| EastEnders character |
 |
| Stacey Slater |
| Portrayed by |
Lacey Turner |
| Introduced by |
Louise Berridge |
| Duration |
2004— |
| First appearance |
1 November 2004 |
| Classification |
Present; regular |
| Profile |
|
| Date of birth |
8 November 1988 |
| Status |
Separated |
| Home |
23 Albert Square |
| Occupation |
Market trader (clothing) |
|
|
Stacey Slater (previously Branning) is a fictional character from the popular 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, and an affair with her father-in-law Max. Stacey has proven popular with fans and critics, and Lacey Turner has won multiple awards for her portrayal.
[edit] Creation
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]
Stacey Slater as she appeared in 2004.
[edit] Development
[edit] 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."[4] 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.[5] 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",[6] and the storyline won a Mental Health Media Award in September 2006.[7] 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.[8]
[edit] 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."[9] The couple were hailed as the nearest thing Walford had to Romeo and Juliet.[10] 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."[11] 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."[12]
Stacey's affair with her father-in-law Max
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."[11] 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.[10] 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]
[edit] 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.[17] Series Consultant Simon Ashdown had been developing the storyline for about a year.[18] 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.[18][19] 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.[18] Executive producer Diederick Santer said that the initial buildup of the storyline was an extention of how the character has always been, "a character of highs and lows, of great passions and dark moods,"[19] 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."[19] 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.[19]
The poster for the fictional game
Deprivation.
The first signs of Stacey's odd behavior were quite subtle, eventually building up into more extreme acts.[18] One of the first signs of Stacey's odd behaviour was her paranoia over a poster for a fictitious video game, Deprivation, featuring two large eyes on a black background.[20] 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."[18] 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.[21]
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."[19]
[edit] Storylines
[edit] Backstory
Stacey had a troubled childhood due to her mother Jean's bipolar disorder, and the death of her father, Brian, when she was 11. Stacey struggled to cope with the suicidal and erratic behaviour resulting from Jean's mental illness. For a long time, the care of Jean was left solely to her, as her older brother Sean had disappeared from their lives, unable to cope with Jean's condition.
[edit] 2004–2007
15 year old Stacey arrives in Albert Square in November 2004 to live with her extended family as her mother has thrown her out. Stacey is troublesome: she tries to seduce her cousin's husband Garry Hobbs; sleeps with Spencer Moon, then blackmails him; leads the much younger Lucy Beale astray; steals from her employers, the Truemans; and gives her cousin Zoe and Chrissie Watts a false alibi for the murder of Den Watts.
However, she eventually settles down, taking over Zoe's clothing stall on Bridge Street market, bonding with her mother and brother, who both since joined her in Walford, and forming a close friendship with Ruby Allen. Stacey is initially unimpressed by Bradley Branning, who moves to Walford in January 2006. Their first night out together ends in disaster after Deano Wicks drugs Stacey's drink, and she has Bradley wrongfully arrested for assault. Truth prevails, and in time, a romance develops. Stacey falls in love with Bradley; however, their relationship hits a setback when she falls pregnant. She wants to keep the baby, but Bradley has doubts, exacerbated by the disapproval of his father, Max. On Max's advice, Bradley persuades Stacey to have an abortion. However, she feels disgusted with herself afterwards and a rift forms between her and Bradley. When Bradley opts to exclude a depressed Stacey from a work party, she reacts with fury, turning up drunk and embarrassing him. Furious, he finishes with her, leaving her to be comforted by his father. Unable to resist her attempts to seduce him to get revenge on Bradley, Max sleeps with her on Christmas Day 2006, beginning an affair.
Stacey, dressed in
Vulcan ears for a
Star Trek convention, reunites with Bradley (2007).
Stacey and Max's affair continues into 2007, unbeknown to Bradley and Max's wife Tanya, though they are nearly caught out on several occasions. What begins as lust develops into something more serious. Stacey begins to make greater demands on Max, ordering him to leave his wife. Max claims to love Stacey and agrees, however, when Tanya announces she is pregnant, Max abandons his plans to leave her. Amidst threats that Stacey will tell Tanya the truth, Max flees with his family to Spain.
Heartbroken, Stacey retaliates by having a one-night stand with Deano, and she reunites with Bradley after he confesses he still loves her. Bradley proposes and Stacey accepts. When Max returns, he is horrified, but Stacey is no longer interested; all his attempts to split Bradley and Stacey up fail. When Sean discovers the affair, he tries stop the wedding, refusing to believe Stacey truly loves Bradley. Sean then beats up Max. Stacey remains adamant, but when the time comes, she is unable to say "I do"; she flees, admitting to Sean that she is unsure if she can live with the guilt of sleeping with her husband's father. In the end, Bradley persuades her to continue with the ceremony, promising that he does not care about her secret past, and they marry. Max cannot give Stacey up; while she is changing out of her wedding dress, he propositions her once again; they kiss before Stacey remembers herself and pulls away. Unknown to them, their encounter is being recorded on camera hidden by Max's daughter Lauren.
Feeling neglected by her father, Lauren gives a copy of the recording to Bradley. On Christmas Day 2007, Bradley plays it in front of his entire family and chaos erupts. After being slapped by Tanya and shunned by most of her friends and family, Stacey attempts to apologise and explain the affair to Bradley, telling him she loves him and not Max; however, he is unable to cope with the thought of his wife and father sleeping together. Devastated, he smashes up their flat in a fit of rage, throws Stacey out and leaves Walford.
Stacey grows depressed.[22] At R&R nightclub she gets drunk, then collapses on the dancefloor after taking liquid ecstasy. The experience forces her to reevaluate her life. She tries to win Bradley back, but he turns her down, saying he still loves her but cannot trust her. Stacey begins to depend on her friend Steven Beale for support and they eventually begin a relationship. Unknown to Stacey, Steven is fighting homosexual urges, and when Christian Clarke informs her that Steven has kissed him, she dumps him.
In June 2008, Bradley and Stacey reunite. Bradley is keen for them to have a baby, but Stacey remains uncertain and continues taking the contraceptive pill. In September, Stacey, furious about Bradley accepting money from Max, kisses Callum Monks. She regrets it and tries to make her marriage work, but eventually admits to Bradley that they are over. They split and Stacey and Callum sleep together, beginning an on/off relationship. Callum will not accept her mother's mental illness however, so their relationship ends.
Stacey begins behaving erratically in 2009 following the death of her friend Danielle Jones; she steals money from her family and attempts to seduce various men, while drinking heavily. She ends up losing her stall and smashing her bedroom window. Jean tries to calm her down, and tells her she has bipolar disorder. Refusing to believe this, Stacey disappears for several weeks and when she returns she has dyed her hair blonde and is covered in cuts and grazes. Stacey is despondent and she is upset further when Bradley asks for a divorce.
[edit] Reception
In 2007, Jim Shelley, television critic for the Daily Mirror, commented that Stacey "has been EastEnders' best character since she arrived...".[4] Turner has won multiple awards for her portrayal of Stacey: in 2005, she won best newcomer at the TV Quick Awards, and in 2006 she was awarded best actress at the British Soap Awards.[23]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
