The following is a list of fictional characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1996, by order of first appearance.
| Michael Rose | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Russell Floyd | ||||||||
| Duration | 1996–99 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 15 February 1996 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 19 October 1999 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Occupation | Market Inspector | ||||||||
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Michael Rose, played by Russell Floyd, first appeared when he was chosen, randomly, to be the best man at Terry Raymond's (Gavin Richards) wedding (which was later called off). He settled in Walford as a Market Inspector in 1996. He initially had very few storylines in his early years. He had a crush on April Branning but no relationship ever developed between him and April. Then there was the arrival of his teenage son Matthew (Joe Absolom) and former wife Susan Rose (Tilly Vosburgh) in 1997.
His ex-wife Susan was suffering from multiple sclerosis and Michael ended up caring for her. Eventually he and Susan got back together and seemed happy until the arrival of Lisa Shaw (Lucy Benjamin) who was also a Market Inspector. He and Lisa became attracted to each other and had an affair behind Susan's back. Michael ended the affair and decided to leave Walford with Susan and start a new life in Leeds, with Susan unaware of the affair.
He returned occasionally in 1999 when his son Matthew was wrongly imprisoned for the murder of Saskia Duncan (Deborah Sheridan-Taylor). The real culprit was Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) and Michael became one of his enemies for framing his son. Michael's last appearance was in October 1999.
Sal Martin, often referred to as Aunt Sal,[1] is a recurring character, played by Anna Karen.[2] She has appeared sporadically over the years, usually for only one or two episodes at a time. As of April 2011, Sal has collectively featured in 41 episodes of the show since she first appeared in 1996. In February 1996, it was announced that comedy actress Anna Karen would be joining the cast of EastEnders as Peggy Mitchell's sister Sal. Anna Karen and the actress who plays Peggy, Barbara Windsor, are "best friends" in reality and Windsor has expressed how happy she was to have Karen on the cast of EastEnders.[3][4]
Ben Mitchell has been played by four different actors. Matthew Silver appeared as an infant Ben from 1996–98, and Morgan Whittle played him as a toddler from 1999–2000. After a six-year absence from the series, Charlie Jones assumed the role of Ben in 2006. Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood axed Jones as part of a series revamp in 2010; the role was recast to Joshua Pascoe later that year. Having previously appeared as a baby and a toddler, Ben returned to EastEnders in 2006 played by child actor Charlie Jones. Jones was cast alongside Megan Jossa, who would play his cousin Courtney Mitchell.[5] While Ben is partially deaf, Jones is a hearing actor. The Guardian's Rebecca Atkinson suggested that, as only the second disabled character in EastEnders's history, Ben was introduced to fulfil a BBC quota. She criticised Jones' casting, and opined, "The use of able-bodied actors to play disabled characters is endemic. Maybe in theory there's nothing wrong with that, but while real disabled people are invisible it is downright offensive to persistently cast able-bodied people in disabled roles."[6]
Joe Wicks was played by Paul Nicholls. He appeared on screen between 25 March 1996 and 14 November 1997. EastEnders was praised for the character's portrayal of schizophrenia. EastEnders story editor, Ian Aldwinkle, decided to introduce a character with schizophrenia after working on the drama series Casualty, which featured violent and dramatic incidents involving people with the illness, but only focussed on the medical side. Aldwinkle researched the illness and says he was shocked to discover that it affects one in 100 people, but it was rarely spoken about. He said: "Because it has a continuing storyline, EastEnders was able to look at the effect that schizophrenia has on a family and on individual relationships. I wanted to humanise it and look at the emotional impact it has on people."[7] He said he hoped that the storyline would be helpful, saying "It seems to me that mental illness is one of the last subjects that you can still make jokes about without being labelled politically incorrect, and that seems wrong. If I get just one letter from one person saying that the character of Joe Wicks has helped to change their life for the better, then I will be pleased."[7]
Lorraine Wicks was played by Jacqueline Leonard between 1996 and 1997. Introduced in April 1996, Lorraine was the former wife of the already established character David Wicks (Michael French). She was brought into the serial along with her son Joe Wicks (Paul Nicholls).[8] Author Kate Lock has described Lorraine as "relentlessly sensible, fair and nice" but with a "rogue gene" that prompted her to select the wrong kind of men.[9] As well as a high-profile storyline concentrating on Joe's diagnosis of schizophrenia, Lorraine's most prominent storyline was a love triangle between herself, Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and Grant's wife Tiffany (Martine McCutcheon). In the storyline, Lorraine discovered that Tiffany was keeping a secret from Grant - that he was potentially not the father of her unborn child. When Tiffany refused to tell Grant the truth, Lorraine did, making way for them to become a legitimate couple, albeit briefly. Leonard commented in December 1996, "Lorraine has had a year on her own and she feels that she probably needs a bit of contact - and Grant's quite macho. It was very interesting from my point of view because Lorraine could be perceived as being bitchy and she's not. She genuinely cares about Tiffany and their marriage and the baby and she wants the whole situation sorted out. But she and Grant do like each other and care about each other and it loses control a bit."[10]
| Alistair Matthews | |
|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |
| Portrayed by | Neil Clark |
| Duration | 1996–97 |
| First appearance | 23 April 1996 |
| Last appearance | 31 March 1997 |
| Classification | Former; recurring |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Store manager |
Alistair Matthews, played by Neil Clark, was a store manager who caught Sarah Hills (Daniela Denby-Ashe) shoplifting in April 1996, but promised not to call the police if she attended his Christian fellowship and turned her back on her sinful ways. Sarah was captivated by Alistair's Christian preachings and joined his fellowship. Frankie Pierre was drawn to Alistair too, and when he turned her advances down, she spread rumours that they were sexually involved; although Alistair publicly denied this, causing Frankie's downfall in Walford.
Alistair condemned Sarah for having pre-marital sex with Robbie Jackson (Dean Gaffney) during a crisis of faith. However, Sarah was hurt to discover that Alistair did not practice the piety that he preached, and when she realised that he was having pre-marital sex with his girlfriend Sue Taylor, she denounced him publicly in front of his congregation.
Jim Branning was played by John Bardon, first appearing on 29 April 1996 and becoming a regular character in 1999 and has remained in the series right up to 2011. Jim was written out of the show in August 2007 due to Bardon suffering a stroke. A storyline was created that Jim also suffered a stroke. It was reported on 10 March 2008 that Bardon would be returning to the role of Jim in summer 2008.[11] Bardon returned to film four episodes in the latter half of 2008. He returned permanently from the episode broadcast on 20 August 2009. On 1 April 2011 it was reported by the Daily Mirror that Bardon had filmed his final scenes and had left. He departed on 26 May 2011. On the behest of producer John Yorke in 2000, Jim was paired romantically with pensioner Dot Cotton, played by June Brown; a slow courtship was featured, with Dot often shown to be outraged by Jim's advances, resulting in numerous rejections. Dot finally succumbed and accepted his marriage proposal in an episode that aired in November 2001; the scenes were filmed inside one of the carriages of the London Eye on the South Bank of the River Thames. Their wedding aired on 14 February 2002, Valentine's Day. The Guardian critic, Nancy Banks-Smith, described the wedding as "uniquely uneventful [...] For Dot and Jim 'In sickness and health... till death do us part' seemed to carry more resonance than for most."[12]
Suzy Branning (originally known as Sue) was played by Maggie O'Neill in 2008,[13] and was played by Julie Christian-Young for a brief appearance in 1996. O'Neill began filming in May 2008, and she made her first on-screen appearance on 8 July 2008.[14] She made her last appearance on Boxing Day 2008. Suzy, who is referred to as Sue in her younger days, was born to Jim and Reenie Branning, in 1966. She is their fourth child, with April, Derek and Carol being her older siblings. Until brothers Max and Jack came along, she was the centre of attention. She is first seen in 1996 for April's wedding to her fiancé Nikos, along with her children, Rebecca and Kevin.
Derek Branning, played by Terence Beesley in 1996 and Jamie Foreman from 2011 onwards, is the eldest child of Jim Branning (John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graham). Derek made his first appearance on 29 April 1996 and departed not long after. The character returned as a regular character on 24 November 2011, played by Foreman.[15] Derek is originally portrayed as a racist and is against his sister Carol (Lindsey Coulson) marrying Alan (Howard Antony). Derek is described as a "charmer" and "proper East-End". In an interview with Daybreak, Foreman said he wants viewers to "like Derek". Discussing Derek's personality, Foreman told TV Choice: "There's always this little undercurrent of, 'This guy isn't who we want around for long', if you see what I mean. Derek's just come back from a 10-year prison sentence for armed robbery. He's a very complicated character, who could either be perceived as a bully or as someone who cares for his family very much."
| Reenie Branning | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Joy Graham | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1996 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 29 April 1996 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 30 April 1996 | ||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; guest | ||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 8 October 1999 | ||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Retired | ||||||||||||||
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Doreen "Reenie" Branning played by Joy Graham, is the first wife of Jim Branning (John Bardon), and mother of Derek Branning (Jamie Foreman) April Branning (Debbie Arnold), Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson), Suzy Branning (Maggie O'Neill), Max Branning (Jake Wood) and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen).
Reenie had dated Jim in the early 1960s and gave birth to his oldest child Derek out of wedlock. When she got pregnant again with daughter April, Jim then stepped up and proposed, and they married in a shotgun wedding. However they never got on well together and fought like cat and dog, but Reenie depended heavily on her husband and whenever they got close to separating and ending their marriage, she got pregnant. This resulted in her giving birth, in chronological order, to Derek (1960), April (1961),[9] Carol (1962), Suzy (1966),[16] Max(1969)[17] and Jack (1972).[18]
Reenie was said to be very maternal and doted on all of her children, despite their faults. She was particularly close to her oldest daughter April, whilst her relationship with daughters Carol and Suzy was notably strained due to their choice of lifestyle. She was also said to be very distraught when her son Max walked out on the family in 1989, and despite keeping in regular contact with her grandson Bradley and Max's ex-wife Rachel, she never saw Max again. Reenie appeared on-screen in April 1996, in the lead-up to April's wedding to her fiancé Nikos.
Off-screen, in October 1999 it was revealed that Reenie was critically ill, and her daughter Carol left Walford to care for her. A few weeks later Reenie died, and it was mentioned by her grandson Robbie that her funeral was attended by Carol, Carol's ex-husband Alan and her grandchildren Robbie, Sonia and Billie. Her oldest granddaughter Bianca was notably not present at the funeral due to her feud with her mother. A month after her demise Reenie's husband Jim arrived in Walford to care for their grandchildren Robbie and Sonia after Carol reconciled with Alan.
Huw Edwards was played by welsh actor Richard Elis.[19] Huw was introduced in 1996 and remained on-screen till 1999.[20] Actor Richard Elis was cast in the minor role of Huw for a period of three episodes in 1996; however, producers enjoyed the character and his contract was extended.[21] It was reported in December 1998 that executive producer Matthew Robinson had axed Huw because the character was "going nowhere".[22] However, Elis claimed in 2010 that he decided to leave the role in 1999 after three years playing Huw as he feared being typecast. Elis has commented, "My agent at the time told me that if you are in a soap for three years, it takes three years for the viewers to forget you, whereas if you are in one for five years, it takes another 10 years before they forget you. I just felt it was time to go. It was great to be on it but it was just a job to me."[21]
Lenny Wallace was played by Desune Coleman. Lenny is a fun loving individual, who doesn't take life too seriously. He has a penchant for loud music and an eye for the ladies. Lenny was first seen in Walford in May 1996. Lenny, along with his Welsh friend, Huw Edwards (Richard Elis), were employed by George Palmer (Paul Moriarty) as barmen for the Cobra Club. Lenny had a keen interest in speedway motorbike racing, and took Ricky Butcher along with him on one occasion. 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 (Nadia Sawalha) at the Market Cellar until she fired him, and then for Steve Owen (Martin Kemp) at the e20.
Simon Raymond was played by Andrew Lynford. Simon was introduced in 1996 as the homosexual brother of Tiffany Mitchell (Martine McCutcheon). His relationship with the bisexual character Tony Hills (Mark Homer) featured a gay kiss that caused controversy in the UK; numerous complaints were made because of its broadcasting. Simon remained in the serial until 1999, at which time it was mutually agreed between Lynford and executive producer Matthew Robinson, that the character had run its course. The character was given a happy ending, reuniting with his former boyfriend Tony to travel Europe. Lynford has suggested that he and the writers of EastEnders intended to portray Simon as a "perfectly normal" young gay man who would entertain and educate and for whom sexuality was "no big deal".[23]
Maxine Francesca "Frankie" Pierre[24] She appeared between 1996 and 1997, played by Syan Blake.[25] Frankie was introduced as a "super-bitch" and home wrecker. She attempted to ruin the established relationships of several characters during her year in the soap, purposefully seducing attached men. Frankie’s arrival in June 1996 was part of a storyline that broke up the marriage of the characters Alan and Carol Jackson (Howard Antony and Lindsey Coulson).[26] Frankie eventually departed the serial in March 1997 amidst a failed attempt at seducing a religious evangelist, Alistair Matthews, who had been trying to make her change her promiscuous lifestyle. Off-screen it was reported that Syan Blake and the producers of EastEnders had decided to write the character out of the serial, as the actress was receiving death threats from angry fans that could not separate fact from fiction, and blamed Blake for her character’s home-wrecking. The official EastEnders book Who’s Who states that Frankie “had a carnivorous approach to relationships, hunting down her quarry, devouring her victim in two gulps and then moving onto the next kill.”[9][27]
Mick McFarlane was played by Sylvester Williams. Mick was an easy-going guy, who hoped to make it big as a musician. However his music career failed and he ended up selling CDs on a market stall in Albert Square. After several ill-fated attempts at a career change, he finally got his life's wish and left Walford in 2002 to tour with a band. When Kim discovered what Mick had been through, she bought his saxophone back with the money for her school trip, contacted Mick's musician contact and accepted the gig on his behalf. Kim was adamant that Mick should follow his dream, and so Mick left Kim with a relative away from the Square and left Walford in January 2002.
George Palmer was played by Paul Moriarty. He appeared between 1996 and 1998, but was one of many characters axed by then Executive Producer Matthew Robinson. Actor Paul Moriarty was asked to read for the role of George along with 10 other actors.[23] Moriarty was called back instantly and asked to begin working on the role the following day. He has commented to an American fan-based publication, "[It was] quite overwhelming. I had watched the show but not religiously [...] So I show up at [the studios in] Borehamwood the very next day, straight to make-up and then onto [the soap's setting of] Albert Square to do my first bit [...] I might just as well have landed on Mars."[23] George had been described as "shady".[28] The character was one of many to be axed in 1998 by Executive Producer Matthew Robinson, following a dip in ratings.[29]
| Charlie Mason | |
|---|---|
| EastEnders character | |
| Portrayed by | Campbell Morrison |
| Duration | 1996, 1998–99 |
| First appearance | 8 October 1996 |
| Last appearance | 5 October 1999 |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Detective |
Detective Chief Inspector Charlie Mason was a detective who first appeared when Ian Beale was shot by hitman John Valecue, working for his wife, Cindy. He later appeared when Tiffany Mitchell fell down the stairs at The Queen Vic, and arrested Grant Mitchell for her attempted murder on Christmas Day 1998. He later appeared at the inquest into Tiffany's death in January 1999. He also investigated Saskia Duncan's disappearance in March 1999 and appeared at Steve Owen and Matthew Rose's trial for her murder in October 1999. This was his last appearance.
Terry Raymond was played by Gavin Richards. Terry was initially introduced briefly in 1996 as the drunken father of Tiffany (Martine McCutcheon) and Simon Raymond (Andrew Lynford). He was reintroduced as a full-time character in 1997 and remained in the serial until 2002, when actor Gavin Richards decided to leave. It was announced that Gavin Richards quit the role in November 2001. He commented, "I had a wonderful time but feel I have to devote my energies to other projects."[30] A source reportedly told the press that Richards had been unhappy in the role since the exit of his on-screen wife Irene (Roberta Taylor), as he felt that he had "not been given enough juicy storylines." Terry was not killed off in the soap; he departed in 2002 in search of his estranged wife.[31] Tim Randall from the Daily Record suggested in 2001 that Terry and Irene's double-act was "EastEnders at its best", but that the relationship between Terry and Janine was "enough to turn your stomach".[32]
| Character | Date(s) | Actor | Circumstances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin | 29–30 April | Jamie Dispirito | The young son of Suzy Branning attending his aunt, April Branning's wedding. He acted as the pageboy. He was then mentioned in December 2008 when Suzy told her fiancé Phil that she had a son and a daughter but never spoke to them. |
| Rebecca | 29–30 April | Alice Dawnay | The teenage daughter of Suzy Branning attending her aunt, April Branning's wedding. She acted as a bridesmaid and her cousin Robbie Jackson was attracted to her. She was then mentioned in December 2008 when Suzy told her fiancee Phil that she had a son and a daughter but never spoke to them. |
| John Valecue | 28 October 1996– 10 April 1998 |
Steve Weston | A professional hitman, hired by Cindy Beale to kill her husband Ian. He shot Ian on 7 October 1996, but failed to kill him, leaving him wounded in hospital. Ian failed to identify his assailant, but Valecue was later arrested for another failed shooting. Annie Palmer and Ros Thorne visited him in prison in 1998 when they were trying to help Ian get custody of his stepson Steven and son Peter. Annie threatened to use her contacts inside the prison to get at Valecue, unless he implicated Cindy in the attempted murder of Ian. He did so and Cindy was arrested and charged for attempted murder. |
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