List of EastEnders characters (2008)

The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2008, by order of first appearance.

All characters were introduced by executive producer Diederick Santer. He introduced four characters in January: Mr Lister, a new market inspector; Christian Clarke, the brother of Jane Beale and two members of the Branning family, Selina and Penny. In March, he introduced Jalil Iqbal, a new love interest for Shabnam Masood, and in April he introduced Ricky Butcher's fiancée, Melinda as well as Bianca Jackson's children, Whitney, Morgan and Tiffany. Also in April he introduced Denise Johnson's ex-husband, Lucas Johnson, and Opal Smith, the aunt of Gus and Juley Smith. In May he extended the Johnson family and introduced Lucas's son, Jordan as well as introducing Brenda Boyle, a new love interest for Charlie Slater. In July, he introduced two members of the long-established Mitchell family, Archie Mitchell and Danielle Jones. In August, he introduced Callum Monks, the son of already established character Vinnie Monks and in September, he introduced Tony King as the partner of Bianca Jackson and also Poppy Merritt, the new GP of Walford. November saw the only birth of the year, Amy Mitchell, the child of Roxy Mitchell and Jack Branning. The final introduction of the year was Dotty Cotton, Nick Cotton's daughter.

Mr Lister

Mr Lister, played by Nick Wilton, is the market inspector at Bridge Street market, the successor of Marie Matthews (Susan Cruse). He makes his first appearance on 3 January 2008 when he sacks his assistant, Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements).^[1] He appears on a recurring basis thereafter, his next appearance being when Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel) seeks approval for a new stall, which Mr Lister accepts. In August 2008, Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) gets a job as the market cleaner but Mr Lister sacks him when he loses his cart. In October 2008, Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack) phones him because Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace) is selling stolen nightwear on the clothes stall. In May 2009, he closes down Stacey Slater's (Lacey Turner) stall and in September 2009, he closes it again and gives it to Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott). In February 2010, Stacey and her friend Becca Swanson (Simone James) decide to set up a stall but Mr Lister turns them down as he does not like Stacey. Becca dresses up and pretends to be from Walford Council and tells Mr Lister that Stacey has lodged a complaint against him and makes legal threats. Mr Lister then gives Stacey her stall.

In April 2010, Mr Lister is seen investigating Fatboy's (Ricky Norwood) van, as Fatboy is trying to sell T-shirts from the vehicle without a market license. In May 2010, Syed Masood (Marc Elliott) asks Mr Lister if he can start a market stall, and Mr Lister suggests a mobile phone stall. In October 2010, Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) squirts water at him, so he orders Stacey to discipline or sack Kat, but Stacey refuses and squirts him as well, so he revokes Stacey's market traders' licence. In March 2011, Mr Lister offers Fatboy a month's trial on his own stall after Fatboy and Mo Harris (Laila Morse) argue over it.

In April 2011, he complains to Billy that his stall is in the wrong position, but Billy says nobody cares. Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) asks for her stall back, and they get chatting. He moans about his life as he gets abused by stallholders regularly, and his wife has left him so he rarely sees his two children. He invites Whitney for a drink and comforts her saying that her step father, Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen), is doing what is best for her. He gets up to leave but falls onto Whitney, so Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) threatens him and calls him a pervert. In May, Denise Fox (Diane Parish) asks Mr Lister to get involved with Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) but Mr Lister says he has no say over the shop, which Patrick owns. In June, Whitney and Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) ask Mr Lister for a stall, but he is reluctant as Whitney lost a stall for not paying her rent. However, he agrees as long as the owed rent is paid and a month's rent is paid in advance. In July, Mr Lister issues Fatboy with a warning for kicking his own stall, but Fatboy decides to abandon his stall before he can be disciplined. He warns Eddie Moon (David Essex) about flytipping, and is threatened by Eddie's son Tyler (Tony Discipline). Lister later accepts a bribe from Eddie. In November, Mr Lister appears following reports that someone is selling Dutch Father Christmas toys, and asks Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) if he knows anything. Alfie denies this, although it is his relatives Tyler and Anthony Moon (Matt Lapinskis) who have done it. Anthony asks Fatboy to change them so they no longer speak Dutch, and when Lister sees Fatboy with one, it plays a jingle in Fatboy's voice.

Christian Clarke

Christian Clarke, played by John Partridge, is introduced to the show as a new gay character and the brother of Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) as the show's bosses had seen how popular Antony Cotton was in the role of Sean Tully in Coronation Street.^[2] However, Partridge's character is not as camp as Cotton's, and is described as "very suave and a real charmer"^[2] and a "savvy, bright character [who is] very fun."^[3] He made his first appearance on 17 January 2008. His main storyline is having an affair with Muslim character Syed Masood (Marc Elliott), while Syed is engaged to Amira Shah (Preeya Kalidas).^[4]

Ashley Jennings

Ashley Jennings played by Tony Boncza, is the fiancé of Christian Clarke (John Partridge), who appeared in the episode broadcast on 17 January 2008.^[5] He was described by Soaplife as Christian's rich "sugar daddy".^[6] In the episode, Ashley and Christian have a meal with Christian's sister Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) and her husband Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Ashley leaves the meal early after Christian reveals that he was in love with Jane's ex-husband David Collins (Dan Milne). He and Christian break up, and Christian moves in with the Beales.

Tegs Teague

"Tegs" Teague, played by Ben Smith, is the main leader of a gang called the 'E20'. He appears between 17 and 22 January 2008^[5][7] along with the rest of the gang. The gang harass Dot Branning (June Brown) by wolf-whistling at her and calling her a "zombie". Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) sees them and tells them to leave her alone. The gang, including Tegs' friend Ziggy (Ashley Horne), steal DVDs from Winston's (Ulric Browne) market stall with the help of Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick). Tegs asks Jay if he wants to join the gang and gives him a mobile phone so they can call each other. Jay later sneaks out and Tegs hands him a knife, which is found by Jay's father, Jase Dyer (Stephen Lord) and his girlfriend Dawn Swann (Kara Tointon). The next day, the gang steal several packs of cigarettes from the local shop, the Minute Mart. They harass Dot by making silent phone calls and knocking on her door and running away. Tegs pulls a knife on Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi), who confronts the group of youths. After Jay criticises Tegs's harassment of Dot, they have a fight. After appearing to have reconciled their differences, Tegs is asked by his gang whether he is with them or Jay, at which point he stabs Jay in the leg, leaving him bleeding on the ground in the park. Tegs' mum, Tina Teague (Kerry Ann White) arrives before the trial to try and persuade Jay to drop the charges against Tegs but he does not and Tegs is sentenced in an off-screen trial on 29 February to two years in a Young Offenders Institution for his crime.^[8]

Development

A show insider told The Sun that the storyline in which Tegs stabs Jay is "easily one of the most shocking and controversial storylines EastEnders has ever done. It is not a decision bosses have taken lightly, but it is an issue that is top of the news agenda. We're going to tread very carefully—it won’t be gratuitous. The plan is to screen the episodes in the usual slots before the watershed. Hopefully by showing the suffering gang violence can cause, some people may think twice about getting involved."^[9] This was to be the first teenage gang-related attack that EastEnders has featured.^[9] Kris Green from Digital Spy described him as 'out of control'.^[10]

Ofcom received seven complaints about the stabbing episode.^[11] John Beyer, of the pressure group Mediawatch UK, said, "The stabbing of Jay flooded in over 200 complaints after Watchdog had recently ordered a stop to soap violence. I think this shows that at a flagship programme such as EastEnders they are prepared to ignore public opinion, prepared to ignore the regulator and the complaints and carry on regardless."^[12] A BBC spokesman said, "EastEnders has always tackled difficult issues and we acknowledge that some viewers could consider this storyline challenging. This is part of a long-running storyline that in no way glamorises the use of knives."^[12] A BBC spokesperson responded to the complaints about the scenes being shown before the watershed: "The BBC has a strict set of editorial guidelines which all programmes must adhere to, to ensure that the violence portrayed was suitable for pre-watershed viewing."^[11] Kris Green from Digital Spy defended the episode saying, "I have to say that it wasn't as gruesome as I'd imagined it would be. There's no screaming, no scuffling—it's all quiet and it happens in about 10 seconds."^[13]

Selina Branning

Selina Branning, played by Daisy Beaumont,^[14] is the ex-wife of Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), and mother of their daughter Penny Branning (Mia McKenna Bruce). This was Beaumont's second role in EastEnders as she previously played Helen Graham in 2000. She was listed by Digital Spy as a suspect in Max Branning's (Jake Wood) hit-and-run.^[15] However, Lauren Branning (Madeline Duggan) was the culprit.^[10] She appears between 21 January and 1 February 2008.^[14][16]

Selina is first heard when she leaves a message for Jack and Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack) speaks to her on the phone. Ronnie later visits Selina and speaks to her about Jack not being allowed to see their daughter, Penny. It is revealed that Penny is in a wheelchair, paralysed from the waist down. Jack sleeps with Selina in his club's office and they are seen by Ronnie's sister Roxy Slater (Rita Simons). A week later, Selina phones Jack to say that she and Penny are leaving to live in France. On 1 December 2008, Jack tells Ronnie that Selina is engaged to remarry. It is revealed on 2 March 2009 that Selina got married over the weekend to a man named James and that Jack did not attend.^[17]

Penny Branning

Penelope "Penny" Branning, played by Mia McKenna Bruce,^[18] is the daughter of Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and his first wife Selina Branning (Daisy Beaumont). She appears between 21 January ^[19] and 1 February 2008,^[16] and returns from 15^[20] to 18 April 2008.^[21] Maslen who plays Penny's dad revealed that Penny will be returning to the serial intermittently, though she has not returned since her departure.^[22]

Jack's girlfriend Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack) finds tickets for a ballet, which Jack says are for Penny as it is her birthday on the day of the performance and she loves dancing. Later, Jack finds a message on his answerphone from Selina, ranting about the birthday present. Ronnie answers the phone and meets Selina. At the house, while talking to Selina about the circumstances of her and Jack's relationship, Penny enters the room in a wheelchair. Selina asks Ronnie if she knows why Penny is paralysed from the waist down. Later, Jack tells Ronnie that when he was a police officer, he caught a drug dealer who deliberately hit Penny with his car when she and Selina were waiting at a bus stop, causing Penny's spine to be severed.^[23] It is later revealed that it was due to Jack being a corrupt police officer and taking payment from a drugs baron in return for tip-offs. When Jack was unable to tip off the baron and he was arrested, one of his associates carried out the attack in revenge.

Jack takes Penny and Selina out for Penny's birthday and they go back to Selina's flat and kiss. Selina reveals the next day how upset Penny was that Jack was not there when she woke up. Selina decides to move to France where her parents live and takes Penny with her. Penny visits Jack in April 2008 and is cold towards Ronnie, preferring her aunt Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner) with whom she goes shopping. Tanya cooks Penny a farewell meal, but Ronnie still struggles to bond with her. She decides that she does not want to return to France but is persuaded to go back to Selina by Jack. In March 2010, Ronnie asks Jack about Penny and he says she is doing fine without him and that Penny made the right decision to go to France.^[24]

Roger Grant

Roger "the Dodger" Grant, played by Max Gold, is a dodgy old friend of Mo Harris (Laila Morse). He appears on 5 February 2008, selling some clothes to Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) for her stall. Mo insists that the stock is faulty, and tries to make the dye on a shirt run by pouring tea over it, and when Stacey's mother Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) tries to wash the tea stain out, the top gets ruined.^[25]

Gold also played Dougie Briggs in 1994, and his casting as Roger was criticised by entertainment website Digital Spy's television critic Dek Hogan, as Briggs was "such an iconic role", calling it "an insult to the audience".^[26]

Edward Tunstall

Edward Tunstall, played by Miles Anderson, is a councillor who appears between 7 and 29 February 2008.^[8][27] He meets Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) at a council lunch and wants to throw a party, so decides to use Ian and Christian Clarke's (John Partridge) events organising business, Fit for a Queen, to organise it. He assumes Ian is gay, and asks him out for a meal. During the meal, Ian admits that he is not totally in love with his wife, Jane Beale (Laurie Brett). Edward invites him to be his guest when he collects his MBE from the Queen, but due to Ian's daughter Lucy Beale's (Melissa Suffield) disappearance, Ian is unable to attend. In January 2009, Tunstall is reported to be involved in a scandal with a young man, mentioned in the Walford Gazette newspaper. It is then revealed that he has stepped down as councillor.

Jalil Iqbal

Jalil Iqbal, played by Jan Uddin,^[28] is a friend of the Masood family who appears between 17 and 28 March 2008.^[29][30] Jalil was described as a "hunk" and it was said that he and Shabnam Masood (Zahra Ahmadi) would embark on "an affair of the heart".^[28]

Family matriarch Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia) invites Jalil to stay with the family and work in their post office for a while, trying to set him up with her daughter, Shabnam. Shabnam is initially against this, as she remembers Jalil as a "geek" from her childhood, though when she sees him, she is attracted to him. Zainab sets them up with a romantic meal, listening in on their conversation using a baby monitor. Shabnam discovers that Jalil has a girlfriend, though Zainab sees a picture of her and says she is ugly and that her make-up looks like it has been done by Edward Scissorhands. Shabnam later bumps into Jalil on a night out in R&R nightclub, where they flirt. Jalil and Shabnam later share a kiss, but during a conversation with the Masood family, he says that he thinks modern Muslim women like Shabnam provide "great entertainment" but are not marriage material. Zainab is offended by this and sends him away.

Melinda

Melinda, played by Siobhan Hayes, is the fiancée of Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen).^[31] She appears between 1 April and 4 April 2008.^[32][33]

Melinda comes to Walford with Ricky for funeral of his father, Frank Butcher (Mike Reid). Throughout the day, she spends most of the time on the telephone to her father asking him for £25,000 as a property deposit, which he later fails to provide for her. She makes several attempts to introduce herself to Pat Evans (Pam St. Clement) and is dismissive when Ricky mentions his ex-wife Bianca Jackson's (Patsy Palmer) absence from the funeral. At Frank's wake, it becomes clear that Melinda is only interested in what Frank has left to Ricky in his will. There is no financial gain, so Melinda quickly leaves in a bad mood. Later, Ricky announces that he and Melinda have split up, and Bianca tells Pat that Melinda was responsible for Ricky's lack of contact with their son Liam Butcher (James Forde).

Speaking of the announcement of Melinda's arrival, an EastEnders source told Digital Spy: "Ricky returns to the Square for his dad Frank's funeral and turns up with Melinda—but is it true love or just a fling between them?"^[31] An insider told The Sun that Melinda is "a classy bird, not at all like Ricky's mouthy old flame Bianca. But she's also really spoilt, a daddy's girl. Frank's funeral is the first time Ricky's family has met her and things don't go well."^[34]

Whitney Dean

Whitney Dean, played by Shona McGarty, is the adopted daughter of long-running character Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), and was introduced in April 2008 when Palmer returned to the series after a six-year absence. Whitney was described as "a teenage drama queen, unable to engage brain before mouth and constantly finding herself in and out of trouble".^[35] She made her first appearance on 1 April 2008. Her storylines have revolved around her fractured family life, including her sexual abuse by Bianca's partner Tony King (Chris Coghill),^[36] and a sexual exploitation storyline involving Rob Grayson (Jody Latham).^[37] The storyline with Tony won EastEnders a Royal Television Society Programme Award in 2008.^[38]

Morgan Jackson-King

Morgan Butcher (né Jackson-King), played by Devon Higgs, is the son of Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and Ray Dixon (Chucky Venn).^[35] He made his first appearance on 1 April 2008.^[32] However, Higgs was not credited in the role until 8 September 2009.

Morgan, along with his mother, his half siblings Tiffany Dean (Maisie Smith) and Liam Butcher (James Forde), and his stepsister Whitney, are thrown out their house by their landlord. After initially spending a week in care, Morgan and the rest of his family move to Walford, where they begin living with his great-grandmother Pat Evans (Pam St. Clement). The same week, a family party is held, where Morgan and his half-siblings meet the rest of their extended family. Bianca attempts to enter Morgan into a 'Beautiful Baby Competition' held at The Queen Victoria public house, but is forced to withdraw him due to his age. A few days later he celebrates his third birthday by going to a restaurant with his family. Despite initially being thought to be the son of Bianca's partner Tony, it is discovered that this is not the case when Tony is released from prison, due to Morgan's ethnicity. Bianca reveals that Morgan was the result of a one-night stand she had with an unknown man but has always seen Tony as his father due to the fact that they met during her pregnancy and he has always been a consistent figure in Morgan's life.

Morgan becomes ill and is diagnosed by Dr Poppy Merritt (Amy Darcy) with chicken pox. This leads to Pat having to vacate the family home as she had never had the illness. When Tony is arrested for having had a sexual relationship with Whitney, Morgan starts asking for his dad, leading the family to make up an excuse as they know that he will not understand what Tony had done. Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) and Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) use Morgan to raise money for their rent, pretending they are his parents and they are collecting money for a new playground. While trying to make a sandwich he accidentally squirts tomato ketchup on a hoody belonging to his recently deceased uncle Billie Jackson (Devon Anderson). Liam hides it and later tries to wash the stain out but their grandmother Carol Jackson (Lindsey Coulson) sees it and slaps him. Morgan starts to follow Liam around, fearing that he will die as well but Ricky and Janine reassure him. He runs away from home after Bianca is put into prison but is caught.

Development

Morgan is described by the Daily Mirror as "the most spoilt out of all of the [Jackson] kids. He's a boisterous, adventurous lad and can hold his own among Bianca's rabble. Morgan only eats chicken nuggets".^[39] Morgan is the result of a one-night stand between Bianca and a man who is unknown to viewers.^[40] The man his family thinks is his father, Tony King (Chris Coghill), is serving a prison sentence for assaulting a teenager who had allegedly threatened Morgan's stepsister, Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty),^[35] though it is found out that Tony is not his biological father.^[41] Morgan along with Bianca, Liam, Whitney and Tiffany, have been called 'The Jackson Five' ^[10] In 2011, the character of Ray Dixon was announced, played by Chucky Venn, who is to play Morgan's dad. A source from EastEnders confirmed: "Ray hasn't seen Bianca for years and they didn't part on good terms. He meets Whitney as he has matters with Bianca that are unresolved. But Ray gets the shock of his life when Whitney tells him all about Morgan—and she soon realises that Ray knew nothing about his son."^[42]

Tiffany Dean

Tiffany Dean, played by Maisie Smith, is the daughter of long-running character Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), introduced on 1 April 2008, when Palmer returned to the series after a six-year absence. Tiffany is described as having a "cute, butter-wouldn't-melt exterior", which "masks her somewhat mature understanding of adult matters. She sees all, hears all and knows all".^[35] She is also described as "a troublesome and cheeky lass" with a "feisty, red-head personality, which she no doubt inherits from screenmum [sic] Bianca".^[43] For her portrayal of Tiffany, Smith won the 'Best Dramatic Performance for a Young Actor or Actress' award at the British Soap Awards in 2009.^[44]

Lucas Johnson

Lucas Johnson, played by Don Gilet, is the estranged father of established character Chelsea Fox (Tiana Benjamin) and ex-husband of Denise Fox (Diane Parish), who he later remarries. He has a son, Jordan (Michael-Joel David Stuart), from his previous relationship with Trina Johnson (Sharon Duncan Brewster). His profile on the official EastEnders website describes him as "an upstanding member of the community, a far cry from the youth he once was."^[45] His storylines include causing Trina's death and covering it up, murdering Denise's ex-husband Owen Turner (Lee Ross), and attempting to kill Denise. For his portrayal of Lucas, Gilet has received several award nominations, including Serial Drama Performance at the 2011 National Television Awards.^[46] He appeared from 3 April 2008 to 30 July 2010.

Opal Smith

Opal Smith, played by Rustie Lee, is the aunt of Gus Smith (Mohammed George) and Juley Smith (Joseph Kpobie). She was introduced in February 2008 for two episodes, on 8 and 10 April 2008.^[47][48][49] Opal is first mentioned on screen in May 2007, when Gus has to go to Wolverhampton to look after her following a fall. In April 2008 she visits Gus out of the blue, as she has a coach ticket to use. She embarrasses him by assuming that he is dating Keisha (Suzie McGrath), and later gives him his mother's engagement ring.

She was described as "the fiery aunt" by What's On TV^[50] and "the loud battleaxe aunty of Gus" by BBC Birmingham.^[48] Speaking of her arrival, Lee said, "I'm absolutely over the moon to think I'm going to be in the Square. I can't wait."^[51] She said the opportunity was tremendous and brilliant as she had always wanted to appear in EastEnders.^[48]

Inzamam Ahmed

Inzamam Ahmed, played by Paul Bhattacharjee, is the brother of Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra). He first appears on 13 May 2008,^[52] and returns on 1 January 2010 for the wedding of Masood's son Syed Masood (Marc Elliot) and Amira Shah (Preeya Kalidas).^[53]

Inzamam first visits Walford to check up on his brother's family while Masood is in Karachi visiting their sick father. He is rude and sexist towards Masood's wife Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia) and daughter Shabnam Masood (Zahra Ahmadi), but praises his son Tamwar Masood's (Himesh Patel) achievements. He is shocked to see that Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) has graffitied "Shabnam is a hore [sic]" on the Masoods' wall. He later meets up with Zainab, and she asks him for money. He comes onto her, and she leaves, forcing her to consider selling her house. On the day before Syed's wedding to Amira, Masood takes Inzamam to dinner to ask if he can help with some money. Inzamam does not know who is getting married as nobody has told him about it and also does not know that Zainab is pregnant. Masood asks Zainab why she did not invite Inzamam to the wedding and she says she forgot, but he realises she did it deliberately. She tells him that Inzamam sees her as a fallen woman as she was previously married to Yusef Khan (Ace Bhatti),who returned a year later, when she met Masood, and he made many advances toward her. Masood orders Inzamam to stand and tells him that he knows what he has done. Masood returns Inzamam's money and says he is not invited to the wedding and is not welcome in their home and he walks out of their house with his wife, Fatima and children Ali (Omar Kent) and Jamila (Sara Aisha Kent).

Jamila and Ali Inzamam

Jamila Inzamam, played by Sara Aisha Kent and Ali Inzamam played by Omar Kent, are the children of Inzamam Ahmed (Paul Bhattacharjee) and Fatima Inzamam, and nephew and niece of Inzamam's brother Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra). They make their first appearance on 13 May 2008,^[52] when they and their father attend a meal with Masood's wife Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia) and her children, Shabnam Masood (Zahra Ahmadi) and Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel), as their father wants to check up on his brother's family. They return on 1 January 2010 for Syed Masood (Marc Elliot) and Amira Shah's (Preeya Kalidas) wedding.^[53] along with their father and mother Fatima Inzamam, when they are due to attend Syed and Amira's wedding, but they leave with their parents after Masood tells Inzamam he is not welcome. Unlike Inzamam and Ali, Jamila and Fatima are not creditied in this appearance.^[54]

Jordan Johnson

Jordan Johnson, played by Michael-Joel David Stuart, is the son of Lucas Johnson (Don Gilet) and the half-brother of Chelsea Fox (Tiana Benjamin), who arrives on Chelsea's birthday with his father. He is described on the EastEnders website as a "cheeky chap" who "lights up the room with his winning smile". He is also described as a "talented boy who works hard at school".^[55] He first appears on 23 May 2008,^[56] and leaves on 21 December 2010.^[57]

When Lucas arrives in Walford, he tells Chelsea's mother Denise Fox (Diane Parish) that Jordan's mother Trina (Sharon Duncan Brewster) abandoned him shortly after he was born. He was in an incubator, addicted to heroin, as Trina was a drug addict. When Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) tries to get Chelsea to bond with Jordan, he finds cocaine in her handbag. Chelsea claims it is sherbet but Jordan is not deceived and tells her that their father helps drug addicts. When Jordan forgets his key to Lucas's flat, Yolande takes him to her B&B. Denise is not pleased that he is there but eventually enjoys his company. Jordan leaves with his father after locals blame him for Tony King (Chris Coghill) being allowed to work with children. Jordan and Lucas return a month later and stay at the B&B before preparing to leave for Leeds.

After Denise proposes to Lucas, Jordan reveals that Lucas is still married to Trina. Unknown to Jordan and Denise, Trina had been looking for Lucas and he knows her whereabouts. She asks about Jordan and says she is no longer addicted to drugs, and he says he is going to marry Denise. Eventually, Jordan and Trina bond, but he is unhappy that Trina is excluded from a family holiday. He tells Trina about the holiday and she arrives to try to stop it. Jordan becomes friends with Ben Mitchell (Charlie Jones) and Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald). Trina is killed while trying to seduce Lucas, and he leaves her in a shed on the allotment. Jordan tries to contact her on her mobile phone as she has promised to contact him. Jordan and Abi discover her body when they volunteer to clean the shed for Charlie Slater (Derek Martin). They decide to raise funds for a tree to be planted in Trina's memory in Albert Square's gardens, but unknown to everyone, Lucas murders Denise's ex-husband Owen Turner (Lee Ross) and buries his corpse under the tree.

Ben dares Jordan to drink alcohol that Ben stole from his family's pub. Lucas catches him and threatens to get Ben's father Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) involved but Jordan insists it was his idea and nothing to do with Ben. Jordan is annoyed when he sees Ben's sister Louise kicking Trina's tree and she later blames him for locking her in a shed when it was actually Ben. Jordan swears on the bible that he did not do it, so Lucas believes him, and he tells Phil that he thinks Ben did it. This eventually turns out to be true, and Ben reveals that Jordan has been bullying him, so Phil and Lucas leave them with Minty Peterson (Cliff Parisi) to help them bond. After Minty leaves them alone, Jordan insults Ben, so Ben throws him to the ground and attacks him with a spanner, leaving him there. The next day he is found by Phil and taken to hospital where he is left in a coma with a fractured skull. Wracked with guilt, Ben confesses to the police that he attacked Jordan, while Jordan is brought out of his medically-induced coma. When he is discharged, his family throw him a party. In Jordan's police statement, he says that Ben attacked him for no reason. However, after Denise is visited by Jane Beale (Laurie Brett), who doesn't believe Ben would attack Jordan for no reason, she talks to Jordan and gets him to reveal that he had been bullying Ben. Jordan then decides to change his statement.

When Owen's corpse is discovered under the tree, Jordan gets upset every time the tree is mentioned and reveals he had a dream where a hand came out of the ground. Lucas promises to get the council to replace the tree. Jordan and Abi argue when he feels she does not care and their friendship ends. He wonders if it is his fault that the people around him are dying. When the truth emerges that Lucas allowed Trina to die, killed Owen and kidnapped Denise, Jordan tries to stick by his father when the rest of the family run out, but then leaves in fear when he discovers that, rather than outright killing Trina, Lucas could have saved her but chose not to. Lucas is then arrested. When Jordan visits Denise with the rest of the family, he does not speak and just clutches his Bible. Finding it hard to come to terms with what has happened, Jordan eventually opens up to Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker), crying on his shoulder. The next day he worries that no one will want to be friends with him because they all know about Lucas. However, after he ends his romance with Abi, he is happy that they agree to remain friends. Jordan then says goodbye to his sister Chelsea and Libby, who are moving away after their ordeal in Walford. On his birthday, Jordan receives a card from his father, but asks Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) to throw it away, and says he has to now look after Denise. However, Jordan is unable to speak to Denise about Lucas, so stays in contact with his aunt Gloria MacDonald (Michele Austin). Denise discovers they have been in contact for several months and allows Jordan to spend Christmas with her. Jordan is happy at his aunt's house, so Denise reluctantly lets him stay there into the New Year.

Maggie Townsend

Margaret "Maggie" Townsend played by Angeline Ball, is Bradley Branning's (Charlie Clements) boss. She takes over off-screen from Alex French (Pippa Hinchley).^[58] She made her first appearance on 27 May 2008^[59] and her last on 11 June 2008.^[60]

She appears when Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) steals a crane from the building site she is in charge of, and later goes on a corporate night out at local nightclub R&R, where Mickey Miller (Joe Swash) flirts with her, and she flirts with Bradley and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen). She also clashes with Chelsea Fox (Tiana Benjamin) and Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner), when Chelsea does her manicure wrong, then shouts at her in the beauty salon. She later invites Bradley to dinner, but he pretends to be ill and does not go, as he is not attracted to her. He confides in Dot Branning (June Brown), who goes to the restaurant without Bradley's knowledge, and argues with Maggie, telling her to "keep her filthy hands to herself." Maggie later sees Bradley at a singles' night at The Queen Victoria public house, and fires him for lying to her. He runs after her when she leaves, and she takes him home and they have sex, but Bradley does not get his job back.

Olly Greenwood

Oliver "Olly" Greenwood, played by Bart Edwards, is the boyfriend of Lucy Beale (Melissa Suffield). He makes his first appearance on 9 June 2008^[61] and his last on 21 August 2008.^[62]

Lucy introduces her father Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) to Olly, whom she met when she was homeless and is five years Lucy's senior,^[63] and tells Ian that Olly is moving in or she will leave. Lucy tries to antagonise Ian by telling him that she and Olly are getting matching tattoos, and insinuating that they are sexually active, at which point Ian throws Olly out. Lucy later persuades her stepmother Jane Beale's (Laurie Brett) brother, Christian Clarke (John Partridge) to let her use his flat to see Olly. Ian catches Lucy participating in foreplay with Olly, so takes him outside with Olly dressed in his underwear and makes everyone hurl sponges at him during a "Best of British" day on Albert Square. Ian then tells him to leave, which Olly does in an embarrassed state.

Olly returns in August 2008 when Lucy throws a party at Christian's flat, then decides to go on the contraceptive pill after pressure from Olly to have sex with him. Ian finds out and visits Olly's mother Camilla Greenwood (Joanna Van Gyseghem), inviting her and Olly to a meal at the Beales' house. Lucy is shocked to learn that Olly is not all he seemes—he comes from a privileged background and is expected to attend Oxford or Cambridge University. When this is revealed, Ian tries to set Lucy up for life by seeking Camilla's approval of Olly and Lucy's relationship. However, Camilla storms out of the house, followed by Olly.

Development

19-year-old Edwards was cast in the role after being seen in a musical by one of the directors of EastEnders.^[63] The casting was announced on 13 May 2008, when he was described as "mysterious".^[64] Speaking of his casting, Edwards said, "It is just amazing. Everybody is lovely on the set. I watch EastEnders... but I never expected to be on TV with those people."^[64] He described his character as "a laid back person who takes each day as it comes" ^[64] and as 'scruffy' by the official EastEnders website.^[65] Olly was also dubbed "the son of Swampy.^[63]

Brenda Boyle

Brenda Boyle, played by Carmel Cryan, is introduced as Charlie Slater's (Derek Martin) new love interest.^[66] She appears from 9 June 2008^[61] to 14 August 2009.^[67]

Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) meets Brenda on a dating website and starts e-mailing her on Charlie's behalf. She visits Walford and Jean is forced to reveal the truth to an unsuspecting Charlie, and Brenda later discovers the deception. She is a member of the Salvation Army and plays the horn. When Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) makes a jokey off-hand comment about Charlie being a womaniser, Brenda leaves Walford, forgetting her horn. She gives Charlie a second chance when she comes to collect it, only to find out that Mo Harris (Laila Morse) has sold it.^[68] She participates in a pub quiz with him and his family, and starts a relationship with Charlie, comforting him when he gets a spray tan to impress her and it goes wrong, leaving him orange. He later visits her in Clacton, where she lives.

Brenda buys Charlie a summerhouse for his allotment, but the concrete flooring is smashed by Suzy Branning (Maggie O'Neill), which looks like it will ruin the gift. However, the following day, Charlie sorts the problem so the concrete can be re-laid. Brenda helps raise money for Children in Need in The Queen Victoria but walks out of the pub after Linda Clarke (Lynda Baron) starts flirting with Charlie. On Christmas Day, Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) sings the song "Stop The Cavalry" to Roxy Slater (Rita Simons) as a Christmas present, and Brenda and a friend accompany him.

When Charlie shared his concerns with Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) that his and Brenda's relationship is moving too slowly, Patrick tells him to invite her to dinner and use candles to make it romantic. Charlie asks Winston (Ulric Browne) for some romantic music but he gives him club music. After this, Charlie gives Brenda some drink but spills it on her. As he wipes it off, he touches her breast and is interrupted by Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace). Brenda reassures Charlie that she has feelings for him but leaves with a worried look on her face.

Brenda is supposed to join Charlie in pottery class but she calls him to say she cannot make it. This upsets Charlie, making him leave the class. Brenda is seen by Mo with another man, and she takes a picture of them embracing to show Charlie. The man is revealed to be her brother, Clive (Col Farrell). He tells her to tell Charlie about something before it is too late as it will be in two months. Brenda later announces to Charlie that she wants to end their relationship. Mo overhears this and confronts Brenda, who says she is emigrating, but promises to tell Charlie. A day later, Mo tells Charlie, and Brenda confirms she is moving to Madeira with Clive and his family.^[69][70] The couple decides to spend one last day together, and Brenda hints to Charlie that she wants to see more of him in Madeira. Charlie gets the hint at the last moment, and tries to stop the bus Brenda is leaving on. Brenda delays leaving, and the next day, after having a farewell meal in the house, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Mo give Charlie their blessing to go with Brenda and they leave in a taxi after receiving an emotional farewell. Whilst in Madeira, Charlie and Brenda end their relationship and he returns to Walford with another woman, Orlenda (Mary Tamm).

Archie Mitchell

Archie Mitchell, played by Larry Lamb, is the father of established characters Ronnie (Samantha Womack) and Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons). He is also a love interest for Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor), his brother's widow. Archie is introduced in a group of episodes filmed on-location in Weymouth, Dorset.^[71] The audience learned that Ronnie had given a child up for adoption.^[72] Tim Teeman, critic for The Times, has described Archie as "a thousand times more terrifying than [EastEnders villain] Nick Cotton" and "a psycho in a golf jersey."^[73] He made his first appearance on 8 July 2008. After originally leadving Walford following the revelation of his deceit and lies, Archie returns on 9 July 2009,^[74] and his last appearance is as a corpse on 28 December 2009 after being murdered by Stacey Slater.^[75]

Danielle Jones

Danielle Jones, played by Lauren Crace, is introduced as a love interest for fellow new character Callum Monks (Elliott Jordan). Nineteen-year-old Danielle was described as a "naive blonde [...] easily taken in by Callum's smooth patter", arriving in Walford with "just a suitcase and a dream of a new life".^[76] It is later revealed that Danielle is the long-lost daughter of Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack), and therefore a member of the soap's long-running Mitchell family.^[77] Her introduction was planned from 2007, when story producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins conceived the idea of two new Mitchell sisters, Ronnie and Roxy (Rita Simons). Danielle appears from 18 August 2008 to 3 April 2009, after she is run over and killed by Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks). Her final episode was watched by 11.46 million viewers, and caused a notable power surge on the National Grid.^[78]

Callum Monks

Callum Monks, played by Elliott Jordan, is the son of Vinnie Monks (Bobby Davro). He made his first appearance on 18 August 2008 and his last on 6 March 2009.^[79][80]

Arriving in Walford in search of his father, Callum is instantly attracted to Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner). Unperturbed by her rejections, Callum attempts to woo Stacey, despite discovering that she is married. He briefly dates Stacey's friend Dannielle Jones (Lauren Crace), but only to make Stacey jealous. Stacey continues to reject Callum, but after her husband Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements) angers her one night, she kisses Callum. Realising that her marriage is over, Stacey finishes with Bradley, allowing a casual relationship with Callum to begin. Their romance does not last, as Callum cannot bear to be around Stacey's mother Jean Slater (Gillian Wright), who has bipolar disorder. Blaming Jean for the relationship's demise, Callum aggressively tells her that she is ruining her daughter's life. When Stacey discovers this, she punches Callum and he reveals that his mother, who was also mentally ill, used to abuse him and lock him in cupboards when he was a child. He has scars on his legs from an incident where his mother attacked him with a wire coat hanger at the age of ten. Due to this and realising that Stacey would never leave Jean, Callum declares there is nothing left for him in Walford. He bids a final goodbye to Stacey and leaves to pursue Vinnie, who has already departed.^[81][82] The EastEnders website showed that Callum went to live with his Dad in Southend.^[83]

Development

It was announced on 26 June 2008 that a new character, Callum, would be introduced to EastEnders as the son of already-established Vinnie. Callum was described as a "lothario".^[84] The role was given to Elliott Jordan, who had previously appeared in EastEnders in August 2005 as Gavin, an acquaintance of Leo Taylor (Philip Dowling).^[84] Of his casting, Jordan said: "I am thrilled and really excited to be joining EastEnders. Callum is a great part to play and I can't wait for him to make his mark in Walford."^[84] He also said it was an "honour".^[85] EastEnders' executive producer, Diederick Santer, commented: "Callum [...] will bring a breath of fresh air to Walford. Bright, twinkly, and with the gift of the gab, he'll get the women of Walford all of a flutter."^[84] Describing his character, Jordan said, "he's a very laid back and easy going character. He doesn't think too far ahead. He's a bit of a Casanova, definitely a jack the lad. He's very confident and streetwise and he reads people and situations very well, which allows him to get what he wants."^[85] Jordan said that one of the writers told him that Callum reminded him of Vincent Chase in Entourage.^[85]

Callum was listed by Ladbrokes as a contender for the father of Heather Trott's (Cheryl Fergison) baby, and was ranked by them as an outsider with odds of 16/1.^[10][86] He was also named by website Digital Spy as a possible suspect in Max Branning's (Jake Wood) hit-and-run.^[15][87]

It was reported on 20 January 2009 that the character was to depart from the series in March 2009.^[88] An EastEnders insider told Digital Spy, "Viewers will learn a little more about Callum before he leaves Albert Square behind."^[88] Speaking of his departure, Jordan said: "I've had a really great time at EastEnders and I've enjoyed working with all the cast. I've loved every minute of it and I'm looking forward to trying new things."^[88]

Tony King

Tony King, played by Chris Coghill, is the partner of established character Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), and a father-figure to her four children. He made his first appearance on 12 September 2008. It was reported in July 2008 that Tony would be arriving in the serial as part of a child sexual abuse storyline involving Bianca's adopted daughter Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty).^[89] BBC News described the plot as an ongoing "predatory paedophile storyline", noting that this was the first time this subject matter had been tackled by a UK soap opera.^[36] The Daily Mirror's Beth Neil branded the plot strand "one of the darkest and most disturbing storylines EastEnders has ever attempted",^[90] with critic Jim Shelley deeming it to be a "new low" for EastEnders.^[91] Tony sexually abuses Whitney, and begins grooming her school-friend Lauren Branning (Madeline Duggan), before his predatory nature is uncovered and he is arrested for his crimes. Tony appeared between 12 September and 12 December 2008 and returned in December 2009 to stand trial. The NSPCC praised the storyline for "helping to raise awareness of the hidden nature of sexual abuse".^[92] The storyline also gained EastEnders a Royal Television Society Programme Award in March 2009 in the Soap and Continuing Drama category.

Amir Khan

Amir Khan, played by Alton Letto, is an estate agent and colleague of Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements). He appears between 22 September and 6 November 2008.^[93][94] He attends a sales pitch with Bradley and they sell all the flats available. To celebrate, they go to Fargo's restaurant, and are joined by Bradley's wife Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner). Amir tells Bradley and Stacey that he has two children, and has booked an adventure holiday with his wife as they have not had time away from the children for two years. He receives a telephone call from his wife telling him one of the children is ill, and is forced to cancel the holiday. This makes Stacey realise that she does not want children at the time as she feels she is too young. Bradley and Stacey take Amir and his wife's places on the holiday. Amir later shows Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) and his wife Roxy (Rita Simons) a home, and is supposed to go inside and show them round, but Sean intimidates him into staying outside.

Poppy Merritt

Doctor Poppy Merritt played by Amy Darcy, is the general practitioner for Walford, succeeding May Wright.^[95] She made her first appearance on 22 September 2008,^[93] and her last on 30 April 2009.^[96]

Poppy is first seen diagnosing Morgan Jackson-King (Devon Higgs) with chicken pox, and she assumes Morgan's mother Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) is married to Tony King (Chris Coghill), which puts the idea of marriage in Bianca's head. She sees Dot Branning (June Brown) when she has food poisoning, and connects it to unchilled food sold by Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) at his shop, the Minute Mart. She says it is her duty to report Patrick and his wife Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) to environmental health. Whilst cycling past Pat Evans's (Pam St Clement) house, she sees Bianca shouting at her adopted daughter Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) for being miserable. Poppy tries to talk to Whitney, who admits to feeling suicidal so Poppy tells Bianca that Whitney should see to a psychiatrist. Bianca disagrees initially but after realising Whitney needs professional help, she agrees and Poppy refers Whitney to a psychiatrist. The next day, Poppy leaves Bianca a message asking her to rearrange the psychiatrist's appointment after Whitney fails to attend.

Poppy receivs an emergency call-out to check on pregnant Roxy Slater (Rita Simons) after she has a fall at Walford East tube station. Later, Poppy tells Roxy that she and her baby are fine. Later, a removal van is seen outside the surgery with a man removing the placard with Poppy's name on it. Poppy helps Heather Trott (Cheryl Fergison) after she has an asthma attack, and notices her breasts are sore so advises that Heather go to a clinic, which she does and finds out she's pregnant.^[97] Poppy leaves Walford to retrain as a pathologist.

Lee Thompson

Lee Thompson played by Carl Ferguson, was a former school friend of Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack). It was revealed in October 2008 that Ferguson would be playing the part and the role would see him 'become involved in a tangled love affair'.^[98] He appeared from 2 to 10 Ocotber 2008.^[99][100]

He first appeared when Ronnie attended a school reunion, with Christian Clarke (John Partridge) posing as her husband. Lee revealed he is the best friend of Joel Reynolds (Cavan Clerkin), the father of Ronnie's daughter. He revealed that Joel knew about the school reunion but wouldn't be coming. Lee also realised that Christian was not Ronnie's husband and was in fact gay, so slid his own contact details into Christian's blazer pocket. Christian later went out for a drink with him and got Joel's contact details for Ronnie. Over the next few days Lee and Christian started a relationship, this was thanks to Christian's sister Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) sending Lee a text from Christian's phone. A few days into this relationship, Lee said that he was surprised he was attracted to Christian, as he tended to prefer younger men. They later kiss but are told by Dot Branning (June Brown) that she is as liberal as the next person, but does not approve of canoodling in public places.^[101] Christian later invited Lee for a lunch with some 'friends', Jane and Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), who had both insisted on meeting Lee. However, Lee ended up being rude to both Jane and Roxy, and later left while Christian was out buying wine, telling Jane and Roxy that Christian was too old for him and they ended their relationship.

Reception

After screening the kiss on 7 Ocotber 2008 between Lee and Christian 145 complaints were made after screening the kiss before the watershed.^[102] It was described as 'offensive'.^[101] One person said to the Daily Mail,'I am appalled by the display of homosexual kissing before the watershed shown on EastEnders.'This is disgraceful whilst young children are watching and sets the wrong example.'Another wrote: 'I had to explain to my seven-year-old son what was happening.'He now thinks he is gay because he kisses his dad.'I think pre-watershed standards have been irresponsibly lowered in recent years.'^[101] Writing on the Points of View message board, one viewer said: "I am appalled by the display of homosexual kissing before the watershed shown on EastEnders. This is disgraceful whilst young children are watching and sets the wrong example."^[103] Though one viewer said, "I don't see what the fuss is about, given the context of their kissing and messing about and the way it was portrayed."^[103] The BBC defended it though saying,

'EastEnders aims to reflect real life, and this means including and telling stories about characters from many different backgrounds, faiths, religions and sexualities."We approach our portrayal of homosexual relationships in the same way as we do heterosexual relationships. In this instance, Christian is enjoying the first flush of romance and we've shown him being affectionate with his new boyfriend in the same way any couple would."We also aim to ensure that depictions of affection or sexuality between couples are suitable for pre-watershed viewing. We believe that the general tone and content of EastEnders is now widely recognised, meaning that parents can make an informed decision as to whether they want their children to watch.'^[103]

Gareth McLean from The Guardian defended the kiss saying,Who are the people that complain about gay kissing in EastEnders? Don't they have anything better to do? Other than sell their daughters into slavery, kill their neighbour for working the Sabbath and stone infidels, I mean. ("Day 44 in the Old Testament House and it's time to burn a witch!"). Every time there's a bit of man-on-man kissage in Walford, the BBC gets complaints that "this filth", or words to that effect, shouldn't be on the telly. "How do I explain this to my child?" runs the gist of some of the gripes. He finished of saying 'Let's congratulate the BBC'.^[104]

Stuart Turner

Detective Inspector Stuart Turner played by Ray MacAllan, first arrived in Walford along with Kenny Morris (Ryan Philpott) after Max Branning (Jake Wood) reported a burglary at his home. He made his first appearance on 27 Ocotber and his last on 11 November 2008.^[105][106]

After Sergeant Morris found bullet holes in the wall, Max said that they were the work of his brother Jack Branning (Scott Maslen). This however turned out to be a ploy of his in order to prevent Jack moving away to France with Max's wife Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner) and their three children. As a result Jack was arrested for attempted murder, but was later released due to lack of evidence. The gun had been found by Turner, however he later met Jack and handed the gun over to him, as he had respect for him as a former police officer.

He later appeared after Max was mowed down by a moving car. He was worried about being discovered for giving Jack the gun, but Jack assured him that he was safe. However things got worse for him when Samantha Keeble (Alison Newman) turned up and announced that she was taking over the case of the Branning brothers' feud. After Tanya confessed to the hit and run and later refused bail, Jack enlisted DI Turner to help find the witness of Max's hit-and-run. He was reluctant, but after being blackmailed by Jack over his involvement with the "missing" gun, he relented and later revealed that the witness was Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).

Kendra Hills-Smythe

Kendra Hills-Smythe^[107] played by Rebecca Egan, was a solicitor employed by Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) to defend his partner Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner). She first appeared on 11 November and made two brief appearances on 1 December 2008 and 2 January 2009.^{[82][106][108]} She returned between the 7 and the 10 April 2009.^[109][110]

In the upcoming case, Tanya had been arrested for attempted murder on her estranged husband Max Branning (Jake Wood). Despite promising Jack Tanya's freedom and helping her client in every way she could in order to see that she would be given bail, she admitted to Jack that Tanya didn't stand a chance of getting released. This proved true when Tanya's bail application was denied later that day. She later appeared, when she visited Tanya in prison to inform her that Max is concerned she is covering for Jack. However, this has been proven incorrect, although it has been revealed that Tanya is covering for her daughter, Lauren Branning (Madeline Duggan) . She returned to accompany Tanya in court, she asked Tanya to think about what her plea would be.When the truth about Lauren was revealed, she asked Kendra to contact social services because she felt that she will only make things worse for her family. She appeared later when she seemingly attended Lauren's court appearance.

Amy Mitchell

Amy Christina Margaret Mitchell (née Slater) played by Kamil Lipka-Kozanka and Natalia Lipka-Kozanka, is the daughter of Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons) and Jack Branning (Scott Maslen). She made her first appearance on 14 November 2008, the episode in which she is born.^[111]

For the first few weeks of her life, she is raised as the daughter of Roxy's husband Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) as he and Jack are unaware of Amy's true paternity. Amy is born two months premature and is put on a ventilator from birth. She is named after her presumed-dead cousin (now known as Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace), the daughter of Roxy's sister, Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack). Roxy initially decides to raise Amy with her friend Christian Clarke (John Partridge), after Sean misses Amy's birth but changes her mind when she and Sean reconcile.

Jack asks Roxy for a paternity test, aware that Amy may be his daughter. It transpires that this is so on Christmas Day 2008 which leads to Sean abducting Amy. There is a fierce argument when Sean is found with Amy which leads to Sean leaving and Amy is returned to Roxy by Sean's sister Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) on New Year's Day. Jack then spends more time with Amy and Ronnie decides Amy should be Christened and Roxy agrees. Amy's godfather is Christian and her godmother is her step-grandmother Dot Branning (June Brown), although Ronnie is originally meant to be her godmother, but gets drunk and turns up late to the ceremony.^[112] Christian and his partner Syed Masood (Marc Elliot) look after Amy for a day and decide that they want a child. While Amy is being looked after by Ronnie, she draws a picture, which upsets Ronnie has Ronnie interprets it as including her son who died. Amy escapes from the house, which leads to everyone discovering Ronnie has been bailed from prison after swapping her dead baby James with Kat Moon's (Jessie Wallace) healthy son Tommy. Amy also escapes when Roxy's boyfriend Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd) leaves the door open. Amy is almost hit by Carol Jackson's (Lindsey Coulson) car but is saved by Eddie Moon (David Essex). When Amy suffers a fall at home, Roxy thinks nothing of it. Roxy goes on a night out with friends, leaving Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe) babysitting Amy. When he leaves Amy alone for a while to get a DVD from Jack's flat, Amy runs herself a bath, gets in and almost drowns. When Ben discovers her, Dr Yusef Khan (Ace Bhatti) is called and he revives her. Amy is taken to hospital in a critical condition. She recovers, but she is found to have a fracture from her previous fall, so a social worker awards temporary custody of Amy to Jack. Roxy later is allowed to see Amy, whilst a social worker evaluates Roxy's parenting skills. Jack refuses to allow Roxy to see Amy other than at arranged times. A solicitor tells Roxy to dig up as much dirt on Jack and his family as she can, but this does not work as a court grants full custody to Jack. When Roxy's cousin Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) has Jack's car crushed, Jack tells Roxy she cannot see Amy until it is replaced.

Development

Robert Kazinsky who plays Sean Slater teased the Christmas storyline saying, "Sean ultimately deceives Roxy and snatches baby Amy from The Vic. Then there's a whole week of the Mitchells trying to track Sean and Amy down. Sean's holed up in a squat with the baby to give them more time together. He's simply looking after Amy, who's become the most important person in his life. Even if she isn't his child, mentally and emotionally, she is to Sean. Eventually, Sean's found and it all kicks off, culminating in a stunt with an icy lake…"^[113] Kazinsky said that he thinks Sean would be a good dad to Amy saying, Sean was 16 when his father died, so for Sean, bringing up baby Amy was a way for him to make it up to his dad - by being the father to Amy that his father was to him." ^[113]

Ahmet

Ahmet played by Tamer Hassan, is an ex-boyfriend of Suzy Branning (Maggie O'Neill). He makes his first appearance on 5 December 2008.^[114] He made his last appearance on 15 December 2008.^[115] He was described by the South Wales Evening Post as the 'evil ex of Suzy'.^[116]

Suzy's dog, Prince, went missing but after she received a "special postcard" she immediately knew who had taken him. She met up with Ahmet in a cafe where it was revealed that the gold bar Suzy had originally had belonged to him and she stole it. On 15 December 2008, he returned, leaving a heart in a box on Suzy's doorstep. He later threatended her demanding that she give him the gold bar by the end of the day. Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) arranged to meet with him to make him back off, he handed him a wad of cash and in return, Ahmet gave Prince back. He later met up with Suzy in the park and revealed that Suzy had previously lied about a pregnancy with him. He gave her until Christmas to get the money she owed him.

Louise Hills

Detective Sergeant Louise Hills played by Adie Allen, is a sergeant who investigated the child abuse involving Tony King (Chris Coghill) and Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). She initially appeared on 11 and 12 December 2008,^[117][118] and then appeared for three more episodes, on 5 February, 30 November and 17 December 2009.^{[119][120][121]}

She first appeared when she visited Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) on 11 December 2008 to interview her and Whitney. Whilst there, Lauren Branning (Madeline Duggan) also came forward and told her the story of how Tony treated her. The next day, she returned to Pat Evans's (Pam St Clement) house to let Bianca know that Tony had been released on police bail because Whitney hadn't given her statement. Whitney later gave her statement to the police and Tony was later charged. She returned to tell Whitney and Bianca that Tony had pleaded "Not Guilty" to the charges and she later informs them that Tony attempted suicide while in custody. She returned to tell Whitney that a verdict is expected on whether Tony will be sentenced.

Maria de Costa

Maria de Costa^[122] (previously Leys) played by Judy Browne, is a social worker who visits Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty) following her abuse by Tony King (Chris Coghill). She makes her first appearance on 11 December 2008 and returns on 20 January 2009.^[117][123] She reappears on 13 September and then on 30 September and then once again on 23 November.^{[124][125][126]} Her last appearance was on 6 December 2010.^[127]

She informs Tanya Branning (Jo Joyner) that her daughter Lauren Branning (Madeline Duggan) wanted to remain in care. She visits Stacey Branning (Lacey Turner) and her baby Lily Branning, and notes that Stacey appears agitated. She visits Stacey again after Janine Malloy (Charlie Brooks) reports Stacey for neglecting Lily. However, Maria concludes that Lily is not being neglected. She returns and comes to see Stacey for a home visit, not knowing that Stacey has gone missing with Lily. She visits again where Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) pretends to be Stacey's partner. Maria is so impressed that she says she will not need to visit Stacey again.

Paul

Paul,^[128] played by Jack Gordon, is a barman who Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack)employed to help run R&R for a Christmas Party. He made various appearances, between December 2008,^{[129][17][130][131]} and his last being on 9 March 2009.^[132]

He appears first when he gets Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace) drunk and they sleep together. He reappeared taking her out on a date. Then he returned when Danielle discovered she was pregnant and met Paul to tell him but backed out when he told her that he already had a girlfriend. Paul re-appeared at an '80s theme night at R&R. He bumped into Danielle and her friend Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), and offered to buy them a drink. Stacey later revealed to Paul that Danielle had aborted his baby. This made him feel guilty and realised that he should have supported her. Later he had a heart to heart with Stacey and told her about how he felt. However this led to them kissing, while a heartbroken Danielle looked on.

He then later appeared when Stacey and Danielle were in the club with some boys Paul knew. Danielle spilt her drink on one of the boys and Paul appeared offering to buy her another one. At first she refused but then after Stacey butted in, she accepted his offer. When Stacey went outside to take a call from her mum, Paul talked to Danielle and apologized for the way he had behaved. He then walked her to the bar and confronted her about her abortion. He thanked her because he believed he was too young to be a dad. Danielle realised Stacey told him and threw her drink at Paul and Danielle walked out before disowning Stacey.

Dotty Cotton

Kirsty "Dotty" Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Molly Conlin. She was introduced on 26 December 2008 as the daughter of established character Nick Cotton (John Altman). Dotty was used as Nick's partner in crime, as the duo planned to kill her grandmother Dot (June Brown) and inherit the money from her will. She and Dot subsequently became friends after the Nick's failed murder attempt, due to Dotty sabotaging their murder plan at last minute. In her final storyline, airing on 23 February 2010, she left with her mother Sandy (Caroline Pegg), whom she had believed to be dead.

Critics disliked Dotty, with her accent being criticised by Jane Simon from The Daily Mirror^[133] and critics from The Guardian and The Daily Mirror glad to see her leave.^[134][135] However, executvie producer, Diederick Santer praised Conlin for her potrayl of Dotty^[136] and both Brown and Altman opined that the storyline was one of their highlights.^[137][138] The Sun described her as "one of the youngest, most wicked female soap villains".^[139]

Others

References

External links

• Morgan Jackson-King at BBC Online
• Jordan Johnson at BBC Online