Heather Trott

Heather Trott (also Peterson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Cheryl Fergison. She made her first appearance on 26 June 2007. The character was introduced as a guest character, but later became a regular. The sidekick of established character Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), most of Heather's storylines involved comedy, and Fergison won the 'Funniest Performance' award at the 2008 Inside Soap Awards. Heather's character is known for her headbands, love of cheese and karaoke, impeccable manners, and being a fan of singer George Michael.

In 2009, the character was involved in a whodunnit-style storyline when she became pregnant by an unknown man. Several characters were named as possibilities, and the father, teenager Darren Miller (Charlie G. Hawkins) was revealed after the baby, George Trott, was born. She made her final screen appearance on 21 March 2012 as a corpse, after being killed by Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe). Fergison returned to record a voiceover as Heather, which was broadcast on 24 December 2016.

Heather was introduced in June 2007 and was originally only meant to be a guest character, but Fergison's contract was extended to six months after the character proved popular. She was introduced as the sidekick of Shirley Carter, played by Linda Henry. After the success of her initial guest appearance, the character officially became "semi-regular", meaning she would show up on-screen occasionally; however, after September 2007, the character became a regular, moving to the soap's setting of Albert Square. Fergison was surprised at winning the role, stating that "On my first day on set, I went and took a seat on Arthur's bench. My mum had passed away, so I wanted to have a little chat with her. I sat there and said 'I can't believe we're finally here, Mum—this is just amazing'. It was a strange experience, because I knew she was there with me. She'd be so proud now." Fergison also discussed her relationship with the cast members she worked with most closely at the time, declaring that: "We're being called 'The Famous Five'. That's me, Cliff Parisi (Minty Peterson), Linda Henry (Shirley Carter), Bobby Davro (Vinnie Monks) and Ricky Groves (Garry Hobbs). Linda and I laugh all day, every day—this is the best job in the world. [...] Being on EastEnders is a privilege."

Fergison initially thought Heather was quite childlike, but was pleased that the show had "the courage to employ a bigger woman." She explained that viewers would realise that her size is due to her mother: "It could be perceived [that the character was just about her size], but when you look into the character, there is more depth to her—she's got a terrible mother, there's her background, and so on. You see her eating and, hopefully, people are intelligent enough to go, 'Ah, we can see why she does that.' [...] I'm hoping people will see it's not just about what she looks like. You don't have to be a big person to know that people comfort eat, or to say, 'These terrible things happen in life, that's why she behaves like that.'" Fergison explained that there are many levels to Heather's personality. She is a loyal friend who will do anything for anybody, and has low moments along with "absolute highs". Fergison said she calls the character "Heather Hopeful" because of her optimism. She reiterated this in February 2011, saying that if Heather found luck and love, she would not be the same character.

Fergison also said that she does not mind that her character is mocked for her size, saying that it happens in real life to overweight people: "[I]t's about how you deal with it. You have to portray it as long as you can redress the balance in some way at some point. That didn't happen straight away and people said to me, 'Oh my God, she's just the fat person they take the mickey out of'. [...] It's about taking away what Heather looks like, taking away the layers and finding out what she is like underneath. I think that's what EastEnders is doing, and that's a good thing." She also praised the show for having an overweight character, comparing her to all the "tiny blondes" in teenage soap opera Hollyoaks, and said that people like that Heather is a normal character, which she opined has not been seen for a long time in soaps. She said that comments made to Heather did not upset her, because she was bullied at school for her weight: "I learned that if I was funny, then they would stop. Now I don't take anything personally."

The character is known for wearing headbands, usually with a matching handbag, and liking singer George Michael. Fergison revealed that the headbands were her idea, saying "I've given myself a bit of a headache [...], literally, wearing those things." She also says that she likes George Michael and was extremely pleased when she found out her character was a fan. Heather is also a fan of karaoke, and Fergison cites her first scene where she is singing in front of her fellow cast as embarrassing and strange.

Discussing the storyline which sees Heather become romantically involved with Minty Peterson, Fergison has expressed her support for their relationship, stating that: "This is Heather's only chance in life to have a dream come true. She's always such a kind, positive person, and is always willing to try." She later said "I think Minty could be her soul mate, as they're very good friends. They know a lot about each other." Fergison revealed that she found filming the storyline difficult, describing it as an "emotional rollercoaster": "I was laughing and in my most happy element, and then the next minute I would be in tears. [...] A lot of the storyline is about rejection, and it's difficult to film those scenes all the time. I was shattered, but it's a great opportunity. [...] You can go through your whole career and not do as much as you would do in six months of a soap."

Executive producer Diederick Santer hinted at Heather's upcoming storyline in an interview before her pregnancy was revealed in 2009, saying "I think it's pretty clear why Heather's self-esteem is so low. It's a combination of her horrid mother, and now it's her friend Shirley who treats her like a child and sort of kills her with well-meant kindness. We've got a great story for Heather this year—something for the delightful Cheryl Fergison to really get hold of. Remember when [Heather] was in tears on Valentine's night in the loo at the R&R, and her lost yoghurt pot lid appeared under the door? That was the start of something which will see her get a much greater sense of herself, find an identity free of Shirley, and grow as a person in 2009."