Johnny Allen (EastEnders)
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Johnny Allen is a fictional character from 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 A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
''
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 ...
'', played by Billy Murray. He first appeared on 4 January 2005 and became the show's primary
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.killed off The killing off of a character is a device in fiction, whereby a character dies, but the story continues. The term, frequently applied to television, film, video game, literature, anime, manga and chronological series, often denotes an untimely o ...
on 20 October 2006. Hailed as one of the show's biggest villains to date, the character was an East End crime boss who quickly emerged as the new gangland kingpin of
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 ...
. He proceeded to impact his reign through several other characters by going to extreme lengths to maintain control over those around him — notably in the case of his intense feud with the Mitchell brothers,
Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * Phil (film), ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as ...
(
Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor whose career has spanned three decades. He rose to prominence for his role as longstanding character Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has ...
) and Grant Mitchell (
Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. His other roles include Graham Lodsworth in ''Emmerdale'' and ...
). The character's story arc begins with Johnny usurping fellow mob boss Andy Hunter (
Michael Higgs Michael Higgs (born 14 February 1962) is an English actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's ''The Bill'', and Andy Hunter (EastEnders), Andy Hunter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders' ...
) from his position as the square's reigning crime kingpin. This ultimately leads Andy to try to swindle £750,000 from Johnny in his requested "job." This fails after Johnny intercepts his plan — thanks to Andy's bodyguard, Eddie (Daren Elliott Holmes) — and he ends up killing Andy by throwing him from a motorway bridge in the shows' 20th-anniversary episode. Soon afterward, Johnny forces the local
Ferreira family The Ferreira family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', that appeared on screen between 2003 and 2005. Created by Tony Jordan and introduced by Louise Berridge as a new Asian family, producers hoped they would become c ...
out of Walford before establishing an unlikely friendship with his old acquaintance
Pat Butcher Pat Butcher (also Harris, Wicks and Evans) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Played by Pam St Clement from 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired, until her departure on 1 January 2012. Pat was ...
(
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 exiles his errand boy, Danny Moon (
Jake Maskall Jake Maskall is an English television, film and theatre actor. Career Jake has guest starred in '' Casualty'' as Paul Vessey and Scobie in '' Murder City''. Jake's most notable role came in the BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders'' where h ...
), from the square in retribution for Danny burning down his house. He falls out with Phil and Grant's mother, Peggy (
Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.
), after she turns his daughter
Ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...
(
Louisa Lytton Louisa Claire Lytton (born 7 February 1989) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Ruby Allen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Beth Green in the ITV police procedural series ''The Bill'' (2007–2009). She also ...
) against him. He also destroys his own relationship with former mistress Tina Stewart ( Charlotte Avery); hired Peggy's nephew
Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) * Billy (surname), a surname (and list of people with the surname) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy ( ...
(
Perry Fenwick Perry Fenwick (born 29 May 1962) is an English actor. He is known for portraying the role of Billy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role which he has played since 1998. Career Television Fenwick's first regular television rol ...
) to become Danny's replacement until he later fires him for conspiring with
his family ''His Family'' is a novel by Ernest Poole published in 1917 about the life of a New York widower and his three daughters in the 1910s. It received the first Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1918. Plot introduction ''His Family'' tells the story ...
; developed a conflict with Ruby's best friend,
Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feis ...
(
Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...
), over the way her rebellious friendship strains his daughter's education; blackmailed Danny's brother
Jake Jake may refer to: Name * Jake (given name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Katrin Jäke (born c. 1975), German swimmer * Jake (gamer), American ''Overwatch'' player and coach * Jake, a member of the band Enhy ...
( Joel Beckett) with the discovery that his girlfriend
Chrissie Watts Chrissie Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Tracy-Ann Oberman. She first appeared on 29 April 2004 and transpired to be the second wife of the show's "most enduring character", Den Watts (Leslie Gr ...
(
Tracy-Ann Oberman Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator. She is known for roles including Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2004–2005, 2024) and Valerie Lewis or "Auntie Va ...
) murdered her estranged husband
Den Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita'' ...
(
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 ...
) and framed Peggy's daughter Sam (
Kim Medcalf Kim Louise Medcalf (born 8 December 1973) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2002–2005, 2022–2024). Career ''EastEnders'' In late 2001, Kim Med ...
) for the crime; constantly tormented Ruby's boyfriend Juley Smith ( Joseph Kpobie) upon learning that he is the reason she lost her virginity to him; and arranged for popular hard man
Dennis Rickman Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nigel Harman. He made his first appearance on 14 April 2003 at the funeral of his late mother, Paula, before going on to become one of the show's centra ...
( Nigel Harman) to be fatally stabbed on New Year's Eve 2005; after being attacked by the latter in retaliation for threatening his adoptive sister-turned-recent wife
Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...
(
Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and ag ...
). Towards the end of March 2006, Johnny represented the titular " Get Johnny Week" scenario — in which Phil and Grant, who were both previously ex-lovers of Sharon, sought to avenge her loss due to Dennis' murder to bring Johnny to justice! The storyline culminates with Johnny surrendering himself to the police at Ruby's request, although not before it is revealed that Danny had killed Dennis on Johnny's orders — shortly before Danny at the story's climax is then killed by his own brother Jake! In October 2006, nearly seven months after being sentenced to life imprisonment for his gangland activities, the characters story arc ended with Johnny being axed from the programme. His last appearance was screened during Ruby's eighteenth birthday, wherein Johnny attempted to perpetuate the death of Stacey's brother
Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name '' Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; a ...
(
Robert Kazinsky Robert John Appleby (born 18 November 1983), known professionally as Robert Kazinsky, is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Casper Rose in the Sky One drama '' Dream Team'' (2005–2006) and Sean Slater in the BBC soap opera ''East ...
) after finding out that he has been forging a romantic business partnership with Ruby to extract control of both her financial welfare and family assets; however, this failed when Johnny ended up having a fatal heart attack in prison, and he dies in hospital off-screen. This was Murray's second role in the soap, having appeared as a minor character in 1991 called "Mr. X".


Creation and development

Johnny and his casting was announced on 25 October 2004. Billy Murray was cast in the role. The character was said to be "The boss of the bad boys, pure big league. He will make Andy Hunter (
Michael Higgs Michael Higgs (born 14 February 1962) is an English actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's ''The Bill'', and Andy Hunter (EastEnders), Andy Hunter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders' ...
) look like a small fry with his bold dealings". Speaking of his casting, Murray stated, "It's great that I'm going to be part of one of the best shows on television. I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into the role". The character made his debut appearance on 4 January 2005 and it was later revealed via
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...
that his daughter Ruby Allen (
Louisa Lytton Louisa Claire Lytton (born 7 February 1989) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Ruby Allen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Beth Green in the ITV police procedural series ''The Bill'' (2007–2009). She also ...
) and girlfriend Tina Stewart ( Charlotte Avery) were also set to join the show.


"Get Johnny Week"

"Get Johnny Week" is a week-long storyline that was first screened in late March 2006. The storyline focuses on Johnny after he retires from his life of crime and reunites the Mitchell brothers,
Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * Phil (film), ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as ...
(
Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor whose career has spanned three decades. He rose to prominence for his role as longstanding character Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has ...
) and Grant (
Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. His other roles include Graham Lodsworth in ''Emmerdale'' and ...
).Ross Kemp signs to EastEnders
", ''BBC''. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
The week finishes with Johnny's daughter, Ruby, persuading him to hand himself into the police for the murder of
Dennis Rickman Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nigel Harman. He made his first appearance on 14 April 2003 at the funeral of his late mother, Paula, before going on to become one of the show's centra ...
( Nigel Harman). Johnny gives in to his daughter's wish and is then imprisoned for the murders of Dennis and Andy. However, the episodes were not well received by viewers, and producer
Kate Harwood Kate Harwood is a British television producer. She became managing director of the revived Euston Films in summer 2014. Early life Kate graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts in 1981 before becoming an ...
received criticism for the storyline.


Departure

Murray opted to leave the soap in August 2005, just eight months after his first appearance. Speaking of his departure, Murray stated that the decision to leave had been agreed with executive producer
Kate Harwood Kate Harwood is a British television producer. She became managing director of the revived Euston Films in summer 2014. Early life Kate graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Drama and Theatre Arts in 1981 before becoming an ...
. He went on to explain, "I sat down recently with the boss, and we decided it would be much better for Johnny to go out with a bang than to hang around the Square for years, aging gracefully." Thus, Murray departed after "Get Johnny Week" when his character was imprisoned. Johnny is not seen again until October 2006, when Ruby's new boyfriend, Sean Slater (
Robert Kazinsky Robert John Appleby (born 18 November 1983), known professionally as Robert Kazinsky, is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Casper Rose in the Sky One drama '' Dream Team'' (2005–2006) and Sean Slater in the BBC soap opera ''East ...
), visits him in prison to taunt him. Furious, Johnny tries to arrange Sean's murder with Jake Moon ( Joel Beckett). He fails and dies of a heart attack soon after, accidentally ordering Jake's death in the process.


Storylines

Johnny Allen makes his first appearance on 4 January 2005, when he arrives in
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 ...
— the community of
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 ...
, a fictionalized area of
East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...
— to confront his henchmen, Jake Moon ( Joel Beckett) and brother Danny Moon (
Jake Maskall Jake Maskall is an English television, film and theatre actor. Career Jake has guest starred in '' Casualty'' as Paul Vessey and Scobie in '' Murder City''. Jake's most notable role came in the BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders'' where h ...
), for having a problem with his package job; namely to deliver a duffel bag of money to one of his 'mates' in Walford's residential community,
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 ...
. When Johnny inspects the bag that Jake and Danny had, he uncovers hidden
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
and — sensing the problem behind his plan — orders the brothers to remain in the square under further notice. He arranges for the two to stay with their cousin Alfie (
Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is an English actor, comedian, presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the character Alfie ...
) and later has them work for their enemy and the square's reigning crime boss, Andy Hunter (
Michael Higgs Michael Higgs (born 14 February 1962) is an English actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's ''The Bill'', and Andy Hunter (EastEnders), Andy Hunter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders' ...
). As he quickly helps the Moon brothers with their problems, Johnny expands his business in Walford; he buys the nightclub Angie's Den, which he renames "Scarlet" in honor of his deceased daughter, and the
Ferreira family The Ferreira family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', that appeared on screen between 2003 and 2005. Created by Tony Jordan and introduced by Louise Berridge as a new Asian family, producers hoped they would become c ...
's flat — where he later moves into the house with his younger daughter
Ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...
(
Louisa Lytton Louisa Claire Lytton (born 7 February 1989) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Ruby Allen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Beth Green in the ITV police procedural series ''The Bill'' (2007–2009). She also ...
). It is at this point where Johnny begins to usurp control of Andy's criminal reign, such as constantly getting Andy to make arrangements on his behalf and ensuring that he is employing both Jake and Danny under his specific terms. This continues when Johnny learns that Andy has arranged for Jake and Danny's grandmother Nana (
Hilda Braid Hilda Braid (3 March 1929 – 6 November 2007) was an English actress who had a long career on British television. She became well known in her later years for playing Victoria "Nana" Moon on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''. Early life ...
) to be mugged and ends up confronting both Andy and the Moon brothers over their feud. Whilst doing so, Johnny witnesses local shopkeeper
Patrick Trueman Patrick Trueman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Rudolph Walker. He made his first appearance on 13 September 2001. On 7 December 2015, Walker filmed his 1,000th episode as Patrick. For his portrayal of ...
(
Rudolph Walker Rudolph Malcolm Walker CBE (born 28 September 1939) is a Trinidadian-British actor, best known for his roles as Bill Reynolds in ''Love Thy Neighbour'' (1972–1976) and Constable Frank Gladstone in '' The Thin Blue Line'' (1995–1996), as wel ...
) confronting Andy over the alleged disappearance of his adopted son
Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...
( Gary Beadle) — whom Andy claims had left the square on Christmas Day 2004. Deducing that Andy had Paul killed, Johnny arranges for his body to be uncovered, and Patrick learns the truth about his son's fate and Andy's role in his death. In doing so, Johnny further deteriorates Andy's public image in the community and proceeds to establish support from many of the Walford residents — including Patrick and his wife, Yolande (
Angela Wynter Angela Wynter (born 14 July 1957) is a Jamaican-British actress. She is known for her role as Yolande Trueman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2003–2008, 2017, 2023–present). In 2021, she joined the cast of the BBC soap opera ''Doctors ...
). In February, tensions continued to rise between Johnny and Andy when the pair had another meeting with Jake. Claiming that he is retiring from his criminal life, Johnny authorizes Andy and Jake to work together on a package deal for him; Jake will oversee Andy being given a case containing £750,000 worth in cash, which Andy will then deliver to Johnny to mark the opening of his nightclub Scarlet. However, Jake later requests that Johnny be pulled out of the deal after being attacked in a fight; Johnny agrees and tells Andy that he will have to do the job on his own. Andy takes the news badly, up to the point where he publicly insults his estranged wife Sam Mitchell (
Kim Medcalf Kim Louise Medcalf (born 8 December 1973) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for portraying the role of Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2002–2005, 2022–2024). Career ''EastEnders'' In late 2001, Kim Med ...
) and employee Pat Evans (
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 ...
) — whom Johnny was once acquainted with years ago — in The Queen Victoria
public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
. This prompts
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 ...
), the pub's landlord and Johnny's old friend, to throw out Andy and his bodyguard, Eddie (Daren Elliott Holmes) — with Johnny's help. Outraged over his humiliation, Andy vows to get revenge on Johnny and hatches a plan to take his £750,000 in their upcoming transaction and flee Walford with the money. Andy tricks Danny into aiding him with his plan under the guise that Danny can prove himself to Johnny after Andy tricks him into believing that Johnny favors Jake and that his brother values him to be weak. On the opening night of Scarlet, Andy succeeds with his plan and betrays Danny by ditching him on the street. Just as Andy is about to flee Walford, Eddie stops the car and claims he needs to go to the bathroom. In reality, Eddie betrays Andy by informing Johnny of his plan. In response, Johnny has Jake intercept Andy and has him come out of the car for 'a conversation'. Realizing too late that Eddie betrayed him, Andy obliges and talks with Johnny as they walk on a motorway bridge. The conversation seemingly ends with the pair going separate ways, as Johnny offers Andy a handshake before giving him 'one final tip.' At that moment, Johnny — after telling Andy, 'Enjoy your flight!' — suddenly throws Andy off the motorway bridge, killing him on impact. As the police arrive on the scene, Johnny orders Eddie to leave before he and Jake return to the square. The next morning, Andy's death becomes public knowledge — though the police depict his demise to be suicide. While the Moon brothers are unnerved by Andy's death, Johnny remains calm and later attends Andy's funeral with Pat, even though she had earlier accused Johnny of murdering Andy. Following Andy's murder, Johnny employs the Moon brothers to work for him at Scarlet. He soon fires them after Jake and Danny buy stolen alcohol to use in Scarlet, which Johnny is quick to discover. Johnny later recruits Sam's cousin
Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) * Billy (surname), a surname (and list of people with the surname) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy ( ...
(
Perry Fenwick Perry Fenwick (born 29 May 1962) is an English actor. He is known for portraying the role of Billy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role which he has played since 1998. Career Television Fenwick's first regular television rol ...
) to replace the Moon brothers and even steals Danny's idea for a salsa night at the club. Danny soon confronts Johnny about this, but Johnny just brushes him off and calls Danny a liability. In response to this, Danny goes to Johnny's house in a drunken state and sets it on fire to try and get his attention. Johnny deduces that Danny is responsible for setting his house on fire and plans to kill him with his own handgun. He abducts Danny in his car and takes Jake along with him when the latter tries to save his brothers. After driving the brothers into the woods, Johnny locks Jake in the car and takes Danny with him for execution. Johnny prepares to kill Danny when Jake, who escaped from the car, intervenes and stops them. Johnny initially considers killing the pair but ultimately orders them to leave Albert Square and never return. While Danny appears to have left the Square for good, Jake returns two months later to support Alfie over family matters; Johnny allows Jake to stay in Walford and later hires him to be his personal bodyguard in the midst of expanding his criminal reign. When Johnny's former mistress, Tina Stewart ( Charlotte Avery), arrives in Walford to recommence their relationship, Ruby becomes upset after discovering this. Over time, Ruby eventually accepts Tina, and they settle their time with Johnny as a family. However, Johnny soon tires of Tina and proceeds to cheat on her with Amy (
Nina Fry Nina Fry is an English actress who played Robyn Stone in ''Grange Hill'' from 1991 to 1996. She has also appeared in '' Casualty'' and '' Spooks'', where she was Nurse Jenny in episode 7, as well as playing Roxanne Duley in a 1997 TV show called ...
) — one of the barmaids working at Scarlet. During this time, he plans to expand his business empire by putting in an offer for The Queen Vic. The result of this sparks a conflict with Sam's mother, Peggy (
Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.
) after Johnny outbids her offer to buy the pub. It is soon revealed that there is a history between the two; her deceased husband
Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, Eirik, or Eiríkur is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-N ...
( George Russo) had worked for Johnny, many years earlier, and they shared an earlier connection with boxing. Generally, Johnny had mistreated Eric — who would end up abusing Peggy as a result; Peggy subsequently blamed Johnny for being the reason why Eric took his frustrations out on her. Peggy also has knowledge of Johnny's past crimes, such as cutting the fingers off the hand of a prostitute named Suzy Laura and brutally beating up his old friend Dougie Collins (
David Simeon David John Townsend (born 17 May 1943, Chippenham, Wiltshire), known professionally as David Simeon, is a British actor. Career David Simeon began his acting career after being accepted into RADA, the Rose Bruford College and the Guildhal ...
) for a slight misspelling on a birthday cake. She soon exposes this in front of the residents upon encountering Johnny in the pub. Peggy goes on to describe Johnny's character as a thief and that he has extorted people before proceeding to accuse him of being a murderer — which is later proven to be correct, even though Peggy is among the residents left unaware of Andy's fate. Ruby walks into the pub as the story unravels and soon begins to learn of her father's true past — including that he may be to blame for the deaths of her mother and sister. Johnny's feud with Peggy continues as she appears to turn his daughter against him, up to the point where Ruby confides to her best friend,
Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feis ...
(
Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She gained prominence in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' for her portrayal of Stacey Slater, a role she initially played between 2004 and 2010 before returning in 2014 an ...
) about this, and the pair later inform Tina about his behavior. Johnny soon attempts to warn Peggy off by slamming the door on her fingers and later threatening her, but only succeeds in drifting Ruby further away from him — up to the point where Peggy allows Ruby to visit and even stay at her house. Incensed, Johnny arranges for Peggy to be mugged and summons his enforcer, Sean to carry out the task. When Tina learns about this, she quickly warns Peggy by phoning from her house. Peggy takes Tina's warning seriously and leaves the house, but Sean catches up with her near the bushes. She is nearly attacked until Billy arrives with her two sons,
Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * Phil (film), ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as ...
(
Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor whose career has spanned three decades. He rose to prominence for his role as longstanding character Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has ...
) and Grant (
Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. His other roles include Graham Lodsworth in ''Emmerdale'' and ...
), who rescue their mother by knocking out Sean. The Mitchell brothers learn that Johnny organized the mugging and plan to confront him despite Peggy's reservations, up to the point where she and Billy explain the impact of his gangland reign upon the square. Phil and Grant confront Johnny at his nightclub anyway, and they warn him to stay away from Peggy, but Johnny is unfazed by their threats and declares war on the
Mitchell family The Mitchell family is a fictional family in the UK soap opera ''EastEnders''. They were first introduced in February 1990, when brothers Phil ( Steve McFadden) and Grant Mitchell ( Ross Kemp) bought the local garage, the Arches. Their siste ...
; he later fires Billy after finding out that he conspired with Peggy and her sons against him. Johnny soon discovers that Tina sabotaged his plan and retaliates by sleeping with Amy. When Ruby discovers this, she informs Tina, and the latter promptly confronts Johnny — which consequently leads to her ending their relationship and leaving Walford for good. In November, Johnny noticed that the
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
system at Scarlet had recorded a conversation between Den's widow, Chrissie (
Tracy-Ann Oberman Tracy-Ann Oberman (born Tracy Anne Oberman; 25 August 1966) is an English actress, playwright and narrator. She is known for roles including Chrissie Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2004–2005, 2024) and Valerie Lewis or "Auntie Va ...
), and Jake himself. She confesses to Jake that she had been the one who had murdered Den, which occurred on the same night Johnny killed Andy. But by the time Den's body has been found at The Queen Victoria pub, Sam is accused of the crime and held in custody. As Grant and Billy work with Peggy to get Sam exonerated, Phil begins a conflict with Johnny, as he continues to warn him to stay away from his mother. In order to provoke the Mitchells, Johnny deliberately lets them know about the
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
recording and later threatens to kill Grant — prompting him and Phil to confront Johnny at the same moment when Jake seeks help in fleeing the country with Chrissie; she and Jake have formed a relationship, following Den's murder. When Johnny calls the Mitchell brothers pathetic like their father, they fight, and Johnny is left battered. He brandishes a gun and threatens to kill them but relents in letting them leave with the video when Ruby walks in and reconciles with her father. She then urges Johnny to inform Phil that his former stepson
Ian Beale Ian Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Adam Woodyatt. He is one of four remaining original characters, the others being his mother, Kathy Beale ( Gillian Taylforth), his long standing best friend an ...
(
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 ...
) is buying Queen Victoria in his favor, which allows the Mitchells to intercept both Ian and Chrissie. While Phil and Grant work together to prevent Ian from buying the pub, Sam is released when the police catch up with Chrissie and arrest her for murdering Den — thus undoing Johnny's plan altogether. Chrissie is later sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty, leaving Jake devastated. In December, Johnny continues to clash with Phil and later becomes with his love rival
Dennis Rickman Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nigel Harman. He made his first appearance on 14 April 2003 at the funeral of his late mother, Paula, before going on to become one of the show's centra ...
( Nigel Harman) — who is Den's illegitimate son and married to his adopted daughter
Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...
(
Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and ag ...
). This escalates when Phil pays local waiter Juley Smith ( Joseph Kpobie) to have a relationship with Ruby and then dump her, much to Johnny's annoyance. On Christmas Day, Johnny insults the residents during a party — causing Dennis to throw him out and taunt Johnny on the street. Outraged that Dennis has humiliated him, Johnny responds by attempting to have Sharon leave Walford with Dennis by midnight on New Year's Eve. When Sharon refuses to oblige to his demands, Johnny throttles her and threatens to have Dennis killed if she does not relent. To make his threat even more clear, Johnny indirectly tells Sharon that he killed Andy. This causes Sharon to fabricate an idea to Dennis about them leaving Walford on New Year's Eve to start anew. While Dennis is happy with the idea, Phil notices how uncomfortable Sharon appears to be when encountering Johnny and urges her to talk to him about it. She confided in Phil about the threat Johnny made against her and Dennis the other night. This enrages Phil, who plans to team up with Dennis against Johnny. However, Sharon objects to this and tells Phil that Johnny killed Andy in a bid to explain just how dangerous he is — pleading with him to let her and Dennis leave Walford. Phil reluctantly agrees until he encounters Dennis on the night of New Year's Eve, whereupon he attempts to get Dennis to take revenge on Johnny by revealing that he killed Andy. Although this surprises Dennis since he was the only friend Andy had made prior to Johnny's arrival on the square, he refuses to be tempted at first — telling Phil that his life has changed ever since he killed his gangland boss and Andy's predecessor, 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'' ( ...
) a few years previously. However, Dennis eventually relents when Phil tells him that Johnny has throttled Sharon as well. Later on, Dennis confronts Johnny at his nightclub about what he did to Andy and Sharon — thus disrupting Johnny's habit of watching the New Year fireworks. Johnny offers to get Dennis a drink and claims that Phil is lying to him about what happened to both Andy and Sharon. But as Johnny does so, Dennis attacks him and leaves him unconscious, moments before the New Year fireworks are due to be seen over the Square. Just as it appears that Dennis and Sharon will reunite amid the celebrations, he is fatally stabbed by a hooded passer-by and dies in Sharon's arms — much to her anguish. At Dennis' funeral, Sharon lashes out at Johnny when he appears to offer his condolences. She later informs Phil that Johnny killed Dennis, and a guilt-ridden Phil swears revenge on Johnny more than ever. After Dennis' funeral, Johnny soon leaves Walford with Ruby in mid-January. Towards the end of March, Phil tracks down Johnny at his new mansion in the
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
countryside. Phil convinces Grant to help confront Johnny, where the former intends to bring Johnny to justice for Dennis's murder — as he had promised to Sharon. Reluctant at first, Grant agrees, and the Mitchell brothers set off for Johnny's mansion. They chase Johnny down to his office, where Ruby walks out on her father after discovering that he had been withholding alcohol in his safe — even though he claimed to have gotten rid of them. As Ruby leaves, Grant goes to calm her down while Phil uses this opportunity to come face-to-face with Johnny. They talk, and Johnny admits to having Dennis killed, prompting Phil to attack him until Grant stops his brother. Johnny flees, and the Mitchell brothers pursue him until they end up at a scrapyard, where Johnny captures Phil and Grant at gunpoint. It is at this point that Johnny orders Danny to kill Dennis, and Danny has been working at Johnny's mansion since then. When Jake learns about his brother working for Johnny, he arrives at the mansion to take him home — trying to convince him that Johnny is just using him for dirty work. However, Danny refuses to leave the mansion and even ignores Jake when his brother reminds him about the time Johnny originally planned to kill them both. The pair end up in a fight when Danny reveals to Jake that he killed Dennis on Johnny's orders, and Jake attacks him in response; the fight ends with Danny knocking his brother unconscious after being punched by Jake whilst holding him at gunpoint. Johnny later orders Danny to execute Phil and Grant, but Jake intervenes and shoots Danny — killing him, despite the fact that Jake had merely tried to shoot Danny in the leg or arm to stop him from killing the Mitchell brothers. As Jake buries Danny's body and the Mitchell brothers rush back to the mansion, Ruby uncovers Danny's phone and learns the truth about Dennis's murder. She calls the police on her father and urges him to turn himself in — threatening to change her name and disown Johnny otherwise. After learning from Ruby that it is the second anniversary of when her mother and sister were killed, Johnny obliges and is arrested; he is later sentenced to life imprisonment after confessing to all of his crimes, including the murders of Andy and Dennis. In October, Johnny is contacted by Jake — who shares his concerns with him about Ruby's new relationship with Stacey's hothead brother
Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name '' Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; a ...
(
Robert Kazinsky Robert John Appleby (born 18 November 1983), known professionally as Robert Kazinsky, is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Casper Rose in the Sky One drama '' Dream Team'' (2005–2006) and Sean Slater in the BBC soap opera ''East ...
). This prompts Johnny to arrange for Sean to visit him, where his attempts to threaten Sean to end his relationship with Ruby are rebuffed — with Sean taunting Johnny at the hint that his plan with dating Ruby is to assert control of her assets. Johnny lashes out at Sean but is forced back into his cell. Humiliated and angry, Johnny desperately attempts to phone Jake in a bid to have Sean killed. Unfortunately, he suffers a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
from stress just as he begins to dial. Believing that Jake is on the phone, Johnny proceeds to whisper, 'Jake... kill him for me' before falling unconscious. Johnny's cellmate Cahill (John Ashton) hears his last words and mistakenly believes that Jake is the one he wants to be killed; Jake is later approached by mobsters just as he prepares to leave the square that night after Ruby ends her association with Jake upon blaming him for her father's heart attack, and is presumably killed as a result of this. Elsewhere, Johnny is rushed to hospital, and he dies before Ruby can visit him — leaving her heartbroken. She later arranges for her father's funeral at the end of the month. Nearly a decade later, in January 2014, Johnny's name resurfaced when Phil — in light of helping his cousin Ronnie (
Samantha Womack Samantha Zoe Womack (''née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the United Kingdom in ...
) cover up the murder of their business rival Carl White ( Daniel Coonan) — finally confesses to Sharon that he was the reason Dennis had attacked Johnny and then Johnny had Dennis killed in retaliation. In 2018, Ruby returns to the square and, the following year, buys the nightclub that her father used to own; henceforth, some of Johnny's legacy lives on over the course of Ruby's ownership of the club. In June 2022, Johnny became a grandfather after Ruby gave birth to her son, Roman.


Reception

In 2020, Sara Wallis and Ian Hyland from The ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...
'' placed Johnny 87th on their ranked list of the best ''EastEnders'' characters of all time, calling him the "East End gangster." In February 2025, ''Radio Times'' ranked Johnny as the 14th best ''EastEnders'' villain, with Laura Denby writing that his "savage killing of Andy was just the start of his reign in Walford", but that while his legacy lived on, his soft spot for Ruby was his "ultimate foil".


See also

*
List of soap opera villains A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
* List of fictional crime bosses


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Johnny EastEnders characters Fictional businesspeople in soap operas Television characters introduced in 2005 Fictional murderers Fictional British criminals Fictional crime bosses Fictional gangsters Male villains British male characters in soap operas Fictional criminals in soap operas Fictional mass murderers