Ronnie Mitchell

Ronnie Mitchell
File:Ronnie mitchell.jpg
Duration	2007—
First appearance	24 July 2007
Created by	Diederick Santer
In-universe information Occupation Club owner Father Archie Mitchell Mother Glenda Mitchell Sisters Roxy Mitchell Daughters Whitney Dean Grandfathers Phil Mitchell Grandmothers Sandra Mitchell Uncles Eric Mitchell Clive Mitchell First cousins Phil Mitchell Grant Mitchell Sam Mitchell

Veronica "Ronnie" Mitchell is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the East End of London. She is played by Samantha Janus. Ronnie and her sister Roxy were introduced by executive producer Diederick Santer in July 2007. An extension of the already established Mitchell family, Ronnie quickly became a prominent character, taking over the soap's club and forming a relationship with her business partner, Jack Branning.

Character creation

Background

In April 2007, press rumours began to circulate about the introduction of two new EastEnders characters, Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell, an extension of the long-running and popular Mitchell family. Dubbed the Mitchell sisters, Ronnie and Roxy were to be the daughters of Peggy Mitchell's (Barbara Windsor) late husband Eric's brother. In an exclusive in The Sun newspaper, a BBC insider reportedly commented, "Ronnie and Roxy are set to cause mayhem this summer. They haven't been cast yet but we've got big plans for them over the coming months. EastEnders is about to get a whole lot more glamorous."

Though the BBC initially declined to comment on the new characters to the press, the rumour was confirmed on the official EastEnders website, where it was revealed that actresses Samantha Janus and Rita Simons would be playing Ronnie and Roxy respectively. Janus and Simons were the first "major" signings made by executive producer Diederick Santer. In an interview in the Daily Mirror, Santer commented, "I hope viewers will delight in the sexy, dramatic excitement that they bring to the show. They may be glamorous young women, but these girls are also Mitchells, and have all the strength of character and the unique moral code that this legendary name implies." They have been described as "the next generation" of the Mitchells, "A newer, younger, slightly more modern type". Commenting on her new role, Samantha Janus said, "It's an amazing opportunity for me, I can't wait to start causing lots of mischief."

Casting

The producers of EastEnders were keen to get the chemistry between Ronnie and Roxy right. Both actresses were asked to attend several independent meetings with both the producers and writers before meeting one another. Samantha Janus has commented, "It's kind of like lovers; they're so co dependent they really needed to click." Samantha Janus and Rita Simons did not meet until one of the final meetings, however they have both claimed that they clicked and "fell in love with each other straight away." They were asked to read over a script together, and Rita Simons has said that they worked well together in the roles straight away, that they "were coming at it from the same place".

Promotion

Both Mitchell sisters were featured heavily in a BBC marketing campaign. Several promos aired on the BBC network in summer 2007. Using the slogan "The square, under new management", one promo depicted both sisters as party girls, dancing, serving tequila in The Queen Victoria public house (The Vic), shocking the older residents with their raunchy antics and squirting men with a soda syphon to the tune of "The Girls" by Calvin Harris.

Two other trailers featured Ronnie and Roxy individually. To the instrumental sound of "Little Green Bag" by George Baker (famously used in the Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs), each sister discussed their sibling, giving snippets of information on their personality and the dynamics of their relationship. Discussing Ronnie, Roxy said "My big sister Ronnie, she'd do anything to stop me getting hurt, including getting hurt herself. Boy she means business. We mean business. We're the Mitchell sisters after all... and you don't wanna find that out the hard way." Discussing Roxy, Ronnie said "Roxy will always be my kid sister. Fights, broken hearts, over the years we've had them all. She can be quite a handful, and she's definitely gonna stir things up around here. But remember, wherever Roxy Mitchell is... I'm right behind."

The promotion was received favourably by Leigh Holmwood, television journalist for The Guardian newspaper and MediaGuardian.co.uk. He commented, "now there's more to the long running BBC1 soap, apparently...Yes, it's the new sexed-up, soft focus, raunchy EastEnders trailer and it's hitting your TV screens now. In a bid to welcome the Mitchell sisters to Albert Square, the beeb have pulled out all the stops and come up with a very slick marketing campaign indeed." Referencing to the soap's reputation for being miserable and depressing, Holmwood said that the upbeat trailers were "about as un-EastEnders as you can get...Maybe the arrival of Roxy and Ronnie will herald a new golden age for the soap? Or maybe the BBC marketing department is just very good at putting a trailer together..."

In addition to the trailers, the BBC also planned a "glitzy" EastEnders BBC Radio 1 competition to promote the arrival on the the Mitchell sisters, called "I love R&R" (Ronnie and Roxy). It ran from the end of June 2007, and included online promotion and video via the website "Iloverandr.com". The prize consisted of VIP tickets to a special party, which was to be attended by EastEnders actors and Radio 1 DJ Dave Pearce. Despite inviting the winners to attend, Radio 1 cancelled the event due to orders from BBC director general Mark Thompson, who called a halt to all BBC radio, TV and online competitions following a review of its programming, which uncovered scores of editorial breaches. Radio 1 reportedly decided to cancel the promotion as a "precautionary measure", though it is unknown whether the competition breached the BBC ban. Winners were instead told that they would be getting a tour of the EastEnders set, and the website was closed down on 26 July 2007.

Character development

Personality, relationship with Roxy

In an interview, Janus described her character as being "the more sensible and clever of the [sisters], but she has a caustic tongue. She won't trust anyone enough to let them get close to her, although all she really wants is to trust again. They are very, very loyal. She would kill for her sister." Ronnie has also been described as the ice, as opposed to Roxy's fire, as having a dark side to her personality, being affected by her past, and being a control freak. Janus has commented, "She's not honest with herself and others, always hiding and guarding something. She's deeply damaged, she's been taught not to show her feelings. She's been taught to be a survivor. And the way she survives is by controlling: controlling her sister's life, controlling her own life and controlling others, and the minute she's taken out of that comfort zone, she starts to unravel quite quickly. She's definitely motivated by something that happened to her when she was younger that pretty much defines her...that's the thing that defines who she is."

Ronnie is in her thirties, and the elder of the two sisters. Both sisters have been described as glamorous, and have been compared to the Kray twins, Ronnie and Reggie. Janus has noted that it is no coincidence that the sisters are named Ronnie and Roxy. She also describes the sisters as "co-dependent and dysfunctional", as well as "chilling, dark and absolutely in touch with what the other is doing". Rita Simons has described Ronnie's character as "armoured".

Janus and Simons won a Digital Spy Soap Award for 'Best On-Screen Partnership' in 2008. Janus commented: "It's fantastic! I am very happy to win it with Rita, as she is a gorgeous girl and I love her - she is like my own sister."

Romance with Jack Branning

Even before Ronnie made her first appearance on-screen, the press hinted towards a future relationship between her and an upcoming character, Jack Branning, played by Scott Maslen. Jack Branning was introduced in October 2007, and his association with Ronnie was developed after he became her business partner at the soap's club, "R&R". A flirtatious romance was established, which led to the start of a relationship in early 2008. The on-screen affair between Ronnie and Jack has reportedly been hard for actors Samanatha Janus and Scott Maslen, as off-screen they are close friends — Janus's husband is best friends with Maslen, and Janus is best friends with Maslen's wife. Janus has commented, "I was very honest and verbal about [being freaked out] [...] Our first kissing scene felt really uncomfortable, it was terrible, but we're over it now [...] Both our sons are slightly freaked out that one mummy seems to be kissing the other daddy, but they've been on so many film sets that they're used to us doing ludicrous things."

In the storyline, Ronnie's association with Jack caused aggravation with her family, due to Jack's rivalry with her cousin Phil, and resentment from her sister Roxy. However, the relationship ended on-screen, less than a month after it began. When Ronnie discovered from Roxy that Jack had cheated on her with his ex-wife, Selina, she abandoned her plans to move in with him, and punched him in the face. In an interview in the TV Times, Janus commented, "She [Ronnie] has a problem with physical violence. Any time she's up against it or feels she's been lied to, she lashes out".

Storylines

Ronnie arrives in Walford with her sister Roxy on 24 July 2007 for their cousin Phil's wedding to Stella Crawford, and the sisters decide to move there permanently from Ibiza, where they had ran a bar together. After a period of working as a barmaid for her aunt Peggy, Ronnie decides to invest in her own business, the vacant night club in Turpin Road, which she plans to run with Roxy. However, her plan suffers a setback when another buyer puts in a higher offer on the club. In order to secure ownership, Ronnie agrees to go into partnership with Jack Branning, an ex-policeman who has shown obvious interest in Ronnie since his arrival in October 2007. The club is named R&R, after Ronnie and Roxy. Despite Jack's promise to be a silent partner, he moves to Walford and appropriates himself as part-owner. Ronnie is furious, particularly when her family discovers that she lied about the club's ownership to them. A rift forms between the Mitchells and Jack, but Roxy is the most displeased. The sisters fight, and during a heated argument, various references to secrets from Ronnie's past are made. It later transpires that the sisters' father, Archie, was involved in a dark incident in Ronnie's past, which she kept hidden from everyone but Roxy; she is unable to forgive her father for his past misdemeanor.

Animosity between the sisters worsens due to Ronnie's involvement with Jack; they finally become a legitimate couple early in January 2008, following weeks of playing games with each other. Phil is also opposed to their union, and during a confrontation with Jack, he questions him about his secret past, in particular, why he is not allowed to see his daughter Penny. When Jack refuses to divulge anything, Ronnie goes behind his back and visits his ex-wife, Selina, to discover the truth. Ronnie discovers that Jack's daughter Penny is paralysed from the waist down because she was purposefully run over by a drug dealer, who Jack had helped imprison. This caused the breakdown of his marriage, and is the reason he has limited access to his daughter. Ronnie is understanding, but Jack is angry at her interference. After distancing himself from Ronnie, he spends time with his ex-wife and daughter, and ends the night in bed with Selina, later having sex with her again on his office desk at R&R. However, he is seen by Roxy. Furious, Roxy orders Jack to finish with her sister, but Jack refuses, and instead asks Ronnie to move in with him. Jack believes that Roxy is not cruel enough to ruin her sister's happiness, but when she discovers Ronnie is planning to move out, she tells her everything. Ronnie reacts by punching Jack in the face at Fargo's restaurant, ending their relationship only a few weeks after it began.

Ronnie is now back with Jack but the relationship is a bit rocky. She feels pushed on the side line when Jack spends more time with Penny and Tanya.

On 16 May 2008, after Roxy revealed she was pregnant, Ronnie revealed a secret to Peggy. Roxy emphasised how Ronnie's pain was stronger than everyone else's and that during the years Roxy was growing up, Ronnie controlled her. It was revealed that the locket she wore around her neck, contained a picture of her daughter, whom she had had at 14. She went through the pregnancy alone for 5 months and how her parents resented her for been a pregnant teen. Her dad took her daughter away from her, causing Ronnie pain for many years. Thus, this made her change her mind about Roxy aborting the baby, as she would want her to have the baby because she didn't want Roxy to suffer the same state as she did.

Reception

Following their introductory episode in July 2007, both Mitchell sisters were received favourably by Mark Wright of The Stage. He commented that "Within an episode, Roxy and Ronnie look right at home" and that "they’re in the same tradition of strong soap women that ‘Enders seems to have been lacking since the exit of Kat Moon", a popular character who left the serial in 2005. He added that Samantha Janus "brings a calm but firm presence to the table as Ronnie."

External links

• Ronnie Mitchell at BBC Online