Beppe di Marco
Encyclopedia
Beppe di Marco is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Michael Greco.
Beppe was his family's pride and joy, so it was a big shock to them when he was fired from the police force for attempting to frame local hardman Grant Mitchell
. Beppe was the local heart-throb and he had numerous relationships in Albert Square
, which all ended in disaster.
and Peggy Mitchell
attended his father's funeral in January 1998. He moved to Albert Square in February 1998, with the rest of his family: mother Rosa
, brother Gianni
and sisters Teresa and Nicky. Beppe's family came to Walford
to open an Italian
restaurant
, and he had built himself a successful career in the police force, progressing through the ranks to the Vice squad
.
Beppe was a single father to Joe. Joe's mother, Sandra had abandoned them when Joe was 10 months old - driven away by Beppe's interfering family, who never forgave her for not being Italian.
Upon his arrival, Beppe instantly clashed with the Mitchell brothers, Phil
and Grant, who were known to dabble on the wrong side of the law and Beppe saw them as trouble makers. Beppe's animosity towards Grant, in particular, increased when he struck up a close friendship with Grant's abused wife Tiffany
. It wasn't long before Beppe had fallen in love with Tiffany and was urging her to leave Grant for him. Beppe confronted Grant in the Vic over his cruelty towards Tiffany and the pair brawled. Tiffany decided to leave Grant after she caught him in bed with her mother Louise
and she packed her bags ready to flee Walford with her and Grant's daughter, Courtney.
However, just as Tiffany was about to leave, she fell down the stairs, leading everyone to suspect that Grant had pushed her. Beppe was furious and arrested Grant for attempted murder. He also coerced Tiffany, who was recovering in hospital, to pretend Grant had pushed her in order to keep him locked up. Tiffany did but her conscience got the better of her and she later wrote a letter exonerating her husband of any wrong doing and instructed her best friend, Bianca
, to hand it to the police after she'd left Walford. However, before she left, she was killed in a car accident, whilst trying to reclaim her child from Grant, who had been released on bail that same day. Since Tiffany had been on the verge of eloping with Beppe, he never forgave Grant, and when he got the letter that exonerated him, Beppe burned it rather than see his enemy cleared. Beppe was subsequently kicked off the force for withholding evidence and police misconduct. When Grant found out about the letter, he punched Beppe.
Now out of work, Beppe got a job as a cab driver working for Barry Evans
and later embarked on a stormy relationship with Grant's little sister, Sam Mitchell
. Sam took the relationship more seriously than Beppe, and became extremely jealous of his platonic friendship with his flatmate Nina Harris
, so their relationship didn't last long.
In 2000, Beppe became a partner with Steve Owen and took on management of his nightclub The E20. His police contacts came in handy soon after when drugs were found in his club and he managed to persuade them to turn a blind eye.
Also in 2000, Beppe's estranged wife Sandra returned, hoping to gain access to their son, Joe. Although she was met with hostility at first, she and Beppe soon grew closer and eventually rekindled their romance, much to Beppe's family's disgust. Because of his ties, he also decided to stay in Walford when the rest of his family moved to Leicester
. Beppe was still in love with Sandra and soon began pressurising her to have more children. The suggestion was met with hostility and she flatly refused. Soon after, Beppe's old vice-squad partner, Jack Robbins, arrived in Albert Square looking for Sandra. It turned out that Sandra had been involved with Jack for years before returning to Walford. She had left him following a miscarriage
that left her unable to have children. Sandra tried to deny her feelings for Jack, but eventually she admitted that she was still in love with him and had only reconciled with Beppe so she could get custody of her son. She and Jack reignited their romance and Sandra made plans to flee Walford with Jack and Joe. However, Beppe caught them just as they were about to leave and when he realised what was going on he attacked Jack, took Joe back and denied Sandra any access. Sandra and Jack subsequently threatened to take Beppe to court for custody of Joe. Beppe retaliated by using his police contacts to plant drugs on Jack, getting him kicked from the force. The constant rowing was having a negative effect on Joe and he found it difficult to choose between his warring parents. This culminated in him getting hit by a car when he disobeyed his father and ran across the road to be with his mother. Joe was not seriously hurt, but the accident made his parents rethink their behaviour. Beppe eventually allowed Sandra visitation rights and so she left Walford with Jack the following year.
In 2001, before Steve was killed in a car accident, Beppe bought out his share of the 20 and became sole owner of the club, which was a massive shock to Steve's wife Mel
, as she had been led to believe that she was the sole owner. During this period, Beppe spent much of his time bedding anonymous women and dumping them when he got bored. He even ended up contracting a minor STD
. Beppe became close to Lynne Slater
, who would regularly babysit Joe whilst he was working, and she helped point out the error of his womanising ways. Beppe fell for Lynne and attempted to stop her marrying Garry Hobbs
, but although Lynne was tempted, she went ahead with the marriage.
In 2002, Beppe had news that his mother had died of a heart attack, which prompted him to sell his club to Sharon Watts and leave Walford to tend to his grieving family.
, her children Beppe
, Gianni, Teresa and Nicky, and Beppe's young son Joe. They were heralded as the "family that would rival the Mitchells
", one of the most successful and long-running families to have been featured in EastEnders.
According to author Rupert Smith, the di Marcos "landed with an almighty thud in January [1998], turning out in force for the funeral of patriarch Giuseppe", who was Rosa's husband and an old business associate of the character George Palmer (Paul Moriarty). The following month, the family moved to the area in which the soap is set, Walford
, to run an Italian restaurant, which was named Giuseppe's.
The di Marcos remained with the show as a unit until 2000, when the new executive producer, John Yorke, decided to cull the majority of the family. All except Beppe (Michael Greco) and his son Joe (Jake Kyprianou) were written out. They were reportedly "slaughtered because of a shortage of ideas for what to do with them". A source allegedly told The Mirror: "It's always unpleasant having to say goodbye to people who have given loyal service to the show for a number of years. But John Yorke feels it's time to make his mark on the show. Every new producer likes to do the same. John wants to introduce a new family later this year and felt the Di Marcos had nowhere else to go. Their storylines were beginning to feel tired and that's a good time to make such a drastic change."
However an official BBC spokesperson at the time commented: "These changes […] are just part of [John Yorke's] plans to revamp the series and give it a new look." The cuts paved the way for the arrival of the popular Slater family. Beppe and Joe remained until 2002, when they were axed too.
Matthew Baylis of The Guardian
has commented on their lack of success: "Thank heaven for off-screen uncles. As we saw during the hurried departure of the di Marco family from Albert Square, there's nothing like a fictitious relative when you need to get characters off the screen…The di Marcos' departure had its dodgy elements. A hitherto unheard-of uncle needs help in his restaurant, so the whole family ups sticks. Including Teresa - who'd always fought for independence from her family? Rosa, who presumably owned the house she'd transformed into something resembling an Imperial Palace, is suddenly prepared to leg it with a couple of suitcases? There was plenty that didn't ring true. But few viewers minded. There was, if anything, more sympathy for the programme-makers, trying valiantly to dispose of this singularly unpopular family while retaining an element of drama."
The di Marcos have been dismissed as "unconvincing characters". Baylis goes on to highlight a problem that he feels "dogged the whole family", their occupation as restaurateurs. Baylis believes this kept them "self-contained", and prevented them from establishing meaningful links with other characters. He explains: "[The di Marcos] had an ambiguity, heightened by the job they did. Soapland has no place for grey areas. Bad things happen to bad people. They also happen to good people, of course, but not for very long. To make this predictable universe work on the screen, you need characters who are relatively stable (even if they are unstable). The writers and the viewers buy into a myth that people aren't particularly complex, that the full range of their feelings and actions can be revealed in a few hours on the TV. And a quick, visible way of revealing characters is to mirror them in their occupation. Thus we have Pauline Fowler
, long-suffering drudge and matriarch. What better job than folding pants all day in the launderette? Or Peggy [Mitchell
] - tough but fun-loving and gregarious. So she runs the pub. But what attributes spring to mind when we think of Italian restaurants? Fond of pasta, perhaps? Permanently overworked? The job never provided an easy route into understanding the di Marcos' characters…The most visible jobs tend to be taken by the strongest, most vivid characters. Confined to their restaurant, the di Marcos could only become involved in Walford life when other characters came over to eat a carbonara. And how often do working-class East End people do that? If any di Marco wanted a night out, a pint in the Vic, a clandestine liaison, then an excuse had to be found as to why they weren't working. Transforming Giuseppe's into a daytime sandwich bar, and sending Teresa onto the market were bold rescue attempts, but they came too late. The viewers had already decided they didn't much care…Because of their jobs, the di Marcos became a largely self-contained unit…"
in the cartoon
sketch show 2DTV
, as well as impersonated by Alistair McGowan
on his show, The Big Impression. In spite of his non-existence in real life, he was reported by a British newspaper as being in the womanising circuit with comedian Russell Brand
on the last series of Big Brother's Big Mouth in 2006, something that Brand satirised in his live show.
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 Michael Greco.
Beppe was his family's pride and joy, so it was a big shock to them when he was fired from the police force for attempting to frame local hardman Grant Mitchell
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...
. Beppe was the local heart-throb and he had numerous relationships in Albert Square
Albert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
, which all ended in disaster.
Storylines
Beppe first appeared when George PalmerGeorge Palmer (EastEnders)
George Palmer is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Paul Moriarty. He appeared between 1996 and 1998, but was one of many characters axed by then Executive Producer Matthew Robinson.-Storylines:...
and Peggy Mitchell
Peggy Mitchell
Margaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared on 30 April 1991, featuring in the series on a recurring basis over several weeks. Peggy was reintroduced in 1994, recast and was then played by...
attended his father's funeral in January 1998. He moved to Albert Square in February 1998, with the rest of his family: mother Rosa
Rosa di Marco
Rosa di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Louise Jameson. She is the mother of Beppe , Gianni , Teresa and Nicky di Marco .-Storylines:...
, brother Gianni
Gianni di Marco
Gianni di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC serial drama EastEnders, played by Marc Bannerman from 1998 to 2000.-Storylines:Gianni arrived in Walford along with the rest of the di Marco family in 1998. Gianni was the younger of the two brothers in the family, the other being Beppe di Marco...
and sisters Teresa and Nicky. Beppe's family came to Walford
Walford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
to open an Italian
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
, and he had built himself a successful career in the police force, progressing through the ranks to the Vice squad
Vice Squad
Vice Squad is a punk band formed in 1978 in Bristol, England. The band formed from two other local punk bands, The Contingent and TV Brakes. Songwriter and vocalist Beki Bondage was a founding member and is currently with the band, although there was a period of time when the band had a different...
.
Beppe was a single father to Joe. Joe's mother, Sandra had abandoned them when Joe was 10 months old - driven away by Beppe's interfering family, who never forgave her for not being Italian.
Upon his arrival, Beppe instantly clashed with 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...
and Grant, who were known to dabble on the wrong side of the law and Beppe saw them as trouble makers. Beppe's animosity towards Grant, in particular, increased when he struck up a close friendship with Grant's abused wife Tiffany
Tiffany Mitchell
Tiffany Dawn Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Martine McCutcheon from 1995 until 1998. The character was created by the writer, Tony Jordan...
. It wasn't long before Beppe had fallen in love with Tiffany and was urging her to leave Grant for him. Beppe confronted Grant in the Vic over his cruelty towards Tiffany and the pair brawled. Tiffany decided to leave Grant after she caught him in bed with her mother Louise
Louise Raymond
Louise Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Carol Harrison from May 1998 to April 1999. Louise was the estranged mother of the characters Tiffany and Simon Raymond. She was featured most prominently in a high-profile storyline about adultery, when she...
and she packed her bags ready to flee Walford with her and Grant's daughter, Courtney.
However, just as Tiffany was about to leave, she fell down the stairs, leading everyone to suspect that Grant had pushed her. Beppe was furious and arrested Grant for attempted murder. He also coerced Tiffany, who was recovering in hospital, to pretend Grant had pushed her in order to keep him locked up. Tiffany did but her conscience got the better of her and she later wrote a letter exonerating her husband of any wrong doing and instructed her best friend, Bianca
Bianca Jackson
Bianca Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted to leave. In 2002 executive producer John Yorke brought the character...
, to hand it to the police after she'd left Walford. However, before she left, she was killed in a car accident, whilst trying to reclaim her child from Grant, who had been released on bail that same day. Since Tiffany had been on the verge of eloping with Beppe, he never forgave Grant, and when he got the letter that exonerated him, Beppe burned it rather than see his enemy cleared. Beppe was subsequently kicked off the force for withholding evidence and police misconduct. When Grant found out about the letter, he punched Beppe.
Now out of work, Beppe got a job as a cab driver working for 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...
and later embarked on a stormy relationship with Grant's little 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...
. Sam took the relationship more seriously than Beppe, and became extremely jealous of his platonic friendship with his flatmate Nina Harris
Nina Harris
Nina Harris is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Troy Titus-Adams between 1999 and 2000. The character was axed by John Yorke, making her final appearance in June 2000...
, so their relationship didn't last long.
In 2000, Beppe became a partner with Steve Owen and took on management of his nightclub The E20. His police contacts came in handy soon after when drugs were found in his club and he managed to persuade them to turn a blind eye.
Also in 2000, Beppe's estranged wife Sandra returned, hoping to gain access to their son, Joe. Although she was met with hostility at first, she and Beppe soon grew closer and eventually rekindled their romance, much to Beppe's family's disgust. Because of his ties, he also decided to stay in Walford when the rest of his family moved to Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. Beppe was still in love with Sandra and soon began pressurising her to have more children. The suggestion was met with hostility and she flatly refused. Soon after, Beppe's old vice-squad partner, Jack Robbins, arrived in Albert Square looking for Sandra. It turned out that Sandra had been involved with Jack for years before returning to Walford. She had left him following a miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
that left her unable to have children. Sandra tried to deny her feelings for Jack, but eventually she admitted that she was still in love with him and had only reconciled with Beppe so she could get custody of her son. She and Jack reignited their romance and Sandra made plans to flee Walford with Jack and Joe. However, Beppe caught them just as they were about to leave and when he realised what was going on he attacked Jack, took Joe back and denied Sandra any access. Sandra and Jack subsequently threatened to take Beppe to court for custody of Joe. Beppe retaliated by using his police contacts to plant drugs on Jack, getting him kicked from the force. The constant rowing was having a negative effect on Joe and he found it difficult to choose between his warring parents. This culminated in him getting hit by a car when he disobeyed his father and ran across the road to be with his mother. Joe was not seriously hurt, but the accident made his parents rethink their behaviour. Beppe eventually allowed Sandra visitation rights and so she left Walford with Jack the following year.
In 2001, before Steve was killed in a car accident, Beppe bought out his share of the 20 and became sole owner of the club, which was a massive shock to Steve's wife Mel
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...
, as she had been led to believe that she was the sole owner. During this period, Beppe spent much of his time bedding anonymous women and dumping them when he got bored. He even ended up contracting a minor STD
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
. Beppe became close to Lynne Slater
Lynne Hobbs
Lynne Marie Hobbs is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Elaine Lordan. She appeared in the show from September 2000 to July 2004...
, who would regularly babysit Joe whilst he was working, and she helped point out the error of his womanising ways. Beppe fell for Lynne and attempted to stop her marrying Garry Hobbs
Garry Hobbs
Garry Pelé Hobbs is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ricky Groves. He made his first appearance on 18 September 2000...
, but although Lynne was tempted, she went ahead with the marriage.
In 2002, Beppe had news that his mother had died of a heart attack, which prompted him to sell his club to Sharon Watts and leave Walford to tend to his grieving family.
Character creation and development
The Italian di Marco family were introduced early in 1998 by Series Producer Jane Harris. The di Marcos were a family of eight, consisting of grandparents Bruno and Luisa, their daughter-in-law RosaRosa di Marco
Rosa di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Louise Jameson. She is the mother of Beppe , Gianni , Teresa and Nicky di Marco .-Storylines:...
, her children Beppe
Beppe di Marco
Beppe di Marco is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael Greco.Beppe was his family's pride and joy, so it was a big shock to them when he was fired from the police force for attempting to frame local hardman Grant Mitchell...
, Gianni, Teresa and Nicky, and Beppe's young son Joe. They were heralded as the "family that would rival the Mitchells
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...
", one of the most successful and long-running families to have been featured in EastEnders.
According to author Rupert Smith, the di Marcos "landed with an almighty thud in January [1998], turning out in force for the funeral of patriarch Giuseppe", who was Rosa's husband and an old business associate of the character George Palmer (Paul Moriarty). The following month, the family moved to the area in which the soap is set, Walford
Walford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
, to run an Italian restaurant, which was named Giuseppe's.
The di Marcos remained with the show as a unit until 2000, when the new executive producer, John Yorke, decided to cull the majority of the family. All except Beppe (Michael Greco) and his son Joe (Jake Kyprianou) were written out. They were reportedly "slaughtered because of a shortage of ideas for what to do with them". A source allegedly told The Mirror: "It's always unpleasant having to say goodbye to people who have given loyal service to the show for a number of years. But John Yorke feels it's time to make his mark on the show. Every new producer likes to do the same. John wants to introduce a new family later this year and felt the Di Marcos had nowhere else to go. Their storylines were beginning to feel tired and that's a good time to make such a drastic change."
However an official BBC spokesperson at the time commented: "These changes […] are just part of [John Yorke's] plans to revamp the series and give it a new look." The cuts paved the way for the arrival of the popular Slater family. Beppe and Joe remained until 2002, when they were axed too.
Reception
The di Marcos are now deemed as something of a failure for EastEnders. Since their departure, the family has even been mocked in an EastEnders official book, entitled EastEnders 20 Years In Albert Square. In the book, the author, Rupert Smith, writes :"Nobody really knew what to do with the di Marco family, who had been languishing in the pizza restaurant without a decent storyline between them. Finally, there was nothing else for it: the di Marcos would have to go. All of them…it was as if they'd never been".Matthew Baylis of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
has commented on their lack of success: "Thank heaven for off-screen uncles. As we saw during the hurried departure of the di Marco family from Albert Square, there's nothing like a fictitious relative when you need to get characters off the screen…The di Marcos' departure had its dodgy elements. A hitherto unheard-of uncle needs help in his restaurant, so the whole family ups sticks. Including Teresa - who'd always fought for independence from her family? Rosa, who presumably owned the house she'd transformed into something resembling an Imperial Palace, is suddenly prepared to leg it with a couple of suitcases? There was plenty that didn't ring true. But few viewers minded. There was, if anything, more sympathy for the programme-makers, trying valiantly to dispose of this singularly unpopular family while retaining an element of drama."
The di Marcos have been dismissed as "unconvincing characters". Baylis goes on to highlight a problem that he feels "dogged the whole family", their occupation as restaurateurs. Baylis believes this kept them "self-contained", and prevented them from establishing meaningful links with other characters. He explains: "[The di Marcos] had an ambiguity, heightened by the job they did. Soapland has no place for grey areas. Bad things happen to bad people. They also happen to good people, of course, but not for very long. To make this predictable universe work on the screen, you need characters who are relatively stable (even if they are unstable). The writers and the viewers buy into a myth that people aren't particularly complex, that the full range of their feelings and actions can be revealed in a few hours on the TV. And a quick, visible way of revealing characters is to mirror them in their occupation. Thus we have Pauline Fowler
Pauline Fowler
Pauline Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional London borough of Walford. She was played by actress Wendy Richard between 1985 and 2006. Pauline was created by scriptwriter Tony Holland and producer...
, long-suffering drudge and matriarch. What better job than folding pants all day in the launderette? Or Peggy [Mitchell
Peggy Mitchell
Margaret Ann "Peggy" Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Peggy was initially played by Jo Warne when she first appeared on 30 April 1991, featuring in the series on a recurring basis over several weeks. Peggy was reintroduced in 1994, recast and was then played by...
] - tough but fun-loving and gregarious. So she runs the pub. But what attributes spring to mind when we think of Italian restaurants? Fond of pasta, perhaps? Permanently overworked? The job never provided an easy route into understanding the di Marcos' characters…The most visible jobs tend to be taken by the strongest, most vivid characters. Confined to their restaurant, the di Marcos could only become involved in Walford life when other characters came over to eat a carbonara. And how often do working-class East End people do that? If any di Marco wanted a night out, a pint in the Vic, a clandestine liaison, then an excuse had to be found as to why they weren't working. Transforming Giuseppe's into a daytime sandwich bar, and sending Teresa onto the market were bold rescue attempts, but they came too late. The viewers had already decided they didn't much care…Because of their jobs, the di Marcos became a largely self-contained unit…"
In popular culture
The character of Beppe di Marco has been spoofedParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
in the cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
sketch show 2DTV
2DTV
2DTV is a British satirical animated television show that was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom, directed by Tim Searle.2DTV employs the same satirical style as Spitting Image, but using animation rather than puppets. The animation was produced on computer, frequently with animators working up...
, as well as impersonated by Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
on his show, The Big Impression. In spite of his non-existence in real life, he was reported by a British newspaper as being in the womanising circuit with comedian Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
on the last series of Big Brother's Big Mouth in 2006, something that Brand satirised in his live show.