Hope Fowler is the daughter of Stacey Slater and Martin Fowler as well as the half-sister of Bex Fowler, Lily Slater, Arthur and Roman Fowler. She made her first appearance on 17 October 2017.
Backstory
Hope was born on 13 October 2017 to Martin and Stacey Fowler - being the only biological child Stacy and Martin have together but Martin is the father figure to her siblings Arthur and Lily. Before her birth, Stacey was having an argument with Carmel Kazemi about calling social services on her. The argument lead to Stacey fainting and falling backwards, fitting on the floor and Kush Kazemi calling an ambulance.
After arriving at hospital, Stacey is monitored by doctors and given medication to stop the seizures and bring her blood pressure down. Naturally, Stacey is very worried about the baby, but is reassured by Martin that they are both fine. Stacey and Martin are then given the news that she had an eclamptic seizure and they believe that Stacey's placenta isn't functioning properly meaning that the baby isn't getting enough oxygen and that Stacey's blood pressure is very high. After being told this information, including that they will have to keep a very close eye on Stacey, Stacey and Martin are told that Stacey is going to be prepared for delivery. Stacey challenges this by saying that it is too early, and Martin asks what it would mean for their baby. The doctor then explains that after birth the baby will be taken straight to intensive care. At hearing this Stacey is worried and begins to cry and Martin what this will mean for the baby and if it'll be alright. The doctor then explains that 90% of babies born at 32 weeks survive and there is nothing to worry about, she further explains that even though this must be difficult for them, if the baby isn't delivered then there's more risks for Stacey and the baby - it is the safest option.
When Martin goes to reassure Stacey again, she begins to have another fit, this leads to Stacey being stabilised, involving fitting a tube down her throat so she can breathe. Martin asks the doctors if he can speak to Stacey, as she is unconscious, they say that "she would like that" and he explains the situation to her. At this point, a concerned Ian Beale and Kathy Beale come in to check on Stacey and Martin. Martin informs them that Stacey is going to be given a c-section, which shocks both Ian and Kathy. The doctor explains to them that the baby's heartbeat is slower than they'd like. Kathy asks if the baby is in danger and questions why the c-section hasn't already been performed if the baby is at risk, the doctor explains that this decision is for Stacey's welfare and make sure she is stable before the operation. Stacey's machine then starts beeping, scaring Martin, and the doctor explains that the baby is showing signs of distress, furthermore, Stacey is bleeding. They take Stacey straight to get her c-section, which Ian questions as Stacey still isn't stable. The doctor says that due to the sudden complications they can't wait any longer. Martin asks to go with Stacey, which he is told he can't, but there will be a full medical team there to deliver the baby. Martin is upset because it is in their birthing plan that he be there to see the baby, but the doctor explains that he'll be given an update as soon as possible.
Michelle Fowler arrives and is told by Martin that Stacey is bleeding, Michelle Fowler then comforts him. After the c-section, the doctor comes and informs Martin that he has a baby girl, leaving Ian, Kathy, Michelle and himself delighted. When he asks if he can see her, he is told that she is in intensive care and there are tests being run on her.
When Stacey wakes up after the operation, she is reluctant to meet her daughter and blames herself for the state they are both in. She also feels that she has failed to give Martin the happy experience he wanted. Martin tries talking to Stacey about baby names, suggesting flower-themed ones (such as Ivy) so there is a link between the baby and her sister, Lily, but she turns him down and says that she doesn't want to talk about names, he leaves upset. After explaining these feelings to Max Branning, she asks a nurse to take her to see her daughter. When she arrives, she sits next to Martin and apologises for her behaviour. He accepts. She says that he is right and that their daughter needs a name, suggesting the name 'Hope' and Martin agrees.
Birth
Hope was born prematurely. This was due to her mother having a eclamptic fit after an argument with Carmel Kazemi.
Storylines
After Hope's mother, Stacey, cheats on her father Martin with Max Branning at Christmas, Hope along with her siblings Lily and Arthur is taken to Brighton to go and see their grandmother Jean Slater by her mother because of Stacey's guilt for being unfaithful. She returns after 2 weeks. Martin, angry at Stacey, chucks her out of the house and tells everyone about Stacey's infidelity and Hope's older sister Bex Fowler, tells Stacey she is disgusted in her. He refuses her access to see her children and barricades himself inside the house with Hope, Arthur, Lily, Bex, Lily's auntie Whitney Dean and her sister Tiffany Butcher, (who is Bex's cousin), inside He tells Bex, Whitney and Tiffany that Stacey isn't allowed in the house or anywhere near the kids. The next day, Stacey complains because she isn't able to feed Hope, complaining on the phone to her cousin Kat .
Stacey decides to sit on the bench outside the house and won't move until she sees her children. After another day, Bex goes outside to confront Stacey, explaining that she isn't needed as they've got it all under control. However, whilst this is happening Lily goes upstairs to try to comfort a crying Hope. She realises that she is hungry and hears her mother outside of the open window. Lily, holding Hope, leans out of the window and calls to Stacey. Stacey and Bex run to underneath the window after banging on the door for Martin. Lily tells Stacey, not understanding that Martin has locked her out, that Hope is hungry and that she wants her. Martin hears commotion coming from the front door where a group of people (including Kush Kazemi, Robbie Jackson, Stacey and Bex) are stood under the window waiting to catch Lily and Hope if they fall. Martin runs upstairs and tells Lily that they are going to see mummy downstairs and she did a good job knowing that Hope wanted their mummy. Martin takes Lily and Hope downstairs to see Stacey. Stacey then runs to Lily and hugs her and grabbes Hope from Martin. She is glad her daughters are safe. After feeding Hope on the bench outside, Martin tells Stacey that he is coping, which she argues due to the events that had unfolded during his first day of looking after all of the kids. He angrily takes Hope back inside, locking Stacey out again.
Whilst Stacey is sat in the cafe, Martin (after having a chat with Kush) lets Stacey see all of the kids. After the visit, Martin takes the kids back. Stacey then enlists Lily's dad, Ryan Malloy, and Ryan’s sister Whitney into helping her get her kids back. When Martin is out, Ryan sends a locksmith to the house after Whitney has let Stacey in. Whitney tells Stacey that Martin will be angry with her, but Stacey tells her to shut up and that she will understand one day when she has her own kids. When the locksmith is changing the locks, Bex comes home from school and asks Stacey if Martin knows what she is doing. Stacey explains that Bex can't tell Martin and that he has left her no option as Hope is barely out of hospital and still needs her. Bex says that it is unfair that Stacey is locking Martin out his own house, and she says that he did it to her so it's fine. When the locksmith finishes, Whitney comes into the living room to tell Stacey that he needs the money, Bex takes this opportunity to run out of the house and yells to Martin, who is on his fruit-stall, what Stacey is doing. Stacey pays the locksmith and demands he gives her the keys, Martin and Bex run back to the house and stop when they see Stacey. Martin chases Stacey up the path to the front-door where she locks him out and bolts the door. He bangs on the door arguing that he let her see the kids and will continue to let her if she lets him in. Martin is then comforted by Sonia Jackson who hugs him outside the house.
Martin is invited back into the house to talk about arrangements for the kids with Stacey. He accuses her of using him to look after the kids when she wants to go out - he still believes that she is sleeping with Max. She says she isn't and explains he can have them tonight or not at all. He leaves. Stacey goes to Dot's house where Martin is staying to leave the kids there as she has an appointment to get to, he says no and that he has plans. He again accuses her of sleeping with Max. She tells him that he'll regret this and takes the kids with her to her appointment.
Stacey is seen by Michelle Fowler putting Hope and Arthur in a taxi. Michelle runs to Martin to tell him she is taking the kids. He stops the taxi by jumping in front of it, Stacey gets out of the car and Martin forbids her from taking the kids anywhere. Stacey explains that they are going to pick Lily up from school and then go back to Brighton to see Jean Walters for the weekend. He again tells her no and that she can't make decisions like that without his consent. The Ahmed's get involved after hearing Stacey and Martin argue; Arshad then tells Martin, after being told to back-off, that he won't. He accuses Stacey and Martin of abusing their children, Martin apologises and Stacey goes to pick Lily up from school. All of this is filmed by Hayley Slater.
Hayley Slater, who has been taking pictures of Stacey and Martin, decides to flirt with Martin. When asked by Stacey who she is, she explains that she is her cousin and that Kat sent her. Martin decides that he has had enough of Stacey and sends an email to a solicitor to get custody of Lily, Arthur and Hope, however, he changes his mind and (when round Stacey's house) hacks into her email and tries to delete an email from his solicitor. Stacey catches him and after he explains himself, she calls a solicitor when he leaves.
Martin spends time with Hayley and she encourages him to take Hope and Arthur longer than it was agreed with Stacey. Hayley invites Martin, Arthur and Hope to her home and makes them a dinner of nuggets, chips and jelly. She explains that she feeds this to her son, Tyler, all the time and it's fine. She starts a jelly fight with Martin. Stacey rings Martin but he ignores her calls, so, she rings the police and they arrive on Hayley's doorstep looking for Martin, Hope and Arthur. Stacey admits to Hayley later that she felt guilty at calling the police because of the look on Arthur's face after it happened, but Hayley reminds her that she shouldn't go soft - Slaters stick together. Stacey's nan Mo then comes down after changing Hope and says you can tell she’s a Slater because of how much and how quickly she’s filled her nappy.
Jean then begins to take Hope, Lily and Arthur to church, hoping to convince Lily to get christened. However once Jean confronts Stacey about this, Stacey disagrees. Jean then decides to see Martin and Kush to see how they would feel about having the children christened. She asks Kush if he would like to see Arthur christened but Kush replies saying that he is a Muslim. Jean then asks Martin but he says that he isn't really religious and doesn't know how Stacey would feel about having Hope christened. Jean then mentions it to Stacey about having Lily christened and when Stacey asks Lily about this, she says she doesn't want to have one. Martin then begins to see how much a christening would mean to Jean after Jean confides in him that it would be the perfect idea for a big family gathering. Martin agrees as long as Jean manages to talk Stacey round. However Stacey tells her that she has three kids and she ain't treating one different from the rest butt Jean talks her round and eventually, Stacey agrees. Jean shows Stacey the dress she wore for her christening and she smiles. On the day of Hope's christening, Martin is drunk after a lads night out for his birthday with Kush and Robbie. The start of the day turns out to be a disaster when no body can find Hope's christening dress. Stacey picks Kat as hopes godmother and Martin picks Robbie as her godfather. Kat then goes a wall and tries to phone her husband Alfie Moon so she can talk to her kids. Hayley then discovers that Hope's christening dress is inside the towel on her head and takes it to the church. With Kat being missing, Stacey needs to decide on a godmother for Hope and suggests Mo but Martin says her doesn't want Mo to be a godmother to his daughter and everybody laughs. Tiffany then says she will do it but Bex says she is to young. The vicar then says that these decisions can not be rushed just as Hayley walks in the room. Hayley is then forces to get Hope changed into her christening dress and Jean talks her round into becoming Hope's godmother. Hope is about to be christened when Kat walks in the room. Hayley then hands over Hope to Kat and walks off. Jean then goes after her and Hayley confides in her that she is pregnant. As Hope grows older, she moves around from location to location as Stacey goes to prison a few times, Martin moves houses too. Hope celebrates parties occasionally.
Resident history
| Address | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Albert Square | 2016-2021, 2022- | |
| 29B Albert Square | 2021 | |
| 43 Albert Square | ||
| 5D Albert Square | 2023 | |