in town and then he believes he will stop being 'squale beale' and bullies like Phil, Carl will finally respect him and like him. But of course they won't because of his basic personality and he will never believe this pretty and or nice women want him for himself rather than his money so veer between taking them utterly for granted assuming they'll stay because of the money and his kids and showering them with gifts. And looking for a cheap thrill in the meantime.

It's not nice or attractive but it is believable to me.

Ian's a weasel, and grief stricken or not, he will always, always look out for himself first and to hell with anyone else. If the Mick thing was a one time thing I could maybe sympathise, but add on the Patrick thing and the immeasurable number of other moments in his pathetic existence then you see that it isn't just grief that is making him do these things.

Losing a child, as tragic as it is, doesn't make a person a saint. He was a miserable snake before Lucy died and he's a miserable snake now. He's just more conniving about it because he can play the grief card now.

You're not the only one, OP.

Ian the Weasel's defenders always trot out the "he is a hard-working family man/businessman, give him a break" line.

I would agree if he wasn't such an obnoxious git!

Oh yes, it's totally believable. He has been like this since he was a teenager and jealous of Wicksy because girls fancied him so much. Bullies like Phil find an easy target in the likes of Ian. But he is weak and selfish and is deeply unattractive (and not just physically). He could be an attractive man, a decent person, but his behaviour overshadows everything.

I don't sympathise with Ian either. He just expects Mick to cover for him and not seeming that greatful. Plus the fact he wasn't that nice to Lucy when she was alive so him playing the grieving Dad doesn't sit well with me.

He isn't even going round the square saying what a great bloke Mick is.

This ^

I was gobsmacked when he said that he'd always protected his little girl. It seems only yesterday that he threw her out in favour of Mandy and the bogged off leaving her to cope with a mountain of debts and a small child. He's the reason she failed her exams too.

Well exactly. If he had gone to the police and given a statement about where he was on the night of the crime its likely that this would have been dealt with by them with no need for half the square to find out. Getting Mick to accept a charge for him is just really bad.

I don't sympathise with him at the moment

Lol! No!!!! See my thread below!



http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showt...t=ian+no+shame

Lots of people have arguments with their immediate family - it doesn'r make their devastation at their permanent loss any less real. He isn't 'playing' the grieving dad - he is a grieving dad. He loved her and in some ways them having argued on her last day makes it worse. Unless it is revealed that he is the killer he did try and contact her to apologize and make up that evening - it was the last message we heard on her voice mail on Good Friday. That was real, not him pretending to impress anyone.

My family relationships are nowhere near as bad as most soap opera ones but I often argue with my Mum, Dad, brother, husband and sometimes am not nice to them or them to me. But they still mean everything to me, I love them and my world would just about end if any one of them were murdered and I know the same is true the other way round.

I'm not excusing most of ian's behaviour by the way, much of it is inexcusable - I just don't think it is fair to imply that his grief for Lucy is in some way false.

I did at the beginning but that feeling is rapidly dwindling now that he has reverted back to weasel mode.

I find his actions towards mick and patrick despicable but I do feel sad for him as regards Lucy. Whatever mistakes he made with her, he did genuinely love her

She was certainly no angel when it came to malicious acts herself

No he's slimey, I do feel a by sorry for him though, but he can't use lucy as an excuse for everything!

Exactly. Let's not forget that lucy forced Ian to sign over all his assets to her when he was Cleary mentally unwell so he could stay in his own home! Yes, she'd gone through during Ian's disappearance and worked hard for her and Bobby - she needed and deserved some security but she could have just asked for one business and the house or got a temporary power of attorney given he wasn't in his right mind. Not try and take everything or he was out.

For all that, i'm sure she loved him and he loved her. Perhaps more than his other children because she was his only little girl, the one that wasn't taken away from him as a baby and was so like him - and her mother!

He's loathsome but I strangely do feel sorry for him. His life is always spiraling out of control, usually self inflicted but it's kind of poignant. The hubris of man.

1. Mick didnt have to be nosy and stop the car when he saw Ian, and when Ian took off he could have too.
2. He didnt have to be rude about Rainie, she got upset at being disrespected and then lied to the police as a result
3. He didnt have to plead guilty, Ian's name wouldnt be mentioned if he had said not guilty
4. Linda was the stupid person to trust Cora with details and actually take her to Court, she's not family or friend.

However I dont get why Ian didnt just tell the police where he was that night and Denise was planning on leaving him anyway.

Also I don't get him going off with Rainie at all, its not like he can't afford classier, and he had Denise and was flirting with Jane.

Ian's a weasel and greedy but he is a good man and loves his family and I want him to succeed with Jane when she comes back.