In 2020, he bought The Queen Victoria public house for Sharon, leaving after she poisoned him in revenge for his involvement in Dennis Rickman's (Bleu Landau) death on EastEnders' 35th anniversary.

He and Cindy later reconcile and Ian is overjoyed to become a father to twins, Peter (Francis Brittin-Snell/Alex Stevens/Joseph Shade/James Martin/Thomas Law/Ben Hardy) and Lucy Beale (Eva Brittin-Snell/Casey Anne Rothery/Melissa Suffield/Hetti Bywater) in December 1993.

This soon leads to Cindy having an affair with his half-brother, David Wicks (Michael French), which continues for over a year up until Ian eventually learns the truth.

Steven learns that Ian has been visiting local prostitute Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), and tells Laura, before moving to New Zealand to live with Simon.

He helps her to come to terms with the death of her husband, David Collins (Dan Milne) from Huntington's disease, and, although their relationship is severely tested when Jane has embarked on a romantic tryst with Phil's brother, Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp), they marry in July 2007.

Feeling dejected, Ian goes to a strip club in August 2011 and is stunned to see Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton) being thrown out.

Tanya Cross (Jo Joyner), Max Branning (Jake Wood) and Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) find him and bring him back to the Square but Lucy is unsympathetic, angered by his leaving her and Bobby, and slams the door in his face.

Eventually, Zainab Khan (Nina Wadia) persuades Ian to attend counselling in an attempt to recover from his mental breakdown and, after talking to Sharon, Lucy finally makes peace with her father.

Peter returns to live with the family, and is soon followed by Cindy Williams (Mimi Keene), the daughter of Ian's dead ex-wife of the same name.

Ian is pessimistic when Lucy decides to set up her own property business and later becomes concerned about her when he discovers she is sleeping with Lee Carter (Danny Hatchard) and is taking cocaine.

Ian tries to contact her when she does not return home that night, but is later informed by DC Emma Summerhayes (Anna Acton) and DS Cameron Bryant (Glen Wallace) that Lucy has been found dead.

Ian and Jane are upset to learn about a new lead in the murder investigation but they still plan silence even after Ben is arrested in the hope that he is released.

Enraged, Ian confronts Dennis during The Queen Vic boat party and angrily locks him in a cabin following a bitter row.

Nearly two years later, Ian returns to Walford, and is seen hiding in the bushes outside a church, watching Dot Branning's (June Brown) coffin be carried inside on the day of her funeral.

It is later revealed that Ian is living in France with Peter (played again by Thomas Law) and has also reunited with his first wife Cindy, who is now going by the pseudonym "Rose Knight", after faking her death 25 years prior in a witness protection scheme, due to giving information about her criminal inmate, Jackie Ford.

In October, Ian is dismayed when David returns to Walford and proposes to Cindy shortly afterwards; the half brothers reconcile at his engagement party.

After Cindy is attacked shortly afterwards, Ian joins the rest of the Beales and the Knights in the hospital, where he becomes a chief suspect in the attempted murder due to his lack of an alibi.

Ian's original character outline as written by Smith and Holland appeared in an abridged form in their book, EastEnders: The Inside Story.

Ian's keenness to succeed in his business ventures continued as the character grew, so much so that he started using underhand methods in order to get what he wanted and became one of the soap's most renowned "slimeballs".

Developing entrepreneurial skills, making money, ignoring the consequences for others – after all they had been told that there was no such thing as society – was a praiseworthy effort for young people during the mercenary go-getting prime-minister inspired 1980s.

"[9] Author Dorothy Hobson has described Ian as a typical Thatcher's child, a term used to reference children who grew up under the Conservative government of the 1980s and who adopted an ideology, such as personal financial gain, self-sufficiency and disregard of the welfare of those who are less well-off.

"[6] Obsession with success has been an underlying theme with the character for almost the entire duration of the show, but the acceleration of Ian's nasty side can be traced back to his disastrous first marriage to one of EastEnders' most renowned women, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) in 1989.

[11] The episode saw an enraged Ian trace Cindy and Simon to her parents' house in Devon, just after being released from hospital following a suicide attempt.

The script, written by Debbie Cook, led to a confrontation that EastEnders' writer Colin Brake has suggested contained elements of tragedy and farce.

Directed by Matthew Evans, Brake suggests that these episodes not only brought the story to a shocking climax but also laid roots for the next three months' worth of storylines, building up to Cindy and Simon's departure, and Ian's spectacular fall from grace.

[13] The plot facilitated Collins' desire to leave the programme following the birth of her child, and Cindy, implicated in the shooting, fled the country with Ian's two sons.

Woodyatt explained that he is starring in a theatre production until October 2021 and would then be attending his daughter's wedding in America; he did not know a specific date for his character's return, but stated it will be 2022 "at the earliest".

[20] He made an exception for the on-screen funeral of Dot Branning in December 2022, following the death of actress June Brown earlier that year.

[28] Author Dorothy Hobson has stated that Ian Beale is a "major creation" capturing the personification of political attitudes taken up during the Conservative government of the 1980s.

She suggests that Ian Beale is a "major representation of a young man" of that era, and that his sensitive portrayal by Adam Woodyatt is "perhaps unrecognised".