Mick McFarlane
Encyclopedia
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
. After several ill-fated attempts at a career change, he finally got his life's wish and left Walford
in 2002 to tour with a band
.
and he arrived in Albert Square in June 1996, when his jazz
band (including singer Frankie Pierre
) came to audition for a regular gig in the Bridge Street café's night Bistro. Alan Jackson
, manager of the night café, heard them play and instantly hired them. However, after Frankie (who was also Mick's ex) maliciously ruined several relationships on the Square, she quit the band and left Mick in the lurch. With no band to bring in funds, Mick was forced to seek work elsewhere, so he started work at the café in May 1997.
In 1998, Mick decided to reform his band and held auditions for another singer. After turning down many hopefuls, he found a young female soloist named Lola Christie. Mick was immediately attracted to Lola and eventually the two started dating. However, later in the year Lola was offered a contract as a professional singer, so she dumped Mick and the band. Later that year Mick was visited by his mother, Josie McFarlane
, on holiday from Jamaica
. Mick was nervous about Josie's visit as he had led her to believe that he was a successful musician. She was not pleased to discover Mick was working in a café.
However, Josie had secrets of her own. She brought a young girl named Kim with her, claiming she was a distant relative, but she was hiding something. Eventually Josie admitted Kim was Mick's half sister - the result of an affair that Mick's late father had had many years before. Kim's mother was dead and Josie took Kim in rather than see her go into care. Josie also confessed that she had been conned in a Jamaican property scam and was now penniless. Mick was extremely shocked to discover that his parents had deceived him for so long but welcomed his mother and half-sister into his life and home. Mick soon warmed to the idea of having a little sister although he did find Kim's tagging around after him a little irksome at first. Later that year, Ian Beale
fired Mick after several residents suffered a bout of food poisoning.
In January 1999, Mick made friends with the new doctor, Fred Fonseca, and moved in with him. Fred later gave Mick a loan when he decided to take over Matthew Rose
's CD stall. Later that year, Mick, Fred and a few other Walford residents went to Brighton
, where Fred attended a medical convention. Whilst away, it became apparent to everyone, bar Mick, that Fred had something he wanted to get off his chest. Fred was gay
and was too afraid to admit his sexuality to Mick, so took him to a gay club in the hope that Mick might 'cotton on'. Mick didn't realise what Fred was trying to tell him and was extremely shocked when Fred finally confessed. Mick was hurt that Fred had felt unable to confide in him and that Fred didn't fancy him! The friendship stayed intact, despite Mick's mother (also Fred's receptionist) denouncing Fred's lifestyle as immoral.
Mick later started dating barmaid/ex-prostitute, Nina Harris
. However, Mick's judgmental mother caused problems here too, when she discovered Nina's past. Mick and Josie's relationship was sorely tested, culminating in Mick branding his mother a 'lonely, bitter, old woman'. Soon after Josie was forced to leave England
after a mix-up with her visa
, leaving Kim in Mick's care. Mick and Nina's relationship ended as Nina left Walford to look after her dying father.
With the financial responsibility of caring for his young sister, Mick found it difficult to 'make ends meet', so he got a part-time job as a limousine
driver for Phil Mitchell
. However, he was sacked when Phil found dog hair in the car, sparking a feud between them with Phil doing everything he could to undermine Mick. However, despite his dislike of Phil, Mick's constant money problems made him swallow his pride and ask for his job at the café back. He also had a spell as the radio controller for Barry Evans
cab firm.
In January 2001, Mick saw Mark Fowler
push Nick Cotton
off the viaduct railway bridge for selling his young brother Martin
ecstasy
. Mick was torn over what to do, but eventually protected Mark by saying that Nick fell and that Mark was nowhere near him at the time.
Early in 2002, Mick was offered a gig as a touring saxophone
player in a band, but had to turn it down, due to being Kim's legal guardian. Soon after, he needed money to send Kim on a school trip and pleaded with Phil for an advance on his wages. Phil refused and Mick was forced to sell his saxophone
to raise the money instead. However, that same day, Mick left the till in the café un-manned while he chased a non-paying customer and returned to find the day's takings had been stolen. Suspicious, Phil accused Mick of stealing the takings, fired him, and told him to repay the stolen money. The police eventually caught the thieves and Phil offered Mick his job back, however Mick made him grovel before he accepted.
When Kim discovered what Mick had been through, she bought his saxophone back with the money for her school trip, contacted Mick's musician contact and accepted the gig on his behalf. Kim was adamant that Mick should follow his dream, and so Mick left Kim with a relative away from the Square and left Walford in January 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 Sylvester Williams.
Mick was an easy-going guy, who hoped to make it big as a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. However his music career failed and he ended up selling CDs on a market stall 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...
. After several ill-fated attempts at a career change, he finally got his life's wish and left Walford
Walford
Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The name Walford is both a street in Dalston where one of the series' creators, Tony Holland, lived and a blend of Walthamstow, where Holland was born, and Stratford. The suffix 'ford' is also found throughout East...
in 2002 to tour with a band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
.
Storylines
Mick was a musicianMusician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and he arrived in Albert Square in June 1996, when his jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band (including singer Frankie Pierre
Frankie Pierre
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...
) came to audition for a regular gig in the Bridge Street café's night Bistro. 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....
, manager of the night café, heard them play and instantly hired them. However, after Frankie (who was also Mick's ex) maliciously ruined several relationships on the Square, she quit the band and left Mick in the lurch. With no band to bring in funds, Mick was forced to seek work elsewhere, so he started work at the café in May 1997.
In 1998, Mick decided to reform his band and held auditions for another singer. After turning down many hopefuls, he found a young female soloist named Lola Christie. Mick was immediately attracted to Lola and eventually the two started dating. However, later in the year Lola was offered a contract as a professional singer, so she dumped Mick and the band. Later that year Mick was visited by his mother, Josie McFarlane
Josie McFarlane
Josie McFarlane is a fictional character that appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She was played by Joan Hooley between 1998 and 2000...
, on holiday from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Mick was nervous about Josie's visit as he had led her to believe that he was a successful musician. She was not pleased to discover Mick was working in a café.
However, Josie had secrets of her own. She brought a young girl named Kim with her, claiming she was a distant relative, but she was hiding something. Eventually Josie admitted Kim was Mick's half sister - the result of an affair that Mick's late father had had many years before. Kim's mother was dead and Josie took Kim in rather than see her go into care. Josie also confessed that she had been conned in a Jamaican property scam and was now penniless. Mick was extremely shocked to discover that his parents had deceived him for so long but welcomed his mother and half-sister into his life and home. Mick soon warmed to the idea of having a little sister although he did find Kim's tagging around after him a little irksome at first. Later that year, 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...
fired Mick after several residents suffered a bout of food poisoning.
In January 1999, Mick made friends with the new doctor, Fred Fonseca, and moved in with him. Fred later gave Mick a loan when he decided to take over 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...
's CD stall. Later that year, Mick, Fred and a few other Walford residents went to Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, where Fred attended a medical convention. Whilst away, it became apparent to everyone, bar Mick, that Fred had something he wanted to get off his chest. Fred was gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and was too afraid to admit his sexuality to Mick, so took him to a gay club in the hope that Mick might 'cotton on'. Mick didn't realise what Fred was trying to tell him and was extremely shocked when Fred finally confessed. Mick was hurt that Fred had felt unable to confide in him and that Fred didn't fancy him! The friendship stayed intact, despite Mick's mother (also Fred's receptionist) denouncing Fred's lifestyle as immoral.
Mick later started dating barmaid/ex-prostitute, 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...
. However, Mick's judgmental mother caused problems here too, when she discovered Nina's past. Mick and Josie's relationship was sorely tested, culminating in Mick branding his mother a 'lonely, bitter, old woman'. Soon after Josie was forced to leave England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
after a mix-up with her visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
, leaving Kim in Mick's care. Mick and Nina's relationship ended as Nina left Walford to look after her dying father.
With the financial responsibility of caring for his young sister, Mick found it difficult to 'make ends meet', so he got a part-time job as a limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
driver for 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...
. However, he was sacked when Phil found dog hair in the car, sparking a feud between them with Phil doing everything he could to undermine Mick. However, despite his dislike of Phil, Mick's constant money problems made him swallow his pride and ask for his job at the café back. He also had a spell as the radio controller 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...
cab firm.
In January 2001, Mick saw 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...
push Nick Cotton
Nick Cotton
Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders played by John Altman on a recurring basis from the soap's debut episode in February 1985, through to his last appearance to date in 2009. Nick is the son of characters Charlie and Dot Cotton, and the father of Ashley and...
off the viaduct railway bridge for selling his young brother Martin
Martin Fowler (EastEnders)
Martin Albert Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by James Alexandrou from 1996 to 2007.The role was previously played by Jon Peyton Price from early life as a baby in 1985 to 1996, just before Martin's teenage years began.-Storylines:Martin is the younger son...
ecstasy
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
MDMA is an entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of drugs. In popular culture, MDMA has become widely known as "ecstasy" , usually referring to its street pill form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants...
. Mick was torn over what to do, but eventually protected Mark by saying that Nick fell and that Mark was nowhere near him at the time.
Early in 2002, Mick was offered a gig as a touring saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player in a band, but had to turn it down, due to being Kim's legal guardian. Soon after, he needed money to send Kim on a school trip and pleaded with Phil for an advance on his wages. Phil refused and Mick was forced to sell his saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
to raise the money instead. However, that same day, Mick left the till in the café un-manned while he chased a non-paying customer and returned to find the day's takings had been stolen. Suspicious, Phil accused Mick of stealing the takings, fired him, and told him to repay the stolen money. The police eventually caught the thieves and Phil offered Mick his job back, however Mick made him grovel before he accepted.
When Kim discovered what Mick had been through, she bought his saxophone back with the money for her school trip, contacted Mick's musician contact and accepted the gig on his behalf. Kim was adamant that Mick should follow his dream, and so Mick left Kim with a relative away from the Square and left Walford in January 2002.