Janine Butcher

Janine Butcher (also Evans, Malloy and Carter) is a fictional character from the BBCsoap operaEastEnders, introduced in 1989. The character is played by Rebecca Michael, Alexia Demetriou and Charlie Brooks respectively. Brooks initially departed on 7 May 2004. She returned for a three episode guest stint in April 2008 before a permanent return on 18 December that year. Brooks took a break from September 2012 until April 2013 before departing on 20 March 2014. In April 2021, it was announced that Brooks would reprise the role for a third stint starting from 6 September 2021 until her departure on 26 December 2022. It was revealed in July 2026 that Brooks had agreed to reprise the role for a short stint later that same year.

The character has been described as a "super-bitch" and a "classic villainess". She has proven popular with critics and fans of the show. Her storylines typically involve her in an antagonistic role. She has been married five times: to Barry Evans (Shaun Williamson), whom she killed on New Year's Day 2004; David (Harry Towb), who died on their wedding day; Ryan Malloy (Neil McDermott); Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd); and Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) who "died" on Christmas day 2022, a day after their wedding. Her feuds include a long-standing conflict with former stepmothers Pat Butcher (Pam St Clement) and Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor). She also had feuds with Sonia Jackson (Natalie Cassidy), Lynne Slater (Elaine Lordan), Laura Beale (Hannah Waterman), Kat (Jessie Wallace), Zoe (Michelle Ryan), Stacey (Lacey Turner), and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright), Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack), Roxy Mitchell (Rita Simons), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Jada Lennox (Kelsey Calladine-Smith), Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), and Linda Carter (Kellie Bright). Her initial departure saw Janine being wrongfully charged for the death of Laura Beale. Upon her return, she attends her father's funeral and wake. Later that year, Janine is caught forging a wedding to a wealthy, old-aged pensioner, which ends with her new husband abruptly dying of a heart attack upon discovering her false identity. She later accidentally kills local resident Danielle Jones (Lauren Crace) by running her down; conspires with Peggy's husband Archie (Larry Lamb) to defraud the Mitchell family from their ownership of The Queen Victoria public house; and becomes a prime suspect in Archie's murder investigation (Who Killed Archie?). Janine later becomes involved in a love triangle with her third husband, Ryan, and his baby's mother, Stacey. All of this results in Janine framing Stacey for her attempted murder and also attempting to kill Ryan by poisoning him. Janine later gives birth to a daughter, Scarlett, with her fourth husband, Michael, and they become embroiled in a custody battle, which leads to Janine murdering Michael, prompting her second departure from the show after she was acquitted for his murder.

In Brooks' third stint as Janine, her storylines include being in a custody battle for Scarlett (now Tabitha Byron) with Kat, accidentally starting a fire that almost kills Scarlett and Kat's son Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall), reigniting her feuds with both Kat and Stacey, framing Jay Brown (Jamie Borthwick) for car theft, manipulating a separation between Mick and Linda Carter in order to have him to herself, regaining custody of Scarlett, a feud with Linda in which she frames her for a car accident, blackmailing Jada into helping her bring Linda down, discovering she is pregnant with Mick's child and later marrying him, before being widowed the following day after another car accident with Linda that she indirectly caused, leading to her arrest and fourth departure from the show.