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|spinoffs=''EastEnders: Last Tango in Walford'' (2010)
|spinoffs=''EastEnders: Last Tango in Walford'' (2010)
|born=8 November 1988
|born=8 November 1988
|death=
|death= 25 December 2010
|home=23 Albert Square
|home=23 Albert Square
|occupation={{unbulleted list|Market trader (clothing) (until 2010)|Barmaid (since 2010)}}
|occupation={{unbulleted list|Market trader (clothing) (until 2010)|Barmaid (since 2010)}}

Revision as of 20:40, 25 December 2010

Stacey Slater
EastEnders character
Lacey Turner as Stacey Slater (2010)
Portrayed byLacey Turner
Duration2004–10
First appearance1 November 2004
Last appearance25 December 2010
ClassificationPresent; regular (departing)
Created byTony Jordan
Introduced byLouise Berridge
Spin-off
appearances		EastEnders: Last Tango in Walford (2010)
In-universe information
Other namesStacey Branning (married name)
Occupation
  • Market trader (clothing) (until 2010)
  • Barmaid (since 2010)
FatherBrian Slater
MotherJean Slater
BrothersSean Slater
HusbandBradley Branning (2007–09, 2010)
DaughtersLily Branning
Other relativesCharlie Slater
Belinda Peacock
Kat Moon
Lynne Hobbs
Little Mo Mitchell
Zoe Slater

Stacey Branning (née Slater) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lacey Turner. She made her first appearance on 1 November 2004.[1] The character was introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager, an extension of the already established Slater clan. She has featured in numerous high-profile storylines, including abortion, drug abuse, mental illness, an affair with her father-in-law Max and the murder of Archie Mitchell. Stacey has proven popular with fans and critics, and Turner has won multiple awards for her portrayal. She is to depart from the series on Christmas Day 2010.

Storylines

Stacey arrives in Walford aged 15, moving in with her uncle Charlie (Derek Martin) after being thrown out by her mother Jean (Gillian Wright). She causes trouble through her promiscuous and immoral behaviour, but eventually begins to settle down when joined by her mother and older brother Sean (Robert Kazinsky). It is revealed that Stacey had a troubled childhood, due to Jean's bipolar disorder and the death of her father when she was 11, after which Sean abandoned the family and left Stacey as Jean's sole carer.

Despite initially being unimpressed by Walford newcomer Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements), Stacey falls in love with him and becomes pregnant with his child. Bradley insists on Stacey having an abortion, and their relationship subsequently deteriorates. Bradley breaks up with Stacey when she embarrasses him at a work party, and in revenge, she begins an affair with his father Max (Jake Wood). Max agrees to leave his wife, Tanya (Jo Joyner), until he learns that she is pregnant. He then terminates the affair, after which Stacey and Bradley reunite, eventually marrying. Max propositions Stacey after the wedding ceremony and they share a brief kiss, which is recorded on Max's daughter Lauren's (Madeline Duggan) hidden video camera. Lauren gives a DVD of the recording to Bradley as a Christmas present, revealing the affair when he plays it in front of the family. Devastated, Bradley separates from Stacey for six months. He ultimately decides to give their marriage another chance, suggesting that they start a family. Stacey is uncertain and continues taking birth control pills. She shares a kiss with Callum Monks (Elliott Jordan), which she regrets. Although she tries to make her marriage work, Stacey eventually breaks up with Bradley. She briefly dates Callum, but breaks up with him over his harsh treatment of her mother.

Following the death of her best friend Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace), Stacey begins behaving erratically. She steals money from her family, seduces various men and drinks heavily. She is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but is non-compliant with her medication and becomes paranoid, experiencing hallucinations. Stacey sleeps with Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott) and is attacked by Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb); she believes that they are both planning to kill her. After attacking Archie with a broken glass and accusing her friends and family of planning to hurt her, Stacey is involuntarily committed to hospital, where she befriends Becca Swanson (Simone James).

Upon her release, Bradley admits that he still loves Stacey and they reconcile, but shortly after, Stacey discovers she is pregnant. She tells Bradley that Archie raped her and is the father; Archie is murdered that night by an unknown assailant. Stacey and Bradley agree to pretend the baby is theirs, and re-marry on 18 February 2010. A jealous Becca reveals the rape to Archie's daughter Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack), who tells Stacey that Archie was infertile. Becca informs the police Bradley had a motive to kill Archie. He and Stacey attempt to flee Walford, but Bradley is caught by the police and falls to his death while trying to escape. A distraught Stacey confesses to Max that she killed Archie.

File:Stacey's Confession.jpg
Stacey confesses to Ryan that she killed Archie

Stacey decides not to tell Ryan that he must be the father of her baby. He exhibits a romantic interest in her, which is later revealed to be part of a bet with his girlfriend Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks). Upset by this revelation, Stacey goes into labour. Ryan stays with her as she gives birth to a daughter, whom she names Lily. When Ryan later rescues them from a fire at The Queen Victoria pub, Stacey admits that he is Lily's father. Ryan initially refuses to act as a parent to her, but bonds with her when Stacey and a jealous Janine are arrested for fighting during a night out. Janine's jealousy escalates to kidnapping Lily, but Ryan convinces her to return her. He and Stacey become closer and kiss. During this time, Lauren (now Jacqueline Jossa) discovers Stacey's guilt in Archie's death and records a confession on her phone. Stacey attempts to flee to Palma, Majorca, but Ryan stops her, telling her he wants to be with her. They begin an affair, which unbeknownst to them is discovered by Janine, who poisons Ryan in revenge. Ryan is hospitalised and on his return, he convinces Janine he still loves her but publicly declares his love for Stacey in The Queen Victoria. Janine walks in as they are kissing. She concedes defeat until Lauren, who still believes Max is emotionally involved with Stacey, gives Janine the recorded confession. The next day, Janine attempts to play the recording in front of punters in The Queen Victoria, but is has been recorded over because Lauren warned Max. Janine then reveals that Stacey killed Archie. Stacey leaves the pub in tears, followed by Ryan. She then confirms to him that it is true.

Creation

File:Stace 2004.jpg
Stacey Slater as she appeared in 2004

In September 2004, an official BBC press release announced the arrival of a new addition to the popular Slater family; a new "feisty female" named Stacey Slater, Charlie Slater's great-niece and cousin to Kat, Lynne, Belinda, Little Mo and Zoe. According to the report, Stacey "looks like a Slater and shares the same family attitude but with one difference – Stacey is one hell of a bitch! […] She is going to be trouble!"[2]

16 year old actress Lacey Turner was cast in the role. Turner had originally gone to audition for a part in the Miller family, but was given the part of Stacey instead.[3] Commenting on her role, Turner said "I was speechless when I found out that I had been cast as Stacey Slater especially as I knew I would be working with Jessie Wallace who is my favourite actress. I've watched the show since I was about four years old, and I used to live in a house that backed onto the EastEnders set so I used to watch them filming all the time. I always dreamt of being on the show and so I can't believe that I've fulfilled my greatest ambition!" She added, "I'm not like Stacey at all although I love playing her! She's a real challenge […] I think people are going to love to hate her like they did with [the character] Janine Evans."[2]

EastEnders' scriptwriter Tony Jordan revealed that he created the character with Turner in mind: "I first met Lacey when she came to a casting workshop for the Miller family [...] She was leaning against a wall and looked just like Kat Slater, played by Jessie Wallace. I thought she would be perfect for the Slater family so I wrote in Stacey’s character especially for Lacey."[4]

Development

Personality and lineage

The character appears to be tough, stubborn, fiery and very bitchy, however, as actress Lacey Turner explains, this is just a front and "underneath she's very vulnerable".[2] Stacey has been described as "sarky, sassy and...realistically streetwise."[5] Lacey Turner has described her character as a cross between two other EastEnders characters, Janine Evans and Kat Slater.[3] Indeed, her "malicious tongue and wicked ways" led to her being heralded as "a junior Janine" in 2004, by Tony Stewart of the Daily Mirror.[6] Lacey Turner commented, "She's very naughty, but she has her reasons for her nastiness."[3]

Over the course of the character's narrative, it was revealed that one of the reasons for Stacey's tough and malicious exterior, was her troubled family life. In specific, the death of her father, disappearance of her brother, and her mother's bipolar disorder. Addressed in a storyline that aired in December 2005, Stacey returned to live with her "disturbed" mother Jean, played by Gillian Wright, amidst one of her mental breakdowns. Scenes showed Jean, who had "sank into the dark despair of her illness", living in squalor, off her medication, starved, petrified, suicidal, and being abused and ridiculed by her neighbours. Stacey was forced to admit her to a mental institution for her own safety. The episodes, described as "harrowing and bleak", were praised by critics in the media. Actresses Lacey Turner and Gillian Wright were complimented for giving "graphically powerful performances",[7] and the storyline won a Mental Health Media Award in September 2006.[8] Prior to the airing of this storyline, Stacey was portrayed as a "hateful tearaway", but it has been commented that the episodes allowed the audience to see a softer side to the character, while caring for her mentally disturbed mother.[9]

Romance with Bradley

In 2006, scriptwriters decided to pair Stacey with a new character, Bradley Branning, played by Charlie Clements. Mismatched, one reporter commented, "geeky...goody-twoshoes Bradley doesn't seem like the type of lad she would normally go for", however they added that the couple "may be chalk and cheese, but with [Stacey's] history of emotional turmoil, [Bradley] is probably just the stabilising influence she needs."[10] The couple were hailed as the nearest thing Walford had to Romeo and Juliet.[11] Explaining the characters' attraction, scriptwriter Sarah Phelps has said, "Bradley's gentleness makes Stacey a little bit gentler, and Stacey's toughness makes Bradley a little bit tougher."[12] Discussing the union between her character and Bradley, Turner has said, "I love working with Charlie — he's such a laugh. They're such different characters. It's nice, because it's not what anyone expected for her. Stacey doesn't want to rush it because he's the first person she's ever really cared about. If she's had boyfriends before, it's been all over after a week."[9]

File:Stax.jpg
Stacey's affair with her father-in-law-to-be Max Branning.

The couple were shown to face problems in August 2006, when Stacey declared she was pregnant with Bradley's child, and on the advice of his father, Max (Jake Wood), Bradley convinced Stacey to have an abortion; an episode that Jane Simon of The Mirror has described as "incredibly powerful" and "brilliantly played by Lacey Turner every horrible step of the way".[13] Scriptwriter Sarah Phelps has described Stacey's abortion as "a dagger in [her] heart [...] Stacey thought that if this is what [Bradley] really wants [...] 'OK I'll go through with it', but she really didn't want to. He broke her heart."[12] Bradley and Stacey were shown to grow steadily apart after this, as Bradley invested time in a new job he acquired in city bank, neglecting Stacey's needs and ignoring her depression over her lost baby.[14] When Bradley purposefully excluded Stacey from a work function, she showed up anyway and humiliated him in front of his colleagues. In scenes shown directly after, Bradley dumped Stacey, declaring that the reason that he wanted to abort their baby was because he could not bear the idea of bringing up a child with Stacey.[11] The end of Stacey and Bradley's relationship facilitated a plot twist that saw Stacey seducing Bradley's father Max. In episodes that aired on Christmas Day 2006, Stacey slept with Max as payback for Bradley's mistreatment.[15] A BBC insider commented, "Stacey likes the idea that even if Bradley doesn't want her, his dad does."[16]

Although Stacey and Bradley split up at Christmas 2007 when her affair with Max is revealed, they get back together in December 2009 following Stacey's diagnosis with bipolar disorder (see below). Executive producer Diederick Santer commented on the storyline, saying "Bradley and Stacey are together – that's what I want, that's what the audience wants and that's what the characters want. Together, they're very strong and they can take on the world. She's good with him, she takes her medication and on the face of it, she's the Stacey Slater we've always known. As ever with Stacey, though, there's a lot hidden. There are a lot of vulnerabilities there but she and Bradley want to make a go of things."[17]

Bipolar disorder

After losing her friend Danielle Jones, Stacey began acting strangely in May 2009, and the character has to come to terms with the prospect that, like her mother, she also suffers from bipolar disorder. The storyline was developed as of the BBC's Headroom campaign, which aims to encourage people to look after their mental wellbeing.[18] Series Consultant Simon Ashdown had been developing the storyline for about a year.[19] To accurately reflect the issue, EastEnders worked closely with various charities such as Mind and MDF The BiPolar Organisation, medical practitioners and bipolar sufferers when researching the storyline.[19][20] The story was moulded around what Stacey would do in that situation and what the research led the team to believe was the most truthful way events would develop.[19] Executive producer Diederick Santer said that the initial buildup of the storyline was an extension of how the character has always been, "a character of highs and lows, of great passions and dark moods,"[20] but these highs and lows would become more contrasted, and viewers would realise that Stacey's mood is more complex than just being upset over her losses, adding, "It's the beginning of us getting to really know and understand who Stacey is and what makes her behave the way she does."[20] Turner hoped that she could do the storyline justice, saying that she believed it was great that EastEnders continued to raise awareness of the issue.[20]

The first signs of Stacey's odd behavior were subtle, eventually building up into more extreme acts.[19] One of the earliest indicators was her paranoia over a poster for a fictitious video game, Deprivation, featuring two large eyes on a black background.[21] Ashdown got the idea for this from his research notes, saying, "There were similar sorts of images described by bipolar sufferers when they were experiencing extreme paranoia."[19] In the episode broadcast on Friday 15 May 2009, every shot was either of Stacey or from her point of view, allowing viewers to see the world through her eyes.[22]

Mind's Chief Executive, Paul Farmer, commented on the storyline, "It's fantastic that a high-profile soap like EastEnders has been prepared to tackle the challenge of exploring a mental health issue through the experience of Stacey — who is such a well-loved and popular character. The degree of research and consultancy they have undertaken to ensure an accurate and honest portrayal of how mental distress affects not only the individual but also family and friends is to be commended. [...] We hope [...] to dispel the myths about mental health problems and help the public to be more informed about this issue."[20]

Pregnancy, Archie's murder and Bradley's death

See also: Who Killed Archie?

On 25 December 2009, storylines showed the character of Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb) murdered by an unseen person when the bronze bust of Queen Victoria was pushed from the bar of The Queen Victoria public house onto his head. Prior to this, Stacey had told Bradley that Archie raped her when she was suffering from bipolar disorder and she was pregnant with his child. A live episode broadcast on 19 February 2010 revealed Stacey as the killer, moments after Bradley fell to his death after becoming the prime suspect. Following this, a two-hander episode was announced for Stacey and Max, who became the only person to know Stacey was the killer. Santer promised "fascinating" stories for Stacey and Max, saying that the two-hander will explore Stacey's motives for killing Archie, and will be a test for Max as the murder lead to his son's death. Santer explained that the murder was not a function of Stacey's bipolar disorder as she was lucid at the time, and she had several sound reasons to be angry with him – he took advantage of her, ruined her second chance with Bradley, caused a chain of events leading to the death of Stacey's best friend Danielle and drove her brother Sean out of Walford. The two-hander also explored the question of whether Stacey really meant to kill Archie.[23] In an interview with magazine Soaplife, Turner said that the baby gives Stacey a reason to live following Bradley's death.[24] However, she predicted in an interview on the official EastEnders website that Bradley's death would lead to a permanent change in Stacey's character, saying that Stacey would struggle with motherhood.[25]

Departure

On 29 April 2010, Turner's decision to leave the show was announced after she expressed a desire to pursue other roles. She said of her departure: "I've had the most fantastic time at EastEnders. Stacey has been such a brilliant role for me to play, as has being part of the feisty Slater family. I'm so lucky to have had such challenging storylines, from the affair with Max and being diagnosed with bipolar to the complete shock of being revealed as Archie's killer during the live 25th Anniversary episode. I'll miss Stacey and everyone in Albert Square very much but the time has come to try something different."[26] Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood added: "We'll be very sad to see Lacey Turner leave the show. Lacey is one of the best young actresses on TV at the moment and the fact that she's won 28 awards in the last five years is testament to this. It's only right that someone as talented and versatile as Lacey should pursue new challenges and we wish her the very best of luck. In the meantime, viewers can look forward to a typically dramatic Slater family exit when she leaves and the door will be left open for Stacey Branning to return to Albert Square in the future."[26] During an interview on This Morning, Kirkwood revealed that Stacey will take centre stage at Christmas and will depart in a "dramatic plotline"[27] and said "Christmas will be all about [Stacey]"[27] and explained the storyline would be "a suitably dramatic and fitting departure for one of the all-time greats".[27] Stacey will depart on Christmas Day.[28]

Reception

In 2007, Jim Shelley, television critic for the Daily Mirror, commented that Stacey "has been EastEnders' best character since she arrived...".[5] In 2009, Shelley criticised the writers for her bi-polar storyline, as he said it "reduces her to an Issue", saying, "Making Stacey bi-polar does Turner a terrible disservice. Until now, she had made Stacey the only character in the series who was multi-dimensional."[29] Kris Green from entertainment website Digital Spy responded to Shelley's 2009 article by saying "With hereditary connections and strong environmental conditions linked to the advancement of bipolar disorder, it's not surprising that Stacey, the daughter of Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) — a long-suffering manic depressive — has developed the same disorder. [...] Granted, the 21-year-old shoulders a fair whack of the programme, but this material is pushing her acting abilities to unseen levels. Lacey's one of the BBC soap's finest actresses and to be handed a story with scenes as powerful as those in last Tuesday's episode must be nothing short of a privilege. The subject matter, however, may be difficult and the portrayal of the condition quite probably more so. It's a given that Stacey's a superb specimen and one of the best female characters in soapland, but quite how the plot is doing the actress a disservice, I'll never know."[30] According to MDF The BiPolar Organisation, calls made by young people to their helplines doubled in six months since the on-screen onset of Stacey's illness. The Bipolar Disorder Research Network also announced an increase in visitors to its website.[31]

Between her introduction to the series in 2004 and the announcement of her departure on 29 April 2010, Turner won a total of 28 awards for her portrayal of Stacey.[26] In 2005, she won best newcomer at the TV Quick Awards, and in 2006 she was awarded best actress at the British Soap Awards.[32] Virgin Media named Stacey and Bradley as one of "Soaps' sexiest couples".[33]

References

  1. ^ "Billy plans a new life", BBC, URL last accessed 18 May 2008
  2. ^ a b c "New Slater to join EastEnders" (Press release). BBC Press Office. 26 September 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  3. ^ a b c BBC - EastEnders - Backstage - Cast - Lacey Turner
  4. ^ Yaqoob, Janine (26 February 2010). "Southport writer Tony Jordan makes Eastenders, Life on Mars and other smash shows gripping". Southport Visitor. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  5. ^ a b A wed loss for Enders' Stacey mirror.co.uk
  6. ^ STACEY GETS RACY mirror.co.uk
  7. ^ STACEY'S FAMILY STRIFE mirror.co.uk
  8. ^ "Mental Health Media Awards 2006". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 25 September 2006.
  9. ^ a b Exclusive: Square'S Lacey On Life After Those Saucy CCTV Snaps mirror.co.uk
  10. ^ STACEY PUTS IT ALL ON RED mirror.co.uk
  11. ^ a b "SOAPVILLE". The Mirror. 22 December 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ a b "EastEnders Affairs: Max and Stacey". EastEnders Revealed. 2 November 2007. BBC. BBC Three.
  13. ^ "WELCOME TO THE BRAD DAD CLUB". The Mirror. 31 August 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "EASTENDERS". The Mirror. 15 December 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ "CHRISTMAS IN THE SQUARE". The Mirror. 16 December 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: BRAD'S DAD BEDS HIS GAL". The Mirror. 20 December 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Green, Kris (17 December 2009). "'EastEnders' exec teases 2010 storylines". Digital Spy. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  18. ^ Hilton, Ewan (8 June 2009). "When a soap character's mental health issue is shown as part of life it can help others". WalesOnline.co.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2009.
  19. ^ a b c d e "Find out how the EastEnders Series Consultant and writer developed the story arc and episode that revealed Stacey's bipolar disorder". BBC Online. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  20. ^ a b c d e "Stacey Faces Bipolar Disorder". BBC Online. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
  21. ^ "Who's Watching Stacey?". BBC Online. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  22. ^ Simon, Jane (15 May 2009). "We love telly". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  23. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (25 February 2010). "'Enders boss teases Max, Stacey future". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  24. ^ "Stacey Branning lives for baby". STV. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  25. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (23 March 2010). "'Enders Stacey 'will never be the same'". London: Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  26. ^ a b c Green, Kris (29 April 2010). "Stacey and Jean to leave 'EastEnders'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  27. ^ a b c "'EastEnders' boss teases Christmas plot". Digital Spy. 15 October 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  28. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (25 November 2010). "Jean Slater to stay on 'EastEnders'". Digital Spy. (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Retrieved 25 November 2010.
  29. ^ Shelley, Jim (27 July 2009). "Stacey Slater: Why it's madness to ruin the best character in EastEnders". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  30. ^ Green, Kris (29 July 2009). "Just Another Manic Monday?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
  31. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (14 January 2010). "'Enders bipolar plot helps fans seek advice". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  32. ^ The TV Quick Awards: Cobbles! mirror.co.uk
  33. ^ "Soaps' sexiest couples". Virgin Media. Retrieved 24 October 2010.

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