Ricky Butcher
Encyclopedia
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. However, he reprised the role in 2002 before being axed by producer Louise Berridge
in 2004. In 2008, producer Diederick Santer
reintroduced the character for a third time, along with his wife Bianca Jackson
. Ricky is portrayed as unintelligent, simplistic, easily led and bossed around by dominant personalities. On 26 February 2011, it was announced that Owen will take a break from the show, and took a temporary exit on 19 July 2011. He is due to return to the show on 13 December 2011.
when his father Frank Butcher
(Mike Reid
) becomes landlord of The Queen Victoria
public house in 1988. Non-academic, Ricky proves to be a troublesome teen and is frequently berated by his father. He begins dating Shireen Karim (Nisha Kapur), a Muslim, much to Shireen's father Ashraf's
ire. Ashraf forces Shireen into an arranged marriage
, prompting Ricky to retaliate by terrorizing Ashraf for a while with a gang of racists.
Later on, Ricky shows talent mending cars, so the Mitchell brothers, Phil
(Steve McFadden
) and Grant
(Ross Kemp
), take him on at their auto repair shop as an apprentice mechanic
. Ricky begins dating the Mitchell brothers' younger sister Samantha
(Danniella Westbrook
) and when she decides she wants to get married at 16, she and Ricky elope to Gretna Green
in 1991. Their marriage is short-lived, as Sam grows bored and starts to look for entertainment elsewhere; she leaves Ricky in 1993.
Despite a one-night stand with Mandy Salter
(Nicola Stapleton
) in January 1994, Ricky does not enter into another serious relationship until August, when he begins dating Bianca Jackson
(Patsy Palmer
). They move in together, but when Bianca begins to treat Ricky badly, he begins an affair with her best friend Natalie Price
(Lucy Speed
), in 1995. Natalie falls in love with Ricky and sets it up so that Bianca catches them kissing. Furious, Bianca finishes with Ricky, cutting up all his clothes and, after Ricky rejects Natalie, she flees Walford. Bianca eventually forgives Ricky and they reunite. Bianca strays with Lenny Wallace
(Des Coleman
), but immediately realises her mistake and marries Ricky on 17 April 1997. Later that year Bianca falls pregnant, but a prenatal scan reveals her unborn baby has both spina bifida
and hydrocephalus
; the Butchers decide to terminate the pregnancy. The trauma devastates them both, but it does bring them closer and in September 1998 Bianca discovers she has fallen pregnant again, resulting in her prematurely giving birth to their son Liam
on Christmas Day 1998. The following year, however, Bianca begins an affair with her mother Carol Jackson
's (Lindsey Coulson
) boyfriend, Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass
). When the affair is uncovered, the Butchers' marriage ends and Bianca departs with Liam for Manchester. Taunted by Dan and unhappy with his life and work, Ricky flees Walford in April 2000.
In May 2002 Ricky meets up with Bianca in Manchester and they briefly rekindle their romance after he gets her out of trouble with her boss Vince. However, Bianca, who is struggling as a single parent, is manipulated by Ricky's new fiancée, Cassie, into believing that Ricky's life would be ruined if Bianca returns to him. Bianca decides to leave Liam with Ricky and hitches a ride to a destination unknown.
Ricky returns to Walford in August 2002 with his son Liam after hearing from former stepmother Pat Evans
(Pam St. Clement
), that his sister Janine (Charlie Brooks
) has resorted to prostitution
and drug-use. Ricky remains to help Janine, regaining his old mechanic post. He begins a second affair with Natalie, ending her marriage to Barry Evans
(Shaun Williamson
). Ricky and Natalie plan to leave Walford together in 2003, but when Janine informs Natalie about Ricky's one-night stand with his ex-wife Sam (now Kim Medcalf
), Natalie dumps him. Janine goes on to marry Barry for his money and accidentally kills him during an argument. Discovering his sister's role in Barry's death, Ricky leaves Walford again in February 2004, horrified.
On 31 March 2008 Ricky returns to Walford unexpectedly with his sister Diane
(Sophie Lawrence
) to inform Pat that Frank has died. Frank is cremated in Walford the following day. Ricky's fiancée Melinda (Siobhan Hayes
) attends, but soon finishes with Ricky when she discovers he is penniless. The Butcher siblings and Pat scatter Frank's ashes in Albert Square gardens after the reading of his will. Ricky returns the following week when he discovers Bianca and Liam are living with Pat after being made homeless. He insults Bianca's parenting, leading Bianca to angrily reveal that the reason Liam had lived with her since 2006 was because Melinda did not want the child. Despite initial hostilities, Ricky helps Bianca regain custody of her 4 children, who have been put into care, and then decides to remain in Walford himself, to be near Liam.
Ricky hopes for a reconciliation with Bianca, but she is involved with Tony King
(Chris Coghill
), and when Tony is released from prison later that year, he moves in with the Butchers. There is hostility between Ricky and Tony. Unbeknown to the rest of the family, Tony is a paedophile and is having a secret relationship with Bianca's stepdaughter Whitney Dean
(Shona McGarty
). When this is uncovered, Bianca finishes with Tony and he is imprisoned. A period of adjustment follows for the Butchers, as they try to assimilate what has occurred to Whitney. In the midst of this, Bianca reveals that her youngest daughter, Tiffany
(Maisie Smith
), is actually the daughter of Ricky, conceived on their one-night stand in 2002. This is confirmed when Ricky takes a paternity test.
Phil orders Ricky to find his sister, Ricky's first wife Sam, who resides in Brazil after being on the run from police for her part in Den Watts
' (Leslie Grantham
) murder. Ricky returns, bringing Sam with him. When Bianca is about to admit her love for him, Ricky reveals that he is in love with Sam. Ricky and Sam get engaged. However, Sam embarks on an affair with Jack Branning
(Scott Maslen
) and when Bianca discovers this, she tells Ricky and the engagement is called off. Bianca surprises Ricky by proposing and they marry for a second time in February 2010. Ricky then discovers that Sam is pregnant. It is unknown whether Ricky or Jack fathered Sam's baby. Sam initially names Ricky as the father but a paternity test reveals she is lying; Jack is the father.
When it is revealed that Carol has been seeing Billie Jackson's (Devon Anderson
) friend Connor Stanley (Arinze Kene
), Bianca attacks him and is jailed for her crime, leaving Ricky and Carol to look after the family. Needing money, Ricky accepts a job in Dubai
, returning after three weeks. Janine inherits her grandmother Lydia Simmonds' (Heather Chasen
) estate, and offers Ricky some money, but he refuses it without knowing what it is. He then decides to go back to Dubai for a further six months as he has been unable to find work locally.
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 the head of the Butcher family, Frank
(Mike Reid
), and his girlfriend Pat Wicks
(Pam St. Clement
) to take over. Along with Frank came his two teenage children, Ricky (Sid Owen
) and Diane
(Sophie Lawrence
). Later they were joined by Frank's mother Mo
(Edna Doré
), and Frank's youngest daughter Janine
(Rebecca Michael). Owen was 16 when he first appeared as Ricky in EastEnders.
Author Kate Lock has described Ricky as hapless and a figure of fun, "completely lacking in tact and rarely opens his mouth without putting his foot in it." Noting the changes his character went through in 2000, Owen said, "[Ricky] grew up over the years just as all of us have to change. He became more sensitive and more mature."
During the early 1990s, Ricky's narrative concentrated upon his teen elopement to Sam Mitchell
(Danniella Westbrook
). Westbrook has said that "the public couldn't get enough of the simmering relationship between Ricky and Sam and the show was inundated with calls from the press [...] [Sam and Ricky] were involved in a plotline about under-age sex, so the press swooped in on that."
To the anger of her family, Sam persuaded Ricky to elope to Gretna Green in July 1991. The week's worth of episodes focusing on their marriage were filmed on-location and have been described by former EastEnders scriptwriter, Colin Brake
, as a "farce-like chase round the country". Written by Debbie Cook, the storyline saw Ricky and Sam's families, including Sam's mother Peggy
(Jo Warne
; introduced specifically for this plotline) attempting to stop the couple from saying "I do". The storyline climaxed in the registry office wedding, but despite the Scottish setting, the recording of the episodes took place in Hertfordshire
. Later in the month, Sam and Ricky had a more official "grand church blessing" with all their family in attendance. The Butchers' blessing was screened in the same episode as the funeral of another character, Charlie Cotton
.
The marriage was portrayed as problematic, fraught with interference from their families, lack of money, and Ricky's jealousy of Sam's partying and her modeling career, including a topless photoshoot. In 1993 Westbrook left the soap. On-screen, Sam's marriage to Ricky ended following an affair with a yuppie named Clive (Sean Gallagher).
(Patsy Palmer
) has been central to his narrative; their affiliation began in 1994. Palmer and Owen already knew each other before working together on the soap, as both attended the Anna Scher theatre school. Owen has said, "We practically grew up together. We'd known each other for years. It was weird when she started on the show and we began playing the 'Ricky & Bianca Get To Know Each Other' bit. I had already spent a lot of time with Patsy. I think we were both seven when we met."
The dynamics of their relationship were clear from the start, with Bianca portrayed as the dominant, bossy and authoritative partner, while Ricky was shown as the hen-pecked, dim-witted "loser" or "soft touch", comically under the thumb of his female counterpart. James Rampton from The Independent
has commented, "to her eternally put-upon husband, Ricky, Bianca was a ferocious reincarnation of H Rider Haggard's 'She Who Must Be Obeyed'." Bianca was notorious for shouting the catchphrase "Rickaaaaaaay!" (a cockney
pronunciation of Ricky) at her lover. It has been suggested that Bianca's catchphrase — "Rickaaaaaaay!" — transitioned, becoming "shorthand for any sort of heinous henpecking."
One of the first notable storylines featuring the couple occurred in 1995, when Ricky embarked on an affair with Bianca's "put-upon sidekick", Natalie Price
(Lucy Speed
). On-screen Natalie and Ricky found themselves sidelined and bullied by Bianca, forcing them together and leading to their eventual affair, which continued for several weeks on-screen, with Ricky seeing both Natalie and Bianca. The storyline reached its climax on 21 February 1995; 17.0 million viewers tuned in to witness Bianca discovering that her boyfriend was sleeping with her best friend. The characters were shown to reconcile later in the year when Ricky supported Bianca through a personal crisis — the revelation that she had unknowingly tried to seduce her estranged father David Wicks
(Michael French
).
Various crises between the characters were featured over the following years, causing them to break up and reconcile numerous times. In the book Seeing Things: Television in the Age of Uncertainty, author John Ellis uses the couple's combustible relationship as an example of emotional intensity and pathos: "A couple like Ricky and Bianca...can have constantly sniped at each other for several episodes, for no apparent dramatic purpose except that it is the nature of their relationship. Then they will suddenly be confronted by a life-changing decision...There is suddenly a shift in emotional intensity for the audience. Every word now counts, and all the previous audience attitudes of irritation or even condescension to this 'not very bright couple'...become a feeling of utter absorption in their dilemma." The BBC has reported that Bianca and Ricky's on-off romance "captivated millions of fans", and in April 1997 22 million viewers tuned in to see them marry on-screen, one of the biggest soap audiences ever. In 2000, Owen stated that the storyline he most enjoyed in EastEnders was the build up and marriage to Bianca, because "the public's enthusiasm for the event was a great motivation". The Daily Mail
branded Ricky and Bianca "EastEnders most popular couple", and they have also been described as "iconic".
In 1997, the couple were featured in a storyline about spina bifida
and hydrocephalus
, a developmental birth defect resulting in an incompletely formed spinal cord of the baby. After falling pregnant with Ricky's baby, a pre-natal scan revealed that her unborn foetus had the conditions. In the storyline, Bianca and Ricky agonised about whether to have an abortion, but eventually decided to terminate the pregnancy at 20 weeks, following the diagnosis. In scenes shown after the abortion
, Bianca and Ricky were given the chance to see and hold their dead daughter, named Natasha, after the birth (Ricky was unable to do this, though Bianca later said her baby had been "perfect"), and a period of heavy grief followed as the characters came to terms with what they had done. The Peterborough-based Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAH)
helped and provided information to the programme makers during the storyline. Despite the birth of a premature but healthy baby, Liam
, in an episode that aired on Christmas Day 1998, the following year the couple split following Bianca's affair, Palmer having decided to leave EastEnders.
' spokesperson claimed that "Owen's decision to take a break from filming had been reached in mutual agreement with EastEnders bosses". Owen stated, "I love playing Ricky Butcher but it will be good to take off his overalls for a while. After 12 years, two failed marriages and two children, I'm looking forward to some time off - but also my return to Walford." Executive producer at the time, Matthew Robinson, said, "Viewers have come to love the character of Ricky Butcher due to Sid's wonderful acting. We wish Sid luck in any forthcoming projects and look forward to welcoming Ricky back to EastEnders in due course."
Penned scripts for Ricky's exit in April 2000 had to be rewritten to account for the absence of Mike Reid
who played Ricky's father Frank. The storyline initially planned to have Frank and Ricky involved in one of EastEnders renowned two-hander episodes, but due to Reid's off-screen ill-health, Steve McFadden
, who plays Phil Mitchell
, had to stand in for the episode, which saw Ricky flee Walford. Of his departing episode, Owen stated that he was pleased Ricky's final scenes featured just him and Phil (Steve McFadden). He comments, "both Phil and Ricky have had babies, broken marriages and loads of ups and downs in their lives, and it was good to talk about it all in that episode. It's a brilliant script [...] I burst out crying, really sobbing".
's (BBC's controller of drama serials) plan to expand the EastEnders brand — he created a "bubbles unit" to make, at most, six one-off specials a year. EastEnders: Ricky & Bianca aired in May 2002, and proved a ratings winner, with more than 10 million viewers tuning in.
In the spin-off, Bianca had fallen upon hard times, and accidentally got a visiting Ricky embroiled in a drugs heist. Despite talk of reconciling, Bianca opted to leave Ricky behind once again, leaving Liam in his care. The spin-off brought in various characters unrelated to the main serial, including Vince, Bianca's drug dealing boss played by Craig Charles
, and Ricky's fiancee Cassie, played by Sally Ann Triplett
.
The spin-off paved the way for Ricky to return to EastEnders as a regular character in 2002, without Bianca. The most notable storyline featuring the character during this period was a second affair with Natalie Evans (Lucy Speed), breaking up her marriage to Barry Evans
(Shaun Williamson
). In a plot twist, this affair ended in disaster when Ricky was caught having a one-night stand with his ex-wife Sam (Kim Medcalf
). According to The Sun
, scriptwriters were attempting to turn Ricky into a "bad boy", but they suggest that the plots "sank".
In October 2003, a year after the character had returned, the BBC announced that they were axing the character of Ricky due to "limited possibilities". Executive producer Louise Berridge
said, "one of our most enduringly successful characters. We will be very sorry to say goodbye to Sid, who has been one of the most amiable and popular of our cast members since his return to the show [...] the door is being left firmly open for his return in the future." Owen said, "I have enjoyed my time back on the show but now it is time to see a bit more of the world and spend time on my other projects."
According to a BBC source reporting to The Sun, Ricky was dropped because he "wasn’t going anywhere as a character. And Sid didn’t seem to be putting his heart and soul into it any more either. He’s gutted. But deep down he knows he wasn’t pulling his weight." The character was written out in scenes that aired in February 2004, Owen being one of many actors to quit or be axed by Louise Berridge that year.
commented: "First Patsy comes home, now Sid! Ricky and Bianca were a hugely popular and well-loved partnership on the show [...] Seeing Bianca back on the show is exciting in itself, but to throw Ricky into the equation gives things an added dimension. Ricky's a great and much-loved character in his own right, but what's really exciting to me is the two of them together. There's so much history, drama and passion to explore [...] There'll always be a connection between Ricky and Bianca". To promote the characters' return, the BBC began airing trailers across the BBC network in March 2008. One trailer utilised Bianca's "trademark holler" of Ricky's name, which is so loud that it smashes the windows of The Queen Victoria
public house
. The trailer featured the Righteous Brothers
' song "Hung on You".
Ricky's return in March 2008 was scripted to conicide with the funeral of his father Frank, following his actor Mike Reid's death in 2007. The episodes, dubbed Frank week, reunited various former cast members on-screen for the event, including actors Sophie Lawrence
and Charlie Brooks
, who returned as Frank's daughters Diane and Janine respectively. Simultaneously, the plight of Bianca and her children was aired, documenting her permanent return to EastEnders and subsequently leading to Ricky's permanent return, as he moved back to be near his son Liam.
Bianca and Ricky married for the second time in February 2010, during the week of the show's 25th anniversary. Santer explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "That's [...] why we're doing the soap wedding of the year — and perhaps the soap wedding of the decade — with Ricky and Bianca. The romance played against the thriller story is a great balance, which I hope the audience will be both gripped by and satisfied with."
On 26 February 2011, it was announced Owen will take a break from the show until the end of 2011, to focus on charity work. He temporarily departed on 19 July 2011 and will return to the show on 13 December 2011.
from Coronation Street
(Michael Le Vell
) who scored 34%; EastEnders Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) with 12%, and Kylie Minogue
's Charlene Robinson
from Neighbours
with 7%.
In 2008, when it was announced that both Ricky and Bianca were being reintroduced, executive producer Diederick Santer described them as "a hugely popular and well-loved partnership on the show". Other media sources branded them two of "the most popular characters on the soap" and an "iconic couple". However, Hazel Davis of The Guardian was critical about their reintroduction. She commented, "It's a no-brainer on the show's part. Last year, ratings for EastEnders were at an all-time low. But, just for once, wouldn't it be nice if a soap opera actually introduced new characters with verve and staying power rather than digging up the oldies?". Conversely, Mark Wright from The Stage
said that the decision to bring these much-loved characters back "is very welcome". He comments, "Previous returns have been all about the numbers and not about the story, which is the cardinal sin in this game. While there is, of course, the resultant publicity that comes with any new or returning soap character being announced, the storyline possibilities for Ricky and Bianca arriving back in the Square are good. Bianca is turning up with a brood of kids in tow, all belonging to different fathers (how many of them can we expect to see over the next couple of years?). Like it! Ricky arrives with a glamorous WAG
[...] on his arm. [...] I sense friction along the way, especially when Ricky realises he never got over Bianca (how could he?). All very well thought through and positive. This sounds like a soap getting back in touch with its roots.".
in 2009, Ruth Deller of entertainment website lowculture.co.uk
, who runs a monthly feature of the most popular and unpopular soap opera characters, profiled Ricky praising his new family dynamic, stating: "Who would have ever thought 'thicky Ricky' would have made a best characters list? The return of the Jackson/Butcher/King clan has been very welcome, and Ricky's turn as a doting dad figure has actually proved remarkably touching."
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 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...
. 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. However, he reprised the role in 2002 before being axed by producer Louise Berridge
Louise 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...
in 2004. In 2008, producer Diederick Santer
Diederick 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...
reintroduced the character for a third time, along with his wife 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...
. Ricky is portrayed as unintelligent, simplistic, easily led and bossed around by dominant personalities. On 26 February 2011, it was announced that Owen will take a break from the show, and took a temporary exit on 19 July 2011. He is due to return to the show on 13 December 2011.
Storylines
Ricky arrives 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...
when his father 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...
(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...
) becomes landlord 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 in 1988. Non-academic, Ricky proves to be a troublesome teen and is frequently berated by his father. He begins dating Shireen Karim (Nisha Kapur), a Muslim, much to Shireen's father Ashraf's
Ashraf Karim
The Karims are a fictional family that appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 1987 and 1990.-Creation and development:The Muslim Karim family were introduced as the owners of the soap's grocery store, the First til Last, following the departure of the character Naima Jeffery in 1987,...
ire. Ashraf forces Shireen into an arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
, prompting Ricky to retaliate by terrorizing Ashraf for a while with a gang of racists.
Later on, Ricky shows talent mending cars, so the Mitchell brothers, Phil
Phil Mitchell
Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy...
(Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden is an English actor, known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which he has played since1990.-Early life:...
) and Grant
Grant Mitchell (EastEnders)
Grant Anthony Mitchell is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders, played by Ross Kemp. Grant first appeared in 1990, introduced by producer Michael Ferguson to revamp the show. Kemp remained until 1999 when he opted to leave...
(Ross Kemp
Ross Kemp
Ross James Kemp is a BAFTA award-winning British actor, author and journalist, who rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders...
), take him on at their auto repair shop as an apprentice mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
. Ricky begins dating the Mitchell brothers' younger sister Samantha
Sam Mitchell (EastEnders)
Samantha Margaret Priscilla "Sam" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders. The third member of the Mitchell family to be introduced, Sam entered as a 15-year-old school girl in July 1990, played by Danniella Westbrook. Westbrook quit in 1993, but was reintroduced...
(Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook is an English actress and television presenter. She is known for being the original actress to play Samantha Mitchell in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1990–93, 1995–96, 1999–2000 and 2009–10. Away from EastEnders she has presented various shows, and was also a...
) and when she decides she wants to get married at 16, she and Ricky elope to Gretna Green
Gretna Green
Gretna Green is a village in the south of Scotland famous for runaway weddings. It is in Dumfries and Galloway, near the mouth of the River Esk and was historically the first village in Scotland, following the old coaching route from London to Edinburgh. Gretna Green has a railway station serving...
in 1991. Their marriage is short-lived, as Sam grows bored and starts to look for entertainment elsewhere; she leaves Ricky in 1993.
Mandy Salter
Mandy Salter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nicola Stapleton. Introduced on 12 March 1992, Mandy was portrayed as a teenage tearaway. She was featured in storylines about homelessness, child and drug abuse. Her relationship with Aidan Brosnan was one of the...
(Nicola Stapleton
Nicola Stapleton
Nicola Kathleen Stapleton is an English actress. Stapleton began her career at an early age. She is most famous for her work on British television, in particular her roles as Mandy Salter in BBC's EastEnders and Janine Nebeski in ITV's Bad Girls.-Early life:Stapleton grew up off East Street, which...
) in January 1994, Ricky does not enter into another serious relationship until August, when he begins dating 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...
(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...
). They move in together, but when Bianca begins to treat Ricky badly, he begins an affair with her best friend Natalie Price
Natalie Evans
Natalie Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Speed between 1994 and 2004. Natalie first appeared in January 1994, depicted initially as an unhappy, insecure teenager; she was among various regular characters brought in to increase the cast following the...
(Lucy Speed
Lucy Speed
Lucy Renee Speed is an English actress known for her television roles as Natalie Evans in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, and DS Stevie Moss in the ITV1 police drama series The Bill.-Early life:...
), in 1995. Natalie falls in love with Ricky and sets it up so that Bianca catches them kissing. Furious, Bianca finishes with Ricky, cutting up all his clothes and, after Ricky rejects Natalie, she flees Walford. Bianca eventually forgives Ricky and they reunite. Bianca strays with Lenny Wallace
Lenny Wallace
Lenny Wallace is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Desune Coleman.Lenny was a fun loving individual, who didn't take life too seriously. He had a penchant for loud music and an eye for the ladies.- Storylines :...
(Des Coleman
Des Coleman
Desune "Des" Coleman is a British actor and presenter. He has appeared in numerous stage musicals, but is best known for playing the role of Lenny Wallace in BBC's EastEnders...
), but immediately realises her mistake and marries Ricky on 17 April 1997. Later that year Bianca falls pregnant, but a prenatal scan reveals her unborn baby has both spina bifida
Spina bifida
Spina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
and hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus , also known as "water in the brain," is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head,...
; the Butchers decide to terminate the pregnancy. The trauma devastates them both, but it does bring them closer and in September 1998 Bianca discovers she has fallen pregnant again, resulting in her prematurely giving birth to their son Liam
Liam Butcher
Liam Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by twins Jack and Tom Godolphin in 1998 and 1999, Gavin and Mitchell Vaughan in 2002, and by Nathaniel Gleed from 2002 to 2004...
on Christmas Day 1998. The following year, however, Bianca begins an affair with her mother 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...
's (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 :...
) boyfriend, Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass
Craig Fairbrass
Craig Fairbrass is an English actor. He is known for his distinctive Cockney accent.-Life and career:Fairbrass was born in Stepney, London. He made his acting debut in an episode of the television series Shelley in 1980. This was followed by appearances in series such as Emmerdale, Three Up Two...
). When the affair is uncovered, the Butchers' marriage ends and Bianca departs with Liam for Manchester. Taunted by Dan and unhappy with his life and work, Ricky flees Walford in April 2000.
In May 2002 Ricky meets up with Bianca in Manchester and they briefly rekindle their romance after he gets her out of trouble with her boss Vince. However, Bianca, who is struggling as a single parent, is manipulated by Ricky's new fiancée, Cassie, into believing that Ricky's life would be ruined if Bianca returns to him. Bianca decides to leave Liam with Ricky and hitches a ride to a destination unknown.
Ricky returns to Walford in August 2002 with his son Liam after hearing from former stepmother 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...
(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...
), that his sister Janine (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:...
) has resorted 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...
and drug-use. Ricky remains to help Janine, regaining his old mechanic post. He begins a second affair with Natalie, ending her marriage to Barry Evans
Barry Evans (EastEnders)
Barry Evans is a fictional character played by Shaun Williamson. He appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 1994 and 2004. The character was portrayed as a "buffoon." Williamson controversially left the serial after ten years in 2003 after executive producer Louise Berridge refused to...
(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 :...
). Ricky and Natalie plan to leave Walford together in 2003, but when Janine informs Natalie about Ricky's one-night stand with his ex-wife Sam (now Kim Medcalf
Kim Medcalf
Kim Louise Medcalf is an English actress and occasional singer.She has made occasional appearances as a singer and is best known for playing the character Sam Mitchell in the long running BBC Soap Opera EastEnders from 2002 to 2005....
), Natalie dumps him. Janine goes on to marry Barry for his money and accidentally kills him during an argument. Discovering his sister's role in Barry's death, Ricky leaves Walford again in February 2004, horrified.
On 31 March 2008 Ricky returns to Walford unexpectedly with his sister Diane
Diane Butcher
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...
(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....
) to inform Pat that Frank has died. Frank is cremated in Walford the following day. Ricky's fiancée Melinda (Siobhan Hayes
Siobhan Hayes
Siobhan Hayes is an actress best known for her role as Abi Harper in the British television series My Family.Hayes portrayed Abi Harper as a dimwitted and clumsy student in the British sitcom My Family, a role she has reprised since 2002 to 2008 when the character was written out of the programme...
) attends, but soon finishes with Ricky when she discovers he is penniless. The Butcher siblings and Pat scatter Frank's ashes in Albert Square gardens after the reading of his will. Ricky returns the following week when he discovers Bianca and Liam are living with Pat after being made homeless. He insults Bianca's parenting, leading Bianca to angrily reveal that the reason Liam had lived with her since 2006 was because Melinda did not want the child. Despite initial hostilities, Ricky helps Bianca regain custody of her 4 children, who have been put into care, and then decides to remain in Walford himself, to be near Liam.
Ricky hopes for a reconciliation with Bianca, but she is involved with Tony King
Tony King
Tony King is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Chris Coghill. He was the partner of established character Bianca Jackson , and a father-figure to her four children...
(Chris Coghill
Chris Coghill
Christopher "Chris" Coghill is an actor and writer from Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England. Coghill is best known for his deep voice and has a history of portraying criminals.-Career:...
), and when Tony is released from prison later that year, he moves in with the Butchers. There is hostility between Ricky and Tony. Unbeknown to the rest of the family, Tony is a paedophile and is having a secret relationship with Bianca's stepdaughter Whitney Dean
Whitney Dean
Whitney Dean is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, played by Shona McGarty. The character is the adoptive daughter of long-running character Bianca Jackson , and was introduced in April 2008 when Palmer returned to the series after a six year absence...
(Shona McGarty
Shona McGarty
Shona Bernadette McGarty is an English actress from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, best known for her role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, as Whitney Dean.-Career:...
). When this is uncovered, Bianca finishes with Tony and he is imprisoned. A period of adjustment follows for the Butchers, as they try to assimilate what has occurred to Whitney. In the midst of this, Bianca reveals that her youngest daughter, Tiffany
Tiffany Dean
Tiffany Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, played by Maisie Smith. Tiffany is the daughter of established characters Bianca Jackson and Ricky Butcher , though originally she was believed to be Bianca's daughter with a man named Nathan Dean...
(Maisie Smith
Maisie Smith
Maisie Lily Smith is an English actress. She has appeared in the feature film The Other Boleyn Girl and has played the regular role of Tiffany Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 2008.- Career :...
), is actually the daughter of Ricky, conceived on their one-night stand in 2002. This is confirmed when Ricky takes a paternity test.
Phil orders Ricky to find his sister, Ricky's first wife Sam, who resides in Brazil after being on the run from police for her part in Den Watts
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"....
' (Leslie Grantham
Leslie Grantham
Leslie Michael Grantham is an English actor best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the soap opera EastEnders. He is also a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a German taxi driver, and he generated significant press coverage as the result of an online sex scandal...
) murder. Ricky returns, bringing Sam with him. When Bianca is about to admit her love for him, Ricky reveals that he is in love with Sam. Ricky and Sam get engaged. However, Sam embarks on an affair with Jack Branning
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 and Reenie Branning and the brother of April Branning, Carol Jackson, Derek Branning, Suzy Branning and Max Branning...
(Scott Maslen
Scott Maslen
Scott Alexander Maslen is an English actor and model, best known for his portrayal as DS Phil Hunter in ITV's The Bill and now Jack Branning on the BBC's flagship soap EastEnders.-Early and personal life:...
) and when Bianca discovers this, she tells Ricky and the engagement is called off. Bianca surprises Ricky by proposing and they marry for a second time in February 2010. Ricky then discovers that Sam is pregnant. It is unknown whether Ricky or Jack fathered Sam's baby. Sam initially names Ricky as the father but a paternity test reveals she is lying; Jack is the father.
When it is revealed that Carol has been seeing Billie Jackson's (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...
) friend Connor Stanley (Arinze Kene
Arinze Kene
-Career:Kene has appeared in stage productions such as playing Simba in The Lion King, Daddy Cool, and in June 2009 played strutting lothario Raymond LeGrendre in the musical Been So Long, based on Ché Walker's 1998 play, which opened at the Young Vic...
), Bianca attacks him and is jailed for her crime, leaving Ricky and Carol to look after the family. Needing money, Ricky accepts a job in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, returning after three weeks. Janine inherits her grandmother Lydia Simmonds' (Heather Chasen
Heather Chasen
Heather Jean Chasen is a Singapore-born English actress. Her best known roles are playing Valerie Pollard in the ITV soap opera Crossroads and voicing many roles in BBC Radio 2's The Navy Lark...
) estate, and offers Ricky some money, but he refuses it without knowing what it is. He then decides to go back to Dubai for a further six months as he has been unable to find work locally.
Background
EastEnders had been on air for three years before the character of Ricky made his 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 the head of the Butcher family, 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. Along with Frank came his two teenage children, Ricky (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
Diane Butcher
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...
(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....
). Later they were joined by Frank's mother Mo
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...
(Edna Doré
Edna Doré
Edna Doré is a British actress. Doré is one of Britain's best known senior citizen actresses. She is known for her bit-part roles in situation comedies and for playing the character of Mo Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders .- Career :She began her career as a chorus girl in ENSA, then spent...
), and Frank's youngest daughter 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...
(Rebecca Michael). Owen was 16 when he first appeared as Ricky in EastEnders.
Personality
Portrayed as a soft touch and unintellectual, the character has been dubbed "thicky Ricky" by the popular press in the UK — in the serial he failed all his GCSEs. Sid Owen has discussed Ricky's intellect: "Ricky is just a sort of lovable innocent, really. He's just bungling his way through life the best way he can. All right, so he'll never win any prizes for his brain power. So what? He's a good bloke, a good mate to his friends and he can work miracles with motors [...] What you see is what you get where he's concerned."Author Kate Lock has described Ricky as hapless and a figure of fun, "completely lacking in tact and rarely opens his mouth without putting his foot in it." Noting the changes his character went through in 2000, Owen said, "[Ricky] grew up over the years just as all of us have to change. He became more sensitive and more mature."
Marriage to Sam Mitchell
Sam Mitchell (EastEnders)
Samantha Margaret Priscilla "Sam" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC One soap opera EastEnders. The third member of the Mitchell family to be introduced, Sam entered as a 15-year-old school girl in July 1990, played by Danniella Westbrook. Westbrook quit in 1993, but was reintroduced...
(Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook
Danniella Westbrook is an English actress and television presenter. She is known for being the original actress to play Samantha Mitchell in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1990–93, 1995–96, 1999–2000 and 2009–10. Away from EastEnders she has presented various shows, and was also a...
). Westbrook has said that "the public couldn't get enough of the simmering relationship between Ricky and Sam and the show was inundated with calls from the press [...] [Sam and Ricky] were involved in a plotline about under-age sex, so the press swooped in on that."
To the anger of her family, Sam persuaded Ricky to elope to Gretna Green in July 1991. The week's worth of episodes focusing on their marriage were filmed on-location and have been described by former EastEnders 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...
, as a "farce-like chase round the country". Written by Debbie Cook, the storyline saw Ricky and Sam's families, including Sam's mother Peggy
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...
(Jo Warne
Jo Warne
Jo Warne is a British actress, who played the original Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, making her first appearance on 30 April 1991. She appeared in ten EastEnders episodes between April and July 1991, as part of Sam and Ricky's teen elopement storyline...
; introduced specifically for this plotline) attempting to stop the couple from saying "I do". The storyline climaxed in the registry office wedding, but despite the Scottish setting, the recording of the episodes took place in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. Later in the month, Sam and Ricky had a more official "grand church blessing" with all their family in attendance. The Butchers' blessing was screened in the same episode as the funeral of another character, Charlie Cotton
Charlie Cotton
Charles "Charlie" Cotton is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Christopher Hancock. Charlie was a semi-regular character, introduced in March 1986 as the estranged husband of Dot Cotton. He appeared in stints until producers made the decision to kill the character...
.
The marriage was portrayed as problematic, fraught with interference from their families, lack of money, and Ricky's jealousy of Sam's partying and her modeling career, including a topless photoshoot. In 1993 Westbrook left the soap. On-screen, Sam's marriage to Ricky ended following an affair with a yuppie named Clive (Sean Gallagher).
"Rickaaaaaaay!"
Ricky's relationship with Bianca JacksonBianca 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...
(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...
) has been central to his narrative; their affiliation began in 1994. Palmer and Owen already knew each other before working together on the soap, as both attended the Anna Scher theatre school. Owen has said, "We practically grew up together. We'd known each other for years. It was weird when she started on the show and we began playing the 'Ricky & Bianca Get To Know Each Other' bit. I had already spent a lot of time with Patsy. I think we were both seven when we met."
The dynamics of their relationship were clear from the start, with Bianca portrayed as the dominant, bossy and authoritative partner, while Ricky was shown as the hen-pecked, dim-witted "loser" or "soft touch", comically under the thumb of his female counterpart. James Rampton from The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
has commented, "to her eternally put-upon husband, Ricky, Bianca was a ferocious reincarnation of H Rider Haggard's 'She Who Must Be Obeyed'." Bianca was notorious for shouting the catchphrase "Rickaaaaaaay!" (a cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
pronunciation of Ricky) at her lover. It has been suggested that Bianca's catchphrase — "Rickaaaaaaay!" — transitioned, becoming "shorthand for any sort of heinous henpecking."
Natalie Evans
Natalie Evans is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Speed between 1994 and 2004. Natalie first appeared in January 1994, depicted initially as an unhappy, insecure teenager; she was among various regular characters brought in to increase the cast following the...
(Lucy Speed
Lucy Speed
Lucy Renee Speed is an English actress known for her television roles as Natalie Evans in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, and DS Stevie Moss in the ITV1 police drama series The Bill.-Early life:...
). On-screen Natalie and Ricky found themselves sidelined and bullied by Bianca, forcing them together and leading to their eventual affair, which continued for several weeks on-screen, with Ricky seeing both Natalie and Bianca. The storyline reached its climax on 21 February 1995; 17.0 million viewers tuned in to witness Bianca discovering that her boyfriend was sleeping with her best friend. The characters were shown to reconcile later in the year when Ricky supported Bianca through a personal crisis — the revelation that she had unknowingly tried to seduce her estranged father David Wicks
David Wicks
David Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael French. He originally appeared between 1993 to 1996...
(Michael French
Michael French (actor)
Michael French is an English actor, most notable for his role as consultant Nick Jordan in Casualty and former cardiothoracic registrar in Holby City...
).
Various crises between the characters were featured over the following years, causing them to break up and reconcile numerous times. In the book Seeing Things: Television in the Age of Uncertainty, author John Ellis uses the couple's combustible relationship as an example of emotional intensity and pathos: "A couple like Ricky and Bianca...can have constantly sniped at each other for several episodes, for no apparent dramatic purpose except that it is the nature of their relationship. Then they will suddenly be confronted by a life-changing decision...There is suddenly a shift in emotional intensity for the audience. Every word now counts, and all the previous audience attitudes of irritation or even condescension to this 'not very bright couple'...become a feeling of utter absorption in their dilemma." The BBC has reported that Bianca and Ricky's on-off romance "captivated millions of fans", and in April 1997 22 million viewers tuned in to see them marry on-screen, one of the biggest soap audiences ever. In 2000, Owen stated that the storyline he most enjoyed in EastEnders was the build up and marriage to Bianca, because "the public's enthusiasm for the event was a great motivation". The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
branded Ricky and Bianca "EastEnders most popular couple", and they have also been described as "iconic".
In 1997, the couple were featured in a storyline about spina bifida
Spina bifida
Spina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
and hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus , also known as "water in the brain," is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head,...
, a developmental birth defect resulting in an incompletely formed spinal cord of the baby. After falling pregnant with Ricky's baby, a pre-natal scan revealed that her unborn foetus had the conditions. In the storyline, Bianca and Ricky agonised about whether to have an abortion, but eventually decided to terminate the pregnancy at 20 weeks, following the diagnosis. In scenes shown after the abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, Bianca and Ricky were given the chance to see and hold their dead daughter, named Natasha, after the birth (Ricky was unable to do this, though Bianca later said her baby had been "perfect"), and a period of heavy grief followed as the characters came to terms with what they had done. The Peterborough-based Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (ASBAH)
ASBAH
ASBAH is a UK registered charity providing information and advice about spina bifida and hydrocephalus to individuals, families and carers.Their services are targeted towards:...
helped and provided information to the programme makers during the storyline. Despite the birth of a premature but healthy baby, Liam
Liam Butcher
Liam Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by twins Jack and Tom Godolphin in 1998 and 1999, Gavin and Mitchell Vaughan in 2002, and by Nathaniel Gleed from 2002 to 2004...
, in an episode that aired on Christmas Day 1998, the following year the couple split following Bianca's affair, Palmer having decided to leave EastEnders.
Exit: 2000
In September 1999, it was announced that actor Sid Owen would be quitting his role as Ricky Butcher, after 12 years on-screen; his decision to leave was announced two weeks after Patsy Palmer's departing episode aired. Ricky was not killed-off in the serial, as the producers opted to give the actor an open-ended storyline, enabling him to return. An EastEndersPenned scripts for Ricky's exit in April 2000 had to be rewritten to account for the absence of 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...
who played Ricky's father Frank. The storyline initially planned to have Frank and Ricky involved in one of EastEnders renowned two-hander episodes, but due to Reid's off-screen ill-health, Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden is an English actor, known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which he has played since1990.-Early life:...
, who plays Phil Mitchell
Phil Mitchell
Philip James "Phil" Mitchell is a long-running fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Steve McFadden.Phil first arrived in Albert Square on 20 February 1990, and was soon joined by his brother, Grant, sister Sam and mother Peggy...
, had to stand in for the episode, which saw Ricky flee Walford. Of his departing episode, Owen stated that he was pleased Ricky's final scenes featured just him and Phil (Steve McFadden). He comments, "both Phil and Ricky have had babies, broken marriages and loads of ups and downs in their lives, and it was good to talk about it all in that episode. It's a brilliant script [...] I burst out crying, really sobbing".
Return and axing: 2002–04
In 2001, the BBC announced that Patsy Palmer and Sid Owen were reprising their roles as Bianca and Ricky, for a special spin-off, entitled EastEnders: Ricky & Bianca. Filmed in Manchester in January 2002, the two part, hour long special reunited the characters for the first time in over two years. The spin off or 'soap bubble' was part of Mal YoungMal Young
Mal Young is a British television producer and executive producer.-Background:His initial career was in the Graphic Design industry, and it was not until the age of 27 that he began working in television, on the acclaimed Channel 4 soap opera Brookside.Working on the show for nearly a decade, he...
's (BBC's controller of drama serials) plan to expand the EastEnders brand — he created a "bubbles unit" to make, at most, six one-off specials a year. EastEnders: Ricky & Bianca aired in May 2002, and proved a ratings winner, with more than 10 million viewers tuning in.
In the spin-off, Bianca had fallen upon hard times, and accidentally got a visiting Ricky embroiled in a drugs heist. Despite talk of reconciling, Bianca opted to leave Ricky behind once again, leaving Liam in his care. The spin-off brought in various characters unrelated to the main serial, including Vince, Bianca's drug dealing boss played by Craig Charles
Craig Charles
Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, stand-up comedian, author, poet, radio and television presenter, best known for playing Dave Lister in the British cult-favourite science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf...
, and Ricky's fiancee Cassie, played by Sally Ann Triplett
Sally Ann Triplett
Sally Ann Triplett is a British singer and actress most famous for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest and many West End productions.-Eurovision:...
.
The spin-off paved the way for Ricky to return to EastEnders as a regular character in 2002, without Bianca. The most notable storyline featuring the character during this period was a second affair with Natalie Evans (Lucy Speed), breaking up her marriage to Barry Evans
Barry Evans (EastEnders)
Barry Evans is a fictional character played by Shaun Williamson. He appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 1994 and 2004. The character was portrayed as a "buffoon." Williamson controversially left the serial after ten years in 2003 after executive producer Louise Berridge refused to...
(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 a plot twist, this affair ended in disaster when Ricky was caught having a one-night stand with his ex-wife Sam (Kim Medcalf
Kim Medcalf
Kim Louise Medcalf is an English actress and occasional singer.She has made occasional appearances as a singer and is best known for playing the character Sam Mitchell in the long running BBC Soap Opera EastEnders from 2002 to 2005....
). According to The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, scriptwriters were attempting to turn Ricky into a "bad boy", but they suggest that the plots "sank".
In October 2003, a year after the character had returned, the BBC announced that they were axing the character of Ricky due to "limited possibilities". Executive producer Louise Berridge
Louise 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...
said, "one of our most enduringly successful characters. We will be very sorry to say goodbye to Sid, who has been one of the most amiable and popular of our cast members since his return to the show [...] the door is being left firmly open for his return in the future." Owen said, "I have enjoyed my time back on the show but now it is time to see a bit more of the world and spend time on my other projects."
According to a BBC source reporting to The Sun, Ricky was dropped because he "wasn’t going anywhere as a character. And Sid didn’t seem to be putting his heart and soul into it any more either. He’s gutted. But deep down he knows he wasn’t pulling his weight." The character was written out in scenes that aired in February 2004, Owen being one of many actors to quit or be axed by Louise Berridge that year.
Return and temporary exit: 2008–11
It was announced on 29 October 2007 that Patsy Palmer would be reprising the role of Bianca in EastEnders. A day later, it was announced that Sid Owen would also be returning to the show as Ricky. Owen commented: "It will be interesting to see what has been happening to Ricky and Bianca over the last few years. Although, I must admit I'm not looking forward to her nagging me by shouting his name." 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...
commented: "First Patsy comes home, now Sid! Ricky and Bianca were a hugely popular and well-loved partnership on the show [...] Seeing Bianca back on the show is exciting in itself, but to throw Ricky into the equation gives things an added dimension. Ricky's a great and much-loved character in his own right, but what's really exciting to me is the two of them together. There's so much history, drama and passion to explore [...] There'll always be a connection between Ricky and Bianca". To promote the characters' return, the BBC began airing trailers across the BBC network in March 2008. One trailer utilised Bianca's "trademark holler" of Ricky's name, which is so loud that it smashes the windows 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...
. The trailer featured the Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers
The Righteous Brothers were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They recorded from 1963 through 1975, and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003...
' song "Hung on You".
Ricky's return in March 2008 was scripted to conicide with the funeral of his father Frank, following his actor Mike Reid's death in 2007. The episodes, dubbed Frank week, reunited various former cast members on-screen for the event, including actors 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....
and 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 returned as Frank's daughters Diane and Janine respectively. Simultaneously, the plight of Bianca and her children was aired, documenting her permanent return to EastEnders and subsequently leading to Ricky's permanent return, as he moved back to be near his son Liam.
Bianca and Ricky married for the second time in February 2010, during the week of the show's 25th anniversary. Santer explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "That's [...] why we're doing the soap wedding of the year — and perhaps the soap wedding of the decade — with Ricky and Bianca. The romance played against the thriller story is a great balance, which I hope the audience will be both gripped by and satisfied with."
On 26 February 2011, it was announced Owen will take a break from the show until the end of 2011, to focus on charity work. He temporarily departed on 19 July 2011 and will return to the show on 13 December 2011.
Reception
In 2006, Ricky Butcher was voted as the UK's favourite soap opera car mechanic in a poll of 500 people organised by car hire firm, Lingscar. 36% voted for Ricky above Kevin WebsterKevin Webster
Kevin John Webster is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Michael Le Vell, the character first appeared onscreen on 19 October 1983...
from Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
(Michael Le Vell
Michael Le Vell
Michael Le Vell is an English character actor, who since 1983 has played the role of garage mechanic, Kevin Webster, in the soap opera Coronation Street....
) who scored 34%; EastEnders Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) with 12%, and Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
's Charlene Robinson
Charlene Robinson
Charlene Edna Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by Kylie Minogue. She made her first on-screen appearance on 17 April 1986 when she came to join her mother Madge in Ramsay Street. Charlene was a tomboy and later worked as a Mechanic...
from Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
with 7%.
In 2008, when it was announced that both Ricky and Bianca were being reintroduced, executive producer Diederick Santer described them as "a hugely popular and well-loved partnership on the show". Other media sources branded them two of "the most popular characters on the soap" and an "iconic couple". However, Hazel Davis of The Guardian was critical about their reintroduction. She commented, "It's a no-brainer on the show's part. Last year, ratings for EastEnders were at an all-time low. But, just for once, wouldn't it be nice if a soap opera actually introduced new characters with verve and staying power rather than digging up the oldies?". Conversely, Mark Wright from The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
said that the decision to bring these much-loved characters back "is very welcome". He comments, "Previous returns have been all about the numbers and not about the story, which is the cardinal sin in this game. While there is, of course, the resultant publicity that comes with any new or returning soap character being announced, the storyline possibilities for Ricky and Bianca arriving back in the Square are good. Bianca is turning up with a brood of kids in tow, all belonging to different fathers (how many of them can we expect to see over the next couple of years?). Like it! Ricky arrives with a glamorous WAG
WAGs
WAGs is an acronym, used particularly by the British tabloid press, to describe the wives and girlfriends of high-profile footballers, originally the England national football team. The term came into common use during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, although it had been used occasionally before that...
[...] on his arm. [...] I sense friction along the way, especially when Ricky realises he never got over Bianca (how could he?). All very well thought through and positive. This sounds like a soap getting back in touch with its roots.".
in 2009, Ruth Deller of entertainment website lowculture.co.uk
Lowculture
lowculture.co.uk is a UK television website founded in January 2003 by Paul Lang, who currently works as the art director of Doctor Who Adventures.-Purpose:...
, who runs a monthly feature of the most popular and unpopular soap opera characters, profiled Ricky praising his new family dynamic, stating: "Who would have ever thought 'thicky Ricky' would have made a best characters list? The return of the Jackson/Butcher/King clan has been very welcome, and Ricky's turn as a doting dad figure has actually proved remarkably touching."