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Billie Jackson (credited as Billy until 2004) is a fictional character from the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', played by

Devon Anderson Devon Carlo Anderson (born 25 August 1987) is an English actor. Anderson's roles include Billie Jackson in ''EastEnders'' and Sonny Valentine in ''Hollyoaks''. Early life Anderson was born on 25 August 1987 in London. Acting career Anderso ...

from 1993 to 1997, and by Bluey Robinson for a brief return in 2004. The character returned in 2010, along with other members of the Jackson family. It was confirmed in November 2009 that Anderson would reprise the role, 13 years after he was last seen on the soap. He made his return on 4 February 2010. The character was killed off in October 2010, and made his last credited appearance on 14 October.

Storylines

Billie is the only son of Carol and

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many o ...

and he arrives in

Walford Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work i ...

in 1993 along with his half brother

Robbie Robbie or Robby is a surname. It is usually encountered as a nickname or a shortened form of Robert, Rob (given name), Rob or Robin (name), Robin. The name experienced a significant rise in popularity in Northern Ireland in 2003. People Given nam ...

and his half sisters

Bianca Bianca is a feminine given name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. Variants * Blanche: French * Bianca: Italian * Bianka ( Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, German, English, French, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, C ...

and

Sonia Sonia, Sonja or Sonya, a name of Greek origin meaning wisdom, may refer to: People * Sonia (name), a feminine given name (lists people named, Sonia, Sonja and Sonya) :* Sonia (actress), Indian film actress in Malayalam and Tamil films :* Sonia ...

. He is very close to his father and when Alan has an affair with the malicious

Frankie Pierre Frankie Pierre is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. She appears between 24 June 1996 and 25 March 1997, played by Syan Blake Sian Samantha Blake (September 1972 – 14 or 15 December 2015), also known by her stage name Syan Blake, was a British actress, best known for playing Frankie Pierre on the British television show ''EastEnders'', appearing in 56 episodes in 1 ...

) and moves out of the family home, Billie takes the separation badly. On Christmas Day 1996, he becomes so upset that Alan is not there for the festivities that he runs away from home, prompting most of the Square's residents to abandon their Christmas dinners to search for him. He is found by

Nigel Nigel ( ) is an English language, English masculine given name. The English ''Nigel'' is commonly found in records dating from the Middle Ages; however, it was not used much before being revived by 19th-century antiquarians. For instance, Walte ...

and

Clare Bates Clare Bates (also Tyler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Gemma Bissix. Bissix originally played the character as a schoolgirl from 1993 to 1998. She left the serial with her screen stepfather Nigel Bat ...

( Paul Bradley and

Gemma Bissix Gemma Bissix (born 6 June 1983) is an English actress. She has been acting since the age of 9. Her most prominent roles have been in soap operas, as Clare Bates in ''EastEnders'' (1993–1998, 2008) and Clare Devine in '' Hollyoaks'' (2006–20 ...

), hiding in a derelict building. They return him to his worried parents and the Jacksons eventually have a happy Christmas together, including Alan. In February 1997, Billie accompanies his great grandmother Blossom (

Mona Hammond Mona Hammond (born Mavis Chin; 1 January 1931 – 4 July 2022) was a Jamaican-British actress and co-founder of the Talawa Theatre Company. Born in Tweedside, Jamaica,

) on a trip to a local

building society A building society is a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization. Building societies offer banking and related financial services, especially savings and mortgage lending. Building societies exist in the United Kingdo ...

. Whilst there, the building society is held up at gunpoint and robbed by a gang of masked thieves. Billie and Blossom are unharmed, but another man is shot and killed and Billie, the only witness, gets a glimpse of the thieves without their masks on. Billie is asked to provide testimony and help identify the thieves in a police line-up, which leads to several arrests. Carol remains apprehensive about Billie's involvement throughout the ordeal. In September 1997, the Jacksons hear news that the court case to try the suspected robbers is soon to take place. The family then suffer intimidation from the gang, in order to stop Billie from testifying against them. After picking Billie up from school one day, a "supply teacher" approaches Carol and asks if she can talk about Billie's behaviour. Whilst she is distracted, Billie is kidnapped in broad daylight. After several days of investigation, the police trace Billie and he is reunited with his family. After this, the Jackson family, apart from Bianca, are placed in a

witness protection Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...

program and rehoused away from the Square for their own safety. They depart on 16 October 1997. Following the trial, Robbie and, later, Sonia return to Walford and Carol also returns in 1999 when she splits up with Alan for a second time. Billie remains living with his father and grandmother in

Balham Balham () is an area in south London, England, mostly within the London Borough of Wandsworth with small parts within the neighbouring London Borough of Lambeth. The area has been settled since Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as B ...

and Carol later returns to live with them. Billie returns to the Square briefly in June 2004 to attend Sonia's wedding to Martin Fowler (

James Alexandrou James Alekos Alexandrou (born 12 April 1985) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is known for portraying the role of Martin Fowler in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1996 to 2007. He was also the presenter of ''Bizarre Crime'' on B ...

), and flirts with Martin's niece,

Vicki Vicky, Vicko, Vick, Vickie or Vicki is a feminine given name, often a hypocorism of Victoria. The feminine name Vicky in Greece comes from the name Vasiliki. Women * Family nickname of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901), wife of German ...

(

Scarlett Johnson Scarlett Alice Johnson (born 7 April 1985) is an English actress, producer and drama teacher. She is best known for her roles as Vicki Fowler in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Laura Derbyshire in the BBC Three sitcom ''Pramface''. Earl ...

), at the reception and gets drunk. Billie returns to Walford in 2010, calling at Bianca's home, and later attends her wedding. After his cousin

Bradley Bradley is an English surname derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English. Like many English surnames Bradley can also be used as a given name and as such has become popular. It is also an Anglicisation of t ...

(

Charlie Clements Charlie Clements (born 5 June 1987) is an English actor known for the role of Bradley Branning in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from January 2006 to February 2010. He has won several soap and magazine awards for his performance. Biograph ...

) dies, Carol and Billie move back to Albert Square and Billie starts seeing Bianca's adopted daughter

Whitney Dean Whitney Dean (also Carter) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shona McGarty. The character is the ward of long-running character Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer) and was introduced on 1 April 2008 when Pa ...

(

Shona McGarty Shona McGarty (born 14 October 1991) is an English actress and singer who portrays Whitney Dean in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Career Before joining ''EastEnders'', McGarty had been involved in amateur musical theatre for six years, in ...

). It is revealed that Billie is hiding a handgun in Bianca's home. He tells his former gang mates, Kylie, Connor and Mitch (

Elarica Gallacher Elarica Johnson (; born 21 August 1989) is an English actress and model, best known for playing Hailey (aka Autumn Night) in ''P-Valley.'' Johnson also starred in ''A Discovery of Witches'', in which she played Juliette Durand. She played Kylie ...

, Arinze Kene and Theo Barklem-Biggs) that he has disposed of it, but after they arrive in Walford and find the gun, and plan to hold up

The Queen Victoria The Queen Victoria (more often referred to as The Queen Vic or The Vic) is the Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20. Appearance and developmen ...

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

. However, Billie is unmasked during the raid and it is revealed he used a water pistol. He then chooses Whitney over his former gang members, so Kylie takes revenge by attempting to shoot Billie with his gun, but accidentally shoots his uncle

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

(

Scott Maslen Scott Alexander Maslen (born 25 June 1971) is an English actor and model, best known for his portrayal as DS Phil Hunter in ITV's ''The Bill'' and Jack Branning on the BBC's flagship soap ''EastEnders'' since 2007. He also took part in the 20 ...

) instead, who is left critically ill in hospital. Blaming himself, Billie announces his plan to join the army, but Carol is opposed to the idea until she discovers the gun came from Billie and tells him the army is the best place for him. When he is accepted into the army, Whitney promises to make the most of their remaining two weeks together. However, he discovers that

Leon Small Leon Small is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and its Internet spin-off ''EastEnders: E20'', played by Sam Attwater. He made his first appearance in EastEnders on 5 January and appears in all twelve episodes of the ...

(

Sam Attwater Samuel Attwater (born 10 April 1986) is an English actor and singer who played Leon Small in the British soap opera ''EastEnders'' and its online spin-off '' EastEnders: E20''. He won the sixth series of '' Dancing on Ice'' in March 2011 and p ...

) kissed Whitney and is angry when she does not mention it, but she insists she has not cheated on him. Billie apologises, and they reunite before Billie goes away for army training. When Billie is due to return on leave, he tells Carol that the army have denied it. However, Carol, Whitney and Bianca discover that he is taking his leave with friends instead of returning to Walford. When Billie finally does return to see Whitney, he upsets her by ending their relationship, saying he has changed. He reveals he has started a relationship with a female recruit named Siobhan, and decides he should leave. Whitney's brother

Ryan Malloy Ryan Malloy is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Neil McDermott. From his arrival on 28 April 2009, the character remained a mystery in the show for a number of months, until he was revealed as the half-brot ...

(

Neil McDermott Neil McDermott (born 15 December 1980) is a British stage and television actor, who is best known for portraying Ryan Malloy in the BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders''. Career McDermott appeared in the 2008 ''Doctor Who'' episode "The Nex ...

) punches him in the face. Carol overreacts as she wipes the blood off him so Billie snaps at her, saying she causes carnage wherever she goes. He then says she does not have to worry about him as he has a new life now. For Billie's birthday, Carol arranges a birthday party, but discovers from Whitney that he is having a party in Southend-on-Sea. Bianca brings him back to Walford on his birthday, and he makes amends with Jack. At the party, Billie's friends bring a lot of alcohol and his cousin,

Lauren Branning Lauren Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. The role was originated by Madeline Duggan, who first appeared on 3 July 2006. Duggan played the role for four years until her exit on 23 June 2010. Three months l ...

(

Jacqueline Jossa Jacqueline Mary Osborne (''née'' Jossa) (born 29 October 1992) is an English actress and television presenter. She is known for portraying Lauren Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2010 to 2022, and winning the nineteenth ser ...

) brings a bottle of vodka, which Billie drinks in one go. Carol decides to let him to continue to drink as he is an adult and makes his own choices. The next morning, the family think Billie is sleeping on the settee, but Bianca finds him dead when she tries to wake him, having died from choking on his own vomit from alcohol poisoning. His body is later removed by undertakers. Whitney later discovers a text message on her phone from Billie, saying he still loves her and wants to make a go of things again. Billie's personal possessions are brought home to Carol, one of which is his laptop, on which Carol discovers a video of Billie saying he wishes she would drop dead. Billie's funeral takes place on 25 October 2010.

Creation and development

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 (

Lindsey Coulson Lindsey Coulson (born 13 April 1960) is an English actress, known for her role as Carol Jackson in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. For this role, she won the 2000 British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance. Coulson is also well kno ...

), her four children,

(

Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is an English actress and DJ, known for her roles as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), and Bianca Jackson in the ...

(

Dean Gaffney Dean Martin Gaffney (born 14 February 1978) is an English actor, known for his role as Robbie Jackson on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1993 to 2003 and 2017 to 2019; he also made guest appearances in 2004, 2010 and 2015. In 2006, he ...

), Sonia (

Natalie Cassidy Natalie Ann Cassidy (born 13 May 1983) is an English actress. She has played Sonia Fowler in ''EastEnders'' since 1993, appeared in the BBC Two sitcom-horror '' Psychoville'' and was a contestant on the seventh series of ''Strictly Come Dan ...

), and Billy (

), as well as Carol's partner

(

Howard Antony Howard Antony (born 19 April 1963) is a British actor, best known for playing the role of Alan Jackson, in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 1993 to 1997 and briefly again in 2010. He left ''EastEnders'' and went on to become a drama teacher ...

). Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in the serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billy, the whole family took on Alan's surname. The family was created by writer

Tony McHale Tony McHale (born Anthony John Wright, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire) is a British actor, writer, director and producer, who is known for starring in ''Coronation Street'' and also known as a "stooge" to Jeremy Beadle on ''Game For A Laugh'' ...

. 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!" 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 Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work i ...

. Their slow introduction was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period. The Jacksons were described by ''EastEnders'' scriptwriter

Colin Brake Colin Brake (born 1962) is an English television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programmes such as '' Bugs'' and '' EastEnders''. He has also written spin-offs from the BBC series '' Doctor Who''. He lives and w ...

as a "classic problem family". Anderson was 6 years old when he first appeared on-screen as Billie. In a 2000 book, author Kate Lock described Billy as "angelic" and a "cheeky, curly-haired cherub whose principal dramatic function seemed to be to generate angst in the bosom of his family". His most notable storyline in his initial stint was also his exit storyline. Following Lindsey Coulson's decision to quit her role as Carol, the Jackson family were written out of the soap in 1997. In the storyline, Billy was kidnapped after witnessing an armed robbery and the whole family was relocated under a witness protection programme until Billy testified in court. While the majority of the Jackson family returned to the serial, Billy Jackson was not seen again until 2004. It was announced in April that year that the character would be returning briefly to attend the wedding of his sister Sonia. Producers decided not to bring back the original actor, and Billy was played by Bluey Robinson for several episodes in June 2004. It was announced in October 2009 that the character, now called Billie, would be rejoining the soap along with the rest of the Jackson clan, excluding Alan and Blossom, for a storyline to mark the 25th anniversary of ''EastEnders'' in February 2010. At the time the casting for the character had not been finalised; however, it was confirmed in November 2009 that the original actor, Devon Anderson, would be reprising the role 13 years after he had last been seen in the soap. Anderson commented, "I'm really happy to be back at ''EastEnders'' playing the role of Billie Jackson again. It was my first acting role and I can't wait to get started again. It is also very exciting that all of the Jackson family will be reunited and I'm sure that will be eventful for the viewers." Executive producer

Diederick Santer Diederick Santer (born 3 July 1969) is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera ''EastEnders'', a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010. He was Chief Exec ...

added, "Viewers will remember Devon as the original Billie Jackson, the cute kid with the big hair. Devon, like Billie, is all grown up, and 12 years on, I'm delighted to welcome this talented young actor back to the show." He later described the character as "interesting", saying "He's a troubled soul, torn between being a good son to his mother and trying to have an exciting London life. And when your mother's Carol Jackson, that's quite a feat." A source told the media website

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

, "Billie's become a young man since the last time we saw him - he might even ereferred to by his proper name Will. He's still the apple of his mother's eye but is he the angelic family man she wants him to be?" Talking about the show's 25th anniversary week, Santer explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "That's ..why we're doing the soap wedding of the year ..with Ricky and Bianca. ..The wedding is the perfect opportunity for us to bring back the much-loved Jackson characters – Carol, Sonia, Robbie and Billie." Anderson said he found it easy to return to the role, saying that "When a child comes into a show, you can't give them a character, so anything that was created for Billie was by me in the early days. Nobody knows Billie like me!" He added that Billie is "clever and very much a dark horse – you never know what you're going to get with him." On 18 September 2010, it was reported that the character would be killed off the following month after an alcohol-fuelled birthday celebration. Coulson said that although the storyline had "huge shock value", she felt it was too soon to kill off the character, as "there were lots of stories they could have told about Billie."

Reception

Billie's death was nominated in the 'Best Single Episode' category at the 2011

British Soap Awards The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV and has been presented by Phillip Schofield since 2006. The trophies give ...

. In October 2011, Anderson was nominated for one award, at the Screen Nation Awards which celebrate the best British Black talent. He was nominated for the Emerging Talent award.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Billie EastEnders characters Fictional Black British people Fictional British Army personnel Television characters introduced in 1993 Fictional gang members Fictional alcohol abusers Male characters in television Child characters in television Teenage characters in television Fictional criminals in soap operas