Dean Gaffney
Encyclopedia
Dean Martin Gaffney is an English
actor
most notable for his role as Robbie Jackson
on the BBC1 soap opera Eastenders
from 1993 to 2003, when his character was axed. He has since made guest appearances in the soap in 2004 and 2010. Gaffney went on to appear in various reality television shows, such as I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. He has appeared on stage and on television in comedy, drama and advertisements. He is a father of two and lives in Surrey
.
in Marylebone
, as well as the Corona Theatre School
in Kew Bridge. He is best known for playing the role of Robbie Jackson
in the popular BBC
soap opera
, EastEnders
.
, made the decision to axe Gaffney along with the actress Bindya Solanki
, who played his on-screen girlfriend Nita Mistry. In a press report Berridge commented, "we do feel that the characters have reached the end of their natural course in the show, and they will both be leaving in Spring 2003". Since his initial exit Gaffney has made one further appearance in the soap, returning for a brief visit in 2004 for the wedding of his on-screen half-sister Sonia Jackson (played by Natalie Cassidy
).
On 25 October 2009 it was announced that Gaffney would briefly reprise his role as Robbie Jackson
in "EastEnders" with his on screen family Lindsey Coulson
, who played Carol Jackson
, Natalie Cassidy
who played Sonia Fowler
and the character of Billie Jackson played by the original Devon Anderson
. The Jackson family made their comeback in February 2010 and was reunited with Patsy Palmer
(Bianca Jackson
) as part of her wedding plot and Eastenders 25th anniversary celebrations. Dean, alongside Natalie Cassidy
, left later that month as anniversary week was over. However, Devon Anderson
and Lindsey Coulson
stayed.
's Waiting for Godot
in the West End
, alongside Rik Mayall
and Adrian Edmondson
.
In November 2006, Gaffney appeared as a guest star on the long-running ITV serial drama The Bill
. Gaffney played Gavin Josef, a cocky wide-boy who was connected to an assault investigation. This is Gaffney's second role in the programme, having previously appeared briefly as Paul Moose in 1993.
In 2007, Gaffney toured with the Agatha Christie Theatre Company, performing The Unexpected Guest. He played Jan, a 19-year-old murder suspect with learning difficulties. He also appeared in Ricky Gervais
and Stephen Merchant
's Christmas 2007 Special of Extras
, playing a less successful version of himself, working at the Carphone Warehouse with Merchant's character, Darren Lamb, and former EastEnders co-star Shaun Williamson
.
In August 2008, Gaffney did some work for MTV, sharing some of his favourite songs which aired on MTV Hits. The show was named Dean Gaffney's Well Ard Hits, referring to his fictional dog Wellard
on EastEnders.
In September 2008, Gaffney appeared in an advert for the washing powder Daz
as part of their running "Cleaner Close" advert.
He also appeared in M.I.High
in January 2009 in an episode called 'the mole'.
Gaffney is to perform in hit play 'Calendar Girls' throughout May - July 2010.
He annually appears on The Chris Moyles Show
to turn on their studio's Christmas tree lights.
reality television
series The Club. Gaffney took on management of a bar in a London club named Nylon and competed with two other celebrities, Richard Blackwood
and Samantha Fox
, to be awarded the title of 'the most successful bar manager'. Gaffney was the eventual winner.
Gaffney appeared on the 2006 series of the ITV reality show, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. Gaffney eventually left the jungle in fifth place following a double eviction on Thursday 30 November 2006. Gaffney was the eighth person to be voted out of the jungle, leaving just one day before the live final.
. He and Sarah Burge are the parents of twin daughters, Charlotte and Chloe. Gaffney and Burge were in a relationship for 10 years and were engaged. While appearing on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! he admitted to David Gest
that he had affairs during the relationship.
Gaffney is an avid supporter of Brentford F.C.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
most notable for his role as Robbie Jackson
Robbie Jackson
Robert "Robbie" Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Dean Gaffney from 1993 to 2003. The character was axed in 2003 by executive producer Louise Berridge. He made brief returns in 2004 and 2010 for two family weddings.-Backstory:Robbie was the product of a...
on the BBC1 soap opera Eastenders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
from 1993 to 2003, when his character was axed. He has since made guest appearances in the soap in 2004 and 2010. Gaffney went on to appear in various reality television shows, such as I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. He has appeared on stage and on television in comedy, drama and advertisements. He is a father of two and lives in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
Career
Gaffney trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre SchoolSylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent fee-paying stage school, in Westminster, London, named after its founder and Principal, Sylvia Young.-Outline:...
in Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, as well as the Corona Theatre School
Corona Theatre School
Corona Stage Academy was a successful British drama school founded by Rona Knight in the mid 1940s. The school started in Chiswick before later moving to 16 Ravenscourt Avenue, Hammersmith in 1955. The school produced many top names of the British stage and screen, but it closed in 1989 following...
in Kew Bridge. He is best known for playing the role of Robbie Jackson
Robbie Jackson
Robert "Robbie" Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Dean Gaffney from 1993 to 2003. The character was axed in 2003 by executive producer Louise Berridge. He made brief returns in 2004 and 2010 for two family weddings.-Backstory:Robbie was the product of a...
in the popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
EastEnders
Gaffney's first appearance in the show aired in November 1993 and he remained in the role for eleven years. In 2003, executive producer, Louise BerridgeLouise Berridge
Louise Berridge is a British writer of historical fiction. Before she became a novelist, she was best known as a television producer and script editor. The most famous post being the executive producer of BBC's EastEnders between 2002 and 2004...
, made the decision to axe Gaffney along with the actress Bindya Solanki
Bindya Solanki
Bindya Solanki is a British Asian actress. Solanki comes from Southend on Sea, the seaside town in Essex. Her parents are of Gujarati descent and emigrated to England in the 60s...
, who played his on-screen girlfriend Nita Mistry. In a press report Berridge commented, "we do feel that the characters have reached the end of their natural course in the show, and they will both be leaving in Spring 2003". Since his initial exit Gaffney has made one further appearance in the soap, returning for a brief visit in 2004 for the wedding of his on-screen half-sister Sonia Jackson (played by Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Ann Cassidy is a British actress, most commonly known for appearing in the television soap EastEnders where she played Sonia Jackson for many years. She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.-Career:As a...
).
On 25 October 2009 it was announced that Gaffney would briefly reprise his role as Robbie Jackson
Robbie Jackson
Robert "Robbie" Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Dean Gaffney from 1993 to 2003. The character was axed in 2003 by executive producer Louise Berridge. He made brief returns in 2004 and 2010 for two family weddings.-Backstory:Robbie was the product of a...
in "EastEnders" with his on screen family Lindsey Coulson
Lindsey Coulson
Lindsey Coulson is an English actress, best known for her role as Carol Jackson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.- Career :...
, who played Carol Jackson
Carol Jackson
Carol Ann Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lindsey Coulson. The character was introduced in 1993 as part of a new problem family. Coulson decided to quit the role in 1997, but she returned temporarily in 1999 as part of a storyline that marked Carol's...
, Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Ann Cassidy is a British actress, most commonly known for appearing in the television soap EastEnders where she played Sonia Jackson for many years. She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.-Career:As a...
who played Sonia Fowler
Sonia Fowler
Sonia Ann Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on 21 December 1993 and she made her final appearance on 2 February 2007...
and the character of Billie Jackson played by the original Devon Anderson
Devon Anderson
Devon Carlo Anderson is an English actor who has been acting since an early age and became a CBBC presenter on BBC One and the CBBC Channel...
. The Jackson family made their comeback in February 2010 and was reunited with Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...
(Bianca Jackson
Bianca Jackson
Bianca Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted to leave. In 2002 executive producer John Yorke brought the character...
) as part of her wedding plot and Eastenders 25th anniversary celebrations. Dean, alongside Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Ann Cassidy is a British actress, most commonly known for appearing in the television soap EastEnders where she played Sonia Jackson for many years. She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.-Career:As a...
, left later that month as anniversary week was over. However, Devon Anderson
Devon Anderson
Devon Carlo Anderson is an English actor who has been acting since an early age and became a CBBC presenter on BBC One and the CBBC Channel...
and Lindsey Coulson
Lindsey Coulson
Lindsey Coulson is an English actress, best known for her role as Carol Jackson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.- Career :...
stayed.
Other roles
In 1991, Gaffney played the Boy (alternating with another actor) in Samuel BeckettSamuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
's Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, alongside Rik Mayall
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
and Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
.
In November 2006, Gaffney appeared as a guest star on the long-running ITV serial drama The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
. Gaffney played Gavin Josef, a cocky wide-boy who was connected to an assault investigation. This is Gaffney's second role in the programme, having previously appeared briefly as Paul Moose in 1993.
In 2007, Gaffney toured with the Agatha Christie Theatre Company, performing The Unexpected Guest. He played Jan, a 19-year-old murder suspect with learning difficulties. He also appeared in Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
and Stephen Merchant
Stephen Merchant
Stephen James Merchant is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, as the co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcom The Office, as the co-writer, co-director and a co-star of Extras, and as the...
's Christmas 2007 Special of Extras
Extras (TV series)
Extras is a British sitcom about extras working on TV and film sets and in theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and is created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also star in it...
, playing a less successful version of himself, working at the Carphone Warehouse with Merchant's character, Darren Lamb, and former EastEnders co-star Shaun Williamson
Shaun Williamson
Shaun Williamson is an English actor, singer, media personality and occasional presenter, best known for his former role as Barry Evans in soap opera EastEnders and as a version of himself in BBC sitcom Extras.- Career :...
.
In August 2008, Gaffney did some work for MTV, sharing some of his favourite songs which aired on MTV Hits. The show was named Dean Gaffney's Well Ard Hits, referring to his fictional dog Wellard
Wellard
Wellard is a fictional Belgian Tervuren dog from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He first appeared in the series on 18 October 1994, and became EastEnders longest-serving pet, before being killed off on 15 August 2008. Although the character is male, he has been played primarily by three female...
on EastEnders.
In September 2008, Gaffney appeared in an advert for the washing powder Daz
Daz
Daz may refer to:*Daz Dillinger, an American record producer and rapper.*Daz Sampson, a British dance music producer and vocalist.*Daz , a laundry detergent sold in the United Kingdom....
as part of their running "Cleaner Close" advert.
He also appeared in M.I.High
M.I.High
M.I. High is a BBC children's spy-fi adventure series. It is produced for the BBC by the independent production company Kudos, who also produced the hit BBC spy drama Spooks. It follows in the success of the Young Bond and the Alex Rider series of books and films. M.I...
in January 2009 in an episode called 'the mole'.
Gaffney is to perform in hit play 'Calendar Girls' throughout May - July 2010.
He annually appears on The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show
The Chris Moyles Show is the current BBC Radio 1 breakfast show in the UK, and has been since Chris Moyles became the station's breakfast show presenter on 5 January 2004. From 2004 to 2007, the show was broadcast 6:55–10:00 am each weekday, but since 15 October 2007 it has started from...
to turn on their studio's Christmas tree lights.
Reality television appearances
In 2003 Gaffney took part in the ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series The Club. Gaffney took on management of a bar in a London club named Nylon and competed with two other celebrities, Richard Blackwood
Richard Blackwood
Richard Blackwood , is an English comedian, media personality, occasional actor and MC. Blackwood is step-brother of Naomi Campbell after his father was married to her mother for a time...
and Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
, to be awarded the title of 'the most successful bar manager'. Gaffney was the eventual winner.
Gaffney appeared on the 2006 series of the ITV reality show, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. Gaffney eventually left the jungle in fifth place following a double eviction on Thursday 30 November 2006. Gaffney was the eighth person to be voted out of the jungle, leaving just one day before the live final.
Personal life
Gaffney lives in SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. He and Sarah Burge are the parents of twin daughters, Charlotte and Chloe. Gaffney and Burge were in a relationship for 10 years and were engaged. While appearing on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! he admitted to David Gest
David Gest
David Alan Gest is an American concert promoter and media personality, perhaps best known for his turbulent marriage to Liza Minnelli, friendship with The Jackson 5 and appearance on the 2006 series of the British reality television show I'm a Celebrity.....
that he had affairs during the relationship.
Gaffney is an avid supporter of Brentford F.C.
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
Filmography
- Rain in HellRain in HellRain in Hell is an EP/DVD released on October 31, 2006 by the post-hardcore band Aiden. It includes new tracks as well as a cover of The Misfits' "Die, Die My Darling" and Billy Idol's "White Wedding". The DVD features live performances from England and Chicago as well as music videos...
(2003) - EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
(1993–2003, 2004, 2010–) — Robbie Jackson - ExtrasExtras (TV series)Extras is a British sitcom about extras working on TV and film sets and in theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and is created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also star in it...
(2007) - Himself - Black BeautyBlack BeautyBlack Beauty is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she remained in her house as an invalid. The novel became an immediate bestseller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, long enough to see her first and only...
(Film) (1992) - Beauty