Janine Butcher
Janine Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, introduced in 1989. The character was played by Rebecca Michael from 1989 to 1993, Alexia Demetriou from 1993 to 1996, and Charlie Brooks from 1999 to 2014. Brooks departed on 7 May 2004. After a three episode guest stint in April 2008 which saw the character reappear for her father Frank's funeral, Brooks agreed to reprise her role full-time, returning permanently on 18 December 2008. Brooks then took a break in 2012, with the character off-screen from September 2012 until April 2013. She later departed again, with the character making her final appearance on 20 March 2014.
Janine's story arc typically involve her in an antagonistic role; the character has been described as a "super-bitch" and a "classic villainess". Her storylines include prostitution, drug addiction, financial worries, becoming rich, and experiencing agoraphobia. During her major stints on the show, Janine has developed an ambivalent relationship with both her older Ricky and their troubled father Frank ; triggered a longstanding conflict with her stepmother Pat Wicks ; conducted a scheme with her friend Paul Trueman to fleece Pat's stepson Barry Evans, whom she later married on New Years Eve 2003 and then killed on New Years Day 2004; been wrongfully charged for the death of her sworn enemy Laura Beale ; forged a wedding with a wealthy Jewish businessman, David, that ended with the latter abruptly dying of a fatal heart attack; sparked a prolonged feud with Frank's second wife Peggy Mitchell ; accidentally ran over local resident Danielle Jones in a hit and run incident; conspired with Peggy's brother-in-law Archie to defraud the Mitchell family from their ownership of The Queen Victoria public house; becoming a prime suspect in Archie's murder investigation; established a marriage with her colleague Ryan Malloy that culminated with her trying to kill him; framed her arch-rival Stacey Slater for attempted murder; embarked on a fourth marriage with fellow entrepreneur Michael Moon that led to the her conceiving their child, Scarlett; and falsely implicated Scarlett's nanny Alice Branning behind Michael's murder after Janine killed him at the climax of their intensifying custody battle for Scarlett herself.
The follow-up to Janine killing Michael and eluding conviction for the crime, just as she did for both Barry's murder and Danielle's death respectively, saw the character being shunned in her local community – thus facilitating her third and final departure from the programme.
Storylines
Backstory
Janine was born just four years before her mother, June, died from cancer and she subsequently went to live with her sister - Claire. Eventually Janine's father, Frank, moved to Walford with her older siblings Ricky and Diane - as well as with his beloved wife Pat Wicks. Soon afterwards, Clare moved to Manchester in 1989 - leaving Janine with Pat and Frank.1989–2004
A troublesome child, Janine throws tantrums, runs away, is a bed-wetter, a sleepwalker, a thief, a compulsive liar, self-harmer and hates Pat. Unable to discipline her, Pat forces Frank to take Janine to family therapy, which helps somewhat. Janine refuses to go to school and Ricky finds out she is being bullied. When Frank has a breakdown and disappears in 1994, Janine stays with Pat but finds her father's absence upsetting.Janine makes friends with Clare Bates and Sonia Jackson and they cause trouble for Felix Kawalski, when they spread rumours that he is a pervert who murdered his wife, and keeps her body in his cellar. She is overjoyed when Frank returns and they move to Manchester in 1996. However, Frank returns to Walford in 1998, leaving Janine with Clare.
Janine returns in 1999 to live with Frank and his new wife, Peggy Mitchell. She sets about coming between them, constantly trying to antagonise Frank with rebellious behaviour. She sleeps with Jamie Mitchell and humiliates him by spreading rumours about his inadequate prowess. Frank abandons Janine in 2000 after the breakdown of his marriage. Homeless, Janine is taken in by Terry Raymond ; they start a business together as estate agents. Terry sees Janine as a surrogate daughter but her constant manipulation tests his patience. Janine uses him for money, deliberately dresses like his late daughter Tiffany Mitchell, ruins his relationships with women and tries to seduce him. Janine also has a relationship with Billy Mitchell until he runs out of money. This behaviour infuriates Terry but Janine starts using cocaine, pestering Terry for money to feed her habit. When he refuses, she resorts to sex with her drug dealer, Lee Vickers, in exchange for cocaine; Vickers beats Terry up when he tries to warn him off. When he sees Janine's lack of remorse, Terry throws her out and leaves Walford, ignoring her pleas for him to stay. Owing Vickers money for drugs, Janine turns to prostitution under the pseudonym "Blonde Bombshell". One of her clients, Matt Lindsay, falls in love with her and proposes but attempts suicide when he learns she is still a prostitute. Ian Beale begins using her services but she blackmails him, threatening to tell his wife Laura Beale unless he pays her. Depressed, Janine begins drinking heavily and nearly dies of alcohol poisoning. She gives up prostitution, but when Laura discovers that she has been having sex with Ian, she throws a pan of boiling milk in Janine's face. Janine becomes agoraphobic as a result and eats dog food because she is too afraid to go outside to buy food. She eventually gets over this with Billy's help. Janine hopes to rekindle their relationship but is devastated when she learns that he is in love with Little Mo Morgan. Her attempts to ruin their blossoming romance fail.
Janine gets a job working at Barry Evans' car lot after becoming friendly with Barry, following his father's death. She and her friend, Paul Trueman m plan to fleece Barry of his money. She seduces Barry and moves in with him but sleeps with Paul too. Barry eventually proposes to Janine and she accepts, thinking that Barry has a life-threatening heart murmur. They marry on New Year's Eve 2003 in Scotland, but Janine is furious to learn Barry's illness is a false alarm. They take a stroll around the hills and cliffs, but Janine cracks and admits everything. Barry refuses to believe that she does not love him and tries to embrace her. Repulsed, Janine pushes him away and he falls down a cliff, fatally hitting his head on a rock; Janine watches him die. As his widow, Janine inherits Barry's estate and has him cremated in Scotland, denying his friends and family a chance to pay their respects. This makes Barry's ex-wife, Natalie Evans, suspicious and she becomes close to Paul, who feels guilty about his role in Barry's death. Spurred on by Natalie, Paul gives a statement to the police, implicating Janine in Barry's death. She is arrested but released without charge, due to lack of evidence, and spitefully tells Natalie that she has got away with murder but telling Pat is her downfall. Pat is also friends with Laura, who has a feud with Janine. Janine angers the locals by reporting Laura for benefit fraud and announces it in The Queen Victoria public house. Janine and Laura are seen fighting just before Laura dies after falling down the stairs. It is noted in the post mortem that Laura had recently been in a fight, due to bruising and Janine's skin is found under her nails. Although Janine was with Pat when Laura died, Pat refuses to give Janine an alibi and brands her "pure evil". In desperation, Janine goes to Paul and offers to sleep with him in return for an alibi, but Paul refuses. She is arrested by the police, charged with Laura's murder and remanded in custody in May 2004. Janine stands trial off-screen in 2005 and Frank tries to persuade Pat to tell the truth in court, giving Janine an alibi. Pat refuses but a conversation with Laura's mother, Edwina Dunn, forces Pat to tell the court what really happened. Janine is released but leaves Frank outside the courtroom.
2008–2014
Janine returns for Frank's funeral and is angry that he has not left money in his will; she scatters his ashes before departing. Pat and Ricky later discover that Janine is masquerading as a Jewish orphan named "Judith Bernstein" so she can marry an elderly Jewish man named David for his money. They trace Janine to a synagogue, where, just after Janine and David are married, Pat declares that Janine is "about as Jewish as a bacon sandwich". David has a heart attack and dies, and a now homeless Janine has no choice but to return to Walford.She makes various enemies, among them Jack Branning, whom Janine drugs and then restrains so she can gain a taped confession of his past misdemeanours, which she uses as blackmail to gain control of Walford's car lot. Pat and Jack usurp her, reclaiming the business. Whilst driving around the square, Janine accidentally knocks down Danielle Jones – the long lost daughter of Jack's girlfriend Ronnie ; moments later, Danielle dies and Janine is left guilt-ridden. Though Janine is cleared of any blame, it causes a rift between her and Ronnie. In need of money, Janine teams up with Ronnie's father Archie ; they make plans to ruin the Mitchell family by taking The Queen Vic from them. When they manipulate Archie's niece Sam into breaking her bail terms, the Mitchells lose bail surety and face financial ruin. Ian provides the Mitchells with a loan on condition they use their pub as collateral. Janine has sex with Ian recording the tryst, then blackmails him, threatening to show his wife Jane Beale unless he sells the Mitchell loan to Archie. Archie subsequently takes control of The Queen Vic when the Mitchells are unable to meet the terms of the loan.
Meanwhile, Janine and her flatmate Ryan Malloy, with whom Janine is having sex, plan to fleece Archie. He and Janine announce their engagement, but on Christmas Day, Archie – who has realised Janine is intending to con him – throws her onto the street, leaving her distraught. That same day, Archie is murdered by an unknown assailant. Janine becomes a suspect for his murder, though she denies it and feigns distress over Archie's death. While she attempts to frame Ian and the Mitchells for the murder, Peggy attempts to frame her, planting evidence in her flat, which leads to an arrest but no charge. In the end, Janine is cleared and fellow resident Bradley Branning is held falsely responsible for the murder - although, unknown to everyone, Archie's killer was in fact Bradley's wife Stacey - whom he had previously raped amid his conspiracy with Janine.
When Ryan confesses his love for Janine, she recoils, but when he attempts to leave Walford, she admits she loves him too. Despite Janine nearly straying on her hen night, she and Ryan marry, but marital happiness is short-lived when Ryan discovers he is the father of Stacey's daughter Lily. A feud erupts between Janine and Stacey when Janine reports her to Social Services for neglecting Lily. Later, Janine kidnaps Lily, suggesting to Ryan they leave Walford with the child to separate Ryan from Stacey. Her games push Ryan and Stacey closer together and they begin an affair. When Janine finds out, she vows to kill them both. She buys sedatives and poisons Ryan. He is left bedridden but manages to escape and ends their marriage publicly after being released from hospital. Hurt and angry, Janine discovers Stacey is Archie's murderer and goes public with this, but is largely ignored with no concrete evidence. Desperate, Janine visits Stacey; she stabs herself to try to frame Stacey for her own attempted murder, but Stacey escapes the country before arrest. Blaming Janine for Stacey's departure, Ryan refuses to reunite with Janine and attempts to kill her by removing her oxygen tubing when she is hospitalised. She is saved by Ricky's chance arrival, but both Ricky and Pat denounce Janine's actions when she admits her injuries are self-inflicted.
Ricky and Janine receive news that their maternal rich grandmother, Lydia Simmonds, is ill and in need of care. Janine takes her grandmother in, with the ulterior motive of inheriting her fortune. Janine learns that Lydia is very similar to herself and they both put on an act of hating each other. Janine eventually admits she loves her grandmother, but Lydia's health quickly deteriorates. Janine discovers Lydia has left all her money to charity, but admits to Lydia she no longer cares during a heartfelt conversation. Before she dies, Lydia explains that she wanted to look after Janine after her mother died but Pat and Frank wouldn't allow it. Janine is devastated by Lydia's death but her family, including Pat, accuse her of killing her. On Ryan's behest, Janine is questioned by police, but released without charge and Janine is stunned when she inherits Lydia's estate, making her a millionaire. Janine later happily achieves full closure from Ryan after learning that he has fled Walford.
Janine buys various properties and businesses; she starts a property management company and a women's fitness centre with her boyfriend Michael Moon. She also buys a share in the nightclub R&R, making Phil Mitchell her reluctant partner; both clash over the running of the club. When Pat needs money to pay debts, Janine gives her a loan, insisting Pat use her house as collateral. She later brings the loan payment deadline forward, refusing to believe Pat is dying. Despite a period of animosity, Janine makes peace with Pat before her death, with Pat convincing a pregnant Janine to keep Michael's child. Janine accepts Michael's marriage proposal after he reluctantly agrees to sign a prenuptial agreement. When Jean Slater tells everyone, including Janine, that Michael stole her money and lied to her, Janine refuses to believe Jean's claims and dismisses them because Jean is bipolar. However, Janine's enemy Kat Moon returns and demands Janine repay the funds or she goes to the police. Michael eventually confesses the truth to Janine on her wedding day and offers her ultimatum: that she rip up the prenuptial agreement or the wedding is off. Janine is torn between the two but eventually agrees to cancel the pre-nup; Janine and Michael marry but she goes into labour 11 weeks early at the wedding reception. At the hospital, Janine undergoes a cesarean and her daughter is put into an incubator, which distresses Janine who wants to see her. The baby is named Scarlett.
Janine begins to doubt Michael's intent when he asks to be a signatory on the business accounts and buys a sports car, so orders Billy to change the combination on the office safe. Michael's strange behaviour continues, leaving Janine convinced he is having an affair. She confronts him, offering him a suitcase of money and saying that if he really loves her, he will refuse to take it. Michael is furious and tells Janine that she cannot hope to be a good mother to their baby. Believing him to be right, Janine packs her bags and hands Scarlett to Michael, taking the money and leaving. Michael is informed that Janine has transferred all the money from her bank accounts and has ordered that her business Butcher's Joints be closed down, transferring all her properties over to another estate agent, leaving Michael with nothing.
Several months later, Janine returns to Walford and visits Michael, where Kat tells her how Michael has coped without her. Janine tells Michael that she is back for Scarlett, and says he will be hearing from her lawyer. Janine manipulates Michael into giving her custody of Scarlett and she denies Michael parental access. She then hires Michael's former nanny, Alice Branning to look after Scarlett, pleasing Michael as Alice is on his side. When Janine catches Alice stealing jewellery from her house, Alice explains she is stressed because Michael is putting demands on her to see Scarlett, and she has been letting him do so. Janine agrees that it is better for Scarlett in the long-run to have a relationship with both her parents. At Ian's restaurant opening, Janine, as an investor, has the sign and name of the restaurant changed from "Ian Beale @ Le Square" to "Scarlett's" which pleases Michael. They apparently call a truce, but Janine then leaves in a car with Scarlett, telling Michael that she may never return.
Michael eventually tracks Janine down and she returns to Walford. She employs Danny Pennant, who Michael is jealous of, and buys a share in Michael's boxing club. Janine has sex with Danny but tells him that it is a one off. She rehires Alice as her nanny, unaware that she is still being manipulated by Michael, but fires her again when she tells Janine that she had sex with Michael. The increasing animosity between Janine and Michael leads to her taking out an injunction out against him. Michael then begins a plot to kill Janine, and involves Alice in his plans. Alice has second thoughts and tells Janine of Michael's plans. When Janine confronts Michael he tries to strangle her, leading to Alice stabbing Michael in the back to stop him. Alice then leaves to answer the door, but realising Michael is still alive, Janine stabs him again in the stomach, killing him. Alice believes she killed him, and Janine tells the police that Alice stabbed Michael twice and also attacked her, and tells Alice that the real story is something her mind created. Alice's brother, Joey Branning, seduces a lonely Janine in a bid to extract the truth from her, but fails. Janine's former stepbrother David Wicks suspects that Janine is guilty of the murder, so he manipulates her into allowing him to stay at her house, and then into admitting that she killed Michael. David promises to keep her secret, but has secretly recorded the confession on his phone. Meanwhile, Janine is planning to buy The Queen Vic and sells her share of R&R and her car to do so. David then reveals the recording to Janine and blackmails her into giving him the £250,000 she has raised. Janine panics and tries to kill David by hitting him with a car. However, he suffers only minor injuries. After she hands over the cash, he threatens to call the police anyway. She convinces him to give her a day to get away, but Carol Jackson finds David's phone and plays the confession. She gives the phone to Joey, who calls the police and Janine is arrested for Michael's murder, and is dragged away by the police, sobbing hysterically.
In February 2014, Kat visits Janine in prison and tries to convince her to drop her statement against Stacey. Janine agrees on the condition that Kat provides her with a false witness testimony to Michael's murder, backing up Janine's story that Alice killed him. At the trial, Kat agrees and does as she is told. However, halfway through the trial, Alice tries to kill herself in her cell and is immediately rushed to hospital. Because of this, Janine feels guilty and tells the truth. The jury later returns with a not guilty verdict for both Alice and Janine. After recovering, Alice goes back to live with her mother, as she is too distraught to return to Walford. Meanwhile, Janine briefly returns to Walford and tries to make amends with the people in The Queen Vic, but everyone including Carol is completely hostile towards her and she is forced to leave. Janine then leaves for Paris to join Scarlett and Diane, and it is hinted that she plans to con a couple who have won the lottery.
Off-screen in December 2019, Janine sells the house that Kat and the Slater family are living in to Kheerat Panesar, leaving them homeless for Christmas.
Creation and development
Casting and characterisation
The character was first mentioned in September 1987, when her father Frank Butcher first appeared on-screen. Frank and his children Ricky Butcher and Diane Butcher 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.Janine was initially seen as a 6-year-old, played by Rebecca Michael. In 1993, following a storyline that saw her stepmother Pat Butcher imprisoned for manslaughter, Janine was sent to stay with her off-screen sister Clare Butcher, but she returned later that year, played by 11-year-old Alexia Demetriou who reigned as Janine from 14 October 1993 until 12 March 1996, when the character was written out again, as Demetriou left to concentrate on her studies. Executive producer Matthew Robinson re-introduced Janine in 1999 as a 16-year-old played by Charlie Brooks. On her getting the part Brooks said, "It's funny, but for as long as I can remember I knew I was going to make it, I never worried about my career or money, and when I left college I was headstrong and confident and felt very grown. Then I joined EastEnders and I felt like a lost little girl. I remember the casting director taking me to meet Patsy Palmer on my first day there and, because I'd been watching EastEnders since I was little, I actually felt sick.
Janine's storylines typically involve her in an antagonistic role; the character has been described as a "super-bitch" and a "classic villainess".
Relationships
Relationship with Ryan Malloy
In December 2009, the show's executive producer, Diederick Santer teased about upcoming storylines involving Janine and her flatmate Ryan Malloy, saying: "There's something really interesting with Ryan and Janine . They're both people who don't know how to love. So will they fall in love? And if they do, can they cope with it? Will they understand the alien feelings coursing through their bodies?" In August 2010, Janine proposes to Ryan. Brooks said that the idea of getting married would be daunting for the character, but added that she believes Janine is genuinely in love with Ryan. She commented: "It's easy to assume that Janine is playing games or using him for sex, but Ryan clearly adores her too, so he may be the man to tame her wild ways." Brooks hinted at possible trouble for the couple if Janine discovers that Ryan fathered a baby with Stacey Branning, saying "Janine will be absolutely destroyed when she finds out. She wants Ryan all to herself, and the idea of a baby snatching his attention away would be devastating. All she needs is to be loved." McDermott stated that he believed Ryan was the right man for Janine, and that they could be perfect for each other, saying: "Janine's never loved any of the men she's been with before. She has only ever been in it for the money. Ryan understands her and knows why she does the things she does. They both forgive one another's mistakes very easily, and that's why their partnership works."Lydia Simmonds
In February 2011, Janine's estranged grandmother, Lydia Simmonds, "a lady of class and dignity," was announced. Lydia's backstory states that she loved her daughter June but hated the man she married, Frank, so she grew old alone. Lydia and Janine have been estranged for many years and Janine is shocked to have her grandmother back in her life. Executive Producer Bryan Kirkwood said: "I can't wait to see Janine meet her match."Drug addiction
In 2002, a storyline saw Janine using drugs and prostituting to fund the habit. She was shown about to snort cocaine in a scene that sparked viewer complaints to the BBC. Brooks has said about Janine's behaviour: "Sleeping with her pusher is very sad and desperate. But she feels she has to do it to get more drugs. Janine has such low self-esteem that she's deliberately reckless. She thinks, 'Why not take drugs if they make me feel good about myself for a while?' I think she knows she's on a slippery slope but she believes she can get out of it like she's always done before."Departure (2004)
The character was written out of the series in the spring of 2004 when Janine was charged with the murder of Laura Beale and remanded in custody, and rejected an offer to re-appear in late 2005 for the murder trial, although BBC bosses did persuade Mike Reid to make his final appearances as Frank Butcher for scenes involving his former wife Pat during the duration of the trial.Reintoduction (2008)
Three years after her initial departure, Brooks was asked to reprise the role by executive producer Diederick Santer as part of a storyline that has been dubbed "Frank Week". Mike Reid died in July 2007 and due to the popularity of the character he played, Santer decided that Frank would also be killed off in the serial. A funeral was held for the character as a tribute to both the actor and the "iconic" character he played. Brooks was one of several actors brought back to the show especially for the storyline. She was joined by Sophie Lawrence, who played her older sister Diane Butcher and Sid Owen as her brother Ricky. Following the conclusion of her three episode guest stint in April 2008, it was announced the following month that Brooks would reprise her role as Janine on a full-time basis. Brooks said she was "thrilled" to be back and admitted her recent appearance gave her "a taste" of being Janine again. Executive producer, Santer, said her recent appearances "reminded us what a fine actress she is, and what an intriguing, watchable and engaging character she plays as Janine". He promised a longer spell on the programme would enable viewers to see "what makes Janine tick" and also find out where she got the "flashy big black car" with which she was seen at the funeral. Janine's return scenes aired in December 2008. In June 2009 she signed a three-year contract.Sabbatical and second departure (2014)
In February 2012, Brooks announced that she would take a six-month break from the show later in the year, and departed on 14 September. Brooks returned to filming on 21 February 2013 and returned on screen on 18 April that year. On 28 October 2013, it was announced that Brooks had decided to leave the show for a third time, but to allow for her to return again, the character would not be killed off. Following Janine's arrest on Christmas Day, she returned to screens on 24 February 2014 when Kat Moon and Stacey Branning visit her in prison, and last appeared on 20 March 2014.Reception
Janine has been well received by critics although some of her storylines have come under criticism. She has been described as "the crazy, evil vixen of Albert Square" and journalist Richard Arnold said of the character, "No matter how bad she gets, we welcome her back to Walford with open arms. Because you wouldn't turn your back on her." Executive producer Bryan Kirkwood deemed Janine "the best bitch on TV", while show writer Tony Jordan called her the "devil" and "evil", but added, "She’s cheated, she's lied her way through Albert Square and we still kind of like her."In 2001, it was reported that education experts blamed delinquent young characters in soap operas, like Janine, for increasing disorder and violence in schools. In 2002, scenes involving the character, when Janine prostituted herself to pay for cocaine that she was about to snort were chastised by Tory MP Tim Yeo and Liberal Democrat MP Nick Harvey The BBC defended the storyline, saying, "Although the storyline implied Janine had taken drugs, there were no scenes that actually showed her using them. EastEnders has always tackled difficult issues like drug-taking in a responsible way, mindful of its responsibilities to its younger audience."