Tiffany Butcher
Tiffany Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Maisie Smith. Tiffany is the daughter of established characters Bianca Jackson and Ricky Butcher, though originally she was believed to be Bianca's daughter with a man named Nathan Dean. Tiffany's surname was changed in the show's credits from Dean to Butcher, which has also been referenced in the show. Tiffany departed, alongside her half-brother Morgan Butcher and their mother Bianca, in September 2014. Tiffany made an unannounced brief return on 3 November 2016 when she and Morgan returned to Walford for Whitney Dean and Lee Carter's wedding.
In November 2017, it was announced that executive consultant John Yorke was to reintroduce the character, with Smith reprising her role as Tiffany full-time. She returned on 8 January 2018. Her storylines since her return have included her friendship with Bernadette Taylor, becoming a drug dealer, being groomed by Evie Steele and subsequently being raped, and forming a relationship and later marriage with Keegan Baker. It was announced on 8 October 2021 that Smith would once again be leaving the soap, and her final scenes aired on 14 December 2021. She returned briefly on 17 March 2022 to coincide with Keegan's departure.
Character creation and development
Introduction
In November 2007, it was announced that Patsy Palmer would be reprising her role as Bianca Jackson in EastEnders. A popular character who originally appeared in the serial between 1993 and 1999, Bianca was reintroduced in April 2008. Along with Bianca came four children, three of whom had not been seen in the serial before. They included Whitney Dean, the fifteen-year-old daughter of Bianca's deceased partner; Liam Butcher, Bianca and Ricky's son who previously appeared in the serial; Tiffany Dean, Bianca's five-year-old daughter, named after her friend Tiffany Mitchell ; and Morgan Jackson-King, Bianca's two-year-old son, "the most out of all of the kids".Tiffany is described as having a "cute, butter-wouldn’t-melt exterior", which "masks her somewhat mature understanding of adult matters. She sees all, hears all and knows all, and even at five years old has blackmailed her elder sister." She is also described as "a troublesome and cheeky lass" with a "feisty, red-head personality, which she no doubt inherits from Bianca". Actress Maisie Smith, aged 6 at the time of her casting, began filming for EastEnders four days a week from January 2008 and, according to her mother, shares traits with the character she plays: "The role is an exaggeration of her own personality, she's a little madam. A lively character both on and off screen. The difference is, she's told to pronounce her t's at home!"
To promote the family's introduction, the BBC began airing trailers across the BBC network in March 2008. One trailer saw Bianca singing The Jackson 5 hit "I Want You Back" and performing a dance routine along with her four children. The promo uses the tag line "Introducing The Jackson 5". Within three days of being posted on the video sharing website YouTube, the promo had been viewed 52,000 times.
Departure
In April 2014, Palmer announced she was leaving EastEnders and in July 2014, the departure of Smith and Higgs was announced. Show bosses said that whilst they are "sad" about them leaving after six years, the decision "was right for the Butcher family as Bianca would never leave her youngest children behind." Vicky Prior from Metro commented that losing Smith was a "real shame" as she "is a star in the making and despite her young age, has proved adept at both comedy and tragedy." She also stated that Morgan "recently proved an excellent comedy partner for Tiffany" and was "looking forward to seeing these two grow in character and also as actors."Temporary return and reintroduction (2016 and 2018)
Smith made an unannounced return in 2016 alongside Higgs, though she confirmed it was only for two episodes. Smith was uncertain if she would return on a full-time basis, but called her time there "incredible" and said that she "loved it." In November 2017, Smith's return to the serial was announced. Smith said she found it "great to be back" and "lovely" to see and meet her co-stars. Tiffany will have transformed on her return and Smith added she "can't wait to show everyone how much Tiffany has changed." A show spokesperson added that Tiffany's return "will certainly not be quiet" as Tiffany will "instantly cause trouble" for Whitney. Billed as "mischievous" on her return, Tiffany puts on a "chirpy" front, but cannot "conceal how desperate she is to stay" and her arrival puts Whitney's career opportunity "on hold" as she does best to stop Whitney moving to Wakefield. When a pregnancy test is found by Whitney, Tiffany "is about to get her way" as she is confronted by Whitney and reasons that brought her back to Walford come out.Upon her 2018 return, Laura Morgan from Digital Spy compared Tiffany's return to Stacey Slater's arrival in 2004 due to her "brattish behaviour." She describes Tiffany as a "young woman with a healthy appetite for misbehaviour" and a "manipulative madam" who has Bianca's "streetwise attitude", though Tiffany could get into trouble. Morgan opined Tiffany's return will provide storylines for Whitney and lead to the potential reintroduction of the Butcher family, especially Janine. Tiffany is also compared to Bianca from her golden bomber jacket that is a "little nod to the past" and with her fashion sense, it is the viewers being in 1995, "watching young Bianca in action again." Morgan later gave reasons for Tiffany to have a relationship with newcomer Hunter Owen, stating that although "cheeky Tiff thinks the handsome teen is anything but" and despite setting him up with Louise Mitchell, she could indeed want him "for herself", though she may be "a little bit too young."
Whitney "contemplate" Tiffany's future in Walford when she "takes revenge" against Louise over the way she treats Bernadette Taylor by posting a photo of Louise and Hunter in a "compromising position." Despite "already treading on rocky ground, life gets even worse" for Tiffany when she is confronted by the Ahmeds about photos posted online of her and their new foster child, Harley, who is kidnapped by his biological parents.
Second departure (2021)
On 8 October 2021, the BBC confirmed that Smith will be once again be leaving EastEnders, nearly four years after returning. Executive producer, Jon Sen, commented that everyone on the show was "very sad to see Maisie leave" and that she's been a "wonderful company member." He also went onto say that "it's been a privilege to see her blossom into the star she is," while praising her on how much of an "iconic character" she created in Tiffany and that "the door will always be open to her return". On the same day, Maisie filmed her final scenes as the official EastEnders Twitter account released a video confirming this saying, "Today was a sad day on the set of #EastEnders as we said goodbye to the amazing @maisie_smith_, who finished filming her final scene as the iconic Tiffany Butcher-Baker. But we couldn’t let her go without a small surprise and a proper Walford farewell." Her final scenes aired on 14 December 2021.Storylines
Backstory
Tiffany is the product of a one-night stand between Ricky Butcher and Bianca Jackson, which was shown on spin-off show Ricky & Bianca, set in Manchester in 2002. Ricky and Bianca have a son together, Liam Butcher but after Ricky and Bianca had split up, Bianca began a relationship with a trucker named Nathan Dean, although she had a one night stand with Ricky and a few weeks later Bianca discovered she was pregnant but always thought Tiffany was Nathan’s daughter and never put two and two together that there was a chance Tiffany could be Ricky’s daughter until years later.Nathan died in a road accident when Bianca was heavily pregnant and she took on the responsibility of Nathan's daughter Whitney Dean. Bianca had adopted Whitney during her relationship with Nathan as Bianca was the only mother Whitney had ever known as her biological mother walked out of her life when she was a toddler and wanted nothing to do with Whitney.
Bianca gave birth to Tiffany, whom she named after her deceased friend Tiffany Mitchell, and raised her as Nathan's daughter and Whitney's younger half-sister, although she still remained uncertain about Tiffany's true paternity. Tiffany grew up believing Nathan was her father.
2008–2016
Bianca, Whitney, Liam, Tiffany and her brother Morgan Jackson-King are evicted by their landlord. After the family sleep at a bus shelter and Bianca assaults a police officer, Whitney, Liam, Tiffany and Morgan spend a week in care, but the family later moved to Walford, where they move in with Ricky’s stepmother Pat Evans. Tiffany causes havoc by stealing a top from Stacey Branning’s stall for Whitney to wear for a family party and defacing the pavement outside Zainab Masood’s house before ruining her primroses by pouring soapy water over them. As a result, Tiffany unwittingly instigates feuds between Bianca, Stacey and Zainab. However, she takes to Bianca's cousins Bradley and Abi Branning, sharing a common interest in animals.Tiffany's love of animals leads to Whitney begging Vinnie Monks to give them Wellard, formerly the family dog that had been sold to Vinnie after his previous owner Gus Smith left Walford. Vinnie gives Tiffany Wellard, on the condition that Whitney and Liam wash his car every day until he says otherwise. However, tragedy strikes when Wellard has to die Tiffany is devastated, and after overhearing a phone conversation, she is convinced that Bianca’s uncle Ian Beale is behind Wellard’s demise. However, a post-mortem leads to the discovery that Bianca was responsible for Wellard's death because she gave him chocolate. Tiffany eventually forgives Bianca after she convinces Pat to give them her dog Terrence. However, Tiffany is once again left devastated when her aunt Janine Butcher spitefully reclaims Terrence, who was originally her dog.
Tiffany takes to Ricky, who is also living at Pat's house. Ricky grows fond of Tiffany and, on seeing how close they are becoming, Bianca tries to write Ricky a letter explaining that he could be Tiffany's father, which gets stuck to a picture that Tiffany has drawn to give to Ricky. When Ricky reads the letter he asks for a DNA test and a week later they discover that Tiffany is his daughter. They decide not to tell the family so as not to upset Whitney, who now has no biological family left.
After Tiffany is left in Janine’s care, Janine ropes her into one of her schemes when a rich single father wants to buy her sports car. Janine pretends that Tiffany is her daughter and arranges a play-date, only for Bianca to see Tiffany get into the car alone with the stranger. Ricky is furious with Janine and when she questions his loyalty towards Bianca and her children, he tells her the truth. Janine is sworn to secrecy, and begins to bond with her niece. Janine enters Tiffany in a children's talent contest, telling her to think of Wellard her family pets death to make herself cry and gain sympathy from the judges. Tiffany hears Ricky singing The Prodigy’s "Firestarter" and he teaches her the song, which she performs in the contests, which she goes on to win.
Tiffany is bullied by Ian’s son Bobby Beale. Whitney advises her to bully him back, but this only makes things worse. Whitney shouts at Ricky and Bianca for not protecting her and tells Ricky that Tiffany is her sister. This makes Ricky angry and he is fed up of lying about Tiffany's true paternity. He tells Bianca that once her ex-boyfriend Tony King’s trial is over, he will come clean about Tiffany's paternity. When Tiffany breaks Whitney's phone and shouts at her, Ricky and Whitney get into an argument. Whitney tells Ricky to leave her and Tiffany alone as she is nothing to do with him, but he reveals that Tiffany is his daughter. Whitney begins to ignore Tiffany so Bianca and Ricky tell her the truth and she is happy. After Whitney gives evidence at Tony's trial, she says she is still Whitney's sister and they hug. On Christmas Eve, Tiffany reads out a letter to Santa, wishing him to bring happiness to Whitney. Bianca later sees the letter, seeing that Tiffany wishes Ricky and Bianca to get married. Ricky and Bianca get engaged to Tiffany's delight. When Ricky and Bianca get married, they decide to change Tiffany’s name from Dean to Butcher, which makes Tiffany extremely happy. This upsets Whitney but she soon gets over it after seeing how happy Tiffany is.
When Dotty Cotton has a birthday party, Tiffany refuses to go, asking Ricky to lie for her. The next day, Tiffany tells Dotty she is not invited to her birthday party, but Bianca later invites her. On Tiffany's birthday, she stays at home without Ricky and Bianca knowing with Dotty. After an argument, Dotty runs off with Tiffany's bridesmaid's dress and throws her MP3 player into a bin. When Tiffany cannot reach to get it out, Dotty pushes her in and flees. Tiffany's uncle Billie Jackson saves her from being crushed by the dustbin lorry. The day before Ricky and Bianca's wedding, Bianca's mother Carol Jackson arrives looking for Billie. Carol and Bianca do not get on so Carol decides not to stay, even though Liam and Tiffany want her to.
Tiffany's uncle Robbie Jackson also attends the wedding and looks forward to seeing Wellard but is unaware that Wellard is dead until Tiffany tells him. After the wedding Carol and Bianca make up and Carol later moves in. Tiffany is very upset when Billie dies. In December 2010, Bianca explains that they cannot afford a lot for Christmas. Liam and Tiffany see Bianca using money-making schemes in the café, so they steal perfume from the market, ultimately leading to Bianca being arrested for assaulting a police officer. When Tiffany drops off a card she made for Carol, she sees her kissing Connor Stanley through the letterbox. The next day she acts strangely and crosses Carol out of a family photograph with a pen. Bianca worries about her behaviour, so gets Liam to ask her what is wrong. Tiffany tells Liam of what she saw. Although she wants to tell Bianca, Liam says not to tell anyone as it may cause an argument and they may end up in care homes. However, Tiffany witnesses Carol and Connor embracing and has trouble controlling herself, finally snapping at Carol and calling her a bad person for doing things with "Whitney's boyfriend", prompting Carol to try and persuade her to keep her quiet. Tiffany gets into a fight at school and tells her teacher that she saw Carol die under a bus. She is suspended for two days. She refuses to speak to Bianca, and Bianca suspects she is being abused. Carol is then forced to reveal the truth and Bianca realises Carol was silencing Tiffany. The events lead to Bianca attacking Connor and going to prison.
When Whitney disappears, Tiffany helps to find her as she has kept a diary of everything she hears. Whitney is then found and comes back home. Liam, Tiffany and Morgan are left devastated when Ricky leaves for a job in Dubai. Tiffany and her friends tease Janine when she is forced to clean Ian’s chip shop floor on her hands and knees. Janine buys presents for Liam and Morgan and upsets Tiffany by leaving her out because of the incident in the chip shop. Tiffany is devastated when Ricky leaves again for six months in Dubai. When Janine later buys her some presents, Tiffany rejects them. Tiffany makes friends with Shenice Quinn and is delighted when Shenice is enrolled at her school.
Tiffany is excited when Bianca is due to be released from prison in time for her Christmas concert. However, Ricky receives news that there is a delay and that Bianca will not be out in time. Tiffany is upset and does not put much effort into her performance, until Bianca appears halfway through, and Tiffany is overjoyed. She is then devastated when Pat dies, and when Ricky leaves again. Bianca is soon forced to reveal that she and Ricky have split up and he will not be returning. She then worries that Morgan's father Ray Dixon will get into a relationship with Bianca after seeing them hugging, as she does not want any more changes, and Bianca has to explain there is nothing between them. Realising that Bianca is having some difficulties with her money, Tiffany and Morgan go to see Dot Branning at the laundrette. She tells them that when she had problems as a child, she felt better after being given a bath. Tiffany and Morgan then decide to run a bath for Bianca but accidentally leave the taps on when they go out. When they get home, the bath has overflowed and is leaking into the living room. They also find a kitten, which Bianca’s uncle Derek Branning helps to look after, and he encourages them to keep it a secret from the rest of the family and names it Joey. Bianca is later caught stealing money and returns to prison, but this time located in Suffolk.
Tiffany then moves to Suffolk with the rest of her family to be near Bianca. She returns for Janine's wedding to Michael Moon, along with Ricky, Morgan and her aunt Diane Butcher. She then moves back to Walford with her family for when Bianca is released from prison.
Tiffany and Bobby begin a relationship and get each other walkie talkies. When Bianca trashes Ian's new restaurant, Ian agrees not to go to the police in exchange for Tiffany and Bobby not seeing each other any more. Tiffany is upset when Bobby does not call her on the walkie talkie. Tiffany and Bobby then start meeting in secret. However, she is not pleased when Bianca returns from a trip to Manchester announces that her new boyfriend Terry Spraggan and his children, TJ and Rosie Spraggan, are moving in. Tiffany and Morgan are later upset when they discover that Carol has breast cancer, though she makes a full recovery. Tiffany's last day of primary school was ruined when she accidentally brought brownies containing drugs into school. Bianca agrees to move to Milton Keynes with Terry, TJ, Rosie and TJ’s daughter Beth, taking Tiffany and Morgan with her and Liam decides to move to Milton Keynes with Ricky and his girlfriend Cindy Williams - who is Beth’s mother.
Tiffany and Morgan return for Whitney's wedding to Lee Carter and she tries on her bridesmaid dress. Tiffany acts as bridesmaid with Whitney's niece, Lily Slater. She and Morgan leave again shortly after the reception.