Martin Fowler died after a steel beam fell on his legs following an explosion at the Queen Vic
Following the death of Martin Folwer in EastEnders 40th anniversary live show on Thursday (February 20), many fans of the BBC soap are questioning how he overcame a similar incident.
Martin, played by James Bye for the past 11 years, was the first baby born in Albert Square, going on to be involved in some of the show’s biggest storylines over the years.
Despite fans wanting as many of the short list of legacy characters to stay in the soap, Martin persihed after a steel beam fell on his legs on Wednesday (February 19) as a result of the Queen Vic explosion.
Trapped under the steel beam for the majority of the live episode, Martin’s ex-wife Stacey was informed by the paramedics that he was unlikely to survive Crush syndrome when the beam was lifted off of him.
In scenes that didn’t leave a dry eye in the house, Martin entered cardiac arrest almost immediately after having his legs freed, dying in front of Stacey’s eyes, having just proposed to her minutes before.
In a previous brush with death, Martin was crushed by a double-decker bus that lost control on its way to Barking, crashed through the Albert Square market and collided with a low-level bridge.
Missing among the carnage, Martin was found by Stacey, who had to sit by his side and talk him through the incident as they waited for help to arrive.
Thanfully, the bus-crash was a rare moment of chaos that didn’t take one of the residents lives. with Martin returning to his fruit and vegetable stall within days.
Devasted fans flocked to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their confusion that Martin was not able to survive the steel beam like he did with the bus.
@lewisa95 said: “You telling me Martin survived being crushed by a full double decker bus but couldn’t survive being crushed by a small beem #EastEnders explain yourself #EELive.” @Glazers_Out22 added: “Seemed a quick death ngl one minute he was talking then boom gone.”
@rose_symphony3 wrote: “That metal beam is literally on his legs. Martins been hit my a bus & survived come on #EastEnders #EELive.” @sophiehrimell replied: “The people of Albert Square got the double decker bus off of Martin quicker than this bloody beam!! #EastEnders.”
Defending the death, @SOLARFLAREBEATS commented: “I mean if you’d been crushed by a double decker it probably wouldn’t take much more to finish you off.” @mariahickey1976 noted: “A steel girder is not a small beam. You’ve likely got one holding your house up.”
The coming weeks will deal with the fall-out of Martin’s passing, with his funeral likely to see the return of some characters viewers have missed in recent years.
