Jordan Ellis
Dr. Harold Legg, played by Leonard Fenton, is Walford's original GP in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Dr. Legg is widely trusted within the Walford community and is always on hand to dish out advice. The character first appeared in 1985 and continued to appear in a recurring role until 1997. He made brief returns in 2000, 2004, and 2007, and returned for a longer storyline from October 2018 until February 2019, when his character died of pancreatic cancer. Another doctor in EastEnders is Anthony Trueman, who works as a doctor in the Square.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Harold Legg |
| Occupation | Walford's GP |
| First Appearance | 19 February 1985 |
| Actor | Leonard Fenton |
| Storylines | Other characters' problems, his own professional conduct, history as a trainee doctor during World War II |
| Anthony Trueman | Doctor in the Square |
| Occupation | Doctor |
| Actor | Nicholas Bailey |
| Storylines | Returns to Walford to look after his father Patrick, who contracted COVID-19 |
| Dr Alain Martin | N/A |
| Occupation | Hospital Doctor |
| Storyline | Looks after Ian Beale after he is admitted to hospital following a heart attack |
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What You'll Learn
- Dr. Harold Legg, played by Leonard Fenton, was Walford's original GP
- Dr Legg's character was inspired by the wave of Jewish immigrants that settled in London's East End
- Dr Legg's storylines often involved other characters' problems, with him acting as a trusted source of advice
- Dr Legg died of pancreatic cancer in 2019
- Another doctor in EastEnders is Anthony Trueman, who returned to Walford to look after his father in hospital after he contracted COVID-19
Dr. Harold Legg, played by Leonard Fenton, was Walford's original GP
Dr Legg's character outline, written by Tony Holland and Julia Smith, was an attempt to represent the successive wave of Jewish immigrants that settled in London's East End between 1881 and 1914 to escape persecution in the rest of Europe. Dr Legg's parents moved out of the East End to Finchley in North London to escape Oswald Mosley's fascist marches in the 1930s. Young Harold commuted daily to his East End grammar school to avoid disrupting his education. He decided to become a doctor at the age of 17 and trained at St Bartholomew's Hospital, where he treated air raid casualties and met his wife, a non-Jewish nurse named Judith.
Dr Legg served as Walford's GP for 14 years, appearing as a regular character between 1985 and 1989, and continued to appear in a recurring role until 1997. He was officially retired in 1999 but made brief returns in 2000, 2004, and 2007. The character returned for a longer storyline from 18 October 2018 until 15 February 2019, when he died of pancreatic cancer.
Other doctors in EastEnders include Dr Alain Martin, who looks after Ian Beale after he is admitted to hospital following a heart attack, and Anthony Trueman, who returns to Walford in 2020 to look after his father Patrick after he contracts COVID-19.
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Dr Legg's character was inspired by the wave of Jewish immigrants that settled in London's East End
Dr. Harold Legg, played by Leonard Fenton, is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Dr. Legg is Walford's original GP and first appears in EastEnders on 19 February 1985. The character was created to represent the wave of Jewish immigrants that settled in London's East End between 1881 and 1914 to escape the persecution they faced in the rest of Europe.
Dr. Legg's family moved out of the East End when Oswald Mosley began his fascist marches in the 1930s. They settled in Finchley, North London, but young Harold commuted daily to his East End grammar school to continue his education. He began his medical training at St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1940, where he treated air raid casualties and met his future wife, a non-Jewish nurse named Judith Martin.
During World War II, Dr. Legg served as a trainee doctor in Walford, where he would later return as the town's GP. His personal life was largely kept hidden from viewers, but he occasionally reminisced about his and Albert Square's history with other long-time residents of the area. Dr. Legg was widely trusted within the community and was known for his sound advice and discretion.
In addition to his medical duties, Dr. Legg played a significant role in addressing social issues in Walford. For example, he helped Mark Fowler come to terms with his HIV status. However, he also made mistakes, such as failing to diagnose Vicki Fowler's meningitis and not informing Colin Russell of his multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Legg's character reflected the experiences and contributions of Jewish immigrants in London's East End. By creating a character with a Jewish background and profession in medicine, the show acknowledged the impact of immigration on the community and the important role that immigrants played in providing healthcare services to the local population.
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Dr Legg's storylines often involved other characters' problems, with him acting as a trusted source of advice
Dr. Harold Legg, played by Leonard Fenton, is Walford's original GP in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He first appeared in 1985 and was a regular character until 1989, continuing to appear in a recurring role until 1997. He made brief returns in 2000, 2004, and 2007, and returned for a longer storyline from October 2018 until February 2019, when his character passed away.
The character's personal life was largely kept hidden from viewers, although he occasionally reminisced about his and Albert Square's history with other long-standing characters. Dr Legg's backstory was explored in the spin-off EastEnders novels by Hugh Miller, which revealed his history as a trainee doctor during World War II and his relationship with his wife, Judith.
In addition to Dr Legg, other doctors have appeared in EastEnders, including Dr Alain Martin, who looked after Ian Beale after he suffered a heart attack, and Dr Anthony Trueman, who returned to Walford to care for his father, Patrick, after he contracted COVID-19.
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Dr Legg died of pancreatic cancer in 2019
Dr. Harold Legg, played by Leonard Fenton, is Walford's original GP in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He is widely trusted within the community and always ready to offer advice or medical assistance. Dr Legg first appeared in EastEnders on 19 February 1985 and continued as a regular character until 1989, after which he appeared in recurring roles until 1997. He returned for a longer storyline on 18 October 2018 and died of pancreatic cancer on 15 February 2019.
Dr Legg's character was created by Tony Holland and Julia Smith to represent the wave of Jewish immigrants who settled in London's East End between 1881 and 1914 to escape persecution in the rest of Europe. The character outline for Dr Legg, written by Smith and Holland, described his background and motivation for becoming a doctor. Holland and Smith initially struggled to cast the role of Dr Legg, as they sought an actor who could portray a Jewish professional man with the right mix of age, intelligence, and class. Eventually, they cast Jewish actor Leonard Fenton, who remarked that the character of Dr Legg was based on himself.
In October 2018, Dr Legg returned to EastEnders and revealed to Dot Cotton, a longtime friend, that he had pancreatic cancer and was dying. Dot insisted that he move in with her and supported him through his illness. On 15 February 2019, Dr Legg was brought back to Dot's house in a frail state. As he reminisced about his late wife, Judith, whom he had met during the Battle of Cable Street in 1936, he passed away peacefully with Dot by his side.
Dr Legg's death led to nostalgic scenes as original EastEnders characters returned for his funeral. Dot led a memorial service, with many arriving to pay their respects, including Lofty Holloway, Mary Smith, Kathy Beale, and Sharon Mitchell. Dr Legg's send-off was described by critics from The Daily Mirror as "special and well-deserved."
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Another doctor in EastEnders is Anthony Trueman, who returned to Walford to look after his father in hospital after he contracted COVID-19
Dr Harold Legg is Walford's original GP in EastEnders. He first appears when the show begins on 19 February 1985 and is widely trusted within the community. Dr Legg is always on hand to dish out advice and is the first port of call for anyone who falls ill. He is played by Leonard Fenton and appears as a regular character between 1985 and 1989, continuing in a recurring role until 1997.
In addition to Dr Legg and Dr Trueman, Dr Alain Martin is another physician who appears in EastEnders. He is the doctor looking after Ian Beale after he is admitted to the hospital following a heart attack.
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Frequently asked questions
Dr. Harold Legg is Walford's original GP in EastEnders.
Dr. Harold Legg is played by Leonard Fenton.
Dr. Legg first appeared in EastEnders when it began on 19 February 1985.
Dr. Legg is a Jewish character who was created to represent the successive wave of Jewish immigrants that settled in London's East End between 1881 and 1914 to escape persecution in the rest of Europe. He met his wife, a non-Jewish nurse, during World War II. She was killed by a German bomb, and he never remarried.
Dr. Legg appeared as a regular character between 1985 and 1989 and continued to appear in a recurring role until 1997. He was officially retired in 1999 but made brief returns in 2000, 2004, and 2007. He returned for a longer storyline from October 2018 until February 2019, when his character died of pancreatic cancer.
