Janine Butcher

Janine Butcher
File:Janine2004evans.jpg Janine Butcher, portrayed by Charlie Brooks (2008).
Duration	1989–1996, 1999–2004, 2008—
First appearance	22 June 1989
Classification	Present; regular
File:Second Janine.jpg Alexia Demetriou as Janine.
File:Baby janine.JPG Rebecca Michael as Janine in 1990.
In-universe information Occupation Car saleswoman Father Frank Butcher Mother June Butcher Brothers Ricky Butcher Sisters Diane Butcher Clare Butcher Half-brothers Danny Butcher Husband Barry Evans (2003–2004) David (2008) Grandfathers Chike Butcher Grandmothers Mo Butcher Aunts Joan Garwood Nephews Jacques Butcher Liam Butcher Nieces Natasha Butcher Tiffany Dean

Janine Butcher (previously Evans) is a fictional character in the British soap opera EastEnders. She was originally played by Rebecca Michael from 1989 to 1993, then by Alexia Demetriou from 1993 to 1996, and from 1999 to 2004 and 2008 onwards she is played by Charlie Brooks. Brooks returned to the show for four episodes in April 2008, for the funeral of Janine's father Frank and it was announced on 2 May 2008 that she will return to the soap on the 18th December 2008. Charlie Brooks said in an interview in May 2008 that she would return for a year only, but in an interview with Digital Spy in December 2008, she said she might stay longer, saying 'We'll see how it goes both parts'.

Character creation and development

The character of Janine was first mentioned in September 1987, when her father Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) made his first appearance on-screen. Frank and his children Ricky (Sid Owen) and Diane (Sophie Lawrence) were introduced as regular characters in 1988; however, Janine did not become a regular character until a year later, in June 1989, her arrival completing the Butcher family.

The character was initially seen as a six year old, played by Rebecca Michael. In 1993, following a storyline that saw her stepmother Pat (Pam St. Clement) imprisoned for manslaughter, Janine was sent to stay with her off-screen sister Clare, but returned later in the year played by a different actress, Alexia Demetriou. Demetriou played the role until 1996, when the character was once again written out. She returned in 1999 as a 16 year old, played this time by actress Charlie Brooks.

Storylines

Janine's mother, June, died of cancer when she was four, and she was sent to live with her sister Clare. Her father Frank moved to Walford with her other siblings Ricky and Diane and married Pat Wicks, and Clare moved to Manchester in 1989, leaving Janine with Pat and Frank.

A troublesome child, Janine threw tantrums, ran away, was a bed-wetter, a sleepwalker, a thief, a compulsive liar and self-harmer, and she hated Pat. Frank was unable to discipline her, so Pat forced him to take Janine to family therapy, which eased her troublesome behaviour slightly. When Frank had a breakdown and disappeared in 1994, Janine remained with Pat, but found her father's absence upsetting. She was overjoyed when Frank reappeared, and when she discovered that he was relocating to Manchester in 1996, she decided to move there with him; however, Frank moved back to Walford in 1998, abandoning Janine with Clare again.

Janine returned in 1999, to find that her father had a new wife, Peggy; she soon set about coming between the two. She and Peggy made it quite clear that they didn't like each other. Janine resented her father for abandoning her and she continuously tried to antagonise him with her rebellious behaviour. Frank was particularly angry when he found her in bed with Jamie Mitchell; however, Janine was only using Jamie to infuriate her father, and after she grew bored, she humiliated him by spreading rumours about his inadequate prowess in bed. Frank abandoned Janine again in 2000 after the breakdown of his marriage to Peggy.

A homeless Janine was taken in by Terry Raymond, and they started a business together as estate agents. Terry came to see Janine as a surrogate daughter, but her constant manipulation tested his patience. Janine used him for money, purposefully dressed like his deceased daughter Tiffany, ruined his relationships with women, tried to seduce him, and began sleeping with Billy Mitchell (until he ran out of money), all of which infuriated Terry. Janine started using cocaine and became addicted in 2002, pestering Terry for money to feed her habit. When Terry refused, she resorted to sleeping with her drug dealer, Lee Vickers, in exchange for cocaine, and Vickers beat Terry when he tried to warn him off. Upon seeing Janine's lack of remorse, Terry threw her out and left Walford, ignoring her pleas to stay with her.

Owing Vickers money for drugs, Janine became involved in prostitution under the pseudonym "Blonde "Anal" Bombshell". One of her clients, Matt, fell in love and proposed to her, then attempted suicide when he discovered she was still selling sex. Ian Beale began to use her services, but she later blackmailed him, threatening to tell his wife Laura unless he gave her money. Depressed, Janine began drinking heavily, and nearly died of alcohol poisoning. She gave up prostitution, but when Laura discovered her tryst with Ian, she threw a pan of boiling milk in Janine's face, which caused Janine to become agoraphobic — she began eating dog food because she was too afraid to leave her flat to buy groceries. She eventually got over this with the help of Billy and her brother Ricky. Janine hoped to rekindle her relationship with Billy, but was devastated when he confessed his love for Little Mo Slater; her attempts to ruin their blossoming romance failed.

File:Barry Janine Paul.jpg

Janine marries Barry on New Years Eve 2003...

File:Barry&janine88.jpg

...Then pushes him to his death on New Years Day 2004

Janine got a job working at Barry Evans' car lot. In 2003, she and Paul Trueman cococted a plan to fleece Barry out of his money. She seduced Barry and moved in with him but, unknown to him, she was sleeping with Paul at the same time. Barry eventually proposed to Janine, and she accepted, believing that Barry had a life-threatening heart murmur. They married on New Year's Eve 2003 in Scotland, but Janine was enraged to discover that Barry's illness was merely a false alarm. Barry forced Janine to take a stroll around the hills and cliffs, but after Barry showed her a carving that he made on a tree with their initials surrounded by a love heart, Janine cracked, and confessed everything. Barry, in disbelief that she did not love him, tried to embrace Janine, but she pushed him away and he fell down a crevice. Barry's head hit a rock and Janine did nothing to help him as she watched him die.

Janine inherited Barry's possessions, leaving his son, Jack, with nothing. She had Barry cremated in Scotland, denying his friends and family a chance to pay their respects. Barry's ex-wife Natalie was suspicious of Janine. She grew close to Paul Trueman, who was feeling guilty about his role in Barry's demise. Spurred on by Natalie, Paul eventually went to the police implicating Janine; she was arrested, but was released due to lack of evidence. She took pleasure in confessing to Natalie that she had got away with murder, but confessing to Pat proved her downfall. Pat was good friends with Laura Beale, who Janine was involved in an on-going feud with. They had many arguments in public, and Janine was seen fighting with Laura in April 2004, just before Laura accidentally fell down the stairs and died. Although Janine was with Pat at the time of Laura's death, Pat avenged Barry's murder by refusing to give Janine an alibi. Janine was charged with Laura's murder and remanded in custody.At Janine's trial in December 2005, Frank tried to persuade Pat to tell the truth in court and give Janine an alibi. Pat refused, however a conversation with Laura's mother who was desperate for the truth forced Pat to tell the court what really happened to Laura. Janine was set free, but abandoned Frank outside the courtroom. Janine did not appear on screen during the episodes featuring the trial.

Janine reappeared in April 2008, for Frank's funeral. She was angry to find that Frank had not left her any money in his will (instead she was left her grandmother's diary from 1990), but scattered his ashes nonetheless. As she left, Pat told her that "good Janine" was welcome to come and visit any time, stroking Janine's face. Janine started crying, got in her car and drove away.

Return

Following a phone call from Dr. Legg, Dot Branning alerted Pat and Ricky to an article about "Judith Bernstein", a Jewish orphan who was marrying a rich Jewish man, in a copy of The Jewish Weekly in December 2008. The orphan of the article was in fact Janine and after gathering more information Ricky and Billy headed to the synagogue where the wedding was taking place. Both men were horrified by the great difference in age between Janine and her groom David but seeing that she looked genuinely happy they stood by and watched as Janine and David were married. Just after the ceremony took place Pat turned up at the synagogue and declared Janine a fraud before the congregation. After Billy informed Janine's new stepdaughter Sarah about her previous marriage to Barry, Janine's new husband David had a heart attack and died that day. Disgusted by Janine's lies and history Sarah threw her out, leaving her no choice but to return to Walford.

After discovering that David had left her nothing but a stuffed cat model in his will and had donated the rest of his money to an animal shelter, Janine was forced to sleep on Pat's sofa. She tried to prove that she was a reformed character by looking for work and taking care of her nephews Liam and Morgan and niece Tiffany, but ended up taking a job at Pat Cars. Janine also proved to be an ally to her former sister-in-law Bianca's stepdaughter Whitney Dean, who had just recently come through a sexual abuse ordeal with Bianca's fiancé Tony King. However when Whitney wanted to get in touch with her biological mother Debra, Janine discovered that Bianca had lied about not having Debra's address and when she found it she gave it to Whitney as she understood what it was like to not have her mother around. This resulted in an argument between Janine, Bianca and Pat and when Pat washed her hands of Janine and threw her out she spitefully reclaimed her former dog Terrence from a broken-hearted Tiffany.

Janine retreated to The Queen Vic for a while after persuading Billy and her former stepmother Peggy to put her up, but upon learning from Denise Wicks that Lucas Johnson had left Walford and his flat was now empty she began squatting there. With her came Billy and his ward Jay Brown. Janine instantly took a disliking to Jay and plotted to get rid of him by stealing Peggy's credit card, which she used to put down a deposit for the flat and furnish it, and then hide it in Jay's belongings. Her ploy worked as Jay was blamed and punished, creating a strain in Jay's relationship with Billy and prompting him to rebel against his carer. However Janine was eventually caught in the act by Peggy after she stole her card again, this time to pay for clothes that she would need in order to accompany Pat on a holiday to Paris to visit her sister Diane. Pat, disgusted by her actions, drove off to the airport without her.

Janine then began working as a cleaner at R&R for Jack Branning and Ronnie Mitchell. Seeing their mutual dislike for one another Janine decided to put on the charm offensive and play them off against each other. Her plan worked when she was promoted to assistant manager and she became Ronnie's confidante, promising to help her get Jack to sell his share of the business. However unbeknown to Ronnie Janine was also promising Jack that she would persuade Ronnie to sell her share of the club. When Billy discovered her plan he alerted his cousin and together Jack and Ronnie set Janine up and sacked her. Janine then moved on to another strategy by seducing Jack to the club office, spiking his drink and then taping him as he threatened her when she chained him to the radiator by filling her in on his past. Janine blackmailed him with the incriminating evidence and Jack, finally beaten, gave her the deeds to Pat Cars, which she promptly renamed Janine Cars.

Having made fun of Peggy's campaign, her former stepmother got her revenge by informing a packed Queen Vic where Ian's 40th birthday celebrations were being held that Janine is a former prostitute. This infuriated Janine and she later scared Peggy that night by threatening to take The Queen Vic from her. Janine put her plan into action by arranging a lunch date with Peggy's sister Sal, and after plying her with alcohol she managed to gain some sordid information from her. Posing as a charity donator over the phone, Janine humiliated Peggy in public by unveiling a blown-up picture of Peggy in her youth as a go-go dancer before a packed Queen Vic, as well as a Walford Gazette journalist and photographer, ultimately ruining her chances for election. Later that night Peggy's fiance Archie Mitchell propositioned Janine.

External links

• Janine Butcher at BBC Online