| James Willmott-Brown | |||||||||||
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| Willmott-Brown as he appeared in the late 1980s | |||||||||||
| EastEnders character | |||||||||||
| Portrayed by | William Boyde | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Julia Smith (1986) Leonard Lewis (1992) |
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| Duration | 1986–89, 1992 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 20 March 1986 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 13 February 1992 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Book appearances | Taking Chances | ||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1951 | ||||||||||
| Occupation | Pub landlord (1987–88) Businessman (1987–89) |
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James Sebastian Willmott-Brown is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by William Boyde.
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Willmott-Brown was an ex-army officer, arriving in Albert Square in March 1986 as area manager for 'Luxford and Copley', the brewery that owned The Queen Vic. By December, he had decided to move to the square and bought Debbie Wilkins's house at 43 Albert Square when she sold it following her fiancé, Andy's, death. He and Debbie later had a fling, but it didn't progress into anything serious. Pat Wicks took a shine to him and tried seducing him on several occasions, but was rebuffed each time. During the early years, he was friendly with Colin Russell.
By February 1987, Willmott-Brown had given up his job as brewery manager and purchased an old disused pub in Turpin Road named The Dagmar, which he refurbished as a new suave wine-bar. Local publican Den Watts was furious about the competition and was even angrier to discover that his wife, Angie (from whom he had recently separated), was manageress of The Dagmar.
The Dagmar opened for business in June that year and the competition between the two pubs began. They competed for best decorated pub in 'The London In Bloom' competition and in a five-a-side football match and constantly tried poaching each other's staff. However, the following year, the Dagmar began to lose business. The residents of Walford never really took to the upper-class establishment and Willmott-Brown had competition from not just the Vic and Strokes winebar, which was managed by Den after he gave up tenancy of the Vic. It was at this time that Gregory Mantel (a member of the criminal organisation known as The Firm) came on the scene and tried forcing James to allow his company, 'Walford Investments', to buy into the business. James refused, and as a result, none of his creditors would trade with him. The business severely suffered. His ire with Den escalated when he discovered that he was in league with the Firm, and reported Den to the police for shady dealings at Strokes winebar. However, Simon Wicks, barman at The Dagmar, overheard the conversation with the police and informed Den. When the residents learnt that James had 'grassed' to the police, no one would enter his bar. His business was now in financial ruin, making James frantic and slightly erratic under the pressure.
Meanwhile, Willmott-Brown gave Kathy Beale a job as a barmaid, causing friction between her and her husband, Pete. The rift worsened when it became clear that Wilmott-Brown was romantically interested in Kathy. With everyone now ignoring him, Kathy soon became his only friend. He bought her presents and confided in her about the sorry state of his business, the breakup of his own marriage and how it affected his children, Sophie and Luke. Pete was furious about the amount of time Kathy spent with Willmott-Brown, but their constant arguing only drove her away from him.
After Kathy argued with Pete one night, Wilmott-Brown invited her to his place for a glass of wine after work. When it became clear that he was trying to seduce her, she attempted to leave. However, he wouldn't take no for an answer and the seduction ended in rape. Den found Kathy an emotional wreck. When he realised what had happened, he called his contacts within the Firm, Joanne Francis and Brad Williams, and demanded revenge. He watched with glee as a fire-bomb was thrown into the Dagmar and it caught fire. Unfortunately for Den, this act would lead to his imprisonment and attempted murder, after The Firm expected him to take the rap for the arson and later decided they wanted him dead.
When Willmott-Brown returned days later, he was mortified to see his business burnt down. He had also received extreme hostility from everyone on the square. Den threatened him, as did Kathy's niece, Michelle, so he went to his lawyers for legal advice. Upon his arrest, Willmott-Brown countered Kathy's claims by telling the police that Kathy consented and claimed that it was common knowledge that they were having an affair. He suggested Pete was a violent man and Kathy had made the rape up to avoid his wrath. He also claimed that Kathy's bruises were merely a result of their rampant sexual encounter. Willmott-Brown felt he had said enough to fool the police and was stunned when he was charged with rape.
He stood trial in April 1989, but not before attempting to bribe Kathy to drop the charges against him. Kathy allowed him to think that she was ready to take his hush money, only to betray him straight into the hands of D.I Bob Ashley, who was listening next door. Kathy was forced to relive the rape at James's trial and was relieved when he was found guilty and imprisoned for three years. However, Pete and Kathy's marriage couldn't survive the effects of the rape on Kathy and they separated soon after.
When James was released in January 1992, he returned to the square and tried to buy the flats that Grant and Phil Mitchell were selling. He planned to move back to Walford and set up another business and sent Kathy a tape asking her to meet him at his hotel in Hampstead. He promised that if she objected, he would disappear and never return.
His return sent shockwaves around the square and Pete organised a mob to track him down as Kathy planned to meet him. Kathy got there first and after listening to Willmott-Brown's tale of his hard time in prison and how much he had changed, she asked him to leave the Square for good and never return. Despite his promise, however, he refused to leave Walford. Kathy then left feeling repulsed and cheated, but unknown to her, Pete had also come to enact his revenge. Pete and his mob forced him into their car and drove him to Pete's high-rise flat building, where Pete threatened to push him off unless he signed a paper stating that he would leave Walford and never return. Immediately after, Willmott-Brown phoned his solicitor and took out an injunction on Pete, but proceeded to move to the Square. He continued sending Kathy tapes, confessing his undying love for her.
Eventually Kathy and Pete confronted James at his house and he and Pete nearly came to blows. An emotional Kathy finally relayed her hurt and anger over the rape and her fury that James had never apologised for the act. James protested that they had something truly special, but after a heated conversation, Kathy made him realise how deluded he was by showing him the destruction he'd caused her and her family. In a bid for attention, James threatened to commit suicide but Kathy stopped him, refusing to allow him off the hook so easily. James finally apologised for raping her and begged for her forgiveness. Kathy was pleased he was sorry, but refused to forgive him, feeling her forgiveness would give him permission to stop being sorry and she told him she was never going to do anything he asked, ever again, not even that. The confrontation and the apology finally gave Kathy the closure she needed. Defeated, James left Walford and has not been seen since.
In 1994, Kathy began having recurring nightmares about Wilmott-Brown so her boyfriend, Phil Mitchell, went in search of him. He tracked down James's wife, and discovered that he was back in prison after raping another woman. Nothing more has been heard about him since.
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