Lisa Fowler

Lisa Fowler
EastEnders character
Portrayed by	Lucy Benjamin
Duration	1998–2003, 2010, 2017, 2019–2020, 2023
First appearance	Episode 1704 7 December 1998 (1998-12-07)
Last appearance	Episode 6736 24 July 2023 (2023-07-24)
Classification	Former; regular
Introduced by	Matthew Robinson (1998) Louise Berridge (2003) Bryan Kirkwood (2010) Sean O'Connor (2017) Jon Sen (2019) Chris Clenshaw (2023)
Spin-off appearances	EastEnders: The Podcast (2018)
In-universe information Other names Lisa Shaw Occupation Market inspector Family Fowler Husband Mark Fowler (2002–2004) Daughters Louise Mitchell Granddaughters Peggy Taylor

Lisa Fowler (also Shaw) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Benjamin. The character was introduced as a "home-wrecking blonde" by executive producer Matthew Robinson on 7 December 1998. The character made her initial departure on 3 October 2002, when she was written out by producer Louise Berridge.

Berridge later reintroduced the character on two occasions in 2003. Despite several reports stating she would return, Benjamin did not reprise the role until 2010 when Bryan Kirkwood brought the character back for a single episode on 5 August 2010. The actress reprised the role again in 2017 for a brief stint, returning on 21 July 2017 and departing on 3 August 2017. On 27 May 2019, it was announced that Benjamin would once again be reprising the role for a "specific storyline" and Lisa returned on 2 September 2019.^[1] She departed once again on 24 January 2020. On 23 May 2023, it was announced that Benjamin had signed up to reprise the role for another short stint later in the summer, alongside Lisa's granddaughter Peggy Taylor. They returned on 10 July and departed on 24 July 2023.^[2]

Lisa is characterised as "a loyal, romantic Earth Mother" who is "feisty, independent and ambitious". Initially, show scriptwriters and BBC controller of drama, Mal Young, doubted Benjamin's casting in the role. However, after a volatile relationship with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden), Lisa became an "eternal victim". The characters became instrumental in one of EastEnders most highly publicised and anticipated storylines, dubbed Who Shot Phil? in 2001, in which an unknown assailant guns down Phil. An estimated 22 million viewers watched Lisa confess to Phil's attempted murder, causing the third-largest power surge on record. Other storylines included Lisa's pregnancy with Phil's child, in which she opted not to tell him and claimed that her partner, Mark Fowler (Todd Carty), was the father, giving birth to Louise Mitchell (Rachel Cox/Brittany Papple/Tilly Keeper); in the show's Christmas 2001 episodes, Louise's parentage is revealed. In Lisa's returns, the storylines have centred around her daughter Louise's pregnancy, falling out with and coping with best friend Mel Owen's (Tamzin Outhwaite) death, a feud with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and partially making amends with Phil.