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Herb--Butcher's Broom naturalhealthtechniques.c... | Janine Fondiller ehspilates.com | Janine Woo - The Yoga Sanctuary, Yoga Teachers theyogasanctuary.net | Dr. Janine Lex - Curriculum Vitae bodymemory.com |
Janine Butcher (previously Evans) is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by Rebecca Michael from 1989-1993, Alexia Demetriou from 1993 to 1996, and from 1999 to 2004 and 2008 onwards by Charlie Brooks. 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 in December 2008.
[edit] Character creation and developmentThe character was first mentioned in September 1987, when her father Frank Butcher (Mike Reid) first appeared 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 that year, played by a different actress, Alexia Demetriou. Demetriou played Janine until 1996, when the character was written out again. She returned in 1999 as a 16 year old, played this time by actress Charlie Brooks.[1] [edit] Personality
Janine has been described as a "super-bitch" and a "classic villainess".[2][3] [edit] Storylines[edit] BackstoryJanine's mother, June, died of cancer when Janine was four years old, and she went to live with her sister Clare. Her father Frank moved to Walford with her older siblings Ricky and Diane and married Pat Wicks. Clare moved to Manchester in 1989, leaving Janine with Pat and Frank. [edit] 1989–2005A troublesome child, Janine threw tantrums, ran away, was a bed-wetter, a sleepwalker, a thief, a compulsive liar and self-harmer, and hated Pat. Unable to discipline her, Pat forced Frank to take Janine to family therapy, which eased her behaviour slightly. When Frank had a breakdown and disappeared in 1994, Janine stayed with Pat, but found her father's absence upsetting. She was overjoyed at Frank's return and decided to move to Manchester with him in 1996. However, Frank returned to Walford in 1998, leaving Janine with Clare again. Janine returned in 1999 and found that her father had a new wife, Peggy. She soon set about coming between them as she and Peggy don't like each other. Janine resented her father for abandoning her and continuously tried to antagonise him with her rebellious behaviour. Frank is particularly angry when he found her in bed with Jamie Mitchell. However, Janine only used Jamie to infuriate her father, and after she got bored, 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. 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, 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; 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 turned to prostitution under the pseudonym "Blonde Bombshell". One of her clients, Matt, fell in love and proposed to her but attempted suicide when he discovered she is still a prostitute. 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 she had been sleeping with Ian, she threw a pan of boiling milk in Janine's face, which made Janine become agoraphobic — and ate dog food because she was too afraid to go out and buy groceries. She eventually got over this, aided by Billy and her brother Ricky. Janine hoped to rekindle their relationship but was devastated when he confessed he was in love with Little Mo Slater. Her attempts to ruin their blossoming romance fail. Janine got a job working at Barry Evans's car lot. She and Paul Trueman concoct a plan to fleece Barry of his money. She seduced Barry and moved in with him but, unknown to him, she was sleeping with Paul too. Barry eventually proposed to Janine and she accepted, thinking that Barry had a life-threatening heart murmur. They marry on New Year's Eve 2003 in Scotland, but Janine was furious to discover that Barry's illness was a false alarm. Barry forced Janine to take a stroll around the hills and cliffs, but after he showed her a carving that he made on a tree with their initials surrounded by a love heart, Janine cracked, confessing everything. Barry refused to belief that she did not love him, tried to embrace her, but she pushed him away and he fell down a crevice. Barry Evans hit his head on a rock and Janine watched him die. Janine inherited Barry's estate, leaving his son, Jack, with nothing. She had Barry cremated in Scotland, denying his friends and family a chance to pay their respects, making Barry's ex-wife Natalie suspicious. She became close to Paul Trueman, who felt guilty about his role in Barry's demise. Spurred on by Natalie, Paul eventually went to the police implicating Janine. She was arrested but released, due to lack of evidence. She took pleasure in telling Natalie that she had got away with murder, but telling Pat was her downfall. Pat was also good friends with Laura Beale, who had an on-going feud with Janine. They argued frequently in public, and Janine was seen fighting Laura just before Laura accidentally died after falling down the stairs. Although Janine was with Pat when Laura died, Pat avenged Barry's murder by refusing to give Janine an alibi. Janine was charged with Laura's murder and remanded in custody in May 2004. Janine stood trial in 2005 and Frank tried to persuade Pat to tell the truth in court, giving Janine an alibi. Pat refused but a conversation with Laura's mother, who was desperate for the truth, forced Pat to tell the court what really happened to Laura. Janine is released but abandoned Frank outside the courtroom. Janine did not appear on screen during the episodes featuring the trial. [edit] 2008—Janine returns for Frank's funeral in April 2008, and is angry to find that he hasn't left her any money in his will; she scatters his ashes before departing. However, in December 2008 Pat and Ricky discover that Janine is masquerading as a Jewish orphan named "Judith Bernstein" in order to marry an elderly Jewish man named David for his money. They trace Janine to the synagogue where the wedding is taking place and just after they are pronounced man and wife, Pat declares Janine a fraud before the congregation. 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 in order to 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 and in anger Janine speeds off in her car and accidentally hits Danielle Jones, killing her. Although she is cleared of any wrongdoing by the police, Danielle's mother Ronnie Mitchell cannot forgive Janine. In retaliation towards this rejection, Janine plays various spiteful tricks on Ronnie and teams up with Ronnie's ostracised father Archie; they make plans to ruin the Mitchell family. Meanwhile, Janine moves in with Ryan Malloy; both enjoy conning their neighbours for money and they begin a casual affair. Janine teamed up with Archie Mitchell later in 2009, and together they plotted to take The Vic from Peggy, Phil, Sam and the rest of the Mitchells. With Sam on bail for her part in Den Watts' death, Archie and Janine saw the chance to make the Mitchells face financial ruin. With the cost of Sam's bail at £250,000, Archie plotted to get Sam to skip bail. Janine began befriending Sam, and tried to get Sam to miss her peliminary hearing in court, but Janine told Archie she couldn't do it to Ricky. Archie later offered Sam a huge amount of cash, and persuaded her to skip bail once again through various ways, Sam then left in the back of a black cab. The Mitchells now face financial ruin, playing into Archie and Janine's hands. Janine however wants The Vic for herself, and plots to take it off Archie should he gain control. [edit] ReceptionIn March 2009, Brooks won the "Bad Girl" award at the 2009 All About Soap Bubble Awards, which are voted for by the public, for her portrayal of Janine, saying: "I'm thrilled that viewers think I am so good at being bad!"[4] Brooks had also previously won Villain of the Year at the British Soap Awards, in 2004, for her portrayal of the same character. [edit] References
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