Steve Owen
Encyclopedia
Steven Richard "Steve" Owen is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Martin Kemp
.
, Steve owned and managed a number of bars and nightclubs across southern Britain. In particular, he owned a nightclub in Canvey Island
at one point in the late 1980s, and attempted to cut costs by illegally importing duty free wines from France. He was eventually caught by licensing officials and given a relatively small fine. At the time he thought little of the incident, but it would eventually come back to haunt him in his later years. Steve had a relationship with Saskia Duncan (Deborah Sheridan-Taylor) who aborted his child, causing him to end the relationship.
Steve arrives in Walford and buys the Market Cellar club, which he renovates and names E20. Saskia turns up and tries to come between Steve and his new girlfriend Melanie Healy
(Tamzin Outhwaite
). After Saskia has sex with Steve, she makes sure everyone knows about it. On the opening day of the E20, Saskia arrives and taunts Steve. She knocks him around until she tries to strangle him with his tie. In self-defence
, Steve picks up an ashtray and hits her over the head, killing her instantly. With the help of Matthew Rose
(Joe Absolom
), who witnessed the events, Steve buries her in Epping Forest
. Her body is discovered months later and Matthew confesses to the police. A trial is held and Matthew is found guilty of manslaughter
and sentenced to seven years in prison. In November 1999, on a trip to brighton which included Ricky Butcher
(Sid Owen
), Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks
), Sam Mitchell
(Danniella Westbrook
) and Mark Fowler
(Todd Carty
), he slept with Melanie, all though she is engaged to Ian Beale
(Adam Woodyatt
). In February 2000, Matthew's conviction is quashed on appeal within months, and he takes revenge, tying Steve to a chair in the club and threatening to set fire to it. Steve is reduced to a scared, helpless man, which is all Matthew wants. Steve becomes depressed and addicted to drugs as a result, but leaves the Square, returning a few weeks later having conquered his addiction.
Steve marries Melanie, despite finding out the day before that she had slept with Phil Mitchell
(Steve McFadden
) on Christmas Day. He becomes the prime suspect in Phil's shooting
, as he knew about the one-night stand and the gun he kept in the E20 office is missing. However, when Phil recovers, he reveals that Lisa Shaw
(Lucy Benjamin
) shot him. Melanie is kidnapped by Dan Sullivan (Craig Fairbrass
) after Phil frames him for the shooting. Melanie is informed about Steve's criminal activities and that he has secretly bought The Queen Victoria
public house in partnership with Sharon Watts
(Letitia Dean
). Phil rescues her and she burns down Steve's club because of Steve's lies, before leaving Walford.
Steve's insurance policy is invalidated as he neglected to mention both his involvement in Saskia's death and the incident in Canvey Island, leaving him with financial problems. He organises a robbery to help finance the renovation of the club, with the help of Billy Mitchell
(Perry Fenwick
) and some old friends, who set out to rob a wealthy businessman named Alan. Steve tries to trap Alan's mistress Jan Sherwood (Cherie Lunghi
), and after a one-night stand with her, Steve and Jan split the money that was stolen, fooling Steve's gang into believing Jan had taken it all. Melanie returns and Steve woos her, winning her back.
Steve starts a vendetta against Phil and tries to infuriate him by pretending he slept with Sharon while she was in a relationship with Phil. Phil attacks Steve and is charged for assault, causing a violent feud with between them. In late February 2002, Steve plans to get final revenge on Phil by sleeping with his sister, Sam Mitchell
(Kim Medcalf
). Steve plans to flee to the United States with Melanie, Lisa, her boyfriend Mark Fowler, and Lisa and Phil's daughter, Louise (Rachel Cox). Mark is unable to go, and Lisa believes the plan is falling apart. Steve ends up in his car with Louise, and Phil chases after them in his own car. Steve's tyre bursts causing him to crash into a barrel of petrol and a wall, causing a fire. Steve passes Louise to Phil through the car window but Phil is unable to rescue Steve before the car explodes, killing him.
. He said of his decision: "I have had a wonderful time at EastEnders and I will be very sad to leave, but I feel that its time to move on." It was reported that EastEnders producers decided to kill off his character as "revenge" for how the situation was handled. In 2006, Kemp ruled out a return to the show, saying he stayed for too long. However, in 2009, he expressed a wish to return, saying "Working on EastEnders was the best job I ever had. I want the producers to ring me up and get me back on the show. Steve was blown up, but I could come back as his evil twin!" He also said he was happy that he had a dramatic exit.
and was nominated again the next year. He won "Best Actor" at the Inside Soap Awards
in 2001 and "Best Soap Actor" at the TV Quick Awards three years running, from 2000 to 2002. At The British Soap Awards, he was nominated for "Best Actor" and the character for "Villain of the Year" in 1999, winning the latter in 2000. He went on to win "Best Actor" at the 2001 and 2002 ceremonies. Additionally, Steve's car crash was nominated for "Spectacular Scene of the Year" and "Best Exit" in 2002.
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 Martin Kemp
Martin Kemp (actor)
Martin John Kemp is an English actor, musician, and occasional television presenter, best known as the bassist in the New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, as well as for his portrayal as Steve Owen from the BBC soap opera EastEnders...
.
Backstory
Prior to his arrival 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...
, Steve owned and managed a number of bars and nightclubs across southern Britain. In particular, he owned a nightclub in Canvey Island
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary in England. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks...
at one point in the late 1980s, and attempted to cut costs by illegally importing duty free wines from France. He was eventually caught by licensing officials and given a relatively small fine. At the time he thought little of the incident, but it would eventually come back to haunt him in his later years. Steve had a relationship with Saskia Duncan (Deborah Sheridan-Taylor) who aborted his child, causing him to end the relationship.
1998–2002
Melanie Owen
Melanie Jane "Mel" Owen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tamzin Outhwaite. She appeared from October 1998 to April 2002 when Outhwaite opted to leave the role...
(Tamzin Outhwaite
Tamzin Outhwaite
Tamzin Maria Outhwaite is an award-winning English actress. She became known for her role as Melanie Owen in the British soap opera EastEnders, whom she portrayed from 1998 until 2002.-Early career:...
). After Saskia has sex with Steve, she makes sure everyone knows about it. On the opening day of the E20, Saskia arrives and taunts Steve. She knocks him around until she tries to strangle him with his tie. In self-defence
Self-defence in English law
Self-defence is part of private defence, the doctrine in English law that one can act to prevent injury to oneself or others or to prevent crime more generally – one has the same right to act to protect others as to protect oneself. This defence arises both from common law and the Criminal Law Act...
, Steve picks up an ashtray and hits her over the head, killing her instantly. With the help of Matthew Rose
Matthew Rose (EastEnders)
Matthew Rose is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Joe Absolom. He was introduced in 1997. In a deviation from typical casting protocol, the role of Matthew was constructed for Absolom after he auditioned for the production team; they were looking for new, raw...
(Joe Absolom
Joe Absolom
Joseph Absolom is an English actor best known for playing Matthew Rose in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders and Al Large in Doc Martin.-Biography:...
), who witnessed the events, Steve buries her in Epping Forest
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
. Her body is discovered months later and Matthew confesses to the police. A trial is held and Matthew is found guilty of manslaughter
Manslaughter in English law
In the English law of homicide, manslaughter is a less serious offence than murder, the differential being between levels of fault based on the mens rea . In England and Wales, the usual practice is to prefer a charge of murder, with the judge or defence able to introduce manslaughter as an option...
and sentenced to seven years in prison. In November 1999, on a trip to brighton which included 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...
(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...
), Janine Butcher (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:...
), 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...
) and 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...
(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...
), he slept with Melanie, all though she is engaged to 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...
(Adam Woodyatt
Adam Woodyatt
Adam Brinley Woodyatt is an English actor and media personality, best known for his role as Ian Beale in the long-running BBC soap opera EastEnders...
). In February 2000, Matthew's conviction is quashed on appeal within months, and he takes revenge, tying Steve to a chair in the club and threatening to set fire to it. Steve is reduced to a scared, helpless man, which is all Matthew wants. Steve becomes depressed and addicted to drugs as a result, but leaves the Square, returning a few weeks later having conquered his addiction.
Steve marries Melanie, despite finding out the day before that she had slept with 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...
(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:...
) on Christmas Day. He becomes the prime suspect in Phil's shooting
Who Shot Phil?
"Who Shot Phil?" was a storyline of the BBC soap opera EastEnders which evolved during 2001.-Background:The storyline centred around one of EastEnders longest running characters, Phil Mitchell . The build up to the storyline occurred throughout 2000-2001. The character became darker and a more...
, as he knew about the one-night stand and the gun he kept in the E20 office is missing. However, when Phil recovers, he reveals that Lisa Shaw
Lisa Fowler
Lisa Deborah Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lucy Benjamin from 1998 to 2003 and in 2010. Lisa was instrumental in one of EastEnders most highly publicised and anticipated storylines, dubbed Who Shot Phil? in 2001, where she gunned down her former...
(Lucy Benjamin
Lucy Benjamin
-Career:Born Lucy Jane Baker in Reading, Berkshire, England, she took the stage name of Benjamin after her brother. Benjamin trained at the Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead. Her first acting role was as a child actor in Doctor Who in 1983 playing a young version of the character Nyssa...
) shot him. Melanie is kidnapped by 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...
) after Phil frames him for the shooting. Melanie is informed about Steve's criminal activities and that he has secretly bought 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 partnership with Sharon Watts
Sharon Rickman
Sharon Anne Rickman is a fictional character from the popular BBC1 soap opera EastEnders, played by Letitia Dean, who was a regular cast member for the first 10 years after the programme began on 19 February 1985. She returned in May 2001, and appeared on and off, having most recently appeared in...
(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...
). Phil rescues her and she burns down Steve's club because of Steve's lies, before leaving Walford.
Steve's insurance policy is invalidated as he neglected to mention both his involvement in Saskia's death and the incident in Canvey Island, leaving him with financial problems. He organises a robbery to help finance the renovation of the club, with the help of Billy Mitchell
Billy Mitchell (EastEnders)
William "Billy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Perry Fenwick, who made his first appearance on 2 November 1998. Billy was seen when Phil went to visit his godson Jamie. However, he didn't arrive in the Square until 2 August 1999, almost a year after...
(Perry Fenwick
Perry Fenwick
Perry Fenwick is an English film and television actor. He has one sister, Tracey, and two brothers, Faron and Lee. He is, also, the second cousin of Georgina Hagen, who played Lauren Waters in the series of Britannia High....
) and some old friends, who set out to rob a wealthy businessman named Alan. Steve tries to trap Alan's mistress Jan Sherwood (Cherie Lunghi
Cherie Lunghi
Cherie M. Lunghi is an English film, television and theatre actress. She is probably best known for her role as Guinevere in the 1981 film Excalibur, as football manageress Gabriella Benson in the 1990s television series The Manageress and for starring in a series of adverts for Kenco coffee. She...
), and after a one-night stand with her, Steve and Jan split the money that was stolen, fooling Steve's gang into believing Jan had taken it all. Melanie returns and Steve woos her, winning her back.
Steve starts a vendetta against Phil and tries to infuriate him by pretending he slept with Sharon while she was in a relationship with Phil. Phil attacks Steve and is charged for assault, causing a violent feud with between them. In late February 2002, Steve plans to get final revenge on Phil by sleeping with his sister, 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...
(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....
). Steve plans to flee to the United States with Melanie, Lisa, her boyfriend Mark Fowler, and Lisa and Phil's daughter, Louise (Rachel Cox). Mark is unable to go, and Lisa believes the plan is falling apart. Steve ends up in his car with Louise, and Phil chases after them in his own car. Steve's tyre bursts causing him to crash into a barrel of petrol and a wall, causing a fire. Steve passes Louise to Phil through the car window but Phil is unable to rescue Steve before the car explodes, killing him.
Development
Kemp decided to leave EastEnders at the end of his contract in 2002, to move from the BBC to rival station ITVITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. He said of his decision: "I have had a wonderful time at EastEnders and I will be very sad to leave, but I feel that its time to move on." It was reported that EastEnders producers decided to kill off his character as "revenge" for how the situation was handled. In 2006, Kemp ruled out a return to the show, saying he stayed for too long. However, in 2009, he expressed a wish to return, saying "Working on EastEnders was the best job I ever had. I want the producers to ring me up and get me back on the show. Steve was blown up, but I could come back as his evil twin!" He also said he was happy that he had a dramatic exit.
Reception
Kemp's portrayal of Steve saw him nominated for several awards, many of which he won. He won in the "Most Popular Actor" category at the 2000 National Television AwardsNational Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
and was nominated again the next year. He won "Best Actor" at the Inside Soap Awards
Inside Soap Awards
The Inside Soap Awards is a yearly award ceremony run by Inside Soap magazine since 1996. The awards celebrate the British and Australian soap operas and their actors. Until 2007, EastEnders had won the award for "Best Soap" on every occasion...
in 2001 and "Best Soap Actor" at the TV Quick Awards three years running, from 2000 to 2002. At The British Soap Awards, he was nominated for "Best Actor" and the character for "Villain of the Year" in 1999, winning the latter in 2000. He went on to win "Best Actor" at the 2001 and 2002 ceremonies. Additionally, Steve's car crash was nominated for "Spectacular Scene of the Year" and "Best Exit" in 2002.