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Veronica "Ronnie" Branning (also Mitchell) 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. ...

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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

Samantha Womack Samantha Zoe Womack (''Birth name, née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the Unite ...

. She and her younger sister

Roxy Mitchell Roxanne "Roxy" Mitchell (also Slater) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', portrayed by Rita Simons.Rita Simons Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress and singer from London. She is best known for playing Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed-off, alongside her on screen ...

) were introduced by 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 Execu ...

in July 2007. Ronnie is described as the "ice" to Roxy's "fire". As an extension to the already established Mitchell family, Ronnie quickly became a prominent character, taking over the square’s local nightclub. She later formed an

on-off relationship An on-again, off-again relationship (also known as an on–off or off–on relationship) is a form of personal relationship between two persons who keep breaking up only to reconcile afterwards, thus repeating a cycle. Researcher Kale Monk, an a ...

with her business partner,

Jack Branning Jack Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Scott Maslen. He made his first appearance on 29 October 2007. He is the youngest child of Jim (John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graham) and the brother ...

(

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 2010 ...

). The character is introduced during the episode first broadcast on 24 July 2007. Her first major storyline saw Ronnie clash with her villainous father,

Archie Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands * Archie Blake (mathematici ...

(

Larry Lamb Lawrence Douglas Lamb (born 1 October 1947) is an English actor and radio presenter. He played Archie Mitchell in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', Mick Shipman in the BBC comedy series ''Gavin & Stacey'' and Ted Case in the final series of ...

), after it transpired that he forced his eldest daughter — at the age of 14 — to give up her newborn baby just moments after she gave birth. This escalates in " The Secret Mitchell" and "

Who Killed Archie? "Who Killed Archie?" is a storyline from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It began on 25 December 2009, Christmas Day, when the character Archie Mitchell, played by Larry Lamb, was murdered by an unseen person. Events leading up to and following ...

" scenarios, wherein the former explores Ronnie's friendship with her employee Danielle Jones (

Lauren Crace Lauren Rose Crace (born 25 May 1986) is an English actress and radio presenter, known for her portrayal of Danielle Jones in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2008 to 2009. Early life The daughter of contemporary writer Jim Crace and Pam ...

) — who later turns out to be her long-lost daughter — and the latter reveals that Archie had raped Ronnie when she was 13. Soon afterwards, Ronnie becomes the subject of a controversial storyline where she swaps her dead baby with that of

Tommy Moon The following are characters who first appeared, or returned, in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' during 2010 listed by order of first appearance. Executive producer Diederick Santer left ''EastEnders'' on 26 February 2010, handing over to Br ...

— the son of her close friend

Kat Moon Kathleen "Kat" Slater (also Moon) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jessie Wallace. She is also played by Kate Peck in a flashback in 2001 and Sumar-Elise Sandford in a flashback in 2018. Kat is the seco ...

(

Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Kat Slater on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2000. Her role as Kat won her the Nationa ...

). This contributes to the development of Womack leaving the role in 2011, with the character departing in the episode shown on 7 July 2011. In May 2013, show bosses announced that Womack would return to ''EastEnders'' as Ronnie for six months. Womack returned on screen for two three-month-long stints, from 9 September 2013 to 1 January 2014 and from 3 March to 23 June 2014. She then returned full-time to screens on 25 September 2014. Womack's second stint on the show saw Ronnie involved in storylines such as killing

Carl White Carl White is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Daniel Coonan. He first appears in the 4660th episode, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2013. Carl is the ex-boyfriend of Kirsty Brannin ...

(

Daniel Coonan Daniel Coonan is a British actor. Early life Coonan was brought up in Haringey, in north London, moving to Plymouth, Devon in his teens, where he took up acting lessons. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Career Afte ...

) in self-defence, marrying Charlie Cotton (

Declan Bennett Declan William Bennett (born 20 March 1981) is an English singer-songwriter, actor and playwright. He gained prominence as a member of the band Point Break, before going on to perform on London's West End and as a solo musician. He is known on ...

) and having a child with him, having an affair with

Vincent Hubbard Vincent Hubbard is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Richard Blackwood. He was introduced by executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins during the show's 30th anniversary celebrations, and was later reve ...

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Richard Blackwood Richard Clifford Blackwood (born 15 May 1972) is a British actor, presenter and rapper. Between 2015 and 2018, he played Vincent Hubbard in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. In 2020, he began portraying the role of Felix Westwood in the Channel ...

), attempting to poison

Dean Wicks Dean Wicks (known as Deano in his initial stint) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' played by Matt Di Angelo. He made his first appearance on 2 January 2006. It was announced on 18 August 2007 that the characters of ...

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Matt Di Angelo Mario Angelo S Constantinou (born 1 May 1987), professionally known as Matt Di Angelo, is a British actor and singer, best known for his role as Dean Wicks in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. He also portrayed Sean Kennedy in the BBC drama s ...

), being stalked by

Andy Flynn Andy Flynn may refer to: *Andy Flynn (footballer) Andrew Flynn (1895 – ?) was an English professional footballer who played as a full back. He played for Mexborough, Exeter City, York City and Boston Town. Career Born in Sheffield, West ...

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Jack Derges Jack Derges is a British actor known for portraying the role of Andy Flynn in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Career Derges made his acting debut in the 2007 ''Casualty'' episode "Core Values" as Private Haydon; he returned to the show in 2 ...

), and remarrying Jack before drowning along with Roxy in a swimming pool. In August 2016, it was reported that Ronnie and Roxy would depart together in a "dramatic exit". The sisters were

killed-off The killing off of a character is a device in fiction, whereby a character dies, but the story continues. The term, frequently applied to television, film, video game, anime, manga and chronological series, often denotes an untimely or unexpect ...

on 1 January 2017 after Ronnie's second wedding to Jack, although Ronnie appears on-screen for a final time when Jack visits her corpse on 19 January 2017. A younger version of Ronnie, played by Lucia De Wan, appeared in a flashback episode broadcast on 5 September 2022, which focuses on the Mitchell family in the 1970s.

Storylines

2007–2011

Having been running a bar in

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

, Ronnie Mitchell and her younger sister Roxy (

Rita Simons Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress and singer from London. She is best known for playing Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed-off, alongside her on screen ...

) visit

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 ...

to support their cousin

Phil Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root te ...

(

Steve McFadden Steve Robert McFadden (né Reid; born 20 March 1959) is an English actor. He is known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', which he has played since 1990. He was also the presenter of the game show, ''Britain's ...

) on his wedding to his fiance

Stella Crawford Stella Crawford is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Sophie Thompson from 7 September 2006 to 23 July 2007. The character's story arc revolves on her relationship with established character Phil Mitchell ...

(

Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress who has worked in film, television and theatre. A six-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of ''Into the Woods' ...

). It discloses that the sisters have also come to see their aunt

Peggy Mitchell Margaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared in the episode broadcast on 30 April 1991, featuring in 10 episodes. ...

(

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.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 ...

while she is on holiday. Ronnie goes into partnership with businessman

(

), purchasing a nightclub, R&R, together, and begin an on-off relationship. During a period of separation, Roxy becomes pregnant by Jack after a one-night stand. Ronnie, unaware of who the father is, offers to support her sister and they briefly return to Ibiza. After an argument, Roxy visits their father,

Archie Mitchell Archibald Lionel "Archie" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Larry Lamb. He first appeared on 8 July 2008 as a newest member of the Mitchell family—who had first appeared on the soap in 1990— ...

(

), to Ronnie's horror. She is relieved when Roxy returns to the Square but horrified when Peggy announces that she and Archie are engaged. Roxy gives birth to a daughter,

Amy Mitchell The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' which aired in 2008 (by order of first appearance). All characters were introduced by executive producer Diederick Santer. Santer introduced four ch ...

, named after the daughter Ronnie had who died. Ronnie is hurt when she learns of Amy's paternity but eventually forgives them both. Ronnie has a tumultuous relationship with employee, Danielle Jones (

), eventually leading to Danielle being sacked and Ronnie publicly berating her. Danielle is devastated, and is later seen clutching a locket containing a photograph of Ronnie, revealing herself to be Ronnie's daughter. It transpires that Danielle is the result of a teenage romance between Ronnie and her first boyfriend,

Joel Reynolds Joel Reynolds (born 5 June 1984) is a former Australian rules footballer. Reynolds is the grandson of Bomber legend Dick Reynolds Richard Sylvannus Reynolds (20 June 1915 – 2 September 2002) was an Australian rules footballer who pla ...

(

Cavan Clerkin Cavan Clerkin (born 1973) is a British actor and filmmaker from Hackney, London. Career Clerkin has appeared in various TV shows including ''Smack the Pony'', ''The Inbetweeners'' and ''The IT Crowd'', and feature films ''Gangster No. 1'', '' ...

). Archie disapproved of the pregnancy and put Danielle—named Amy by Ronnie—up for adoption. Danielle was adopted by Lizzie and Andy Jones (

Aneirin Hughes Aneirin Hughes (born Aneurin Hughes, 8 May 1958) is a Welsh actor and singer known for playing Chief Superintendent Brian Prosser in the BBC4 Welsh police drama ''Hinterland''. He won a Best Actor BAFTA Cymru (or BAFTA Wales) for his appearance ...

), and is now trying to locate her birth mother. On Archie and Peggy's wedding day, Danielle tells Ronnie that she is her daughter. Ronnie does not believe her because Archie told her that her daughter is dead, and throws her out. She later realises that Danielle was telling the truth and tries to apologize to Danielle, but she is hit by a car driven by Peggy's ex-stepdaughter

Janine Butcher Janine Carter (also Butcher, Evans and Malloy) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', introduced in 1989. The character was played by Rebecca Michael from 1989 to 1993, Alexia Demetriou from 1993 to 1996, and Charlie ...

(

Charlie Brooks Charlene Emma Brooks (born 3 May 1981) is a British actress. Known for the role of Janine Butcher in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', she has received numerous awards since her first appearance on the soap in 1999, with storylines invo ...

) and dies in Ronnie's arms. Danielle's adoptive father, Andy, comes to London to get her and takes Danielle's remains back to Telford and bans Ronnie from the funeral. Despite this, Ronnie goes to Telford and Danielle's best-friend

Stacey Slater Stacey Slater (also Branning and Fowler) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a fe ...

(

Lacey Turner Lacey Amelia Turner (born 28 March 1988) is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Stacey Slater on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' (2004–2010, 2014–present), for which she has won over thirty awards, including four ...

) convinces Andy to talk to Ronnie about Danielle. Grieving for the daughter she was not allowed to raise, Ronnie becomes obsessed with having a baby. She tries tricking Jack into getting her pregnant and rekindles her romance with Joel until she learns that he has had a

vasectomy Vasectomy, or vasoligation, is an elective surgical procedure for male sterilization or permanent contraception. During the procedure, the male vasa deferentia are cut and tied or sealed so as to prevent sperm from entering into the urethra and ...

so Ronnie ends their relationship. She gets pregnant by

Owen Turner Owen Turner is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Lee Ross. He originally appeared in the show on 15 June 2006 and left the show in late 2006. In 2009, it was announced that Ross would return to the show; he ...

(

Lee Ross Lee David Ross (August 25, 1942 – May 14, 2021) was a Canadian-American professor. He held the title of the Stanford Federal Credit Union Professor of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University and was an influential social psychologist wh ...

), but miscarries when Archie pushes her into the bar during an argument. Archie is later murdered and Ronnie is arrested as a suspect but released without charge. When Roxy accuses Ronnie of murdering their father, Ronnie reveals that Archie raped Stacey, and did the same to her when she was 13. Stacey's late husband

Bradley Branning Bradley Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Charlie Clements. He made his first appearance on screen on 24 January 2006 and last appeared on 22 February 2010 after he was killed off in the show's 2 ...

(

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. Biography ...

) is posthumously assumed guilty of the murder after falling from the roof of the Queen Vic while trying to evade police arrest. On Ronnie's birthday, Jack proposes and she accepts. When the issue of Archie raping Ronnie arises again, Peggy refuses to believe it but later learns that Ronnie is telling the truth and that Ronnie and Roxy's mother, Glenda (

Glynis Barber Glynis Barber (born Glynis van der Riet; 25 October 1955) is a South African actress. She is known for her portrayals of Sgt. Harriet Makepeace in the British police drama ''Dempsey and Makepeace'', Glenda Mitchell in ''EastEnders'', DCI Grace ...

), knew but did not stop it. Ronnie learns of this and disowns her, though they later reconcile. When Ronnie learns that Stacey killed Archie, she allows her to leave the country after the police are called, feeling that Stacey has suffered enough. Ronnie's cousin Sam (

Danniella Westbrook Danniella Westbrook (born 5 November 1973) is an English actress, best known for originally playing Sam Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' on and off from 1990 to 2000 and 2009 to 2016. Away from ''EastEnders'', she has presented var ...

) has a son,

Ricky Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic * Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

. She learns that Jack is Richard's father, following a brief relationship. Ronnie is also pregnant but they agree that Richard will live with Jack and Ronnie when Sam feels unable to cope with parenthood but, having given a child up for adoption, Ronnie can see that Sam is having doubts. Consequently, Ronnie gives her money so she and Richard can leave Walford together. She and Jack marry and prepare for the birth of their child. Ronnie bonds with

(

) over being abused as children and have given their first child up for adoption. With Jack abroad on business, Ronnie gives birth to a boy called

James Branning The following are characters who first appeared, or returned, in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2010 listed by order of first appearance. Executive producer Diederick Santer left ''EastEnders'' on 26 February 2010, handing over to Bry ...

but he dies of

sudden infant death syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usuall ...

within days of being born and as Ronnie seeks help, she swaps her child with Kat's newborn son -

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

. Almost instantly, Ronnie regrets her actions. She then tries to swap the babies back, but it is too late as James has been found and Jack has met Tommy upon returning - thinking he is his son. Ronnie struggles to bond with Tommy and refuses to let anyone see him. She is refused permission to attend James's funeral but goes anyway. At the wake, she gives Tommy to Kat but her intention is misunderstood and leads Jack to think she needs psychiatric help. Ronnie discovers that Kat's brother-in-law Michael Moon (

Steve John Shepherd Stephen John Shepherd (born 1 August 1973) is an English actor. He is known for his portrayals of Jo in the TV drama ''This Life'' and Michael Moon in the soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2010 to 2013. Personal life Shepherd was born in London ...

) is Tommy's birth father and tries to sabotage his relationships with Roxy and Jack so he will leave Walford but Michael convinces Jack that Ronnie is obsessed with him. Unable to explain her actions, Ronnie agrees that she needs professional help and visits a counsellor but leaves before the session and lies to Jack about it. Glenda realises that Ronnie is not attending counselling but is forced to leave Walford. Ronnie briefly goes missing, and after Jack brings her home, her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. After visiting the hospital where James was born, she finally admits the truth and returns Tommy to Kat. Questioned at the police station about her mental health, Ronnie admits that she has been having flashbacks since Danielle's death. She is remanded in custody and asks Jack to move on. Roxy convinces Ronnie to apply for bail, which she is granted. Jack forgives her and they resume their relationship. Michael attempts to frame Ronnie for kidnapping Tommy so she will get a custodial sentence. She is sentenced to three years and as she is being taken away, Kat tells her that she forgives her. Ronnie then says goodbye to Roxy, telling her that she was the one looking after her for the last few years. Ronnie sits alone in her cell, holding Danielle's locket, having finally found peace. Jack tries to visit Ronnie but she refuses to see him and in December 2011, she files for divorce.

2013–2017

In September 2013, Roxy, Jack and Kat are notified that Ronnie is being released from prison. Roxy wants to meet her, but Tommy's stepfather

Alfie Moon Alfie Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Shane Richie. He made his first appearance on 21 November 2002, and left on 25 December 2005. He returned to ''EastEnders'' on 21 September 2010, following th ...

(

Shane Richie Shane Patrick Paul Roche (born 11 March 1964), known as Shane Richie, is a British actor, comedian, television presenter and singer. Following initial success as a stage and screen performer, he became best known for his portrayal of the charac ...

) - who Roxy is now engaged to - protests. Kat goes instead and brings Ronnie back to Albert Square. Alfie insists Ronnie keep her distance, when he finds the sisters reminiscing with Tommy, nearby. As a result, Roxy cuts ties with Ronnie and spends time healing things with Alfie, away from the Square. During this time, Ronnie reconciles with Jack, but when it comes to going public, Jack cannot do it and decides to leave Walford. Ronnie's cousin, Phil, puts Ronnie in charge of his businesses, while he recovers from a car accident. She makes an enemy in

(

), when he attempts to muscle in on the businesses. When Roxy returns to the Square, she and Ronnie make peace but Ronnie becomes suspicious about Alfie's feelings for Kat. She is proved right when he leaves Roxy just after their wedding ceremony. Roxy then starts dating Carl and when Ronnie fails to pull her back together, she convinces Phil to sell The Queen Vic, the pub that Kat and Alfie lease from him, to force them out of Walford. However, Roxy continues to see Carl and Ronnie decides to take Roxy and Amy to Ibiza. When Carl learns about this, he threatens to rape Ronnie and, when he attacks her, she kills him in self-defence by slamming the boot of the car onto his head. She and Roxy then leave for Ibiza, after disposing of the body and only Phil is aware of her actions. When they return, two months later, Ronnie reveals that she has bought the local gym. She learns that

Sharon Rickman Sharon Watts (also Rickman, Mitchell and Beale) is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Letitia Dean. Sharon is one of ''EastEnders'' original characters conceptualised by creators Tony Holland and Jul ...

(

Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and again ...

) and

Shirley Carter Shirley Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Linda Henry. She first appeared on 7 December 2006, during episodes set in Dorset. This is Henry's second role in ''EastEnders'', as she previously played ...

(

Linda Henry Linda Varilis (''née'' Henry; born 24 August 1959) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV drama '' Bad Girls'' and Shirley Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role she has played since 2006. S ...

) know what happened to Carl and tells Roxy the truth, who accepts Ronnie's explanation of the incident. Carl's family put pressure on Ronnie as they ask about Carl's whereabouts. When they realise that Ronnie has something to do with his disappearance, Carl's brother, Adam White (Ben Wigzell), snatches

Lola Pearce Lola Pearce is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Danielle Harold. She is introduced as the granddaughter of Billy Mitchell (EastEnders), Billy Mitchell (Perry Fenwick) and Julie Perkins (Cathy Murphy), and a ...

's (

Danielle Harold Danielle Amy Louise Harold (born 30 May 1992) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Lola Pearce in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', which she played from 2011 to 2015, and reprised the role from 2019 to 2023. Career Before H ...

) daughter,

Lexi Pearce The following are characters who first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2012 listed by order of first appearance. New characters were introduced by Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer. He stepped down from the role in April. ...

, while she is in the care of Ronnie and Roxy. Ronnie and Phil track her down and Ronnie hires Aleks Shirovs ( Kristian Kiehling) to beat Adam up. The following month, Ronnie accidentally runs Lola over, in the same spot where Danielle died. Ronnie is full of remorse for her actions and Lola soon forgives her, realising that Ronnie never intended to harm her. Ronnie has a brief relationship with Charlie Cotton (

), the grandson of local gossip

Dot Branning Dorothy "Dot" Branning (also Cotton) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by June Brown. In a special episode entitled ''EastEnders: Dot's Story'' (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in fl ...

(

June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the ''In ...

), after confiding to him about her ordeal with Danielle's death. Ronnie and Roxy buy 27 Albert Square, after deciding that Phil's house is too crowded, but after revealing that she is pregnant to Phil, Ronnie decides to leave. Ronnie returns several months later, as requested by Peggy to try to stop Phil and Sharon's wedding, revealing that she is five months pregnant with Charlie's baby. She moves back in with Roxy. Dot, disappointed about the idea of her great-grandchild being born out of wedlock, persuades Charlie to propose to Ronnie. She admits that she has killed a man and, in return, he admits that he is not a police officer and has been lying to Dot about

Nick Cotton Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''EastEnders'' played by John Altman on a semi-regular basis from the soap's debut episode on 19 February 1985. Altman has stated that his initial exit was due to producer Julia ...

's ( John Altman) death. Nick returns to Walford and reveals himself to Dot. Ronnie tells Charlie that she wants him gone. She threatens Nick, saying that he doesn't know what she's capable of. She asks Phil to give her the money stolen from her and Roxy so she can get rid of Nick, but he refuses. Ronnie steals all the money in his safe. On their wedding day, Phil finds out about the money, and agrees to kill Nick. He overhears this and angrily cuts the brakes on Ronnie's car. She goes into labour during the wedding reception, and Roxy and Charlie rush her to hospital, but crash the car in the square due to the cut brakes. Ronnie is rushed to hospital in a critical condition, where her son

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Ch ...

is delivered by an emergency

Caesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mo ...

. She is revived at the last minute, but is placed in a coma for several weeks, before she is finally woken up. After two further months of rehabilitation,

(

), a man who it is revealed Ronnie was seeing in the autumn of 2013, visits her. Roxy breaks down and admits that, while she was in her coma, she slept with Charlie in their upsets. Ronnie forgives her and tries to move forward, but has doubts about her marriage. When Vincent's wife Kim Fox-Hubbard (

Tameka Empson Tameka Empson (born 16 April 1977) is an English actress and comedian. She appeared as one of the three protagonists in the hidden-camera comedy sketch show ''3 Non-Blondes''. In 2009, she began portraying the role of Kim Fox in the BBC soap ...

) discovers that Ronnie and Vincent had dated before, she accuses Ronnie of having an affair with him, but she assures her that they are no longer together. On returning home, Ronnie sets up cameras to spy on Charlie and Roxy, paranoid they might sleep together again. Roxy starts a secret relationship with

(

), and Ronnie is furious when she finds out, as Dean raped

Linda Carter Linda Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Kellie Bright. She first appeared on 19 December 2013 and her casting was announced alongside her on-screen partner, Mick Carter ( Danny Dyer). Linda was ...

(

Kellie Bright Kellie Denise Bright (born 1 July 1976) is an English actress. Her roles include Linda Carter in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', for which she won the 2015 British Soap Award for Best Actress and Best Dramatic Performance, Julie in ''Ali G I ...

). Dean finds Ronnie's hidden cameras, and Roxy moves out, feeling violated. Ronnie kisses and sleeps with Vincent again, despite them both being married. Ronnie admits she doesn't love Charlie, and ends their marriage. Charlie and Roxy come up with a plan to flee to France with Matthew, but Roxy secretly tells Ronnie and they plan to double cross Charlie and get him arrested. However, events backfire and Ronnie nearly loses Matthew, though Charlie returns to Walford soon after. Ronnie asks Vincent to help her get rid of Charlie, and he disappears, with Roxy finding his discarded wallet. She later asks

Honey Mitchell Honey Mitchell (also Edwards) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Emma Barton. She made her first appearance in the show on 22 November 2005. The character left the show on 2 September 2008. Barton briefly ...

(

Emma Barton Emma Louise Barton (born 26 July 1977) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for the role of Honey Mitchell in ''EastEnders'' which she has portrayed on and off since November 2005. Before her role in ''EastEnders'', Barton appeared ...

) to move in with her. When Dean becomes increasingly controlling over Roxy, Ronnie asks Linda's help to get rid of him. Linda turns her away, but her fiancé, Dean's brother

Mick Carter Mick Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' played by Danny Dyer, making his first appearance in the show in the episode originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 25 December 2013. Dyer's casting was annou ...

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Danny Dyer Danial John Dyer (born 24 July 1977) is an English actor and presenter. Dyer's breakthrough role was as Moff in ''Human Traffic'', with other notable roles as Mick Carter in EastEnders, Billy the Limpet in '' Mean Machine'' and as Tommy Johns ...

), later visits Ronnie and agrees to help her. However, he cannot go through with the plan at the last minute. Dean and Roxy decide to move away, upsetting Ronnie, so she gets Billy to rob his salon. However, Dean realises she was behind it, so proposes to Roxy in front of Ronnie. She tries to pay him off to leave, but he realises she is recording their conversation, so plays it to Roxy at their engagement party. They argue, and Ronnie smashes up the Albert bar, before she tells her relative

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

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Perry Fenwick Perry Fenwick (born 29 May 1962) is an English actor. He is known for portraying the role of Billy Mitchell (EastEnders), Billy Mitchell in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role which he has played since 1998. Career Television ...

) she is going to kill Dean. He warns Mick, and eventually Dean's parents Buster Briggs (

Karl Howman Karl Howman (born 13 December 1953) is an English actor and voice-over artist. He is best known for playing Jacko in the sitcom ''Brush Strokes'' from 1986 to 1991, Mulberry in ''Mulberry'' from 1992 to 1993 and Buster Briggs in ''EastEnders'' ...

) and Shirley, who arrive after Ronnie has given him a drink full of crushed up drugs. She reveals it was only a plan to scare him, but it is enough to make Roxy confess to Dean that Ronnie is a murderer, so he convinces Roxy to go to the police. Ronnie is seemingly arrested during a family dinner with the Mitchells. However, Ronnie realises they aren't police, and they drop her off in a wasteland, only for her to be picked up by Vincent. He tells her the police are going to charge her for Carl's murder, and she needs to get out of the country. She decides to confess to the police, but Vincent admits that he is a police informant, and Ronnie agrees to leave. However, Fatboy (

Ricky Norwood Richard Colin Norwood (born 15 November 1986) is a British actor who played Fatboy in the soap opera ''EastEnders'' and its online spin-off '' EastEnders: E20''. Ricky appeared on ''Celebrity Big Brother 18'' in 2016, finishing as runner-up behi ...

) gives her a file he found in Vincent's safe, revealing he is working to take down the Mitchells. Vincent tries to blackmail her into framing Phil for drug trafficking, using a confession of her admitting to killing Carl. Phil, who has returned to drinking, disowns Ronnie, but she still protects him when Vincent plants a gun on him and calls the police. After, Ronnie destroys the copies of her confession and keeps the gun, threatening to kill Vincent if he threatens her again. Ronnie learns that Vincent is seeking revenge on Phil because Phil's father

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

( George Russo) killed Vincent's father Henry. The tensions between the Mitchells and the Hubbards increase when Phil snatches Vincent's infant daughter,

Pearl Fox-Hubbard The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2015, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the show's executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins. January saw the arr ...

. Ronnie helps negotiate what she thinks is a truce between the two men, but Fatboy informs her that Vincent is still planning to kill Phil. She organises for men to take Vincent, lock him in the boot of his car and have it crushed. She is distracted when Jack returns to spend Christmas with Amy. When Ronnie sees Vincent and he has no knowledge of the car, she realises the men put someone else in the car boot, but finds it has already been taken to be crushed. After Ronnie tells Vincent what she had planned, he goes to the scrapyard and finds Fatboy is dead. He decides not to tell Ronnie this, and lies that the boot was empty. Ronnie then rekindles her relationship with Jack. She learns from Mick of Dean's attempted rape of Roxy, and Roxy plans to move to Portugal. Glenda returns and tells Ronnie to stop Roxy from leaving but they are unsuccessful when Roxy says Ronnie has controlled her and she needs to be alone. Ronnie re-evaluates her life and, believing that this is the reason why she and Jack are no longer together, asks Jack to leave with Amy as she too needs to be alone. Glenda tells Ronnie that Eric could not have killed Henry and that Vincent's mother,

Claudette Hubbard The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' in 2015, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the show's executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins. January saw the a ...

(

Ellen Thomas Ellen Thomas (born January 24, 1947) is an American peace activist. She first became involved with the White House Peace Vigil on April 13, 1984. The daughter of a US Marine, Thomas was born in Brooklyn and grew up in California. She became opp ...

), must be lying to him. Ronnie tells Claudette to remain civil towards the Mitchells or she will tell Vincent what she knows. Ronnie later persuades Phil to come to Billy and Honey's engagement party where he coughs up blood and in hospital, the Mitchells are told Phil will be dead within twelve months unless he stops drinking and has a liver transplant. Ronnie then discovers that Joel has died. Ronnie learns that Phil must remain sober for at least six months before he can undergo the liver transplant, so she vows to help him regain his sobriety. She is stunned when Joel's daughter,

Hannah Reynolds Hannah Reynolds may refer to: * Hannah Reynolds (soccer) * Hannah Reynolds (EastEnders) {{hndis, Reynolds, Hannah ...

(Mia Jenkins), arrives, accusing her of killing Joel. Feeling remorseful, Ronnie tries to give Hannah's uncle

Tim Reynolds Tim Reynolds (born 15 December 1957) is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as a lead guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. AllMusic critic MacKenzie Wilson has called Reynolds "an under-rated master". ...

(Charlie Baker) a cheque of £5,000 to help look after Hannah and her sisters, but Hannah tears it up. Jack later returns after Honey persuades him to but leaves again after Ronnie tells him they would not be together again. Tim also returns and tries to kiss Ronnie. She decides she still loves Jack, but believing he is getting married, she decides to stop the wedding but when she gets there, Jack is simply a guest at the wedding. Jack and Ronnie have sex but she returns to Walford alone, fearing she will break Jack's heart. However, Jack follows her and says he wants to spend his life with her. Unknown to Ronnie, a stalker leaves a wreath outside her house saying "RIP Ronnie Mitchell". Funeral director

Les Coker The following are characters who first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2012 listed by order of first appearance. New characters were introduced by Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer. He stepped down from the role in April. ...

(

Roger Sloman Roger Sloman (born 19 May 1946) is an English actor known for his work in theatre, film, and television. Early life and education He grew up and was educated in South East London. He trained to be a teacher and then went to East 15 acting sch ...

) informs Ronnie that someone emailed him that she had died, so Jack wonders who might want revenge on her and Sharon tells him she killed Carl, which angers him until Ronnie says it was self-defence. Ronnie receives flowers with a card reading "RIP", and discovers the person who sent them gave their name as Danielle Jones. Ronnie confronts Hannah, who denies it all and Ronnie believes her, but Jack discovers Hannah's name was on the credit card that paid for the flowers, so Ronnie tells Hannah she knows she sent the flowers. Hannah steps into the road while holding Matthew and is nearly hit by a car. She is arrested for harassing Ronnie. However, Ronnie is still being watched by someone else. Ronnie becomes friends with

(

), a builder who is helping Jack to renovate Max's old house into flats. Ronnie speaks in Hannah's defence in court and the charges are dropped. Hannah insists that she did not send Ronnie any death threats and she must have another enemy. Ronnie is concerned when Roxy returns, having been beaten up. Ronnie gives Roxy cash to pay off a debt, but Roxy leaves. Andy is then seen looking at newspaper stories about Ronnie that he has collected. Andy is exposed as the stalker but also revealed as Danielle's adoptive brother, Gareth Jones; Ronnie and he make amends after a heart to heart. He remorsefully leaves Walford. Ronnie and Jack get engaged. Ronnie supports Roxy through Dean's trial, comforting her when he is acquitted. Ronnie and Jack decide to move to Ongar, Essex, to Roxy's displeasure, as Amy would be moving with them. However, Ronnie then suggests that Roxy move to a nearby house in the same town. Roxy suspects that Jack and Honey are having an affair, and tells Ronnie, who confronts Jack. He denies this, and later, Roxy decides Amy should move without her and then asks Ronnie to adopt Amy. After an emotional discussion, Ronnie agrees, but later, the sisters secretly plan for Roxy to join the couple in Essex. However, on her wedding day, Roxy packs her things, as she reveals she is moving away to live with Glenda and Danny, feeling as if she will ruin Ronnie's happiness. After an argument, Ronnie convinces Roxy to give her away, and she agrees. While on the way to the wedding, Ronnie and Roxy visit Phil for a final time and take a picture with him, unbeknownst to him that it will be the last time he sees them. At the wedding, Roxy begins to break down, says she cannot give Ronnie away, and runs out. Ronnie is unable to face Jack and runs off in tears, later revealing she wishes Roxy to move with them, and will not accept any other outcome. Jack eventually accepts, and they marry after Roxy gives her away. Later, the two sisters get drunk after a happy day and wander outside the hotel; precariously perched on the hotel roof, still drinking champagne, they discuss their time in the square and the start of a new era. They find the hotel swimming pool, and Roxy jumps in. Ronnie is unable to remove her wedding dress, and sees Roxy motionless, having sunk to the bottom of the pool. Ronnie jumps in to rescue her, but is entangled by her wedding dress and drowns alongside her sister. The following morning, police find their bodies in the pool, and inform Jack's brother

Max Branning Max Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Jake Wood. He made his first appearance on 27 June 2006. Wood took a four-month break from the show in 2011 and the character was absent between August and Nov ...

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Jake Wood Jake Dylan Wood (born 12 July 1972) is an English actor and podcaster, known for his role as Max Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He has also made guest appearances in series including ''Only Fools and Horses'' and ''Red Dwarf''. ...

), who then breaks the news to a devastated Jack. A few days later, Jack receives their wedding video, and watches Ronnie saying how much she loves him; he is emotional watching it. Jack later visits her body in the chapel of rest, a day before her and Roxy's funerals, and says an emotional farewell to her. At the inquest into Ronnie and Roxy's deaths, their deaths are ruled as misadventure.

Development

Creation and characterisation

Womack (called Janus until May 2009) and Simons were cast as Ronnie and Roxy respectively. They were the first major signings made by executive producer

, who told the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'' that the sisters were intended to bring "sexy, dramatic excitement" to the show. He stated, "They may be glamorous young women, but these girls are Mitchells and have all the strength of character and unique moral code the name implies." Simons deemed the two "the next generation" of the Mitchells, "A newer, younger, slightly more modern type". The characters were created by ''EastEnders'' story producer

Dominic Treadwell-Collins Dominic Treadwell-Collins (born 26 August 1977) is a British television producer, known for his work on the soap operas ''Family Affairs'' and ''EastEnders'', creating the ''EastEnders'' spin-off series ''Kat & Alfie: Redwater'' and Executive Pr ...

, who always intended for Ronnie to be played by Womack. In the 2009 documentary "The Secret Mitchell", he cited the actress' beauty, toughness and fragility as facets suitable for the character. Samantha Womack 2016

Ronnie is in her thirties, and the elder of the two sisters. Prior to her début, Womack described Ronnie as the more sensible and intelligent sister, stating that she has a "caustic tongue" and trust issues. She commented that the sisters are loyal to each other to the point that Ronnie would kill for Roxy, and attributed her "darker side" to her troubled childhood. A BBC source described Ronnie as the ice to Roxy's fire, and Simons deemed her "armoured", as well as the "less flamboyant, darker" sister, with a more controlling nature. Womack feels that Ronnie is "deeply damaged", describing her as unable to be honest with herself or others as a result of her guarded personality. She explained that she has been taught to hide her feelings and to be a survivor, which she accomplishes by controlling others, concluding that Ronnie is defined by her childhood trauma. The sisters have been compared to the

Kray twins Ronald Kray (24 October 193317 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 19331 October 2000) were identical twin brothers, gangsters and convicted criminals. They were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, Engl ...

, Ronnie and Reggie. Treadwell-Collins initially intended for Ronnie to appear enigmatic, cool and guarded, hoping to intrigue viewers before introducing elements of her backstory to garner audience sympathy.

Promotion

Both Mitchell sisters featured heavily in a BBC marketing campaign preceding their arrival. Several promotional trailers aired on the BBC network in summer 2007. Using the slogan "The square, under new management", one such trailer depicted both sisters as party girls, dancing, serving tequila in The Queen Victoria

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 ...

, shocking the older residents with their raunchy antics and squirting men with a

soda syphon The soda siphon (sometimes spelled syphon), also known as the seltzer bottle or siphon seltzer bottle, is a device for storing and dispensing carbonated beverages (typically carbonated water) while maintaining the internal pressure, thereby preve ...

to the tune of " The Girls" by

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...

. This was later recreated during Ronnie's 2017 wedding to Jack where Roxy and Ronnie danced to ''The Girls'' once again spraying guests with soda syphon's. This was also their last episode together as they later died showing that they came in together and left together. Two other trailers featured Ronnie and Roxy individually. To the instrumental sound of "

Little Green Bag "Little Green Bag" is a 1969 song written by Dutch musicians Jan Visser and George Baker (born Hans Bouwens), and recorded by the George Baker Selection at the band's own expense. The track was released as the George Baker Selection's debut singl ...

" by George Baker, each sister discussed their sibling, giving snippets of information on their personality and the dynamics of their relationship. Discussing Ronnie, Roxy stated that her sister would go to great lengths to prevent her from getting hurt. In turn, Ronnie said "Roxy will always be my kid sister. Fights, broken hearts, over the years we've had them all. She can be quite a handful, and she's definitely gonna stir things up around here. But remember, wherever Roxy Mitchell is... I'm right behind." The promotion was received favourably by Leigh Holmwood, television journalist for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', who referred to it as "a very slick marketing campaign indeed." Holmwood observed that the upbeat trailers contrasted ''EastEnders'' reputation for depressing storylines, writing "Maybe the arrival of Roxy and Ronnie will herald a new golden age for the soap? Or maybe the BBC marketing department is just very good at putting a trailer together..." In addition to the trailers, the BBC planned a "glitzy" ''EastEnders''

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

competition to promote the sisters' arrival, called "I love R&R" (Ronnie and Roxy). It ran from the end of June 2007, and included online promotion and video via the website ''Iloverandr.com''. The prize consisted of VIP tickets to a special party, which was to be attended by ''EastEnders'' actors and Radio 1 DJ

Dave Pearce David Alistair Pearce (born 14 June 1963) is an English dance DJ, EDM producer and broadcaster, who has performed across the United Kingdom and the world. He previously presented ''Dance Anthems'' on BBC Radio 1 for ten years. He is renowned f ...

. Despite inviting the winners to attend, Radio 1 cancelled the event due to orders from BBC director general Mark Thompson, who called a halt to all BBC radio, TV and online competitions following a review of its programming, which uncovered scores of editorial breaches. Radio 1 reportedly decided to cancel the promotion as a "precautionary measure". Winners were instead told that they would receive a tour of the ''EastEnders'' set, and the website was closed down on 26 July 2007.

Family relationships

Upon her introduction, Ronnie's loss of a child was initially kept a secret. She was depicted reacting with jealousy to Roxy's pregnancy. The secret was linked to a photograph carried in Ronnie's locket, which was revealed in May 2008 to be of the daughter she had lost. The animosity between Ronnie and her father was explored in July 2008, when Lamb made his first appearance as Archie. Womack believes that the introduction of Archie was "fundamental to Ronnie and how she was perceived by the audience. This was the underbelly of why everything had gone wrong in her life, and so these scenes were always going to be really, really important." Archie made a death threat against Ronnie, and told her that Amy had died 13 years previously. He believes Archie's relationship with Ronnie suffered when he realised that he could not control her. In the ''

EastEnders Revealed ''EastEnders'' is a British soap opera that has aired on BBC One since 19 February 1985. Several spin-off shows have been made, some of which use the narrative of flashbacks to look at the history of the characters such as "CivvyStreet". Others ...

'' documentary "The Secret Mitchell", an ''EastEnders'' storyliner suggested that Archie views Ronnie as damaged goods, and is somewhat disgusted by her. Santer stated that Archie told Ronnie her daughter had died as a way of controlling her. In a plot twist, it was revealed to viewers that Archie had lied, and that Amy was alive. She was introduced to the series under her adopted name, Danielle Jones, in August 2008. Danielle arrived in Walford seeking Ronnie, but kept her true identity a secret through fear of rejection. Series writer

Simon Ashdown Simon Ashdown is a British television writer, best known as being a BAFTA award-nominated ''EastEnders'' writer. Career From 1995 to 2013, Ashdown was series consultant and lead writer on ''EastEnders''. He was involved in the creation of the Sl ...

described her as "hurt and broken by her life", and hoping to charm Ronnie into liking her before revealing the truth. Crace observed that Danielle was intrigued by Ronnie and the Mitchells, but also worried that she was too different from them and might be a disappointment to Ronnie. Danielle became pregnant, which was used as a plot-device to bring the two closer together, with Ronnie supporting her when she chose to have an abortion. The writers deliberately played on the tragedy of Ronnie being unaware that she was encouraging the abortion of her own grandchild. Ronnie failed to attend Danielle's second clinic appointment, which Crace stated left her character "hurt and distraught" and less willing to confide the truth in Ronnie than ever. On Ronnie's part, Womack assessed that her character was unaware why she had bonded with Danielle. She deemed her totally unaware of any physical resemblance between herself and Danielle, and stated that she had never entertained the notion that Danielle might be her daughter. In the aftermath of her abortion, Danielle was depicted as being increasingly emotionally unstable and angry with Ronnie, believing that she deserved to belong to the Mitchell family. The writers had Archie discover her secret as a test of his character, experimenting with whether he would be despicable enough to conceal the truth. Lamb deemed Danielle "a huge threat" to Archie's position as patriarch of the Mitchell family. As such, Archie lied that Ronnie was suffering from depression and convinced Danielle not to reveal the truth for the sake of her mother's mental well-being. Danielle accepted the lie, believing it to explain Ronnie's "hot and cold" reaction to her, and attempted to care for Ronnie and help her recover. Crace explained that despite their turbulent relationship, Ronnie was all Danielle had ever wanted. The ultimate revelation of Danielle's identity was set at Archie's wedding to Peggy. Santer explained: "Weddings are great because they bring the community together. A wedding gives you a stage, it gives you an event, the context to play things out, so it felt right that these big Mitchell stories would collide at Peggy's wedding." Writer James Payne concurred that setting the reveal at the wedding helped to make the moment "as dramatic and sensational" as it could possibly be. In the episode, Danielle announces that she is Ronnie's daughter in front of the entire wedding reception party. She is met with disbelief, and thrown out by Ronnie. Soon thereafter, however, Ronnie discovers that Danielle has an identical locket to her own. Having given the matching locket to her daughter, Ronnie realises that Danielle was telling the truth. She hurries to find her, but just as they are about to be reunited, Danielle is run down by local resident

(

), and subsequently dies in Ronnie's arms. Although different outcomes to the storyline were considered, Santer explained that Danielle dying best preserved Ronnie's status as ''EastEnders'' "tragic heroine character". Treadwell-Collins felt that to allow Ronnie to have her daughter, the "one thing that is key to her character" would serve to progressively weaken her character, and Santer agreed that while it may initially be touching, ultimately the relationship would become boring. In December 2009, Archie was murdered in a "

whodunit A ''whodunit'' or ''whodunnit'' (a colloquial elision of "Who asdone it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is provided with the cl ...

" storyline. Santer hoped that his death would bring Ronnie closure, but suggested conversely that it might damage her further.

Relationship with Jack Branning

was introduced in October 2007, and his association with Ronnie was developed after he became her business partner at the soap's club, "R&R". A flirtatious romance was established, which led to the start of a relationship in early 2008. The on-screen affair between Ronnie and Jack has reportedly been hard for actors

and

, as off-screen they are close friends – Womack's husband is best friends with Maslen, and Womack is best friends with Maslen's wife. Womack has commented, "I was very honest and verbal about eing freaked out ..Our first kissing scene felt really uncomfortable, it was terrible, but we're over it now ..Both our sons are slightly freaked out that one mummy seems to be kissing the other daddy, but they've been on so many film sets that they're used to us doing ludicrous things." In the storyline, Ronnie's association with Jack caused aggravation with her family, due to Jack's rivalry with her cousin Phil, and resentment from her sister, Roxy. However, the relationship ended less than a month after it began. Roxy told Ronnie that Jack cheated on her with his ex-wife,

Selina Selina () is a feminine given name, considered either a variant of Selene, the goddess and personification of the Moon in Greek mythology and religion, or a spelling variation of the name Celina, which is derived from the Roman name Cecilia, refe ...

, she decided not to move in with him, and punched him. In an interview in the ''

TV Times ''TV Times'' is a British television listings magazine published by Future plc. It was originally published by Independent Television Publications, owned by the participating ITV companies. The magazine was acquired by IPC Media in 1989, which ...

'', Womack commented, "She

onnie 1389 Onnie, provisional designation , is a stony Koronian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 28 September 1935, by Dutch astronomer Hendrik van Gent at Leiden Souther ...

has a problem with physical violence. Any time she's up against it or feels she's been lied to, she lashes out". Despite this, the characters' on/off romance was resurrected later in the year, facilitating a plot twist whereby Jack, angered after another break-up with Ronnie, was seduced by Roxy as revenge for Ronnie interfering in her love life. This resulted in a "who's the daddy?" storyline, which began in April 2008 and continued throughout the year, with both Jack and

Sean Slater Sean Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Robert Kazinsky who made his first appearance on 22 August 2006. Sean's existence was revealed on 9 December 2005 when his sister Stacey Slater (Lacey Turne ...

(

Robert Kazinsky Robert John Appleby (born 18 November 1983), known professionally as Robert Kazinsky, is an English actor. He is known for his roles as Casper Rose in the Sky One drama ''Dream Team'', the Don in '' Captain Marvel'', Sean Slater in the BBC soap ...

) potential candidates for the father of Roxy's unborn child, though Ronnie remained unaware of Jack and Roxy's liaison. In the storyline, Roxy and Jack agreed to keep their affair secret, while Roxy appropriated Sean Slater as the father, and married him.

Baby swap storyline and departure (2011)

At the end of 2010,

(

) and Ronnie both give birth on the same day, but Ronnie's baby, James, dies and while Kat is in hospital and her baby, Tommy, is unattended, Ronnie swaps the infants. The storyline received over 6,000 complaints, making it the second most complained about ''EastEnders'' storyline. It was then decided to end the storyline earlier than originally planned. It was reported by the ''Daily Star Sunday'' that Ronnie experiences a change of heart after visiting relatives in hospital and seeing the midwife who delivered her son. An ''EastEnders'' spokesperson said, "We do not comment on future storylines but we have always said Ronnie will do the right thing and Tommy will be reunited with Kat." Wallace revealed that she doesn't regret her involvement of the baby-swap storyline, saying that she was "just doing her job". Wallace told ''Bang Showbiz'':"I stand by it. We're actors at the end of the day, we do our job and then we go home. It's drama, that's it." She also praised Womack's acting and vowed to move on to "bigger and better things" after she departed. She added: " amantha isa fantastic actress who played a brilliant role in a fantastic storyline so I wish her all the best." Co-star Nina Wadia praised Womack and Wallace for their "acting skills" during the storyline. Marc Elliott added: "The storyline got whipped up into a massive frenzy. It's not representative in any way, shape or form of mothers who have lost their babies." ''EastEnders'' actress Patsy Palmer has also praised the plot for its "great acting". In an interview with ''Take It Easy'', asked whether the show's bosses handled the storyline well, Palmer replied: "I think they did. I know there's been loads of bad press, but something like that is always going to be sad to watch and it will upset people. But at the end of the day, it's a drama and it's not real. I think it got blown out of all proportion. Unfortunately, things like that do happen in real life. Babies get swapped and snatched in hospitals. I'm sure that any parent who has lost a child will find even talking about their experience very difficult, let alone watching it being acted out on television. Even my daughter got upset but she is only 9 so maybe I shouldn't have let her watch it. I just didn't realise it was going to be so heart-wrenching, which was down to the great acting." Womack admitted that she thought the plot was "implausible". She commented: "I thought it was implausible. Most women who lose a child would not go out and abduct one," she told the ''

''. "But Ronnie is a soap character and she is not necessarily representing real life. Soap is based on controversy and sensationalism because bosses are trying to get high ratings and they can't write things like 'Ronnie had a cup of tea'. Otherwise people wouldn't watch it." On 1 August 2011, Ofcom cleared the storyline. The baby swap storyline prompted a huge 1,044 complaints reported to Ofcom. Ofcom also added that many of the complaints were made because the storyline was presented "in an offensive manner" because it "appeared to suggest that a mother who has suddenly and tragically lost a baby through cot death would react by stealing another baby to replace that loss". Kym Marsh supported Ofcom's decision to clear the storyline. Marsh wrote in her magazine section: "Last week, EastEnders was cleared of wrongdoing by Ofcom, the media regulator, over its baby swap storyline, and I think that's the right decision. It's just a storyline, like any other. I understand why people got upset about it, but no-one meant to upset anybody. Soaps are supposed to portray real life to a certain extent, but it's meant to be high drama for entertainment purposes. I mean, how many murders can you have in one square? There's a nod to real life but, for the most part, soaps help take people out of the real world." On 6 January 2011, it was reported that Womack had quit her role in the series due to her unhappiness with the baby swap storyline. Her departure was later confirmed by the BBC and she was to leave the role in May 2011. However, Womack denied that her decision had anything to do with the storyline. Her contract ends in May 2011 and she will take a break from the series that had already been agreed. Womack's agent said in a statement: "There's no truth whatsoever in any suggestion that Sam is 'quitting' over the current storyline. Her contract comes to a natural end later this year and she will be taking a break from the show; this has been agreed with the producers for several months. Sam has had an incredibly happy and fulfilling time on ''EastEnders'' over the last few years. She has huge respect for the show, writers and producers and has thoroughly enjoyed playing such a complex role that has been involved in so many tough and challenging storylines." It was reported by the ''Daily Star Sunday'' that when

(

) and his daughter Abi Branning, Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald) are injured in an accident, Ronnie visits Max in the hospital where she gave birth to James, sees the midwife who delivered the child and it triggers the start of the baby swap reveal storyline. It was reported that her last storyline would evolve around Michael Moon becoming obsessed with her and stalking her, which will build up to her on-screen exit later in the year. However this was not the case and Ronnie departed on 7 July 2011 after being sent to prison for kidnapping Tommy. In April 2013, Womack said of her departure, "I think it was definitely the right time to give the character a break. The danger is that if you get one character who is subject to so much trauma, angst and depression, it becomes difficult to play it realistically." In September 2012, ''Inside Soap'' named Ronnie's exit as their number 8 happy ending, "Bit of an odd [exit] this. Yes, Ronnie's first child died in her arms on the day they were reunited. And yes, her baby James tragically died very soon after birth. And yes, she was eventually sent to jail for nicking off with Kat's [child], Tommy. But on the day that prison door slammed shut, Ronnie sat down, sighed and finally smiled. She'd found her peace at last."

Reintroduction (2013)

In April 2013, Womack said that she would not rule out a return to ''EastEnders'', and even though Maslen was due to leave, she said that Ronnie would still have reasons to return with Roxy still in the cast. She said, "I think she could go back if Jack wasn't there, because it was always the Mitchell sisters. I know Ronnie had a love affair and she got married, but what I loved about the character was her relationship with her sibling. It was nice being with another woman and doing most of our scenes together. That was a relationship on the show I really enjoyed. There are no plans [for Ronnie to return] at the moment but I definitely wouldn't rule it out. I love the show and I love the character. I miss the character enormously." On 17 May 2013, show bosses announced that Womack would return to ''EastEnders'' as Ronnie for six months. It was said that Ronnie's return will form a major part of summer and autumn storylines. Speaking of her comeback, Womack said: "I am thrilled to be returning to the role of Ronnie for the next six months. Ronnie is coming out of prison and her reappearance in [Albert] Square is going to create havoc. I can't wait to be a Mitchell once again!" ''EastEnders'' executive producer Lorraine Newman added: "We're delighted to announce Samantha Womack's return to Albert Square. The Mitchell sisters are a fabulous pairing and it will be an absolute delight to have Ronnie and Roxy back together on screen. However, Ronnie's departure wasn't without controversy for many residents in Walford, and her return will be sure to ruffle quite a few feathers." Womack filmed her first scenes in summer 2013 and returned on screen from 9 September 2013 for two three-month-long stints. She returned to filming full-time on 24 July 2014 and returned to screens on 25 September 2014.BBC One - EastEnders, 25/09/2014
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Departure (2017)

On 13 August 2016, it was reported that new producer Sean O'Connor (producer), Sean O'Connor had offered Womack a "dramatic ending" to Ronnie's storylines and that Womack had accepted. Her departure scenes were broadcast on 1 January 2017. Following the New Year's Day episode in which Ronnie and Roxy were killed off after drowning in a swimming pool, the BBC released a 10-second alternate ending clip on their Snapchat account, in which Ronnie survives, finding Roxy's corpse on a pool table with Jack. It then cuts to a hospital, where Ronnie is shown grieving when Roxy dies in hospital from a suspected drug overdose. Ronnie's death episode aired on 1 January 2017, but she made a further appearance on 5 January, in the wedding video which Jack watches. She was also credited in another episode on 19 January 2017, making her last appearance as a corpse when Jack says goodbye to her.

Reception

Critical response

Following their introductory episode in July 2007, both Mitchell sisters were received favourably by Mark Wright of ''The Stage''. He commented that they established themselves quickly, deeming them "in the same tradition of strong soap women that Enders'' seems to have been lacking since the exit of Kat Moon", a popular character who left the serial in 2005, but returned along with Alfie Moon in 2010. He added that Womack "brings a calm but firm presence to the table as Ronnie." ''Radio Times'' included Ronnie in their November 2009 feature profiling bunny boilers. As Ronnie's behaviour has grown more desperate on-screen they stated: "Initially the more sensible of the Mitchell sisters, Ronnie has spiralled into instability since daughter Danielle's death, becoming E20's own succubus, trying to trick any man into getting her pregnant." They commented on the fact she has tried to fall pregnant with Jack, Ryan, Joel and Owen and joked that she should try it on with Darren Miller. Holy Soap recall Ronnie's most memorable moment as being finding out Danielle is her daughter and her subsequent death.

Accolades

Womack won the 2008 ''Daily Star (United Kingdom), Daily Star'' Soaper Star "Best Newcomer" award for her portrayal of Ronnie. She and Simons were awarded the "Best On-Screen Partnership" accolade at the 2008 Digital Spy Soap Awards, and were nominated in the same category at The British Soap Awards, where the following year, Womack was nominated "Best Actress". Ronnie and Danielle's relationship was named "Best Storyline" at the 2009 Inside Soap Awards, ''Inside Soap'' Awards, and "Best Soap Storyline" at the ''TV Quick'' and ''TV Choice'' Awards, where Womack was additionally shortlisted for the "Best Soap Actress" accolade. At the ''All About Soap'' Bubble Awards, Ronnie and Jack were nominated for the "Fatal Attraction" award in 2008, and Ronnie was nominated in the "I'm a Survivor" category in 2010. In August 2017, Womack and Simons were longlisted for Best Exit at the Inside Soap Awards, ''Inside Soap'' Awards, while Ronnie and Roxy's deaths were longlisted for Best Show-Stopper. Both nominations made their shortlists, but Womack did not win any awards.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Ronnie EastEnders characters Television characters introduced in 2007 Fictional bartenders Fictional female businesspeople Fictional murderers Fictional victims of sexual assault Fictional victims of child sexual abuse Fictional criminals in soap operas Female characters in television Fictional prisoners and detainees Female villains Fictional characters involved in incest Fictional teenage parents Fictional gangsters Fictional blackmailers