List of EastEnders characters introduced in 2009
EastEnders is a long-running BBC soap opera from the United Kingdom. This is a list of characters who first appeared on the programme during 2009, listed in order of their first appearance. They were all introduced by the show's executive producer, Diederick Santer.
Debra Dean
Debra Dean, played by actress Ruth Gemmell, first appears on 5 January 2009. She is the mother of established character Whitney Dean, who she left along with Whitney's father, Nathan Dean, when Whitney was very young. Debra kept in touch with Nathan and his partner Bianca Jackson so Nathan and Bianca could keep her informed about Whitney. Debra is known to have worn a crucifix, which she gave to Whitney before she left. She also gave Whitney a porcelain doll that was broken by Whitney's sister, Tiffany Dean.Debra is first mentioned in late December 2008 when Whitney decides to get in touch, only to discover Debra has not received the letter as Bianca gave her the wrong address. She claims not to have the right address when Whitney asks for it, wanting to protect her, but Janine Butcher discovers Bianca is lying and steals it from Bianca's address book, and gives it to Whitney.
Debra and Whitney meet on 5 January at a café where Debra works. Whitney tries to discuss when they had lived together but Debra is not interested. She shows no interest in Whitney, coldly rejecting her, upsetting Whitney so much that she breaks down in tears just after she leaves the café. She goes home and tells Bianca that she is her mother as Whitney felt visiting her birth mother was the biggest mistake she has made.
Whitney does not have any further contact with Debra until 5 June when she arrives unexpectedly. Bianca sends her away but Debra returns a few days later, insisting she wants to get to know her daughter. Bianca tells Ricky Butcher that Debra is not to be trusted and on Whitney's first birthday, she went on holiday with friends instead of being there for her daughter. Debra takes Whitney out for lunch at The Queen Victoria public house, where they start to bond, and Debra confesses that she is homeless. As a result, Whitney asks Bianca to let her stay with them. Whitney helps her sell some counterfeit DVDs. Their bond grows stronger and she surprises Whitney with her plan to move to Greece and asks if she will come. Whitney delightedly accepts, only to realise that Debra is using her when she leaves suddenly, passing her a sealed envelope and saying she will be back for it, and warning her not to open it or she would be "sorry".
Debra returns on 17 July with cuts on her face, just after Ricky leaves after failing to convince Whitney to go to Brighton with them. Debra says that someone is after her; it turns out to be her son Ryan Malloy. Whitney and Debra go to an abandoned school and retrieve a bag. Debra will not let Whitney see the contents and when they get home, a man who has been stalking Whitney is inside. The man is Ryan and he and Debra argue. When Whitney defends her mother, Ryan tells her she is his mother too. It is revealed that the bag contains a knife with which Ryan stabbed somebody. Ryan returns the next morning and argues with Debra again, causing Whitney to run out and throw the knife into the canal. When she returns, Debra plans to leave but when Whitney tells her about her abuser Tony King and his upcoming trial and says she is going to cook them a family meal, she agrees to stay. When Ryan and Debra are alone he tells her to leave, insisting she is a bad mother and that Whitney is better off without her. Looking frightened, Debra leaves. In December, Debra sends Ryan a text message to say that she cannot attend Tony's trial to support Whitney and not to contact her again.
Marissa Moore
Marissa Moore, played by Finn Atkins, makes her first on-screen appearance on 13 January 2009, working at the newly opened Gilly's Massage Parlour. The parlour is met with opposition from Peggy Mitchell and Dot Branning, amongst other residents. Peggy tries to convince Patrick Trueman not to serve Marissa in his shop, but Jay Brown sticks up for her and strikes up a friendship with her.As Kris Green of Digital Spy reports, "Jay tries to take his friendship with Marissa to another level. He plans to run away with Marissa. When Jay meets with Marissa, however, he's confused by her behaviour. All's not what it seems with the young female as she brushes Jay off and makes a call and says into the mic: 'I did what you said. Now leave him alone.'"
Atkins discussed her role in an interview with the Nottingham Evening Post. When asked about her using her Nottingham accent in the show, Atkins said that she had had "nice feedback" about it and explained that she had prepared a London accent for her audition but was told the producers preferred her Nottingham accent, so she was pleased and felt like she was "representing the city". Atkins described the character at some length, noting, "My character, Marissa, was in a lot of scenes with Jamie Borthwick, who plays Jay Brown... Marissa was a runaway who had been let down by people. She arrived in London to stay with a friend, but found the friend wasn't there, so she'd been on her own and the hardship had forced her into prostitution. Obviously that wasn't something that EastEnders could delve too much into, but you got the idea that she was going through hard times. She could seem quite hard but she did have a softer side. I don't know if they'll return to the storyline or not... The character, Marissa, was only 16. Because I'm quite small I can play anything from 15 up to my age or even a bit older."
Grace Dent writes, "I feel sad for Marissa already. Gilly's brothel is a garish tribute to why this really is still a man's world and Marissa's just the faceless droid who masturbates him. I'm not sure that banning Marissa from the so she can't have a bacon sandwich afterwards is really solving anything."
Andy Jones
Andy Jones, played by Aneirin Hughes, is the adoptive father of established character Danielle Jones. He is mentioned frequently when Danielle arrives in Albert Square in August 2008 to locate her birth mother Ronnie Mitchell and makes his first on-screen appearance on 16 January 2009 after Ronnie phones him after Danielle confesses to her about her pregnancy. Hughes briefly reprised the role for a short stint beginning on 6 June 2016.Andy asks Danielle to return to their hometown Telford as her brother, Gareth, is getting married. He also says that they will support her through her pregnancy but she says she wants to stay in London. After he leaves, Danielle tells Ronnie that her father has said she should have an abortion and later that evening, books one at the hospital. Andy is mentioned a month later when Danielle visits him and Gareth after her bond with Ronnie begins falling apart. However, she soon misses Ronnie and Walford. Andy is upset and angry when Danielle tells him about her abortion and how she searched for her biological mother. Danielle decides to return to Walford because of this.
Two months later, Danielle finally reveals her true identity to Ronnie, but is accidentally knocked down by Janine Butcher and dies. Andy returns and talks to Danielle's friend Stacey Slater about the life Danielle had in Walford. When he meets Ronnie again, he realises that she is the woman who gave Danielle up for adoption and blames her for Danielle's death. He returns for Danielle's funeral and does not allow Ronnie to attend but makes amends later at the house by telling her about Danielle's childhood and life up till she came to Walford. He gives Ronnie Danielle's childhood teddy bear and at first she declines, knowing Danielle means more to him than her, but later accepts for the sake of Danielle. As Ronnie leaves, he talks about Danielle's good nature, saying she must have got it from her adoptive mother, Lizzie. He then calls Ronnie back into the house before she leaves and gives her all of Danielle's photos. He tells her he was wrong to blame her for her death, and that he realises it was her father Archie Mitchell's fault she died.
Seven years later, a bedridden Andy is visited in hospital by his son Andy Flynn, who tells his father he is getting closer to Ronnie, who does not know his true identity. In August, Andy Jr brings Ronnie's son Matthew Mitchell Cotton, along with her partner, Jack Branning's children, Amy Mitchell and Ricky Mitchell to see Andy Sr, and notes that Matthew looks like Danielle. Andy Jr is then revealed to be Gareth, when Andy Sr calls him such.
Theo Kelly
Theo Kelly, played by Rolan Bell, was scripted as a love interest for the character Chelsea Fox, who, it is claimed, was won over by his "good looks and impeccable manners". He appears between 26 January and 15 June 2009.According to a BBC news release, "Theo's good looks and manners make him a hit with the ladies on the Square. He seems like the perfect gent". Discussing his casting, Rolan Bell said, "As a lifelong fan of EastEnders it is amazing to be part of the show – everyone has been so welcoming on set. Working with actors such as Rudolph Walker has been a dream come true and I can't wait to see how my character develops on screen." He added, "I auditioned for EastEnders a few years ago when I 'd just left drama school and, quite luckily, I didn't get the part because it was only a small walk-on role. When the audition for Theo came up, I just went for it and gave it all I could."
In an interview with media website Digital Spy, Bell revealed information about his character's personality: "He's a well-to-do guy He's been raised with good manners and he's definitely a mummy's boy. He's the kind of guy that wants to do right by women, but at the same time, he's a bit of a ladies' man. He's quite a gentleman and definitely old-fashioned." According to Bell, the writers of EastEnders pitched Theo as "a young, charming guy with impeccable manners"; however, he revealed that not much about his character's background was revealed in the beginning, so development has been "an organic process".
In February 2009, the character was featured as part of EastEnders' first episode acted by an all-black cast, which received attention in the British media.
The character's backstory was revealed by Bell: "Theo's grown up in a one-parent family in Brixton he's the eldest of his brothers and sisters – he's actually one of six children The father/son relationship is quite distant – almost non-existent – and I think that's why he has the attitude towards women that he has. Theo's seen the pain his mother's been through and he has quite a compassion for women in that situation."
Theo arrives in Walford in search of Patrick Trueman. He is looking for him on behalf of Tommy Clifford in regard to the 1950s race riots that Patrick was involved with. He introduces Tommy to Patrick, not realising that Tommy is the man who killed Patrick's fiancée during the riots. Theo begins dating Chelsea, who is close to Patrick, but when Tommy's true identity is discovered, Theo falls out with Chelsea, although she eventually forgives him, believing that he was not a part of Tommy's deception.
Chelsea believes she is not intelligent enough for Theo, and she strays with a footballer named Ellis Prince in June 2009. Theo is willing to forgive her, but Chelsea rejects him due to her insecurities. Chelsea later dumps Theo in favour of Ellis and leaves Walford with Ellis. However, she returns a few weeks later, admitting to her family that she has been the victim of domestic abuse. She has had no further contact with Theo and he has not been seen around Albert Square since.