Frankie Pierre
Encyclopedia
Maxine Francesca "Frankie" Pierre is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, a long-running serial drama about working class
life in a the East End of London
. She appeared between 1996 and 1997, played by Syan Blake. Frankie was introduced as a "super-bitch" and home wrecker. She attempted to ruin the established relationships of several characters during her year in the soap, purposefully seducing attached men.
, who was her former boyfriend. Frankie’s band was hired to play at the Bridge Street Night Café, and Frankie was immediately attracted to café worker Alan Jackson
. She openly flirted with him, unconcerned that he was already married to Carol
. Frankie was intent on snaring Alan. She moved to Albert Square
— sharing a house with Huw Edwards
and Lenny Wallace
— and got a job as a waitress at the café, so she could be near Alan. She tired to persuade him that married life was making him unhappy, encouraging him to split from his wife to be with her. Alan resisted her advances, so Frankie changed tactics. She targeted Alan’s wife Carol, infuriating her with suggestive claims about the nature of her relationship with Alan. Carol was extremely jealous and many arguments erupted between her and Alan, which caused a rift in their relationship. When Alan confronted Frankie about her stirring, she broke down claiming that she loved him, but it was all just a game to coax him away from Carol. Alan fell for Frankie’s lies, and after one row too many with his jealous wife, he slept with Frankie, beginning an affair. Frankie was keen for Carol to find out so she planted her watch in Alan’s house, hoping that Carol would find it. When Alan discovered Frankie’s gameplaying, he attempted to finish with her, but she threatened to inform Carol about their affair unless he kept on seeing her. Carol, realising her husband was cheating on her, tired of the deception. She turned to her former boyfriend David Wicks
and they began a short-lived affair. The truth finally came out, both Alan and Carol confessed to their affairs, but neither could forgive, and when Frankie invited Alan to live with her, he accepted, devastating his family.
However, Frankie’s feelings towards Alan changed as soon as he moved in with her. She finished with him days after he left his wife and family, claiming that their relationship had grown too intense. Stunned, Alan tried to change her mind, but Frankie had lost interest. It turned out that Frankie had a history of chasing attached men only to lose interest as soon as she had succeeded in breaking up their marriage. Her friend, Mick, claimed that her deprived childhood and an inability to be loved were the cause of her promiscuous and devious behaviour.
Alan was sympathetic and willing to help Frankie through her psychological problems, but she had already set her sights on a new man, Tony Hills
. Even though Tony was in a homosexual relationship with another man, Frankie seduced him, and after copious amounts of alcohol, they slept together. Tony was desperate to keep their tryst a secret from his boyfriend, Simon
. He told Frankie that their night together was a mistake, however, Frankie would not accept rejection; she attempted to blackmail him into continuing their affair, threatening to out him as a homosexual, and tell his boyfriend what had occurred. Tony feared the repercussions, but he refused to give Frankie what she wanted, and she had further knockbacks from Sanjay Kapoor
and her neighbour Ian Beale
, who threw her out of his house after she propositioned him, branding her a “scrubber” with “no class”. Feeling sorry for herself, Frankie sought salvation from evangelist Alistair Matthews. She started off by singing at one of his prayer groups, and Alistair took a keen interest in her spiritual welfare. Frankie took this the wrong way, assuming that Alistair was interested in her sexually. She tried to seduce him on numerous occasions, but Alistair rejected her each time. This bruised Frankie’s ego, and she started spreading rumours that they had slept together in an attempt to make Alan jealous. Alistair feared that his reputation was being tarnished. He confronted Frankie in The Queen Vic, exposing her lies and humiliating her in front of everyone. Frankie turned to Alan for support, but he shunned her, finally realising what a liar she was. Incensed, Frankie turned violent and attempted to assault Alan, until her friend Mick showed up and dragged her away. Frankie moved away from Walford
and Mick later mentioned that she had quit their band.
. A previously unknown actress, Syan Blake, was cast in the role. She was initially signed on a 6 months contract, but subsequently had her contract extended.
Blake had auditioned for the minor role of a nurse who treated Kathy Mitchell’s baby Ben, after he was involved in a meningitis
scare. However, the casting directors saw potential and asked Blake to audition for a far bigger upcoming role as a regular character, Frankie Pierre. Blake has said, “I went for the audition and dressed quite sexily. I was a bit confused when they told me there was another regular part going for a soul singer and asked me if I could sing.” Even though she confessed that she could not sing very well, they asked her to perform nonetheless and she sang one of her favourite songs, "Harlem On My Mind". Blake was told the following day that her audition had been successful. When asked about her reaction to the news, Blake said, “I put the phone down afterwards and sat on the sofa feeling numb, it just didn't sink in…I just felt stunned. I'd always watched EastEnders but seeing all these famous people in real life and walking onto the set was the most frightening thing I'd ever done. People were really friendly, but I just sat there dreading my first scene in which I had to sing a song in the pub with all those famous faces watching me.”
and Carol Jackson
(Howard Antony
and Lindsey Coulson
). After meeting Alan at a gig with her band, Frankie made it her mission to snare him. According to The Sunday Mirror, millions of viewers tuned in to watch “home-wrecker Frankie get her claws into happily married Alan Jackson.” However, after Alan had fallen “under her spell” and left his wife and children, Frankie lost interest, dumped him and moved on to her next victim, Tony Hills
(Mark Homer
), who has been described as her “ultimate conquest”, as Tony was not only attached, but gay.
Frankie has been described as a predatory man-eater, a trouble maker, an unhinged sexpot, and a super-bitch who “seduces men away from their loved ones…then dumps them with a sneer.” The official EastEnders book Who’s Who states that Frankie “had a carnivourous approach to relationships, hunting down her quarry, devouring her victim in two gulps and then moving onto the next kill.” In an article published in The Sunday Mirror in 1997, sex thrapist, Anne Hopper, discussed the character of Frankie and the reasons why women like her enjoy luring men away from their partners, and then discard them once they succeed: “women like...Frankie have usually been hurt in early childhood or previous relationships. They are low on self-esteem. An affair can make them feel wanted - but keeps the relationship at arm's length.” Later confirmed on-screen, Frankie’s promiscuous, immoral and devious behaviour was blamed on her deprived childhood, a history of being hurt, lack of trust and insecurities.
Frankie eventually departed the serial in March 1997 amidst a failed attempt at seducing a religious evangelist, Alistair Matthews, who had been trying to make her change her promiscuous lifestyle. Off-screen it was reported that Syan Blake and the producers of EastEnders had decided to write the character out of the serial, as the actress was receiving death threats from angry fans that could not separate fact from fiction, and blamed Blake for her character’s home-wrecking.
Despite the negative reaction from female viewers, Blake has claimed that her character was much more popular with men. She commented, “A lot of men write and just ask for my photograph, but some have sent pictures of themselves and asked me out. I've also had poetry sent, which is really sweet.”
Actor Howard Antony, who played the popular character Alan Jackson between 1993 and 1997, has since confessed that he was unhappy with the elements of his character’s affair with Frankie. He says this contributed to his decision to quit the soap in 1997. He says that the “final straw” came when his character refused to get back together with screen wife Carol, and instead continued his affair with Frankie, knowing that he was just her plaything: "There are those above me who make decisions for my character and they're not always ones I like. There were certain aspects of the Frankie story I didn't like. I was frustrated with Alan taking so much nonsense. I thought 'Why are you investing time in Frankie when the woman you've been with for nine years wants you back?’ As an actor it was a difficult pill to swallow."
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...
, a long-running serial drama about working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
life in a the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
. She appeared between 1996 and 1997, played by Syan Blake. Frankie was introduced as a "super-bitch" and home wrecker. She attempted to ruin the established relationships of several characters during her year in the soap, purposefully seducing attached men.
Storylines
Frankie first appeared in June 1996 as a soul singer in a band with musician Mick McFarlaneMick McFarlane
Mick McFarlane is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sylvester Williams.Mick was an easy-going guy, who hoped to make it big as a musician. However his music career failed and he ended up selling CDs on a market stall in Albert Square...
, who was her former boyfriend. Frankie’s band was hired to play at the Bridge Street Night Café, and Frankie was immediately attracted to café worker Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson (EastEnders)
Alan Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Howard Antony. He originally appeared between 1993 and 1997, and returned on 12 October 2010 for three episodes....
. She openly flirted with him, unconcerned that he was already married to Carol
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...
. Frankie was intent on snaring Alan. She moved to 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...
— sharing a house with Huw Edwards
Huw Edwards (EastEnders)
Huw Edwards is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Richard Elis. Huw was introduced in 1996 and remained on-screen till 1999.-Storylines:...
and 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 :...
— and got a job as a waitress at the café, so she could be near Alan. She tired to persuade him that married life was making him unhappy, encouraging him to split from his wife to be with her. Alan resisted her advances, so Frankie changed tactics. She targeted Alan’s wife Carol, infuriating her with suggestive claims about the nature of her relationship with Alan. Carol was extremely jealous and many arguments erupted between her and Alan, which caused a rift in their relationship. When Alan confronted Frankie about her stirring, she broke down claiming that she loved him, but it was all just a game to coax him away from Carol. Alan fell for Frankie’s lies, and after one row too many with his jealous wife, he slept with Frankie, beginning an affair. Frankie was keen for Carol to find out so she planted her watch in Alan’s house, hoping that Carol would find it. When Alan discovered Frankie’s gameplaying, he attempted to finish with her, but she threatened to inform Carol about their affair unless he kept on seeing her. Carol, realising her husband was cheating on her, tired of the deception. She turned to her former boyfriend 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...
and they began a short-lived affair. The truth finally came out, both Alan and Carol confessed to their affairs, but neither could forgive, and when Frankie invited Alan to live with her, he accepted, devastating his family.
However, Frankie’s feelings towards Alan changed as soon as he moved in with her. She finished with him days after he left his wife and family, claiming that their relationship had grown too intense. Stunned, Alan tried to change her mind, but Frankie had lost interest. It turned out that Frankie had a history of chasing attached men only to lose interest as soon as she had succeeded in breaking up their marriage. Her friend, Mick, claimed that her deprived childhood and an inability to be loved were the cause of her promiscuous and devious behaviour.
Alan was sympathetic and willing to help Frankie through her psychological problems, but she had already set her sights on a new man, Tony Hills
Tony Hills
Tony Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mark Homer.-Storylines:Tony arrives in Walford from Norfolk on 7 September 1995 with his sister, Sarah Hills . He is unsympathetic and sells ecstasy with a friend, Dan Zappieri . Eventually, he quits dealing after Dan...
. Even though Tony was in a homosexual relationship with another man, Frankie seduced him, and after copious amounts of alcohol, they slept together. Tony was desperate to keep their tryst a secret from his boyfriend, Simon
Simon Raymond
Simon Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Andrew Lynford. Simon was introduced in 1996 as the homosexual brother of Tiffany Mitchell. His relationship with the bisexual character Tony Hills featured a gay kiss that caused controversy in the UK; numerous...
. He told Frankie that their night together was a mistake, however, Frankie would not accept rejection; she attempted to blackmail him into continuing their affair, threatening to out him as a homosexual, and tell his boyfriend what had occurred. Tony feared the repercussions, but he refused to give Frankie what she wanted, and she had further knockbacks from Sanjay Kapoor
Sanjay Kapoor (EastEnders)
Sanjay Kapoor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Deepak Verma.Sanjay the market trader had an eye for the ladies and a weakness for gambling...
and her neighbour 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...
, who threw her out of his house after she propositioned him, branding her a “scrubber” with “no class”. Feeling sorry for herself, Frankie sought salvation from evangelist Alistair Matthews. She started off by singing at one of his prayer groups, and Alistair took a keen interest in her spiritual welfare. Frankie took this the wrong way, assuming that Alistair was interested in her sexually. She tried to seduce him on numerous occasions, but Alistair rejected her each time. This bruised Frankie’s ego, and she started spreading rumours that they had slept together in an attempt to make Alan jealous. Alistair feared that his reputation was being tarnished. He confronted Frankie in The Queen Vic, exposing her lies and humiliating her in front of everyone. Frankie turned to Alan for support, but he shunned her, finally realising what a liar she was. Incensed, Frankie turned violent and attempted to assault Alan, until her friend Mick showed up and dragged her away. Frankie moved away from 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...
and Mick later mentioned that she had quit their band.
Character creation
Soul singer Frankie Pierre was introduced in 1996 by the Series Producer of EastEnders, Jane HarrisJane Harris (producer)
Jane Harris is a British television director and producer, best known for her contributions to soap operas, including EastEnders and Family Affairs.-Career:...
. A previously unknown actress, Syan Blake, was cast in the role. She was initially signed on a 6 months contract, but subsequently had her contract extended.
Blake had auditioned for the minor role of a nurse who treated Kathy Mitchell’s baby Ben, after he was involved in a meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
scare. However, the casting directors saw potential and asked Blake to audition for a far bigger upcoming role as a regular character, Frankie Pierre. Blake has said, “I went for the audition and dressed quite sexily. I was a bit confused when they told me there was another regular part going for a soul singer and asked me if I could sing.” Even though she confessed that she could not sing very well, they asked her to perform nonetheless and she sang one of her favourite songs, "Harlem On My Mind". Blake was told the following day that her audition had been successful. When asked about her reaction to the news, Blake said, “I put the phone down afterwards and sat on the sofa feeling numb, it just didn't sink in…I just felt stunned. I'd always watched EastEnders but seeing all these famous people in real life and walking onto the set was the most frightening thing I'd ever done. People were really friendly, but I just sat there dreading my first scene in which I had to sing a song in the pub with all those famous faces watching me.”
Character development
Frankie’s arrival in June 1996 was part of a storyline that broke up the marriage of the characters AlanAlan Jackson (EastEnders)
Alan Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Howard Antony. He originally appeared between 1993 and 1997, and returned on 12 October 2010 for three episodes....
and 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...
(Howard Antony
Howard Antony
Howard Antony is a British actor, best known for playing the role of Alan Jackson, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1993 - 1997....
and Lindsey Coulson
Lindsey Coulson
Lindsey Coulson is an English actress, best known for her role as Carol Jackson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.- Career :...
). After meeting Alan at a gig with her band, Frankie made it her mission to snare him. According to The Sunday Mirror, millions of viewers tuned in to watch “home-wrecker Frankie get her claws into happily married Alan Jackson.” However, after Alan had fallen “under her spell” and left his wife and children, Frankie lost interest, dumped him and moved on to her next victim, Tony Hills
Tony Hills
Tony Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mark Homer.-Storylines:Tony arrives in Walford from Norfolk on 7 September 1995 with his sister, Sarah Hills . He is unsympathetic and sells ecstasy with a friend, Dan Zappieri . Eventually, he quits dealing after Dan...
(Mark Homer
Mark Homer
Mark Homer is a British actor of stage, television and film. He is best known for playing Tony Hills in the popular British soap opera EastEnders from 1995 to 1999. His subsequent work includes guest appearances in Silent Witness and Spine Chillers, both also for the BBC...
), who has been described as her “ultimate conquest”, as Tony was not only attached, but gay.
Frankie has been described as a predatory man-eater, a trouble maker, an unhinged sexpot, and a super-bitch who “seduces men away from their loved ones…then dumps them with a sneer.” The official EastEnders book Who’s Who states that Frankie “had a carnivourous approach to relationships, hunting down her quarry, devouring her victim in two gulps and then moving onto the next kill.” In an article published in The Sunday Mirror in 1997, sex thrapist, Anne Hopper, discussed the character of Frankie and the reasons why women like her enjoy luring men away from their partners, and then discard them once they succeed: “women like...Frankie have usually been hurt in early childhood or previous relationships. They are low on self-esteem. An affair can make them feel wanted - but keeps the relationship at arm's length.” Later confirmed on-screen, Frankie’s promiscuous, immoral and devious behaviour was blamed on her deprived childhood, a history of being hurt, lack of trust and insecurities.
Frankie eventually departed the serial in March 1997 amidst a failed attempt at seducing a religious evangelist, Alistair Matthews, who had been trying to make her change her promiscuous lifestyle. Off-screen it was reported that Syan Blake and the producers of EastEnders had decided to write the character out of the serial, as the actress was receiving death threats from angry fans that could not separate fact from fiction, and blamed Blake for her character’s home-wrecking.
Reception
Actress Syan Blake has said that the role of a homewrecker was tough to play, and she was startled by the depth of public feeling towards her character. She has admitted that she received hate mail and death threats from scorned female viewers who hated the role that she played. She has commented, “one woman wrote to me telling me that her marriage had almost been ruined when someone like Frankie went after her husband. It was a really vicious letter; she threatened to kill me and warned me to watch out. It was very frightening. She started the letter; `Dear Syan, stay away from Alan,' which worried me because she was obviously deluded and thought that I really am Frankie. Another woman stopped me in the street and told me she wanted to kick me. She was only joking - but I realised people really don't like Frankie. I suppose people hate her because she's such a threat, and she's so sexually confident.”Despite the negative reaction from female viewers, Blake has claimed that her character was much more popular with men. She commented, “A lot of men write and just ask for my photograph, but some have sent pictures of themselves and asked me out. I've also had poetry sent, which is really sweet.”
Actor Howard Antony, who played the popular character Alan Jackson between 1993 and 1997, has since confessed that he was unhappy with the elements of his character’s affair with Frankie. He says this contributed to his decision to quit the soap in 1997. He says that the “final straw” came when his character refused to get back together with screen wife Carol, and instead continued his affair with Frankie, knowing that he was just her plaything: "There are those above me who make decisions for my character and they're not always ones I like. There were certain aspects of the Frankie story I didn't like. I was frustrated with Alan taking so much nonsense. I thought 'Why are you investing time in Frankie when the woman you've been with for nine years wants you back?’ As an actor it was a difficult pill to swallow."