List of EastEnders characters introduced in 1993
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1993, by order of first appearance. 1994 was a historic year for EastEnders, as in April, a third weekly episode was introduced. Due to the programme's increased frequency, a number of new characters were introduced to the regular cast in the latter part of 1993 and early 1994. Among them were the Jackson family: mother Carol, her four children, Bianca, Robbie, Sonia, and Billie, as well as Carol's partner Alan Jackson. Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in the serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billie, the whole family took on Alan's surname. The family was created by writer Tony McHale. None of the actors cast as the Jackson family were matched for appearance or screen compatibility. Cassidy has commented, "it was all decided without doing that. I don't think it particularly mattered that none of us Jackson kids looked like each other because all our characters had different dads!" Carol was Coulson's first major television role. Various members of the family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting of Albert Square. Their slow introduction was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period. The Jacksons have been described by EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake as a "classic problem family".
Danny Taurus
Danny Taurus, played by Billy Boyle, first appears on 5 January 1993 and leaves on 1 June 1993. Danny, an East End rock and roll singer, uses the stage name Danny Taurus, and was nearly famous locally when Pete and Pauline Beale were teenagers. In 1993, Danny visits Pete and invites him to a gig. He is more than a pub singer, who dreams of making a comeback. Danny is pleased to meet Pauline again, as he always fancied her when they were at school. Pauline is flattered by the attention and she and Danny go on a few platonic dates—Pauline's motive being to see if Arthur might respond to a bit of competition—but Danny takes it seriously and asks Pauline to go away with him. Pauline is tempted, but she eventually turns Danny down and he goes off in search of his big break.Rose Chapman
Rose Chapman, played by Petra Markham, is an old friend of Pauline Fowler from school. Pete Beale and Rose get on well, particularly when Rose reveals that she once had a crush on him while they were at school together. Over the weeks a romance develops. Despite professing to be very happy with Pete, Rose frequently lets him down, standing him up on dates and disappearing for days without word. Eventually Pete confronts her and she reveals that not only is she married, but she was married to a local gangster named Alfie Chapman, who had a reputation for extreme violence. Although Alfie is in prison, his family are not and they make it clear that they do not approve of Rose seeing Pete. Pete mulls over what to do but eventually decides to brave the Chapmans and remain with Rose.Alfie's sister Annie warns Rose to finish with Pete, or face severe repercussions from his two brothers. Rose remains defiant and goes to visit Alfie in prison, demanding a divorce. This is curtailed when she discovers that Alfie is suffering from terminal cancer and after a period of contemplation she decides to stop seeing Pete so that she can nurse Alfie through his remaining months. However, Rose cannot keep away from Pete and in May she re-enters his life, telling him that she misses him. When Alfie's brothers discover she was seeing Pete again, they beat her badly, causing her to be hospitalised. Pete goes to visit Rose in hospital and they make plans to go into hiding to escape the wrath of the Chapmans. The following day, Pete smuggles Rose out of hospital with Frank Butcher's help and they then make their getaway to start a new life.
In December, news of Alfie Chapman's death reaches Walford. Pauline places an advert in a newspaper, pleading for Pete and Rose to return. They reply, and the residents of Walford plan a party to celebrate their homecoming. However, on the day they are due back, Pauline is contacted by the police with the news that Pete and Rose have been killed by a car accident arranged by the Chapman family.
Aidan Brosnan
Aidan Brosnan, played by Sean Maguire, appears between January and December 1993. A popular character, Aidan is involved in storylines about homelessness, drug-abuse and suicide. His relationship with the character Mandy Salter is a dominant storyline in the serial throughout 1993. The character of Aidan was introduced on-screen in January 1993 by executive producer, Leonard Lewis. The role was cast to actor Sean Maguire. Having been a familiar face on children's television for many years, Maguire was previously most famous for playing Tegs in BBC's school drama, Grange Hill. At his audition, Maguire had to show off his football skills and talk in a convincing Irish accent. Although the character's duration was relatively short – he appeared in only 63 episodes of the soap – Aidan became "a very popular" character, particularly with the young audience. EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake has suggested that by the end of his stint in the soap, Sean Maguire's status as a teen pin-up "put him in the Take That league". Sean Maguire's departure upset his fans, though the actor attempted to develop his appeal towards the young audience by becoming a television presenter and a pop singer.Sanjay Kapoor
Sanjay Kapoor, played by Deepak Verma, is a market trader who has an eye for the ladies and a weakness for gambling. He is always full of big ideas and get-rich-quick schemes, which never work. In 1998, EastEnders acquired a new executive producer, Matthew Robinson. Robinson was dubbed "the axeman" in the British press, after a large proportion of the EastEnders cast either quit, or were culled, shortly after Robinson's introduction. It was reported that Robinson hoped the changes would attract more viewers and "spice up Walford". Among the departing characters were long-running Asian family the Kapoors, including Sanjay, Gita and Neelam Kapoor. As they were the only Asian characters in the show, EastEnders received criticism for axing them from MPs including Oona King, MP for East End constituency Bethnal Green and Dr Ashok Kumar.Gita Kapoor
Gita Kapoor, played by Shobu Kapoor, has a fierce temper, which is needed to keep her troublesome husband in check. Any success they achieve is down to her. She is the brains behind the Kapoor's clothes business. Gita played by Shobu Kapoor and her husband Sanjay were introduced early in 1993 by producer Leonard Lewis. They were the first characters of Asian descent to be introduced since the Karim family, who departed from the serial in 1990. The Kapoors are the programme's first attempt to portray non-Muslim Asian characters; the Kapoors are practising Hindus, descending from India. Shobu Kapoor auditioned for the role of Gita along with actress Nina Wadia. Both had been working together on a play prior to auditioning, and neither knew that the other would be attending the audition until they bumped into each other at the casting call. It was Kapoor who was offered the part; Wadia would later go on to play another character years later, Zainab Masood.Snip Gibbons
Clive "Snip" Gibbons, played by Steve Sweeney, is a friend of Phil and Grant Mitchell. He begins frequenting The Queen Victoria pub at the invitation of the Mitchells in February 1993, along with several of their other friends. Nigel Bates shows obvious dislike for Snip, mainly because he is frequently teased and tormented by him. Bar manager, Clyde Tavernier, also has several run-ins with him. Snip orders him around, acts in a rowdy manner and antagonises him. Clyde becomes too annoyed so he throws Snip and his friends out of The Vic one night, much to the anger of Phil and Grant, who are trying to secure a business deal with Snip.When Snip and his friends refuse to vacate the pub after closing time one evening, Clyde threatens to quit his job unless they leave. They don't, so Clyde quits but he contacts his boss, Sharon Mitchell, who is holidaying in America. Sharon returns to find that many of her regulars are refusing to drink at The Vic, mainly because of Snip. She takes control and bars Grant's friends from the pub.
Audrey Whittingham
Audrey Whittingham, played by Shirley Dixon, kidnaps Vicki Fowler while she is waiting to be collected outside Walford Primary School. A police investigation is launched. Prime suspect is Jack Woodman, who is infatuated with Vicki's mother Michelle Fowler ; however, Audrey and Vicki are identified by the shopkeeper of a toy store several days later. Audrey had used a cheque to pay for Vicki's toys and the police were able to trace her to her home. Vicki is returned to her mother unharmed and Audrey is arrested.Michelle becomes very emotional and protective over Vicki for a while after, refusing to let her outside or attend school. She think she can see glimpses of Audrey everywhere she goes, which everyone tells her is impossible, as Audrey has been imprisoned. However, Michelle isn't being paranoid as Audrey turns up on her doorstep shortly after hoping to explain her actions. She has endured a series of tragedies, starting with the death of her baby daughter many years earlier, and later in life the death of one of her sons and her husband. Her other son lives abroad and she has become lonely and desperate. She began to wonder what her daughter would have turned out like and when she saw Vicki alone she decided to take her, although she claims that she intended to bring her back eventually. Michelle is furious and can not forgive Audrey for the trauma she put her and Vicki through.