Lenny Wallace
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| EastEnders character | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Lenny Wallace | |
| Portrayed by | Desune Coleman |
| Duration | 1996–1999 |
| Date of birth | 12 May 1972 |
| Marital status | Single |
| Occupation | Barman |
Lenny Wallace was a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. He was played by Desune Coleman.
Lenny was a fun loving individual, who didn't take life too seriously. He had a penchant for loud music and an eye for the ladies.
[edit] Storylines
Lenny was first seen in Walford in May 1996. Lenny, along with his Welsh friend, Huw Edwards, were employed by George Palmer as barmen for the Cobra Club.
Lenny and Huw soon moved to the Square and began renting 55 Victoria Road from Mark and Ruth Fowler. The house was situated next to Ian Beale's and they managed to make an enemy of him by continually playing their music extremely loudly in the evening and they also ran a pirate radio station from the premises for a while. Ian tried to get them evicted several times — once calling the council to complain about noise pollution — and Lenny and Huw did everything they could to wind him up further.
As well as his bar work, Lenny was also hired as a cab driver by Barry Evans in 1997. Lenny spent most of his time drinking, playing poker and throwing parties. Lenny was also a womaniser, and he took an immediate shine to Bianca Jackson. He constantly pursued her and even though she was dating the mechanic Ricky Butcher at the time, they had a one-night stand, which resulted in a pregnancy scare. Lenny was mortified at the idea of being a father, but it turned out to be a false alarm. Bianca opted not to tell Ricky about her infidelity and married him instead.
After the Cobra Club closed following a police raid, Lenny lost his job and both he and Huw were unable to pay their rent on time. Mark and Ruth decided to ask them to vacate the property, but they refused and claimed squatters' rights instead. This came at an incredibly bad time for the Fowlers as they were applying to become foster parents, and needed to resume living in the property in order to show that they had a stable home environment for a child. Although it was initially Huw's idea to claim squatters' rights, when Barry Evans offered him a room at his flat, he jumped at the chance and left Lenny alone. Lenny was furious, but as it was now just him in the house, Mark and Ruth decided to let him stay on as a lodger and they moved back in. He stayed with them for several months until he patched up his differences with Huw and they both then decided to squat in one of the flats at 47 Albert Square.
Lenny had a keen interest in speedway motorbike racing, and took Ricky Butcher along with him on one ocassion. Ricky turned out to be quite a skilled racer and Lenny was soon persuading him to take up speedway racing professionally so he could be his manager. He was sacked shortly after when Ricky's wife Bianca decided to take over the job in his place. Lenny returned to work as a barman in 1998, firstly for Annie Palmer at the Market Cellar until she fired him, and then for Steve Owen at the e20.
In 1998 Lenny's womanising finally caught up with him when his ex-girlfriend, Alice, arrived in Walford with the news that she had tested positive for the sexually transmitted disease, Hepatitis B. She feared that he may also be carrying the disease and instructed him to get tested. She told him that if the test was positive he would have to inform all his sexual partners so they could also get tested. Lenny was stricken with worry following this, but things got worse when Robbie Jackson overheard their conversation, and immediately informed his sister, Bianca. Bianca was mortified, thinking that her prior tryst with Lenny had put her at risk. Lenny went to get tested, but was told the results would take ten days. Meanwhile, Bianca was severely on edge with Lenny, and everyone began to assume that they were sleeping together behind Ricky's back. Eventually, Ricky heard the rumour from Huw, and confronted Bianca. She denied the affair, but admitted to sleeping with him years earlier. Furious, Ricky stormed out and the future of their relationship looked shaky. With everyone on the Square turning against him, Lenny felt isolated and depressed. Alice eventually persuaded him to confide in Huw about the problem. Huw was understanding and went with him to get the test results. To Lenny's relief, they were negative.
Later in the year Lenny busied himself with the promotion of Mick McFarlane's band and also went to France with Huw, Barry, and Robbie to watch the 1998 World Cup. He also began a relationship with Teresa di Marco, even though his friend Tony Hills had admitted to fancying her. Their friendship was strained as a result, but Lenny's affair with Teresa was brief and ended when Teresa's brother, Gianni, found out about it. Gianni was aware of Lenny's womanising past, and refused to allow Teresa to be another notch on his bedpost.
After Huw left Walford in April 1999, Lenny remained behind working in the e20. When Steve Owen, his boss, was imprisoned for the murder of Saskia Duncan, his employment looked uncertain. He earned the wrath of his friends for failing to support Matthew Rose adequately. Matthew had been falsely accused by Steve of killing Saskia, and Lenny gave the police a statement suggesting that he was acting strangely on the day of the murder, which didn't help his case. Shortly after, Lenny was offered work in a West End club, so he decided to take the offer and leave Walford in July 1999. He currently lives in Wembley.
