Diane Butcher
Encyclopedia
Diane Maureen Butcher is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Sophie Lawrence
. Diane appeared as a regular character between 1988 and 1991, when Lawrence decided to leave. The character made several brief returns in 1993, 1994, and 1997. Diane's most recent appearance was a brief return for the funeral of her father Frank
in 2008.
Over the years, Diane developed from a rebellious teenager who ran away from home, to a free-spirited single mother having difficulty looking after her young son. In her most recent stint on EastEnders
Diane was portrayed as a more mature character than previously seen, settled in France and, in a departure from a character previously depicted as heterosexual, she was stated to be in a long-term relationship with another woman.
in 1988 as the daughter of second-hand car salesman, Frank Butcher
and sister to Ricky Butcher
. Her mother June died in 1987, and when her father remarried Pat Wicks
and took over as landlord of the Queen Victoria pub, she lived with them there. Later the family moved out of the pub to run a bed and breakfast
elsewhere on the Square.
Problematic and strong-willed, she fell for the Butchers' lodger Paul Priestly
in 1989, much to Frank's annoyance. Diane took the relationship more seriously than Paul, and she was devastated when he finished with her to begin a fling with hairdreser Julie Cooper
. Paul and Julie did not last, and he immediately returned to Diane. Scorned, Diane could not forgive Julie for taking Paul, and she played various vengeful tricks on her as payback, such as sabotaging the opening day of her salon and sending her a male escort to make her look desperate. Julie responded by flirting with Paul to infuriate Diane further, and their feud culminated in a showdown in The Queen Vic one night, which resulted in Julie humiliating Diane.Paul quickly lost interest in Diane. Ignoring his reticence, Diane convinced herself that Paul was contemplating proposing to her, so she was broken hearted when he returned to his home town in Leeds
in December 1989; he left without saying goodbye to her or telling her that he was leaving.
Feeling misunderstood and unloved after believing that her family had forgotten her 16th birthday, Diane ran away from home in January 1990. She joined the down-and-outs on the streets of London. She was sinking fast when a street-wise teenager, Disa O'Brien, took her under her wing, showing her how to survive. Disa turned to prostitution
for extra money, and Diane posed nude for photographs for a man name Matthew Taylor who made a sculpture of her. She eventually returned to Albert Square in March 1990, after months of searching by her father, but she struggled to adjust to life back in Walford. As a result of her time away, Diane developed an interest in art. When Taylor turned up trying to woo Diane, he deposited the life size sculpute of her in Albert Square. Frank was livid; he smashed up the statue and confronted Taylor, further alienating Diane.
Diane developed a friendship with Mark Fowler
when he returned to his family home in 1990, and she enlisted his help in finding Disa, who was heavily pregnant and living in "Cardboard City". Disa refused their help initially, and after she gave birth to the baby, Disa abandoned the child, leaving her on Diane's doorstep on Christmas Day 1990. Diane and Mark cared for the baby in secret until they found Disa and persuaded Frank to allow her and the baby to stay in his mother Mo's
empty flat. Diane took care of them and attempted to help Disa bond with her child. Diane was keen for her relationship with Mark to progress, though he was hesitant, which upset her. Eventually, Mark confessed that he was HIV
-positive. She pledged to stick with him, even though the task was daunting. She acted as a confidante, helping him to face up to his illness and seek counselling and professional help. Diane was unsettled when Mark began spending time with his HIV+ ex-girlfriend Gill, and when Mark proposed to Diane in June 1991, she gently turned him down. The following month she left Walford
to go on a fruit picking holiday in France
. She telephoned Frank in September to say she would not be returning.
Diane was seen in 1993, when Frank visited her in France. He was horrified to discover she was pregnant, even more so when he discovered that she was unsure who the father was — A French man or a German man. After a heated argument Frank stormed off, refusing to speak to Diane, but they managed to make peace by the time Frank left — Diane drove to the ferry and tearfully waved Frank goodbye. Diane returned for a short stint in 1994, to inform Pat that Frank was alive and well and had merely run away from Walford following his mental breakdown — Frank had visited Diane off-screen in France. Ricky visited Diane in France in 1997, and spent time with her young son Jacques. Diane was in a tempestuous relationship with a Cameroon
ian musician named Thomas, and when this abruptly ended, she and son Jacques turned up in Walford, looking for a place to stay. However a short time later, Thomas visited Diane and asked her to go travelling with him on tour in Africa. Diane went without informing anyone she was going, leaving Jacques with Ricky and his wife Bianca
. Pregnant Bianca struggled to care for troublesome Jacques, and even considered having an abortion as a result. Jacques was sent to live in Manchester with Diane's sister Clare, until Diane retrieved him and took him back to live with her in Paris.
In 2008 Frank died of cancer
at his and Diane's home in Paris
. Frank had asked Diane and Ricky to have his funeral in Walford. Diane returned on March 31, 2008 alongside Ricky, where they met with their former stepmothers Pat Evans
and Peggy Mitchell
to convey the news of Frank's death. The following day, Diane was glad to see her sister Janine
back for Frank's funeral. During a conversation with Janine, Diane revealed that she had been in a relationship with a woman called Suzanne for the previous three years. Diane has explained the absences of her son, Jacques (who refused to attend the funeral) and her sister, Frank's eldest daughter, Clare (Clare currently lives in Australia, and had already visited Frank when he was ill to say her goodbyes). At Frank's wake in the Queen Vic, Diane was approached by Ian Beale
. Ian indicated that he wished to speak to Diane, who initially thought Ian was making a pass at her. She later realised that Ian wanted to speak to her about her experience of running away when she was a teenager. He believed her insights might help him find his own missing daughter, Lucy Beale
. Diane told Ian back at his house about her experiences, for which Ian was grateful. Frank left little of value in his estate once his debts were settled, but he left individual gifts to each of his children. Diane received some of her old school paintings and drawings. Diane helped Ricky, Janine and Pat scatter Frank's ashes in the flowerbeds of the Square. She returned to Paris on 4 April 2008 and has since been visited by Pat several times: once the following month, again in January 2009 and most recently in December 2010. Diane was mentioned in January 2011, by Janine, who claimed she'd spent some time with Diane after being discharged from hospital after attempting to stab herself. Ricky quipped that Diane had thrown Janine out, but Janine denied this.
took "a more back-seat role" as Series Producer, which allowed producer Mike Gibbon
to take control of the making of the programme.
The arrival of the Butcher family in May 1988 signified an end of an era for the soap, as Den
and Angie Watts
vacated their positions as landlord and landlady of The Queen Victoria
public house
, leaving Frank
(Mike Reid
), and his girlfriend Pat Wicks
(Pam St. Clement
) to take over tenancy. Ricky
(Sid Owen
) and Diane, played by Sophie Lawrence
, Frank's teenage children came with Frank. Lawrence was 15 at the time, and she got the part in EastEnders straight after leaving stage school. Lawrence has commented, "I always just thought that I would be a dancer and go into a West End musical and that I would be very, very happy. Then I got EastEnders when I was 15 and it kind of changed my life."
Diane has been described as "dreamy" and someone who "was always destined for more romantic things than the reality of Walford." "Sensitive and artistic", for a time Diane was portrayed as the least troublesome of the Butcher family, the one who conformed the most, though she began to rebel against her father's heavy handed paternalism.
EastEnders writer Sarah Phelps
has described the character as sharp, smart with elements of her mother in her. Phelps adds "she had a sharp tongue and a quick mind...you could see her looking at her family and looking at Walford...and thinking 'this ain't for me'." Sophie Lawrence has said, "Diane was a bit of a wild child...she was a bit naughty, she was always in trouble. I think it was something to do with losing her mother at an early age...She ran away [from home] to make a statement. I think it was a 'notice me' kind of thing. It worked."
In the 2008 television documentary EastEnders: Ricky and Bianca, Diane was described as "rather normal" for a member of the Butcher family. Upon her return in 2008, the character had altered and matured. Lawrence has commented, "coming back, she seems quite nice actually, she seem more relaxed. She's so much older I suppose, so she's sort of grown up really. She seems nice and kind and settled with her life."
(Mark Thrippleton
). Diane decided to run away from home in January 1990 when it seemed her family had forgotten her 16th birthday—they were actually planning a surprise party for her that she never got to see. Diane's disappearance dominated the programme in the beginning of 1990. Focus was placed upon the effect her departure had on the Butcher family, in particular her father Frank who searched unsuccessfully for his missing daughter.
When the storyline had originally been scripted in 1989, it was left open-ended, meaning that none of the writers or producers of EastEnders had decided whether Diane would ever be found. However, towards the end of 1989, EastEnders acquired a new executive producer, Michael Ferguson
, and according to scriptwriter Colin Brake
, one of his first decisions was that "Diane must be found". The subsequent story of her returning home and adjusting to life back in Walford
was developed.
The episodes where Diane returned home aired towards the end of March 1990. They were written by Tony McHale
. The episodes have been described as "extraordinary" and a "radical departure from the normal EastEnders form", because they used flashback
s to tell the story of Diane's three months living on the streets of London
as a homeless girl. Simultaneously, they also told the present story of Frank finding Diane, and bringing her back to Walford. Colin Brake has described them as powerful episodes, which "returned EastEnders to the tradition of gritty realism that had been integral to the early episodes." In the flashbacks, it was revealed that Diane had lived rough on the streets and joined a gang of runaways, befriending a young girl named Disa O'Brien (Jan Graveson
). Diane also became involved with an artist named Matthew Taylor, who took nude photos of her and then constructed a life-size sculpture of her, which later turned up in Albert Square
, enraging Frank. This ignited Diane's own interest in art, which was demonstrated later in the year when she painted a mural
on the side of the Butcher household. Actress Sophie Lawrence did research for the storyline among real homeless people.
(Todd Carty
), who returned to the serial as a regular character in 1990 after a three year absence. The relationship was never consummated however, because in January 1991 Mark revealed to Diane that he was HIV positive — he was the first mainstream soap opera character to be diagnosed. The episode, written by Tony McHale, has been described as the "important" beginning to Mark's HIV storyline, as Mark's secret HIV status was finally revealed to the audience as well as Diane. In the on-screen events, Diane tried to be supportive to Mark and persuaded him to have counselling at the Terrence Higgins Trust
, though their relationship was never quite the same again; when Mark, prompted by his mother Pauline
, asked Diane to marry him, she turned him down and left the serial to move to France
shortly after.
Off-screen Sophie Lawrence had decided to quit the soap to take on new projects, which included an attempt at a music career. She has commented, "I left because I wanted to play something different. In doing that, you have to grow out of the public's perception of you as an EastEnders character. But I wanted variety of roles. I felt I couldn't just carry on being Diane indefinitely. I wanted to be an actor, not just a personality."
, France, where Frank discovered, to his horror, that Diane was pregnant with an unknown foreign man's baby. In June 1994, Diane returned to Walford as part of a storyline involving her father's disappearance. In 1997, another week's worth of episodes set in Paris reunited Ricky and Diane. Shortly after, the character returned to the soap's setting of Walford, but Lawrence reportedly quit weeks after making her comeback. She had since commented on her reasons for quitting so soon: "Going back to EastEnders was like going back to school and none of your friends are there. I was [originally] there with people like Nick Berry
(Simon Wicks
) and Letitia Dean
(Sharon Watts) and they'd all gone. One of the young actors, who will remain nameless, made me a coffee and started telling me all about what it was like. He had no idea I'd been in the soap before." In addition, Lawrence was suffering physically as she was still getting over injuries she sustained from a car accident and was forced to remove a neck brace for filming purposes. On-screen, the character departed to travel with her musician boyfriend, abandoning her young son in her brother's care. Bosses at EastEnders had reportedly been keen for Lawrence to remain on the show, as they were hoping for an on-screen reunion of the Butcher family; Mike Reid had agreed to reprise his role as Frank, though Diane departed before his reintroduction.
Despite claiming that she would never return to EastEnders in 1997, Lawrence was upset when she discovered that both Sid Owen and Mike Reid (Ricky and Frank) were leaving EastEnders in 2000 as, in her opinion, it ruled out any chance of her character returning to the show. She commented, "It would be great fun to get all the Butcher clan back for a few months. I hear Diane's name mentioned quite a lot on the show — it makes me feel like I've never really left. But all the people I'm connected with are leaving, which makes going back harder and I'm really sorry about that. It would be great to have the Butcher clan come back for Mike's sendoff. But, sadly, I don't think there is the space for me to go back full-time." In 2002, she was asked if she would ever return to the soap and she responded, "If they asked me, I’d love to go back. Not on a long term contract or anything because I love doing other things but I’d definitely like to go back."
as part of a storyline that has been dubbed "Frank Week". Mike Reid died in 2007 and due to the popularity of the character he played, Santer decided that Frank would also be killed off in the serial. A funeral was held for the character as a tribute to both the actor and the "iconic" character he played. Lawrence was one of several actors brought back to the show especially for the storyline. She was joined by Charlie Brooks
, who played her younger sister Janine
and Sid Owen as Ricky. Of the three, only Owen's return was permanent, although Brooks came back months later as Janine.
Commenting to Digital Spy
about her return, Lawrence said: "I've not been in the show for 11 years and it's not like I've ever thought "I'll never go back", you just think that your chance to go back has gone. It never crossed my mind that the occasion would ever arise, so when I got the phone call, it was really odd. There was never any doubt that I'd do it for Mike [Reid] and it's not something that's really been done — I don't think someone's ever died off-screen and then they've done the funeral on-screen. I think everyone was quite wary because it's quite an odd thing to do to have attended his real funeral and then go back to film it all over again. There was some trepidation about how it was going to work. But as soon as we arrived, it was like 11 years of your life had been wiped out and you'd been there the day before [...] I had this really lovely scene with Sid [Owen] where I said: "Isn't it strange, you imagine you’d come back and everything would be here waiting for us just like it was." Diane's saying everything's moved on, but for me it was the opposite, I'd got back there and everything was the same."
The character was brought back for a period of four episodes. Lawrence has revealed that she thought she would have minimal involvement in the storyline and was surprised at how much dialogue she was given. Each of the returning characters were given their own storyline; in Diane's case, she was in a relationship with a female doctor named Suzanne. Lawrence commented, "I think [Diane]'s quite alright now — she's come back and she's sorted. She knows the score." When asked if she would ever make a full-time return, Lawrence said, "Once you're re-established, you're a character that other characters can go and visit. For example, after Diane's left Walford again, Pat goes to stay with her for a couple of weeks. So there's no reason why I couldn't return for a two-week 'holiday' to see the kids!"
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the 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...
, played by Sophie Lawrence
Sophie Lawrence
Sophie Lawrence is an English actress, best known for playing the role of Diane Butcher in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders....
. Diane appeared as a regular character between 1988 and 1991, when Lawrence decided to leave. The character made several brief returns in 1993, 1994, and 1997. Diane's most recent appearance was a brief return for the funeral of her father Frank
Frank Butcher
Francis Aloysius "Frank" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Mike Reid. Frank made his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987 but, due to a positive viewer reception, he was reintroduced in 1988 as a regular. Reid took a long...
in 2008.
Over the years, Diane developed from a rebellious teenager who ran away from home, to a free-spirited single mother having difficulty looking after her young son. In her most recent stint on 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...
Diane was portrayed as a more mature character than previously seen, settled in France and, in a departure from a character previously depicted as heterosexual, she was stated to be in a long-term relationship with another woman.
Storylines
Diane arrived in Albert SquareAlbert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
in 1988 as the daughter of second-hand car salesman, Frank Butcher
Frank Butcher
Francis Aloysius "Frank" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Mike Reid. Frank made his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987 but, due to a positive viewer reception, he was reintroduced in 1988 as a regular. Reid took a long...
and sister to Ricky Butcher
Ricky Butcher
Richard Francis "Ricky" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running, male protagonists to feature in EastEnders. Owen originally left the role in 2000 to pursue a music career...
. Her mother June died in 1987, and when her father remarried Pat Wicks
Pat Evans
Patricia Louise "Pat" Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She has been played by Pam St. Clement since 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired...
and took over as landlord of the Queen Victoria pub, she lived with them there. Later the family moved out of the pub to run a bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
elsewhere on the Square.
Problematic and strong-willed, she fell for the Butchers' lodger Paul Priestly
Paul Priestly
Paul Priestly is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by Mark Thrippleton.Paul, a builder, came to London with a building firm he worked for, then decided to go it alone. He found work around the Square — the money wasn't great but there were benefits — for instance,...
in 1989, much to Frank's annoyance. Diane took the relationship more seriously than Paul, and she was devastated when he finished with her to begin a fling with hairdreser Julie Cooper
Julie Cooper (EastEnders)
Julie Cooper is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by Louise Plowright from 1989-1990. The character was one of Mike Gibbon's introductions, but she was axed in 1990 at the start of Michael Ferguson's reign as executive producer...
. Paul and Julie did not last, and he immediately returned to Diane. Scorned, Diane could not forgive Julie for taking Paul, and she played various vengeful tricks on her as payback, such as sabotaging the opening day of her salon and sending her a male escort to make her look desperate. Julie responded by flirting with Paul to infuriate Diane further, and their feud culminated in a showdown in The Queen Vic one night, which resulted in Julie humiliating Diane.Paul quickly lost interest in Diane. Ignoring his reticence, Diane convinced herself that Paul was contemplating proposing to her, so she was broken hearted when he returned to his home town in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in December 1989; he left without saying goodbye to her or telling her that he was leaving.
Feeling misunderstood and unloved after believing that her family had forgotten her 16th birthday, Diane ran away from home in January 1990. She joined the down-and-outs on the streets of London. She was sinking fast when a street-wise teenager, Disa O'Brien, took her under her wing, showing her how to survive. Disa turned to prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
for extra money, and Diane posed nude for photographs for a man name Matthew Taylor who made a sculpture of her. She eventually returned to Albert Square in March 1990, after months of searching by her father, but she struggled to adjust to life back in Walford. As a result of her time away, Diane developed an interest in art. When Taylor turned up trying to woo Diane, he deposited the life size sculpute of her in Albert Square. Frank was livid; he smashed up the statue and confronted Taylor, further alienating Diane.
Diane developed a friendship with Mark Fowler
Mark Fowler
Mark Albert Fowler is a fictional character from the popular British BBC soap opera EastEnders. Mark was an original regular character in the series starting February 1985 but became a semi-regular after his original portrayer David Scarboro was written out of the role in April 1985. Scarboro made...
when he returned to his family home in 1990, and she enlisted his help in finding Disa, who was heavily pregnant and living in "Cardboard City". Disa refused their help initially, and after she gave birth to the baby, Disa abandoned the child, leaving her on Diane's doorstep on Christmas Day 1990. Diane and Mark cared for the baby in secret until they found Disa and persuaded Frank to allow her and the baby to stay in his mother Mo's
Mo Butcher
Maureen "Mo" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Edna Doré between 1988 and 1990. She was introduced as the matriarch figure of the Butcher family, Frank Butcher's elderly mother. She was portrayed as a battle-axe, tough and interfering...
empty flat. Diane took care of them and attempted to help Disa bond with her child. Diane was keen for her relationship with Mark to progress, though he was hesitant, which upset her. Eventually, Mark confessed that he was HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
-positive. She pledged to stick with him, even though the task was daunting. She acted as a confidante, helping him to face up to his illness and seek counselling and professional help. Diane was unsettled when Mark began spending time with his HIV+ ex-girlfriend Gill, and when Mark proposed to Diane in June 1991, she gently turned him down. The following month she left Walford
Walford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
to go on a fruit picking holiday in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She telephoned Frank in September to say she would not be returning.
Diane was seen in 1993, when Frank visited her in France. He was horrified to discover she was pregnant, even more so when he discovered that she was unsure who the father was — A French man or a German man. After a heated argument Frank stormed off, refusing to speak to Diane, but they managed to make peace by the time Frank left — Diane drove to the ferry and tearfully waved Frank goodbye. Diane returned for a short stint in 1994, to inform Pat that Frank was alive and well and had merely run away from Walford following his mental breakdown — Frank had visited Diane off-screen in France. Ricky visited Diane in France in 1997, and spent time with her young son Jacques. Diane was in a tempestuous relationship with a Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
ian musician named Thomas, and when this abruptly ended, she and son Jacques turned up in Walford, looking for a place to stay. However a short time later, Thomas visited Diane and asked her to go travelling with him on tour in Africa. Diane went without informing anyone she was going, leaving Jacques with Ricky and his wife Bianca
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...
. Pregnant Bianca struggled to care for troublesome Jacques, and even considered having an abortion as a result. Jacques was sent to live in Manchester with Diane's sister Clare, until Diane retrieved him and took him back to live with her in Paris.
In 2008 Frank died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at his and Diane's home in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Frank had asked Diane and Ricky to have his funeral in Walford. Diane returned on March 31, 2008 alongside Ricky, where they met with their former stepmothers Pat Evans
Pat Evans
Patricia Louise "Pat" Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She has been played by Pam St. Clement since 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired...
and Peggy Mitchell
Peggy Mitchell
Margaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared on 30 April 1991, featuring in the series on a recurring basis over several weeks. Peggy was reintroduced in 1994, recast and was then played by...
to convey the news of Frank's death. The following day, Diane was glad to see her sister Janine
Janine Evans
Janine Butcher is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, currently portrayed by Charlie Brooks. Rebecca Michael originally portrayed the character from 1989 until 1993, when the role was given to Alexia Demetriou for three years. Brooks took on the role in 1999...
back for Frank's funeral. During a conversation with Janine, Diane revealed that she had been in a relationship with a woman called Suzanne for the previous three years. Diane has explained the absences of her son, Jacques (who refused to attend the funeral) and her sister, Frank's eldest daughter, Clare (Clare currently lives in Australia, and had already visited Frank when he was ill to say her goodbyes). At Frank's wake in the Queen Vic, Diane was approached by Ian Beale
Ian Beale
Ian Albert Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Adam Woodyatt. He is the longest-serving character and the only remaining original character to have appeared continuously since the first episode on 19 February 1985...
. Ian indicated that he wished to speak to Diane, who initially thought Ian was making a pass at her. She later realised that Ian wanted to speak to her about her experience of running away when she was a teenager. He believed her insights might help him find his own missing daughter, Lucy Beale
Lucy Beale
Lucy Katherine Beale is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Eva Brittin-Snell from 1993 to 1996, Casey Anne Rothery from 1996 until 2004, Melissa Suffield from 2004 to 2010 and Hetti Bywater from 2012 onwards. Lucy was introduced in December 1993 as the newborn baby...
. Diane told Ian back at his house about her experiences, for which Ian was grateful. Frank left little of value in his estate once his debts were settled, but he left individual gifts to each of his children. Diane received some of her old school paintings and drawings. Diane helped Ricky, Janine and Pat scatter Frank's ashes in the flowerbeds of the Square. She returned to Paris on 4 April 2008 and has since been visited by Pat several times: once the following month, again in January 2009 and most recently in December 2010. Diane was mentioned in January 2011, by Janine, who claimed she'd spent some time with Diane after being discharged from hospital after attempting to stab herself. Ricky quipped that Diane had thrown Janine out, but Janine denied this.
Background and casting
EastEnders had been on air for three years before the character of Diane made her first screen appearance in May 1988. At the time, big changes were occurring "behind-the-scenes". Co-creator Julia SmithJulia Smith
Julia Smith was an English television director and producer.- Early career :London-born Smith became involved in television production when she directed the series Suspense in 1962...
took "a more back-seat role" as Series Producer, which allowed producer Mike Gibbon
Mike Gibbon
John Michael "Mike" Gibbon is an English television producer and director. Gibbon married Moya McCarthy in July 1976 and they have a daughter, Sophie....
to take control of the making of the programme.
The arrival of the Butcher family in May 1988 signified an end of an era for the soap, as Den
Den Watts
Dennis Alan "Den" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den"....
and Angie Watts
Angie Watts
Angela "Angie" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Anita Dobson from the first episode of the show until 1988 when the actress decided to quit and the character was written out....
vacated their positions as landlord and landlady of The Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria is a fictional Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.-Appearance and development:...
public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, leaving Frank
Frank Butcher
Francis Aloysius "Frank" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Mike Reid. Frank made his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987 but, due to a positive viewer reception, he was reintroduced in 1988 as a regular. Reid took a long...
(Mike Reid
Mike Reid (entertainer)
Michael Reid was an English comedian, actor, author and occasional television presenter from Hackney in east London, who is best remembered for playing the role of Frank Butcher in EastEnders and hosting the popular children's TV show Runaround...
), and his girlfriend Pat Wicks
Pat Evans
Patricia Louise "Pat" Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She has been played by Pam St. Clement since 12 June 1986, just over a year after the show first aired...
(Pam St. Clement
Pam St. Clement
Pamela Ann Clement , known by the stage name Pam St. Clement, is an English actress. She has played Pat Evans in the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 1986, and is now one of the programme's longest-serving cast members. St. Clement announced her intention to leave EastEnders on 8 July 2011 and will...
) to take over tenancy. Ricky
Ricky Butcher
Richard Francis "Ricky" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sid Owen. Introduced as a school boy in 1988, Ricky is one of the longest-running, male protagonists to feature in EastEnders. Owen originally left the role in 2000 to pursue a music career...
(Sid Owen
Sid Owen
Sid Owen is an English actor, television presenter and former singer, most famous for playing the role of Ricky Butcher in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, which he appeared in from 1988 until 2000, 2002 until 2004 and then again from March 2008.-Career:Prior to his role in EastEnders he had a...
) and Diane, played by Sophie Lawrence
Sophie Lawrence
Sophie Lawrence is an English actress, best known for playing the role of Diane Butcher in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders....
, Frank's teenage children came with Frank. Lawrence was 15 at the time, and she got the part in EastEnders straight after leaving stage school. Lawrence has commented, "I always just thought that I would be a dancer and go into a West End musical and that I would be very, very happy. Then I got EastEnders when I was 15 and it kind of changed my life."
Personality
EastEnders writer Sarah Phelps
Sarah Phelps
Sarah Phelps is a British television, radio, film and freelance playwright who was working for the Royal Shakespeare Company when she took part in a BBC initiative to find new writers...
has described the character as sharp, smart with elements of her mother in her. Phelps adds "she had a sharp tongue and a quick mind...you could see her looking at her family and looking at Walford...and thinking 'this ain't for me'." Sophie Lawrence has said, "Diane was a bit of a wild child...she was a bit naughty, she was always in trouble. I think it was something to do with losing her mother at an early age...She ran away [from home] to make a statement. I think it was a 'notice me' kind of thing. It worked."
In the 2008 television documentary EastEnders: Ricky and Bianca, Diane was described as "rather normal" for a member of the Butcher family. Upon her return in 2008, the character had altered and matured. Lawrence has commented, "coming back, she seems quite nice actually, she seem more relaxed. She's so much older I suppose, so she's sort of grown up really. She seems nice and kind and settled with her life."
Teenage runaway (1989–1990)
The most notable storyline featuring Diane during her initial stint on the soap concerned the character running away from home in 1990. In the on-screen events, Diane was shown to be increasingly unhappy towards the latter part of 1989, exacerbated by the sudden departure of her boyfriend Paul PriestlyPaul Priestly
Paul Priestly is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by Mark Thrippleton.Paul, a builder, came to London with a building firm he worked for, then decided to go it alone. He found work around the Square — the money wasn't great but there were benefits — for instance,...
(Mark Thrippleton
Mark Thrippleton
Mark Thrippleton is an English actor from Leeds.Thrippleton worked as a roofer and tiler before taking up acting in the 1980s.In 1984 he appeared in How We Used to Live — a British educational drama tracing the lives and fortunes of fictional Yorkshire families from Ewardian times...
). Diane decided to run away from home in January 1990 when it seemed her family had forgotten her 16th birthday—they were actually planning a surprise party for her that she never got to see. Diane's disappearance dominated the programme in the beginning of 1990. Focus was placed upon the effect her departure had on the Butcher family, in particular her father Frank who searched unsuccessfully for his missing daughter.
When the storyline had originally been scripted in 1989, it was left open-ended, meaning that none of the writers or producers of EastEnders had decided whether Diane would ever be found. However, towards the end of 1989, EastEnders acquired a new executive producer, Michael Ferguson
Michael Ferguson (director)
Michael Ferguson is a British script writer, television director and television producer. Ferguson has been described as a “long term champion of realistic popular drama”. Ferguson was executive producer of the BBC soap opera, EastEnders between 1989 and 1991...
, and according to scriptwriter Colin Brake
Colin Brake
Colin Brake is an English television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programs such as Bugs and EastEnders. He has also written spin-offs from the BBC series Doctor Who...
, one of his first decisions was that "Diane must be found". The subsequent story of her returning home and adjusting to life back in Walford
Walford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
was developed.
Tony McHale
Tony McHale is a British actor, writer and director who has the dubious honour of being best known as a "stooge" to Jeremy Beadle on Game For A Laugh and later, Beadle's About. He trained at Rose Bruford College. He also enjoyed a long stint as a writer/director on the top rated BBC1 soap opera...
. The episodes have been described as "extraordinary" and a "radical departure from the normal EastEnders form", because they used flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
s to tell the story of Diane's three months living on the streets of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as a homeless girl. Simultaneously, they also told the present story of Frank finding Diane, and bringing her back to Walford. Colin Brake has described them as powerful episodes, which "returned EastEnders to the tradition of gritty realism that had been integral to the early episodes." In the flashbacks, it was revealed that Diane had lived rough on the streets and joined a gang of runaways, befriending a young girl named Disa O'Brien (Jan Graveson
Jan Graveson
Janice Margaret "Jan" Graveson is a British actress and singer.-Television:Born in Easington, County Durham.Childhood: Horden & Peterlee, County Durham...
). Diane also became involved with an artist named Matthew Taylor, who took nude photos of her and then constructed a life-size sculpture of her, which later turned up in Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
, enraging Frank. This ignited Diane's own interest in art, which was demonstrated later in the year when she painted a mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
on the side of the Butcher household. Actress Sophie Lawrence did research for the storyline among real homeless people.
Exit (1991)
Subsequent storylines featuring Diane included involvement in the plight of pregnant runaway Disa, who Diane brought back to Walford to bond with her baby — Disa had initially abandoned the baby on Diane's doorstep on Christmas Day 1990. The bulk of the character's narrative concerned a blossoming romance with one of EastEnders original characters, Mark FowlerMark Fowler
Mark Albert Fowler is a fictional character from the popular British BBC soap opera EastEnders. Mark was an original regular character in the series starting February 1985 but became a semi-regular after his original portrayer David Scarboro was written out of the role in April 1985. Scarboro made...
(Todd Carty
Todd Carty
Todd Carty is an Irish actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage work has varied from pantomime to serious drama, as well as radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations, and films...
), who returned to the serial as a regular character in 1990 after a three year absence. The relationship was never consummated however, because in January 1991 Mark revealed to Diane that he was HIV positive — he was the first mainstream soap opera character to be diagnosed. The episode, written by Tony McHale, has been described as the "important" beginning to Mark's HIV storyline, as Mark's secret HIV status was finally revealed to the audience as well as Diane. In the on-screen events, Diane tried to be supportive to Mark and persuaded him to have counselling at the Terrence Higgins Trust
Terrence Higgins Trust
Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that campaigns on various issues related to AIDS and HIV. In particular, the charity aims to reduce the spread of HIV and promote good sexual health ; to provide services on a national and local level to people with, affected by, or at risk of...
, though their relationship was never quite the same again; when Mark, prompted by his mother Pauline
Pauline Fowler
Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional London borough of Walford. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between 1985 and 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland and producer...
, asked Diane to marry him, she turned him down and left the serial to move to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
shortly after.
Off-screen Sophie Lawrence had decided to quit the soap to take on new projects, which included an attempt at a music career. She has commented, "I left because I wanted to play something different. In doing that, you have to grow out of the public's perception of you as an EastEnders character. But I wanted variety of roles. I felt I couldn't just carry on being Diane indefinitely. I wanted to be an actor, not just a personality."
Brief returns (1993, 1994, 1997)
The character has made numerous brief returns to the serial as a guest character. In 1993, she was featured in a special week of episodes, filmed on-location in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France, where Frank discovered, to his horror, that Diane was pregnant with an unknown foreign man's baby. In June 1994, Diane returned to Walford as part of a storyline involving her father's disappearance. In 1997, another week's worth of episodes set in Paris reunited Ricky and Diane. Shortly after, the character returned to the soap's setting of Walford, but Lawrence reportedly quit weeks after making her comeback. She had since commented on her reasons for quitting so soon: "Going back to EastEnders was like going back to school and none of your friends are there. I was [originally] there with people like Nick Berry
Nick Berry
Nicholas "Nick" Berry is a British television actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in the British soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1990 and as PC Nick Rowan in the British drama television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998.-Career:Berry started acting at the age of...
(Simon Wicks
Simon Wicks
Simon "Wicksy" Wicks is a fictional character from the British BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nick Berry between 1985 and 1990. Wicksy was introduced to take on some of the more adult storylines that had been scripted for another character, Mark Fowler; Mark's actor David Scarboro had left...
) and Letitia Dean
Letitia Dean
Letitia Dean is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Sharon Watts in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, who was one of the serial's original characters. Dean was part of the original cast in 1985 and remained in the series until 1995...
(Sharon Watts) and they'd all gone. One of the young actors, who will remain nameless, made me a coffee and started telling me all about what it was like. He had no idea I'd been in the soap before." In addition, Lawrence was suffering physically as she was still getting over injuries she sustained from a car accident and was forced to remove a neck brace for filming purposes. On-screen, the character departed to travel with her musician boyfriend, abandoning her young son in her brother's care. Bosses at EastEnders had reportedly been keen for Lawrence to remain on the show, as they were hoping for an on-screen reunion of the Butcher family; Mike Reid had agreed to reprise his role as Frank, though Diane departed before his reintroduction.
Frank Week (2008)
However, the character did not make another appearance in the soap until late March 2008. Sophie Lawrence was asked to reprise the role by executive producer Diederick SanterDiederick Santer
Diederick Santer 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...
as part of a storyline that has been dubbed "Frank Week". Mike Reid died in 2007 and due to the popularity of the character he played, Santer decided that Frank would also be killed off in the serial. A funeral was held for the character as a tribute to both the actor and the "iconic" character he played. Lawrence was one of several actors brought back to the show especially for the storyline. She was joined by Charlie Brooks
Charlie Brooks
Charlene "Charlie" Brooks is a Welsh actress, best known for playing Janine Butcher on the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Acting career:...
, who played her younger sister Janine
Janine Evans
Janine Butcher is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, currently portrayed by Charlie Brooks. Rebecca Michael originally portrayed the character from 1989 until 1993, when the role was given to Alexia Demetriou for three years. Brooks took on the role in 1999...
and Sid Owen as Ricky. Of the three, only Owen's return was permanent, although Brooks came back months later as Janine.
Commenting to Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
about her return, Lawrence said: "I've not been in the show for 11 years and it's not like I've ever thought "I'll never go back", you just think that your chance to go back has gone. It never crossed my mind that the occasion would ever arise, so when I got the phone call, it was really odd. There was never any doubt that I'd do it for Mike [Reid] and it's not something that's really been done — I don't think someone's ever died off-screen and then they've done the funeral on-screen. I think everyone was quite wary because it's quite an odd thing to do to have attended his real funeral and then go back to film it all over again. There was some trepidation about how it was going to work. But as soon as we arrived, it was like 11 years of your life had been wiped out and you'd been there the day before [...] I had this really lovely scene with Sid [Owen] where I said: "Isn't it strange, you imagine you’d come back and everything would be here waiting for us just like it was." Diane's saying everything's moved on, but for me it was the opposite, I'd got back there and everything was the same."
The character was brought back for a period of four episodes. Lawrence has revealed that she thought she would have minimal involvement in the storyline and was surprised at how much dialogue she was given. Each of the returning characters were given their own storyline; in Diane's case, she was in a relationship with a female doctor named Suzanne. Lawrence commented, "I think [Diane]'s quite alright now — she's come back and she's sorted. She knows the score." When asked if she would ever make a full-time return, Lawrence said, "Once you're re-established, you're a character that other characters can go and visit. For example, after Diane's left Walford again, Pat goes to stay with her for a couple of weeks. So there's no reason why I couldn't return for a two-week 'holiday' to see the kids!"