The following is a list of minor characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1998, by order of first appearance.
| Lola Christie | |||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Diane Parish | ||||
| Duration | 1998 | ||||
| First appearance | 22 January 1998 | ||||
| Last appearance | 6 July 1998 | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Occupation | Singer | ||||
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Lola Christie is a fictional character. She appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders for six months in 1998. The character was played by Diane Parish, who notably returned to EastEnders in 2006 playing a different character, Denise Fox.[1]
Lola Christie was introduced in 1998 as a love interest for the character Mick McFarlane, played by Sylvester Williams. At the time, it was the highest profile role for actress Diane Parish.[2] The character was a singer in Mick's jazz band, which suited Diane Parish as she had worked her way through drama school at RADA by doing session singing at a recording studio, though she had never seriously considered singing as a career. Parish has commented, "The only reason I took on the role of Lola was because her storyline wasn't really to do with her singing, that was just incidental. There was a bit of interest at the time - but I have to confess I didn't exactly have Island Records beating my door down with a contract!".[2]
Following the end of her initial six month contract, Parish decided to leave EastEnders. In a 1998 interview she revealed, "I had made a decision that I would stay only six months, whatever happened. But I was tempted to stay longer because it is such a great show and lovely people. Leaving was like ripping away from real friendships - but I'm not in this business to settle down. I get itchy feet and I left to do Picking Up the Pieces which is a real challenge. Being a part of EastEnders is like nothing else, a whole different beast from other shows because practically everyone has watched it at some time and you get to be known wherever you go. I thought that would end when I left, but I still get it even now."[2]
She has since revealed that she found it hard to cope with the fame of being in such a high-profile soap, and in a 2002 interview with the Daily Mirror it was reported that she "hated" her time in the soap so much, that she had no qualms about turning down a long-term contract: "I resented being a 'star' and I resented acting like one. It is cliquey, and once you are in a soap, that is it. The soap just clings on to you. People say: 'Everything you do before a soap and after does not matter.' It is true. EE made me odd. I was bobbing along happily as a jobbing actress, and then EE came along. I found it strange to lose my anonymity. People really believe they own you. They grab you, scream at you. I did not cope well. I became introverted and I stayed in a lot. I felt a bit depressed, too. I felt I had lost something. In the end I just had to get out. I lost the point as to why I was doing the job, and to be perfectly frank it just got messy."[3][3] However, in the same interview, Parish said she would consider returning to EastEnders if they asked her: "I'd handle things better. I love watching it. Jim Branning is fab."[3] Parish did return to the soap in 2006, but playing a completely different character, Denise Fox. On her decision to return, Parish said, "EastEnders was different back then. There was a spotlight on anyone in it - some actors were akin to pop stars. It's calmer now."[4]
Lola Christie auditioned as a singer for Mick McFarlane's band. Mick was impressed with her singing talents and offered her the job. Mick was attracted to Lola, they started dating, but she was always rushing off without warning and Mick was surprised to discover that Lola had a secret young son named Carl whose father, Neil, had abandoned Lola when she was 5 months pregnant. Mick proved supportive, but Lola eventually left Mick and the band when she got her own recording contract as a soloist.[5]
| Nicky di Marco | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Carly Hillman | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Matthew Robinson | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1998–2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 29 January 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 3 August 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 25 December 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Nicoletta "Nicky" di Marco, played by Carly Hillman, arrived with mother Rosa, brothers Beppe and Gianni and sister Teresa in 1998.
In her first few years, she had very little to do apart from being the best friend of Sonia Jackson and briefly dating Jamie Mitchell, Asif Malik and Martin Fowler.
Her only major storyline came in 2000 when her mother Rosa arranged for some home maths lessons to help with her exams. Her tutor was Rod Morris, who she fell in love with. Nicky made the first move on her tutor and he initially reciprocated, but then took things too far and sexually assaulted Nicky, who then told her family what had happened, but didn't reveal she was partly to blame. This led to her overprotective brother Gianni attacking Rod. Gianni was charged with assault but the charges were dropped when Nicky admitted that she had not told the whole truth. Nicky then admitted that she was afraid that her family wouldn't have believed that she had been molested if she had admitted she'd made the first move, when she realised her family had doubts of her innocence, she decided to leave home, and was last seen explaining that she had received the address for a hostel. The rest of the di Marco family except Beppe left Walford soon after for a new life in Leicester in August 2000. The charges on Rod were also dropped.
| Teresa di Marco | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Leila Birch | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Matthew Robinson | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1998–2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 29 January 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 3 August 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 13 September 1979 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Market stall holder | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Teresa di Marco, played by Leila Birch, was Rosa di Marco's eldest daughter and a wild child, despite the fact she had her overprotective, big brothers Beppe and Gianni looking out for her.
She first appeared on-screen when George Palmer and Peggy Mitchell attended her father's funeral in January 1998, and had recently failed her A-level exams, making her mother suspicious that she had done this on purpose, so she could stay as a waitress in the family restaurant. However, Teresa had higher aspirations than working in the family restaurant and so got her own stall on the market.
Teresa also knew how to find trouble. She was caught with drugs by the police, found out her then boyfriend Tony Hills was gay, and flings with unsuitable Lenny Wallace and Ricky Butcher (who was married) before running away with Matthew Rose who was suspected for murder. When they were finally found, Matthew was found guilty and Teresa was crushed. She campaigned to get him freed, and when he was the two were reunited, but his desire for revenge on the real murderer Steve Owen scared her and they broke up.
Following her sister Nicky's accusations of assault, the di Marcos decided to leave for Leicester and, although reluctant at first, a heart to heart with brother Beppe made Teresa realise she needed a new start and joined Rosa, Gianni and Nicky heading out of Walford.
| Joe di Marco | |||||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Jake Kyprianou | ||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by | Matthew Robinson | ||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1998–2002 | ||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 29 January 1998 | ||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 4 June 2002 | ||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 28 February 1991 | ||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Student | ||||||||||||||||
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Joe di Marco is a fictional character that appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jake Kyprianou between 1998 and 2002. Joe's most notable storyline was being "the focus of a tug-of-love" between his mother and father.[6] Joe, along with his father Beppe di Marco, was axed by the executive producer of EastEnders, John Yorke.[7]
The Italian di Marco family were introduced early in 1998 by executive producer Jane Harris.[8] The di Marcos were a family of eight, consisting of grandparents Bruno and Luisa, their daughter-in-law Rosa, her children Beppe, Gianni, Teresa and Nicky, and Beppe's young son Joe.[9] They were heralded as the "family that would rival the Mitchells"—who are one of the most successful and long-running families to have been featured in EastEnders.[10]
The di Marcos "landed with an almighty thud in January [1998], turning out in force for the funeral of patriarch Giuseppe", Joe's grandfather.[11] The following month, the family moved to the area in which the soap is set, Walford.[12] Joe was featured in various storylines that focused on his relationship with his father, Beppe (Michael Greco), and Beppe's struggles as a single parent. "There was a flurry of interest" in 2000, when Joe's estranged mother Sandra (Clare Wilkie) was introduced into the serial. She vowed to take Beppe to court for custody of Joe, but after a lengthy battle, and a tug-of-love that led to Joe getting injured, this did not occur. In the storyline, Joe remained with his father after Beppe agreed to give Sandra visitation rights.[13][14]
The majority of the di Marcos stayed in EastEnders until 2000, when a new executive producer, John Yorke, decided to cull them all, except Joe, Beppe and his estranged wife Sandra (though she was also written out early in 2001 when the custody battle storyline ended).[15][16] The di Marcos were reportedly "slaughtered because of a shortage of ideas for what to do with them."[10] However, a spokesperson at the time commented: "These changes…are just part of [John Yorke's] plans to revamp the series and give it a new look."[17] The cuts paved the way for the arrival of the "hugely popular" Slater family.[18] Beppe and Joe remained until 2002, when they were also axed.[19] The characters departed in June, two months earlier than contracted. This was due to Beppe's actor Michael Greco, who requested to be released early from his contract because he was angry at being axed. Scripts were rapidly turned around and the characters were given a hasty exit.[20] The boy who played Joe, Jake Kyprianou, reportedly gave up acting after leaving the role.[6] The di Marcos are now deemed as something of a failure for EastEnders.[14]
Joe di Marco was the son of Beppe and Sandra di Marco. Sandra abandoned Joe when he was young due to Beppe's interfering family. Joe was raised by his father, his grandmother Rosa and his great grandmother Luisa.
Sandra came back into Joe's life in 2000. He bonded with his mother, and despite initial hostilities Beppe also welcomed Sandra back into his life.[21] However it transpired that Sandra was only using Beppe to get access to Joe and she later reconciled with her former lover, Jack Robins. She and Jack planned to abscond with Joe, however Beppe caught her in the act. Beppe and Sandra were then involved in a custody battle for Joe. The constant rowing had a negative effect on Joe and he found it difficult to choose between his warring parents. This culminated in him getting hit by a car when he disobeyed his father and ran across the road to be with his mother. Joe was not seriously hurt, but the accident made his parents rethink their behaviour. Beppe eventually allowed Sandra visitation rights and Joe remained with his father.
Beppe's serial womanising had a negative effect on Joe in 2001 when he walked in on his father being seduced by his teacher, Kay Bradshaw. Joe was so unsettled that he refused to go to school the following day. In 2002, Joe left with his father to live in Leicester following Rosa's death.
| Eliot Saunders | |||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||
| Portrayed by | Lawrence Lambert | ||||||
| Duration | 1998 | ||||||
| First appearance | 16 February 1998 | ||||||
| Last appearance | 19 March 1998 | ||||||
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Eliot Saunders was the father of Josh Saunders and ex-husband of Julie Haye. He was angry about Julie taking Josh to live in Scotland, and insisted that Josh have his Bar Mitzvah before he left, or he and his family would not support Josh in his life. Josh went through with the Bar Mitzvah.
| Hayley Edwards | |||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Karin Diamond | ||||
| Duration | 1998 | ||||
| Appears on | 26 February 1998 | ||||
| Profile | |||||
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Hayley Edwards was the sister of Huw, who tried to contact her brother in February 1998 to tell him that their father had died. She left messages with Huw's friend Lenny Wallace, but Huw denied knowing anyone called Hayley (he had fallen out with his family when he was caught in bed with his fiancée's sister). She then arrived in Walford to persuade him to attend the funeral, but he flatly refused until the last minute, when he took the train home to Wales with her.
| Kim McFarlane | |||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Krystle Williams | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Matthew Robinson | ||||||||||
| Duration | 1998–2002 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 25 August 1998 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 22 January 2002 | ||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 August 1986 | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Student | ||||||||||
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Kim McFarlane, played by Krystle Williams, first arrived in Albert Square in August 1998 along with her guardian Josie McFarlane. Both had supposedly come over from Jamaica to visit Josie's son, Mick, however it soon became clear that the purpose for their visit was not as innocent as Josie initially made out. Mick was expecting his mother, but was surprised when she turned up with Kim, who he had never met or heard of before. Josie claimed that Kim was a distant relative, who she was looking after for a while. However, it was subsequently revealed that instead of being a distant relative, Kim was actually Mick's sister. Kim was the product of an affair Mick's father had when he was temporarily estranged from Josie. Her mother had died when she was eight and Josie - who had lost her husband by then too - adopted Kim, rather than see her taken into care. Mick was shocked at this revelation, but he was a pretty easy going guy, so he soon accepted Kim as his new little sister, although he found Kim's tagging around after him a little irksome at first.
Kim attended Walford High School and soon became friendly with local girls Sonia Jackson and Nicky di Marco, although she was a bit younger than them, so she would often get excluded from their more mature conversations. Later on in her time in Walford, Kim attended a modelling audition with Nicky to give her moral support. However, it was Kim who was successful and not Nicky. Ambitious Josie was delighted and set about trying to get Kim to attend as many auditions as possible. However, Kim was rejected at a casting for not being slim enough and so she started cutting out food, developing an eating disorder that threatened to spiral dangerously out of control. It took the combined efforts of Mick and Dr Fred Fonseca to get Kim back on the road to recovery.
In 2000, Josie was deported back to Jamaica for forgetting to renew her visa and Kim remained living in Walford with her brother. Kim appeared infrequently after this, occasionally showing up to visit Sonia and she also got a part-time job washing cars for Roy Evans.
Kim was also very upset when Sonia decided to give up her newborn daughter, Chloe, for adoption, as Kim herself had been an adoptee.
When Mick was offered a job touring with a Killa Beatzband in 2002, he initially rejected it, due to his responsibilities towards Kim. However, Kim was adamant that he should take the job, and so he left Walford, leaving Kim in the care of another relative, aunt Winnie, who lived away from the square. (This was in contrast to press reports at the time, which stated Kim would move in with the Jackson family.) Kim then disappeared after this and her current whereabouts have never been revealed. Her last appearance was in January 2002.
| Cindy Williams | |||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Ella Wortley (1998) Cydney Parker (1998) Eva Sayer (2007) |
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| Introduced by | Matthew Robinson (1998) Diederick Santer (2007) |
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| Duration | 1998, 2007 | ||||||||||||
| First appearance | 9 November 1998 | ||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 14 September 2007 | ||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 November 1998 | ||||||||||||
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Cindy Williams is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She appeared in 1998 as a baby played by Ella Wortley and Cydney Parker, and returned on 14 September 2007 played by child actress Eva Sayer.[22]
Cindy is the daughter of characters Cindy Beale and Nick Holland. She is the half-sister of Steven, Peter and Lucy Beale.
Cindy Sr. gave birth to Cindy while in prison for trying to have her ex-husband Ian Beale, father of Lucy and Peter, murdered. Cindy has never known either of her parents; Nick had cut all contact with Cindy Sr. after finding out she'd tried to have Ian killed and Cindy Sr. died after the birth due to an embolism.
After her mother's death, Cindy was taken to Devon to live with her maternal grandmother and aunt, Bev and Gina Williams. Ian and Steven met Cindy when they went to Devon for Cindy Sr.'s funeral. Ian suggested naming her after her late mother as a mark of respect. Bev and Gina agreed.
Bev initially thought she was too old to look after Cindy. Bearing in mind that Ian had accepted his stepson Steven as his own, she suggested that Cindy live with Ian and her half-siblings. Reluctant at first, Ian eventually agreed, but Gina wanted Cindy to stay with her and Bev had second thoughts about giving her up. Ian and Gina briefly fought over Cindy before Ian decided that she'd be best off living with Gina and Bev.
In 2007, Ian thought that Gina was sending messages to Lucy pretending to be Cindy Sr., so he went to visit her. Cindy was featured in this episode when Gina introduce her to Ian.
| Gina Williams | |||||||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Nicola Cowper | ||||||||||||||
| Duration | 1998–99, 2007 | ||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 10 November 1998 | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 25 September 2007 | ||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||
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Gina Williams was the sister of Cindy Beale and first appeared for Cindy's funeral in 1998. She refused to let Cindy's ex-husband Ian have custody of Cindy's newborn daughter, Cindy Jr., whose father was Nick Holland. Gina and Ian later reminisced about Cindy and kissed. She then revealed that she couldn't have children, and Ian decided to let her care for Cindy Jr. Ian later visited Gina to see the eclipse in 1999, and she nearly kissed him again, but was interrupted by Melanie Healy, who later proposed to Ian.
Gina was seen again in September 2007. Ian went to visit her as he suspected that she had been harassing him by pretending to be his deceased wife Cindy and sending malicious emails and packages. He entered her house without permission and was shocked to see that Gina had made a shrine to Cindy on her living-room wall. Gina greeted Ian from behind a shotgun, but she then assured him that both she and her dead sister had put the past behind them. Ian was concerned when Gina said she regularly "conversed with" her dead sister, who had even told her to expect Ian's visit. Ian accused Gina of stalking him and wasn't convinced when she denied responsibility. He advised her to seek professional help. He was later kidnapped by the real stalker: Cindy's son Steven Beale. Ian's wife Jane became frantic, and when Gina arrived in Walford to give Ian a photo of Cindy Jr., Jane accused Gina of terrorising Ian and they nearly came to blows.
| Saskia Duncan | |||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Deborah Sheridan-Taylor | ||||
| Duration | 1998–99 | ||||
| First appearance | 31 December 1998 | ||||
| Last appearance | 15 February 1999 | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Date of death | 14 February 1999 | ||||
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Saskia Duncan arrived in Walford in December 1998 as the obsessive ex-girlfriend of new e20 club owner Steve Owen. Steve wasn't happy to see her and he told her he didn't want her anymore, but she continued to stalk him. When Steve got involved with Melanie Healy, Saskia tried to break them up. She succeeded in seducing him one drunken night; afterward, she wouldn't listen when Steve insisted it had been a mistake.
On 14 February 1999, the e20's launch night, Saskia broke into Steve's office and kissed him. As Mel stormed out of the room, Saskia revealed that she'd been pregnant with Steve's baby, but when he said he didn't want it, she'd gotten an abortion: now she blamed him for "killing the baby." When Steve told her to get out, she attacked him and tried to strangle him with his tie. Matthew Rose, who worked in the club as a DJ, came in and tried to get her off him but she pushed him away. Steve reached for the nearest object, an ashtray, and gave her a brutal blow to the head, killing her instantly. Steve and Matthew then buried her body in Epping Forest.
Saskia's disappearance was investigated by police, and her sister Claudia Fielding arrived and suspected that Steve was involved with her disappearance. Matthew panicked that she'd find out about Saskia's death and Steve tried to calm him down. The body was later discovered and both Steve and Matthew were arrested. Steve pointed the finger of blame at Matthew, who was found guilty of manslaughter. When Matthew was released in December 1999, he got revenge on Steve by tying him to a chair and threatening to burn him alive, but he later revealed that he'd just wanted to turn Steve into an emotional wreck. Then he left Albert Square.Matthew ended up being found guilty of her manslaughter when Steve pointed the finger of blame on him.
| Carrie Swann | |
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| EastEnders character | |
| Portrayed by | Holly Atkins |
| Duration | 1998–99 |
| Last appearance | 13 April 1999 |
| Profile | |
Carrie Swann was an artist and friend of Teresa di Marco. She held an exhibition in the night café in 1998, and returned in 1999 when she started dating Huw Edwards. She moved to the West country, and Huw decided to leave Walford and live with her.
| Richard Crowe | |||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||
| Portrayed by | Simon Thomsen | ||||
| Duration | 1998, 1999 | ||||
| Profile | |||||
| Occupation | Police officer | ||||
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Police Constable Richard Crowe was a police officer who first appeared as the community liaison officer at a community meeting organised by Ian Beale. He later appeared in 1999 to present Dot Cotton with an award, after she foiled an attempted burglary at the surgery. He noticed that Dot had (inadvertently) been making tea from cannabis, and arrested her.
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