List of EastEnders characters introduced in 2001
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 2001, by order of appearance. All characters were introduced by the show's executive producer, John Yorke. The first character to be introduced was [|Jill Marsden], a detective chief inspector who investigates the shooting of local hardman Phil Mitchell. April saw the introductions of: Ritchie Stringer, an associate of Phil, [|Paul Trueman], the son of Audrey Trueman and brother of Anthony Trueman, and [|Donna Andrews], the mistress of Trevor Morgan. [|Harry Slater], the brother of Charlie Slater, and Gary Bolton, the father of Robbie Jackson, made their debuts in May, whereas [|Margaret Walker], a love interest for Terry Raymond, and Angel Hudson, a gangster, made their first appearances in June.
[|Patrick Trueman], the former husband of Audrey and replacement parental figure for Paul and Anthony, was introduced in September. Belinda Peacock, Charlie's daughter, and Viv Slater, Charlie's deceased wife, appear for guest stints in October. October also saw the arrival of Janine Butcher's pet dog, Terence. November saw the only baby being introduced, Louise Mitchell, the daughter of Phil and Lisa Fowler. Also, November saw the first appearances of: [|Nathan Williams], the illegitimate son of Roy Evans, Nita Mistry, a love interest for Robbie, [|Jane Williams], Nathan's mother, and Derek Harkinson, the childhood friend of Pauline Fowler. Roxy Drake, a pimp who grooms Zoe Slater, [|Kelly Taylor], a prostitute groomed by Roxy, and [|Tom Stuart], a vicar, were introduced in December.
Sue Miller
Sue Miller, played by Sadie Shimmin in 2001 and Victoria Willing in 2002, is the adoptive mother of Sonia Jackson and Martin Fowler's daughter. Sonia gave birth to baby Chloe in 2000, but decided to give her daughter up for adoption. Chloe was placed with Sue and her husband Neil, a childless couple. Martin's mother, Pauline Fowler, Sonia and Martin are seen visiting Chloe occasionally at the Millers' house Sue and Neil changed Chloe's name to Rebecca.In 2002, Sonia kidnaps Rebecca while Neil and Sue are out. Sonia tells their babysitter that she is a family friend, and snatches Rebecca, taking her to Walford. Neil and Sue work this out and trace her. While Sonia barricades herself inside her house, the Millers give Dot Branning fifteen minutes to persuade Sonia to hand Rebecca over before they phone the police. Just before the Millers are about to call the police, Dot successfully persuades Sonia to hand Rebecca over.
Sonia reads in a newspaper in 2005 that Sue and Neil have died in a car accident. This leads to her gaining contact with Rebecca again.
Neil Miller
Neil Miller, played by an uncredited actor in 2001 and Robin Sneller in 2002, is the adoptive father of Sonia Jackson and Martin Fowler's daughter. Sonia gave birth to baby Chloe in 2000, but decided to give her daughter up for adoption. Chloe was placed with Neil and his wife Sue, a childless couple. Neil and Sue changed Chloe's name to Rebecca.Neil is first seen in January 2001, when Martin and his mother Pauline visit Rebecca. In 2002, Sonia kidnaps Rebecca while Neil and Sue are out. Sonia tells their babysitter that she is a family friend, and snatches Rebecca, taking her to Walford. Neil and Sue work this out and trace her. While Sonia barricades herself inside her house, the Millers give Dot Branning fifteen minutes to persuade Sonia to hand Rebecca over before they phone the police. Just before the Millers are about to call the police, Dot successfully persuades Sonia to hand Rebecca over.
Sonia reads in a newspaper in 2005 that Neil and Sue have died in a car accident. This leads to her gaining contact with Rebecca again.
Jill Marsden
Detective Chief Inspector Jill Marsden is played by Sophie Stanton. She makes her first appearance on 5 March 2001, when she investigates who shot Phil Mitchell which is part of the whodunit storyline, Who Shot Phil?. She returns in 2002 and 2003, and returns again in 2009 for another whodunit storyline, Who Killed Archie? and returns again on 5 January 2012 for her third whodunnit storyline, 'Who's Stalking Phil?'.When brought back in 2009, Marsden feelings are further explored in a segment of the BBC EastEnders homepage entitled 'Marsden's Video Diaries', documenting the character's thoughts on the storyline she is involved in. Marsden's relationship with Phil has been explored since her first appearance, the BBC describing their relationship as "romance in negative" and "Her ultimate dream is that some day she'll get … behind bars."
DS Thomas Burton
DS Thomas Burton, played by Cyril Nri, is a policeman who assisted his fellow chief detective Jill Marsden with investigating the shooting of Phil Mitchell — the criminal hardman of Albert Square, a local community of the borough Walford in East London. The events of Phil's shooting occurs on 1 March 2001 after he antagonized several of his neighbours and fellow residents by the time his archenemy, Steve Owen, marries his wife Mel Healy — who had a one-night stand with Phil on Christmas Day 2000. At the point where DS Burton joins Marsden in questioning Steve and Mel over Phil's shooting, he encounters Phil's cousin Billy and grows curious with his belief over the identity of two other suspected assailants; Phil's stepson Ian Beale and love rival Mark Fowler over different reasons.Nonetheless, Steve is implicated as the prime suspect. However, it is soon revealed the following month after Phil's shooting that the assailant is fact his ex-girlfriend Lisa Shaw. After gradually forgiving Lisa for the incident, Phil decides to frame his fellow nemesis Dan Sullivan for the crime, after Dan tries to extort money from Phil and his godson Jamie. His plan to do so is halted when Burton visits Phil at his home to try and get information on who shot him, but Phil stalls him by claiming to have no idea about the identity his shooter. Once Burton leaves, Phil contacts Dan's old crime boss Ritchie Stringer and they hatch a plot to incriminate Dan. Later on that night, Phil phones DS Burton, telling him that Dan was the shooter and he is planning to finish him off for good. Dan corners and threatens to shoot Phil and extort money from him and Jamie again but Burton and an armed police unit rush over to the scene to take charge of the situation. Their presence alerts Dan who is armed, and he is consequently arrested. Burton and Marsden later charge Dan for Phil's shooting. Burton reappears at New Year 2002 when Little Mo Morgan confesses to striking her abusive husband Trevor over the head with a clothes iron during an argument and he and Marsden charge her with attempted murder
Ritchie Stringer
Ritchie Stringer, played by Gareth Hunt, is a mob boss who knows Phil Mitchell. He first appears in April 2001 when Phil contacts him to request a favor; conspiring with Phil against their mutual acquaintance, Dan Sullivan. It transpires that Dan had worked for Ritchie in the past, and so he does not suspect anything untoward when Ritchie provides him with a gun to do a raid on Phil. However, it is all part of Phil's plan, and Dan is caught by the police in the middle of the armed robbery. It soon becomes clear that the gun Ritchie had given Dan is the same gun that was used to shoot Phil, even though Dan never shot Phil and the gun itself had belonged to their common nemesis Steve Owen ; earlier on, it was revealed that the shooter was in fact Phil's ex-girlfriend Lisa Shaw. Nonetheless, Dan is consequently blamed for the shooting when Phil confirmed this to the police without exposing Ritchie's involvement behind the crime.Ritchie Stringer was 10/3 at Ladbrokes bookmakers as the culprit in the "Who Shot Phil?" storyline, despite not being one of the named suspects. When the BBC announced that actor Gareth Hunt was appearing in EastEnders, there was a massive betting flurry on Ritchie being the culprit. Bookmakers William Hill even "closed the book". William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe commented that there were "dozens of calls" within half an hour of a 16/1 price being quoted and the bookmakers had nearly been "knocked over in the rush of punters wanting to place bets of hundreds of pounds on the actor". William Hill decided to reopen the book later in the week after "information from unofficial BBC sources had convinced them that character not the killer."
Paul Trueman
Paul Trueman, played by Gary Beadle, appears between 2001 and 2004. Paul is introduced as part of the already established Trueman family. He is portrayed as a bad boy. Beadle left the role in 2004, following a suspension, reportedly for failing to learn his lines. In his exit storyline, Paul becomes a drug dealer, and Beadle has been critical of the storyline, suggesting it played into black, racial stereotyping. It is implied that Paul is killed upon his exit, though his death is not screened.Donna Andrews
Donna Andrews, played by Allison Senior and Paula Jennings, is the mistress of Trevor Morgan, who first appears on 24 April 2001.Donna first appears when Billy Mitchell spots her and Trevor entering Donna's house. A few days later, after much agonising over whether to tell Little Mo Morgan, Trevor's wife, Billy takes Little Mo to see for herself. On 28 August, Little Mo's sisters, Kat Slater and Lynne Hobbs, reveal that Donna is pregnant with Trevor's baby. Little Mo visits Donna several days later, and is urged by her not to let Trevor hurt her any more.
The following summer, Donna appears at Little Mo's trial for assaulting Trevor with an iron and gives evidence against Trevor. This proves fruitless as Little Mo is found guilty and given a prison sentence, although her conviction for attempted murder is quashed on appeal and she is released from prison within weeks of the verdict.
Donna next appears in October, when Trevor forces his way into her home in Swindon, attacks her and kidnaps their son, Sean. On his return to Walford, Trevor also captures Little Mo and attempts to kill them all in a house fire, only for Little Mo and Sean to be rescued, but Trevor and local fireman Tom Banks die in the resulting explosion, leaving Donna feeling Little Mo should be grieving for Tom, rather than Trevor. Donna makes her last appearance on 8 November, a week after Trevor's death.