The following is a list of characters first appearing in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...

'' in 1988, by order of first appearance.

Sufia Karim

Sufia Karim is played by Rani Singh. Sufia makes her first appearance in

Walford Walford is a fictional borough of East London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location wor ...

in 1988, when she moves to Walford with her husband

Ashraf Sharīf or Sherif (, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, from the famil ...

( Aftab Sachak) and their children Shireen ( Nisha Kapur) and Sohail ( Ronnie Jhutti). In 1989 she discovers that Ashraf is having an affair with a woman named Stella ( Cindy O'Callaghan). This affair is eventually exposed to the community, leading to the family leaving Walford for Bristol in June 1990.

Melody

Melody (initially credited as Junior's Girlfiend), played by Lyanne Compton, is introduced in 1988 as the troublesome school friend of Junior Roberts (Aaron Carrington), on whom she has a crush. They are mischievous, doing things such as stealing dogs from their owners and then claiming rewards when they return the dogs, professing to have found them, or charging children to see a free

Punch and Judy Punch and Judy is a traditional puppet show featuring Mr Punch and his wife Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Mr Punch and one other ...

show. Melody attends the local Brownies, where she is particularly troublesome for the Brown Owl, Marge Green (

Pat Coombs Patricia Doreen Coombs (27 August 1926 – 25 May 2002) was an English actress. She specialised in the portrayal of the eternal downtrodden female, comically under the thumb of stronger personalities. She was known for many roles on radio, ...

). During her time in Walford, Melody is approached by a potential paedophile, who offers her sweets and a ride in his car; Melody responds by biting his hand. She reports the man to the police, but subsequently, her father prohibits her from seeing Junior for a while, though this does not last. Melody is upset when Junior and his family move away in August 1989; they think about running away together, but are unable to set their plan in motion. Junior still visits Melody occasionally and on Halloween 1989, she and Junior dress as ghosts and throw eggs at

Dot Cotton Dorothy "Dot" Cotton (also Branning) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', portrayed by June Brown. In a special episode entitled ''EastEnders: Dot's Story'' (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in f ...

(

June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the Inside ...

) for refusing to offer anything desirable during their game of

Trick or Treat Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". Th ...

. Following a chastising from Dot for this, Melody disappears with no explanation. Off-screen, the show acquired a new executive producer, Michael Ferguson, and many characters were dropped. According to writer Colin Brake, the storyline involving Melody and the unruly Brownies was intended to be fun, but references to Brownies behaving badly caused great offence to the Brownie movement, and an official complaint was made and upheld. The broadcasting commission said the ''EastEnders'' Brownie episodes "came near to parody," were unfair to the Brownies and harmed the

Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...

' image. The BBC had to make a public apology for the misinterpretation of the movement. Brake has suggested that the mishap was a "salutary lesson to those ..in the script department to be very vigilant in ensuring, as far as possible, that no group or individual was offended by an unintentional slight in a script."

Kenny Beale

Kenny Beale, played by Michael Attwell, is the older brother of Pauline (

Wendy Richard Wendy Richard (born Wendy Emerton; 20 July 1943 – 26 February 2009) was an English actress, best known for her television roles as Miss Shirley Brahms on the BBC sitcom ''Are You Being Served?'' from 1972 to 1985, and Pauline Fowler on the ...

) and

Pete Beale Pete Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Peter Dean (actor), Peter Dean. He makes his first appearance in the programme's first episode, on 19 February 1985. The character was introduced by Tony Holl ...

( Peter Dean). He was born and raised in

, 1941, to Albert (

Gary Olsen Gary Olsen (born Gary Kenneth Grant; 3 November 1957 – 12 September 2000) was an English actor. He played Ben Porter on the BBC television sitcom '' 2point4 Children'' from 1991 to 1999. Biography Olsen was born in London and lived with ...

) and

Lou Beale Lou Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Anna Wing. Her first appearance is in the first episode, which was broadcast on 19 February 1985, and her last is in episode 362, first shown on 26 July 1988, af ...

(

Anna Wing Anna Wing (30 October 1914 – 7 July 2013) was a British actress who had a long career in television and theatre, known for portraying the role of Beale family matriarch Lou Beale in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Early life Wing was bor ...

), where he lived with his family at number 45

Albert Square Walford is a fictional borough of East London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work i ...

. Kenny was banished from Walford in 1965, at the age of 24, when his mother caught him in bed with his brother's wife Pat ( Pam St. Clement). He went to live in New Zealand, set up a business selling swimming pools, and married a New Zealander named Barbara. He didn't speak to any of his family for five years after emigrating, and after that it was only Pauline who corresponded with him. He returns to Walford in 1988 with his daughter Elizabeth (Lucy Bayler), after his marriage has hit a rocky patch. He visits his ill mother and finds out that he has been named as the father of Pat's younger son, Simon Wicks (

Nick Berry Nicholas Berry (born 16 April 1963) is a retired English actor and pop singer. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in ''EastEnders'' from 1985 to 1990, and as Constable, PC Nick Rowan in ''Heartbeat (British TV series), Heartbeat'' f ...

). After a month in Walford, he returns to New Zealand, saying goodbye to Simon, whose paternity has come into doubt again. He tells Simon that he hopes he is his father, although it is later revealed that Pat believes Brian Wicks ( Leslie Schofield) is Simon's father. Kenny remains off-screen following his 1988 departure, suffering a car accident in June 1992, prompting Pauline to travel to New Zealand and care for him. Upon Pauline's death in 2006, he sends a wreath to commemorate. It is revealed in "

CivvyStreet "CivvyStreet" (sometimes written as "Civvy Street") is a spin-off episode of the British television soap opera ''EastEnders'', broadcast on BBC1 on 26 December 1988. The episode is a flashback to World War II and is set at Christmas 1942. The epis ...

" that Kenny is named after his paternal grandfather, Kenneth Beale.

Elizabeth Beale

Elizabeth Beale, played by Lucy Bayler, was born in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Kenny Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". ...

( Michael Attwell) and Barbara Beale, and comes to

with Kenny when they visit her sick grandmother Lou (

). Elizabeth arrives in Walford with Kenny when Kenny's brother,

( Peter Dean), finds out he is not the biological father of Simon Wicks (

). Kenny had an affair with Pete's ex-wife, Pat Wicks ( Pam St. Clement), and could be Simon's father, however, neither of them are Simon's father. Elizabeth begins an unlikely, but brief liaison with her cousin Ian (

Adam Woodyatt Adam Brinley Woodyatt (born 28 June 1968) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Ian Beale in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role he has portrayed since the show's inception in 1985, making him one of the shows longest ...

). She stays with Pete and her aunt, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), when her father returns to New Zealand. She soon angers Ian by flirting with other men, and Pete, who is in a bad mood after arguing with Kathy, throws her out of his house when she tries to bring a friend home to stay. She returns to New Zealand and Kathy contacts Elizabeth and Kenny when Lou dies.

Little Ali Osman

"Little" Ali Osman, played by Omer Mustafa Salih, is the second son born to café owners Sue and Ali Osman ( Sandy Ratcliff and

Nejdet Salih Nej Adamson (born 23 December 1958), also credited as Nejdet Salih, is a British actor. Career Born in London, Adamson is of Turkish Cypriot descent. He played Ali Osman in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', a role he played from the series' ...

). He is born in March 1988 and is delivered in his parents' flat, 47B

, by Lofty Holloway ( Tom Watt) and

Pauline Fowler Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between the first episode on 19 February 1985 and 25 December 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland an ...

(

). Following his parents' split, he and his mother leave

in April 1989 but Ali snatches him in May, causing Sue to have a breakdown and be sectioned. Little Ali lives with his father, who struggles as a single parent and employs an unregistered child minder to look after Little Ali while he works. When health visitor

Carmel Jackson Carmel Jackson (also Roberts) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Judith Jacob from 5 June 1986 to 24 August 1989. Carmel, a health visitor, was initially introduced in a recurring, minor role in 1986, when ...

(

Judith Jacob Judith Jacob (born 13 December 1961) is a British actress best known for her role as the health visitor Carmel Roberts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role she played from 1986 to 1989.Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...

with his father.

Brian Wicks

Brian Wicks, played by Leslie Schofield, is the second husband of Pat Wicks (

Pam St Clement Pamela Ann Clements (born 11 May 1942), known professionally as Pam St Clement, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Pat Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 12 June 1986 until 1 January 2012, with a guest ...

). He only appears twice on-screen, but the character's history is heavily intertwined with several other key characters within the series, and he is mentioned regularly for the first three to four years. The character is involved in one of ''EastEnders'' most complicated storylines: the paternity of Simon Wicks (

). Brian began an affair with Pat around 20 years earlier, while she was married to her first husband,

( Peter Dean). During this time Pat became pregnant with her second son Simon, and claimed that Pete was the father. When Pat and Pete eventually divorced, Pat latched on to Brian. They married and Brian adopted Simon, and he and Pat's older child David Wicks (

Michael French Michael French (born Michael Clark, 17 September 1962) is an English actor, known for his roles as David Wicks in ''EastEnders''; Nick Jordan, a consultant and Clinical Lead, Senior Consultant in emergency medicine in '' Casualty'' and former ...

) both took on Brian's surname. They moved from

Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...

, after David was beaten up by Derek Branning (

Terence Beesley Terence Beesley (7 September 1957 – 30 November 2017) was an English actor. Early life and education Born in London to Irish parents, he studied at the City Lit in London in 1980, and then trained as an actor at the London Academy of Music ...

), for getting his sister Carol (

Lindsey Coulson Lindsey Coulson (born 13 April 1960) is an English actress, known for her portrayal of Carol Jackson on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1993–1997; 1999; 2010–2015). For this, she won the 2000 British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Perfo ...

) pregnant resulting in the birth of David and Carol's daughter,

Bianca Bianca is a feminine given name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. It is known in the Anglosphere as a character in William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew''. It came to greater notice in the 1970s, due to public fi ...

(

Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is a British actress and DJ. After appearing as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), she came to prominence for her p ...

). Brian was mostly absent and used to beat Pat and her children, so she eventually left him after several years and returns to

. Pat causes havoc by revealing to Simon that Pete is not his father. Several other men are put in the frame, including Brian,

Den Watts Den Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den". Den was the original landlord of The Queen Victoria public house from Albert ...

(

Leslie Grantham Leslie Michael Grantham (30 April 1947 – 15 June 2018) was an English actor who played "Dirty" Den Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He was a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a West Germany, West German ...

Frank Butcher Frank Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Mike Reid (actor), Mike Reid. Frank makes his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987, but due to a positive viewer reception, he is reintr ...

( Mike Reid) and Pete's brother Kenny Beale ( Michael Attwell). Furious rows erupt between all concerned, but Pat ominously refuses to divulge the father's true identity. Brian first appears in April 1988. He has been informed that Pat has settled down with Frank Butcher, and is running The Queen Vic pub. Brian is interested in Pat's monetary affairs and their brief reunion is not pleasant. After calling Pat a

slag The general term slag may be a by-product or co-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and recycled metals depending on the type of material being produced. Slag is mainly a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. Broadly, it can be c ...

and almost getting into a fight with Frank, Brian leaves. It isn't until a dying

(

) pressurises Pat in July 1988 to give Simon peace of mind regarding his paternity, that Pat finally reveals that Simon's biological father is Brian, the mentally unstable man Simon grew up assuming was his stepfather. Simon and Brian never appear on-screen together, although later plots imply that they do correspond with each other, despite Simon (who left Walford in December 1990) claiming regularly that he hates him and describing to Frank that growing up with Brian was like "living with a nutter". Aside from this plot, Brian continues to remain a menacing off-screen presence, continuously pestering Pat for money. Brian isn't seen again until May 1989. Pat has decided that she wants to marry Frank, and to do this she needs to divorce Brian. She meets Brian and asks for the divorce, but he makes it clear that he will only divorce her if she gives him either £1000 or one of Frank's cars as pay-off. Pat has no choice but to get Brian the car. She deceives Frank by claiming that her aunt Mabel's car has been written off and asks if he can provide one for her. Frank agrees to get her the car free of charge. He manages to get hold of a

mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...

, and Pat telephones Brian to tell him of her success. Although he is slightly annoyed that the car he is getting is only a mini, he nevertheless agrees to give Pat a divorce. In 2006, Brian's nephew Kevin Wicks (

Phil Daniels Philip William Daniels (born 25 October 1958) is an English actor, musician and singer, most noted for film and television roles playing Londoners, such as the lead role of Jimmy Cooper in ''Quadrophenia'', Richards in '' Scum'', Stewart in '' T ...

) and his stepchildren Deano ( Matt Di Angelo) and Carly ( Kellie Shirley) come to live with Pat.

David Samuels

Dr David Samuels is played by Christopher Reich. David first appears in April 1988 as Dr. Harold Legg's (

Leonard Fenton Leonard Fenton (; 29 April 1926 – 29 January 2022) was an English actor, director and painter, best known for his role as Harold Legg in ''EastEnders''. Early life Fenton was born Leonard Finestein Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. David has fallen on hard times in Israel. He was being shunned by the locals because he had treated a wounded terrorist, who was guilty of bombing a bus that had killed his best friend. He had also split from his fiancée Ruth ( Nitza Saul), and wanted a new start. When his mother Hester (

Barbara Shelley Barbara Shelley (born Barbara Teresa Kowin; 13 February 1932 – 3 January 2021) was an English film and television actress. She appeared in more than a hundred films and television series. She was particularly known for her work in horror film ...

) comes to visit Harold she asks him if it would be possible for David to join him in England for a while. Dr. Legg thinks it is a great idea, and David comes over the following month. On his arrival, he tends to Colin Russell (

Michael Cashman Colin Michael Maurice Cashman, Baron Cashman, (born 17 December 1950) is a British actor, dancer, politician, and LGBT rights activist. A member of the Labour Party, he served as a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands from 1 ...

) when he is attacked. David helps his uncle out with the practice and lives in the flat above the surgery. Despite being extremely fond of each other, the new partners argue about almost everything. David wants to modernise the surgery and bring in computers, but Harold is set in his ways and is opposed to any obvious changes. Dr. Legg also disagrees with David's friendship with their secretary,

Michelle Fowler Michelle Fowler (also Holloway) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BB ...

(

Susan Tully Susan Tully (born 20 October 1967) is a British retired actress, television producer, and television director from London. Her most prominent television acting roles were those of rebellious teenager Suzanne Ross in ''Grange Hill'' and single m ...

). Particularly when the two get drunk one night at a Christmas party, leave together and end up in the same bed. David awakes the next day not remembering a thing, but is reassured when Michelle informs him that he had been too drunk to do anything untoward anyway. Harold is not convinced however, and berates David for the degradation he'd brought upon himself and the surgery. Later David and Dr. Legg fall out over Dr. Legg's treatment of patients. David is appalled that Dr. Legg has decided to lie to Colin and withhold vital information from him about his depleting health. He is also angry over Dr. Legg's lack of persistence concerning Donna Ludlow's (

Matilda Ziegler Matilda Ziegler (born 23 July 1964) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Donna Ludlow in ''EastEnders'', Irma Gobb in '' Mr. Bean'', and Pearl Pratt in '' Lark Rise to Candleford''. Television and film career Ziegler's first sc ...

) drug problem, and later blames himself for not providing sufficient help following her suicide in May 1989. Soon after David has stern words for Dr. Legg when he fails to diagnose Vicki Fowler with

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

. Their altercation leads to Dr. Legg retiring and leaving the running of the surgery to David. However, David's contemporary methods alienate the older residents of Walford and after much protesting Dr. Legg eventually decides to rethink his retirement. David initially tries to fight this, but in August 1989, Ruth, arrives in Albert Square to reconcile with David, and she makes David and Harold realise how petty their arguing has become. The two doctors manage to patch up their differences, whilst David and Ruth put their past behind them and get back together. The following month they decide to marry and return to Israel together. It is revealed in January 1990 that David and Ruth got married in Israel and Dr. Legg attended the wedding. In 2019, David contacts Dot Branning (

) from Israel to say that he cannot make it back to England for Dr. Legg's funeral.

Matthew Jackson

Matthew Jackson, played by

Steven Hartley Steven Hartley (born 12 August 1960) is an English actor who has appeared in television, film, and theatre. Early life Hartley was born in Shipley and grew up in Yorkshire. He was a successful Amateur Boxer for York He worked for two years a ...

, is the manager of the local music store. He is first seen on screen in May 1988 as a new love interest for the social worker, Carmel Roberts (

Judith Jacob Judith Jacob (born 13 December 1961) is a British actress best known for her role as the health visitor Carmel Roberts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role she played from 1986 to 1989.Lynne Jackson (Patricia Ford) had become pregnant at 16 and after bringing him up for 15 years, she had been forced to put him into custody. Matthew was fostered by another family and he had subsequently refused all contact with his mother and rather resented her for abandoning him. Steven Hartley

Matthew is initially a kind, easy-going man. Everyone loves him, except Carmel's brother,

Darren Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "oak tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come fro ...

( Gary McDonald), who objects to his sister dating him because he is

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

. His racial hatred eventually leads to Carmel kicking him out of her flat and Matthew later moves in instead. Darren subsequently flees

, leaving Carmel and Matthew to look after his two children, Junior (Aaron Carrington) and

Aisha Aisha bint Abi Bakr () was a seventh century Arab commander, politician, Muhaddith, muhadditha and the third and youngest wife of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. Aisha had an important role in early Islamic h ...

(Aisha Jacob). Carmel is really besotted with Matthew, so when he proposes marriage in November that year, she gleefully accepts. Carmel wants to invite Lynne to the wedding, but Matthew is totally opposed to the idea. His ire rises at her mere mention, but Carmel pursues it, which causes Matthew to blow his top and viciously scream at her. Carmel is left dumbstruck at the sudden outburst, but this is only a small taster of what is to come in the following months. The two marry in January 1989, but the day is ruined when Matthew sees his mother is in attendance. Carmel had got in contact with her, thinking that Matthew would be pleased to have her at the wedding. She is wrong and Matthew is furious. After shunning their reception party, he threatens to pack his things and leave. Carmel cannot understand his reaction and when she attempts to stop him leaving he grabs her by the throat, holds her up against a wall and berates her for her interference. Carmel is petrified, and upon seeing her fear Matthew immediately releases her and begins apologising profusely for his violent outburst. Carmel is shaken, but is convinced that his apology is sincere, so she drops the matter. Things do not go much better for the newly weds in the following months. Matthew is finding it increasingly difficult to put up with Junior's presence in his life. The two regularly clash and this in turn causes major animosity between him and Carmel. This eventually evokes Matthew back into violence and he punches Carmel in the face one night during an argument about Junior. Carmel is left with a heavily bruised face, but yet again a tearful Matthew manages to convince her to forgive him. Matthew's behaviour continues to alternate from contrite and caring to hot-tempered and violent, for seemingly no reason. Nevertheless, Carmel remains with him as she believes she can help him combat and contain his rage. Despite his despicable behaviour, she still deeply loves him. It isn't long before Junior had works out why his aunt is constantly covered in bruises. He tries to put a stop to it by informing various people about the abuse, which doesn't impress Matthew and this only makes his temper worse. Matthew begins to grow irrationally jealous over Carmel's friendship with Dr. David Samuels (Christopher Reich), and during a family meal one night, he begins to get violent towards her in front of Junior. In a desperate bid to protect his petrified aunt, Junior stabs Matthew with a kitchen

knife A knife (: knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least Stone Age, 2.5 million years ago, as e ...

. Matthew spends time in hospital, but once again he manages to convince Carmel that he has changed and she allows him to come home when he recovers. She tries to get Matthew to seek professional help, but Matthew is appalled by the idea, and true to form, he begins smashing up the house and threatening her with more violence. This is the last straw for Carmel and she wisely decides to end their relationship. She throws Matthew out and he leaves Walford in July 1989.

Cindy Beale

Cindy Beale (also Williams) is played by

Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1962) is a British actress. She is known for her role as Cindy Beale in the BBC soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (r ...

from 1988 to 1990 and from 1992 to 1998 and reprising her role in 2023. Cindy has an eye for the lotharios of Walford and despite trying to settle down repeatedly with the more reliable Ian Beale (

), she is unable to remain faithful to him. She has a selfish streak, and is often more concerned about her own needs than her family's. She often lies and schemes, particularly where men are concerned.

Ricky Butcher

Ricky Butcher is played by

Sid Owen Sid Owen (born David John Sutton; 12 January 1972) is a British actor, television presenter and former singer from London, who played Ricky Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1988–2000, 2002–2004, 2008–2012, 2022–2023). He a ...

. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running, male protagonists to feature in ''EastEnders''. Owen originally left the role in 2000 to pursue a music career. However, he reprised the role in 2002 before being axed by producer

Louise Berridge Louise Berridge is a British historical fiction writer. She was previously a television producer and script editor, her most famous post being the executive producer of BBC's ''EastEnders'' between 2002 and 2004. During her tenure, the long-run ...

in 2004. In 2008, producer Diederick Santer reintroduced the character for a third time, along with his wife Bianca Jackson (

). Ricky is portrayed as unintelligent, simplistic, easily led and bossed around by dominant personalities. On 26 February 2011, it was announced that Owen would take a temporary break from the show. The character exited on 19 July 2011, returning five months later on 13 December 2011. Ricky left ''EastEnders'' on 17 January 2012. Ricky made a brief return to ''EastEnders'' in June 2012.

Diane Butcher

Diane Butcher is played by Sophie Lawrence. Diane appears as a regular character between 1988 and 1991, when Lawrence decided to leave. The character makes several brief returns in 1993, 1994, and 1997. In 2008, Diane returns for the funeral of her father Frank ( Mike Reid), and at the end of June 2012 for the wedding of her sister, Janine (

Charlie Brooks Charlene Emma Brooks (born 3 May 1981) is an English actress, best known for her role of Janine Butcher in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Brooks has also performed in British television shows ''The Bill'', ''Wired'' and ''Bleak House'', ...

). Over the years, Diane develops from a rebellious teenager who runs away from home, to a free-spirited single mother having difficulty looking after her young son. In her most recent stint on ''

'' Diane is portrayed as a more mature character than previously seen, settled in France and, in a departure from a character previously depicted as heterosexual, she is stated to be in a long-term relationship with another woman.

Gregory Mantel

Gregory Mantel is played by Pavel Douglas. Mantel is a well-spoken, sharp-suited gangster, an employee of The Firm. He is introduced in June 1988, as a character claiming to be from "Walford Investments", who tries to persuade

James Willmott-Brown James Willmott-Brown (also credited as Willmott-Brown and Mr Willmott-Brown) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by William Boyde. The character originally appeared in Albert Square from 1986 to 1989, where ...

(

William Boyde William Boyde (born March 1950) is a British actor, best known for his work on the British soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1986–1989, 1992, 2017). He was educated at Cheltenham College where he appeared as an extra in the film If...which was fi ...

) to let him buy into The Dagmar. When Willmott-Brown refuses, he soon finds that his suppliers are refusing to do business with him. The bar's business suffers dramatically as a result. The Firm financially ruin The Dagmar for the purpose of drawing in its custom for their own wine bar, Strokes, which is in fact a front for illegal gambling reluctantly run by

(

). Den later uses his Firm connections to arrange for The Dagmar to be firebombed in retaliation to Willmott-Brown raping Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), which angers Mantel and The Firm's bosses, the unseen Mr. Vinnicombe and Jack Dalton (

Hywel Bennett Hywel Thomas Bennett (8 April 1944 – 24 July 2017) was a Welsh film and television actor. He had a lead role in '' The Family Way'' (1966) and played the titular "thinking man's layabout" James Shelley in the television sitcom '' Shelley'' ( ...

). Mantel and Vinnicombe are good friends, and Mantel reports directly to him. Mantel later establishes the Portakabin office on

as a base of operations for "Walford Investments". Mantel is also responsible for leading the operation to kill Den, after it is thought that he had grassed up The Firm for the Dagmar fire. Gregory is an intelligent man, and is able to work out the connection between Den and

(

), and that she might be the key to finding him. He orders that Michelle be tailed, and she was followed to the

canal. Mantel then co-ordinates the assassination via a walkie-talkie. Mantel gives the order to shoot Den, but 14 years later it is revealed that his attempt to kill Den was unsuccessful and he promptly returns to Walford in September 2003, and that the body found in the canal in May 1990 was that of Mr Vinnicombe, who had been killed on the orders of Jack Dalton after discovering that Den had survived.

Joanne Francis

Joanne Francis is played by Pamela Salem. She first appears in

in June 1988 as a member of the

gangster A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...

organisation known as The Firm, sent to

to manage Strokes Winebar, which is actually a facade for an illegal gambling den.

Shireen Karim

Shireen Karim, played by Nisha Kapur, is the daughter of

and

Sufia Karim The Karims are a fictional family that appear in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' between July 1987 and June 1990. Creation and development The Muslim Karim family are introduced as the owners of the soap's grocery store, the First til Last, fo ...

( Aftab Sachak and Rani Singh). When she moves to Walford in 1988, she grows fond of Ricky (

). They begin dating for a brief period, until Shireen's father finds out and forbids her from seeing Ricky. In 1989 Shireen in betrothed to Jabbar Ahmed ( Gordon Warnecke), and although she is at first opposed to the idea of an arranged marriage, the pair soon fall in love. However the marriage is called off by the Ahmed family after they find out about Ashraf having an extra-marital affair. The women of the Karim and Ahmed families meet in secret, to discuss the possibility of Shireen and Jabbar marrying. Whether they reunite or not is not revealed, as the Karims leave Walford shortly after.

Sohail Karim

Sohail Karim, played by Ronny Jhutti, is the son of

and

( Aftab Sachak and Rani Singh). He arrives in 1988 and takes a liking to Diane Butcher ( Sophie Lawrence). Diane agrees to go on a date with him, but Sohail tries to molest her, and after the date ends abruptly. Sohail, along with the rest of his family, moves to Bristol in 1990.

Benny Bloom

Benny Bloom is played by Arnold Yarrow. Benny is a Jewish bricklayer who lived with his wife, Golda, at 5

during World War II, later retiring to Clacton, where Golda died. Benny first appears visiting his old friend Dr Harold Legg (

Gretchen Franklin Gretchen Franklin (7 July 1911 – 11 July 2005) was an English actress and dancer with a career in show business spanning over 70 years. She played Ethel Skinner in the long-running BBC 1 soap opera ''EastEnders'' on a regular basis from 198 ...

), who is also an old friend of his. As Benny and Ethel spend more time together, their friendship blossoms into a romance. A very drunk Benny later propositions Ethel, asking her to move in with him. Ethel initially thinks the offer is for a proposal of marriage, but when she realises that his motives are less than honourable, she is furious, and smashes his Issy Bonn records over his head. When relaying her concerns to her friend

(

), Ethel confesses that she does love Benny, which angers Dot as she feels that Benny is an old pervert and she tells Ethel to stay well clear of him. Ethel and Benny reconcile, and over lunch Benny decides to propose marriage to Ethel. However, Dot has heard that Benny plans to propose, and in a bid to prevent her best friend from accepting, she turns up at their luncheon and brands Ethel stupid for considering marriage, saying she could never be happy with a Jew, as they were "different". Ethel accuses Dot of

anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

, and, just to spite Dot, she agrees to marry Benny. However, Ethel becomes unsure when Benny relays all the domestic duties he expects from her. The final straw comes when Benny informs Ethel that her

pug The Pug is a breed of dog with the physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. An ancient breed, with roots dating back to 400 B.C., they have a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most ...

Willy Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Allen (basketball) (born 1949), American basketball player and ...

will not be able to stay at the manor where he lives, due to a "no pets" rule. Ethel cannot consider parting with her dog, so the engagement is called off. This is Benny's last appearance on the Square, but a few months later the residents hear news that Benny has died, and left Ethel £2000 in his will.

Mo Butcher

Mo Butcher is played by

Edna Doré Edna Lillian Doré (''née'' Gorring; 31 May 1921 – 11 April 2014) was a British actress. She was known for her bit-part roles in sitcoms and for playing the character of Mo Butcher in ''EastEnders'' from 1988 to 1990. Career Doré began h ...

between 1988 and 1990. She is introduced as the matriarch figure of the Butcher family,

's ( Mike Reid) elderly mother. She is portrayed as a battle-axe, tough and interfering. Her most notable storyline first aired in 1990, when the character is used to portray descent into

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. Doré opted to leave the serial that same year; Mo was written out of the soap making her last appearance in November. Mo was killed off in 1992, but her death was not screened.

Barnsey Barnes

Barnsey Barnes, played by

John Hallam John William Francis Hallam (28 October 1941 – 14 November 2006) was a character actor from Northern Ireland, who frequently played hard men or military types. Early life John Hallam was born, the son of a superintendent at the Port o ...

, is the initial cellmate of

(

) at Dickens Hill prison, and he and Den soon became friends. When Den is branded a "grass", all the prisoners turned against him except Barnesy, who serves as his protector. When Barnsey leaves Dickens Hill to stand trial in January 1989, Den is deeply sorry to see him go. Den is shot in February 1989 and presumed dead. A body is wrongly identified as Den's the following year, and Barnes attends the funeral in May 1990.

Queenie Price

Queenie Price, played by John Labanowski, is an inmate in Dickens Hill prison along with

(

). It is revealed that Queenie is on The Firm's payroll, and The Firm believed that Den is trying to

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

them. However, after The Firm discover Den is not the informant, Den discovers that it is Queenie. Den stuns Queenie with his discovery, but instead of turning him in to The Firm he uses him to provide information on them.

Trevor Kellow

Trevor Kellow, played by Peter Doran, is an inmate at Dickens Hill prison. He has been imprisoned on remand for the

mugging Mugging (sometimes called personal robbery or street robbery) is a form of robbery and street crime that occurs in public places, often urban areas at night. It involves a confrontation with a threat of violence. Muggers steal money or person ...

of an old lady, and though he claims to be innocent, the other prisoners take against him and bully him mercilessly. His solicitor instructs him to plead guilty to the crime to ensure a shorter sentence, but Trevor feels he cannot cope with imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit. His mental health swiftly deteriorates, and shortly after, he is found dead in his cell, having hanged himself on the morning of his trial.

Victor Hampton

Victor Hampton, played by Michael Brogan, is an inmate at Dickens Hill prison. He is married to Gillie, but the marriage has come under strain due to Vic's continuous infidelities. He becomes severely depressed and is segregated from the other prisoners when he is tested and told that he is

HIV positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of th ...

. However Gillie is supportive, and promises to stay with him. Victor is the first character in ''EastEnders'' to be diagnosed as HIV positive, paving the way for the controversial virus to feature in a storyline surrounding a much higher profile character –

Mark Fowler Mark Fowler is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Mark, an original regular character when the series started in February 1985, became a semi-regular after his original actor David Scarboro was written out of the role ...

(

Todd Carty Todd Carty, also known as Todd John Jennings (born Todd Robert Carty; 31 August 1963), is an actor and director who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage appearances have ranged from serious drama to pantomime, an ...

) – a couple of years later.

Gillie Hampton

Gillie Hampton, played by Clare James, is the wife of prisoner Victor Hampton ( Michael Brogan). Their marriage has come under strain due to Vic's adulteries. Gillie visits and asks him to get tested for any STDs he may have. Vic eventually does and it turns out he is HIV positive. Gillie (who tests negative for the virus) is supportive, and promises to stay with him no matter what.

Guido Smith

Guido Smith, played by Nicholas Donovan, is first seen in October 1988 as a business contact of the

graphic designer A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...

, Colin Russell (

). Over subsequent meetings, allegedly to discuss business, it becomes clear that Colin and Guido are attracted to each other. Eventually Colin plucks up the courage to make a pass at him, but has his hopes dashed when he discovers that Guido is already involved with another man named Des. After seeking the advice of his friends in

, Colin decides to play things cool with Guido, by not actively chasing him and instead becoming the chased. The plan works and it isn't long before Guido has invited himself back to Colin's to spend the night. Soon after, Guido splits with his boyfriend and moves in with Colin. Colin has been scarred by past relationships, so he is adamant that he is not going to be used by Guido as a mere stop gap. He wants assurances that the relationship has a future and he begins to demand more commitment from Guido. Guido on the other hand, is far more relaxed and wants to take the relationship one stage at a time. Petty arguments erupt between the pair, instigated by Colin, whose demeanour is constantly changing from mild-mannered to belligerent, for no apparent reason. Guido is left bemused by this, but eventually Colin divulges that he is suffering from poor health and the worry is having a negative effect on his behaviour. Guido manages to persuade Colin to get a check up, after which it is revealed that he has been suffering from the early symptoms of

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

. The following weeks are tough for Guido, as he tries to help his boyfriend come to terms with his illness. Colin assumes that Guido will now want nothing more to do with him, but Guido assures him that he is there for the long haul. However, over the following months, major differences in the pair's political view points begin to surface. Colin's liberal opinions clash with Guido's more conservative ones. Colin is furious when Guido reports Junior Roberts (Aaron Carrington) to the police for stealing some of his CDs. He feels that police involvement will only worsen any

anti-social behaviour Anti-social behaviours, sometimes called dissocial behaviours, are actions which are considered to violate the rights of or otherwise harm others by committing crime or nuisance, such as stealing and physical attack or noncriminal behaviours s ...

, whilst Guido feels that punishment is the only way to curtail the problem. Meanwhile, Guido is becoming annoyed with Colin's tendency to worry more for others than himself, namely Donna Ludlow (

), the unappreciative heroin addict who Colin is trying to reform. Their opposing opinions bring to the fore how little they share in common. In addition, Colin cannot shake the feeling that Guido is only staying with him out of pity and so in February 1989 he decides to leave Walford to stay with his brother in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. Colin decides not to tell Guido he is going, but a surprise visit from his ex, Barry Clark ( Gary Hailes), stalls his departure, and Guido arrives home to see Colin packed and ready to leave. Guido is furious that Colin was planning on leaving without saying goodbye, but Colin says that he needs some space and he asks Guido to look after his flat while he sorts his head out. He then leaves a perplexed Guido to ponder on where he went wrong, and despite claiming that he will return, he never does. After Colin's departure Guido leaves as well but rather mysteriously. Guido allows Donna to stay in his flat for one night, only to throw her out for overstaying her welcome. In the following episode his only appearance is when he encounters Donna outside

's front door, after Dot took Donna in. He last appears in the episode after this when he has an argument with Donna in the Vic. Guido storms out and is never seen again. Guido's exit scenes were filmed and planned to air. However, due to time constraints, the scenes were cut and his exit was never shown. Writer Colin Brake has joked that when Ian (

) and Cindy (

) moved into the flat some time later, many viewers expected them to find Guido still inside. Colin and Guido's gay relationship was the cause of much controversy in January 1989 when ''EastEnders'' aired the first homosexual mouth-to-mouth kiss on British television. The chaste peck on the lips between Colin and Guido resulted in a front page denunciation in ''

The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...

'' newspaper, who described it as "a homosexual love scene between yuppie poofs ..when millions of children were watching". The kiss was watched by twenty million people and came at a time when

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

's government had set forward a moral agenda that urged a return to traditional family values. ''The Sun'' printed the assertion that "Furious MPs last night demanded a ban on ''EastEnders'' as the BBC soap showed two men kissing full on the lips".Tipping the Velvet
,

. Retrieved 30 December 2006.

Others

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Eastenders Characters (1988)

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

*, EastEnders