Pamela Hazel "Pam" Coker (also known as Birdie) made her first appearance 14th April 2014. She is portrayed by Lin Blakley. She is the wife of Les Coker and grandmother of the late Paul Coker.
About
Pam is a small woman with a big heart, Pam Coker will bend your ear, offer you a shoulder and help mend your broken heart.She is the sort of woman who seems physically incapable of not talking. A chatterbox who speaks at a million miles an hour, she constantly has her nose in everybody’s business.
The speed of her mouth is only matched by the size of her heart, however, and her interest in other people’s lives comes from a genuine curiosity and affection for almost everyone she meets.
Pam can (and will) get on with anyone. She chooses to see the world through rose-tinted glasses. With a strong moral code she can be quick to judge, but also has a huge capacity to forgive. She’s a people person and can instantly establish a personal relationship with everyone she meets.
Backstory
In her youth Pam and Les Coker went to see the Dave Clark Five at the Tottenham Royal. Lew and Pam walked round the park for hours waiting for the sun to come up. Pam's mum was angry and was ban from seeing him for a few weeks.
Pam recalls when she took Donna Yates to Claudette Hubbard's house for the first time, Vincent Hubbard was 18 or 19. Vincent had a whoopie cushion and put it on Claudette's seat and she sat on it. Both Vincent and Donna laughed and Pam knew Donna was going to be alright living there.
Les and Pam took Laurie and his friend for hamburgers in aid of Laurie 's fifth birthday, the manager took the children on a tour of the restaurant and he locked them in the freezer for a few seconds then let them out. Then when they got home Laurie wanted to try it in their fridge and he wouldn't go to bed until Les and Pam showed him he couldn't fit.
Pam and Les took Lawrie on his first holiday in an old static caravan. Whilst on holiday a flash flood nearly washed them away.
pam and Les have been together 48 years.
Storylines
Pam makes her first appearance on 14 April 2014, visiting The Queen Vic when her market, Spring Lane, is merged with Bridge Street Market. She is delighted when her husband Les reveals that he has bought a property adjacent to the market to run their funeral directors business from.
The following week, the couple move into the upstairs flat, and Pam opens up her flower stall as the Spring Lane street market, has been merged with Bridge Street. Pam is not in competition with anyone. She enjoys listening to the arguments and gossip between other rival stall holders. While Pam babysits for Billy Mitchell and Lola Pearce she discovers photographs of the recently murdered Lucy Beale behind Billy's fridge. Pam confronts Billy who explains that the photographs of Lucy are not his but are Peter's. Pam befriends Sonia and helps her organise a naked charity calendar, posing nude herself with Mo for the month of April. She becomes upset when DC Emma Summerhayes tells her that secrets always have a habit of revealing themselves. On the anniversary of her son's death, she goes missing with Janet. When she returns with the child, Billy is upset with her. Pam discloses to Emma that she used to be a social worker until accusations were made that she brought about the death of Laurie, her sick son; telling Emma that the accusations were false, but confessing to Billy that they were true.
When Billy discovers the funeral parlour is in trouble because Les can't bring himself to push bereaved families to pay overdue bills, Billy insists Les tell Pam the truth. Les is unwilling to upset Pam on their anniversary, but eventually confesses, and the pair agree to have no more secrets. However, Les is then revealed to be having an affair with another woman, whom he is seen meeting and giving her a necklace. When Pam organises a 30th birthday party for Donna Yates soon afterwards she secretly invites Donna's foster mother Claudette Hubbard - the same woman Les is having an affair with. It is then revealed that Pam placed Donna in Claudette's care when she was a social worker and that the two are good friends, with Pam seemingly oblivious to Claudette being Les's "other woman".
Les and Pam's grandson, Paul Coker, comes to stay in Walford with them after a two-year absence, despite animosity between him and Les as he had found out about Les and Claudette's affair before his departure. Two months later, Paul tells Pam about the affair. Pam tries to confront Claudette about the affair, but loses her nerve. Pam uneasily tells Paul to stop thinking about the affair but later freaks out when she sees Claudette in the photo with her and Les in the newspaper, and admits to Paul that he is, in fact, right about it. Pam tries to arrange a dinner with Les and Claudette, but they both decline, secretly meeting up at Claudette's house. Pam finds Les's tie at Claudette's house and they both give conflicting explanations to her. She later goes to stay with her sister Mim, returning to find Les and Claudette together, with Claudette encouraging Les to tell Pam the truth. Les tries to explain that he and Claudette grew close after Laurie's death when he needed someone to talk to, but it has only ever been platonic. Pam seeks advice from single mother Carol Jackson, who encourages her to work on her marriage and seek some more answers from Les. Pam then issues Les an ultimatum: he must stop seeing Claudette or she will leave him. In late 2016 Pam and Les decide to leave for a fresh start in Brighton.
In May 2017 Pam Coker returns to the square for Honey Mitchell and Billy Mitchell flat-warming party and tell Billy Mitchell, Les Coker has make the decision to make Billy a Partner in the business. Make the Business known as Coker & Mitchell Funeral Directors.
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