Robbie Jackson
Encyclopedia
Robert "Robbie" Jackson is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Dean Gaffney
from 1993 to 2003. The character was axed in 2003 by executive producer Louise Berridge
. He made brief returns in 2004 and 2010 for two family weddings.
. Carol already had a daughter, Bianca
, from a previous relationship and upon discovering that she was pregnant again she and Gary got engaged and began living together before she gave birth to their son at just 16. They were happy for a while, but Gary soon began to feel tied down at such a young age and walked out on Carol and her two children just months after their son's birth. Robbie and his half sister Bianca saw many surrogate father figures during their childhood, one of which led to the birth of their half sister Sonia
before Carol entered a relationship with the steady and reliable Alan Jackson in 1987. They became parents to Billie in 1988 and not long afterwards Alan adopted Robbie and his sisters, resulting in them all taking on the name Jackson.
's four children and arrived in the Square
in 1993 with the rest of the Jackson clan. Initially a troublesome teen, Robbie had little success at school and was frequently in trouble for his behaviour. As he aged, Robbie became more responsible, but had little success in anything he chose to do. He had several careers in Albert Square including radio control for the Evans' mini cab company, waiter, a job as manager in the local video rental store (which he lost due to Barry Evans'
interference) and later as the market
road sweeper.
Robbie was generally unsuccessful with women. He had a crush on Sarah Hills
and was responsible for taking her virginity in 1997. Although Sarah had initiated the intercourse, she was unable to cope with what had occurred and ran away, leaving her father Ted Hills
to assume that Robbie had raped his daughter. Ted assaulted Robbie; he was hospitalised and had to undergo a spleenectomy, before Sarah returned to reveal the truth. Robbie formed a more serious relationship with Kerry Skinner in 2000. They got engaged; however, when Robbie discovered that Kerry had cheated on him, the engagement ended.
Robbie decided to track down his birth father, Gary Bolton in 2001. He found him in Portsmouth
, and discovered he had a half brother, Kevin. The meeting ended up being a disappointment for Robbie, when he discovered Gary had left his own mother to be with his half-brother's mother. He left angrily, but Gary later traced Robbie to Walford and gave him a large cheque which allowed him to travel around India
, and pay for sister Sonia's nursing training.
When Robbie returned to Walford
and met young widow Nita Mistry, they began a slow-burning relationship, despite Nita's initial reticence. Eventually they moved in together with Nita's son Anish, but Nita decided to return to India in 2003 to live with her parents, who could provide for Anish better than she could. Robbie went with her and they now live in Mumbai
together. He returned briefly for Sonia and Martin Fowler
's wedding in 2004.
Robbie had a dog, called Wellard
. He and his friend Kevin found the dog in 1994 and Robbie managed to persuade his owner to relinquish care to him, after he discovered he was being neglected. Wellard remained with Robbie until 2003 when Robbie went to India; he gave Wellard to Gus Smith
to look after. On August 15, 2008 Bianca had Wellard put down due to terminal illness.
Robbie returns for Bianca's wedding to Ricky Butcher
in February 2010, and is upset to hear of Wellard's death. When asked about Nita he reveals that she cannot attend the wedding as she is six months pregnant. Robbie walks Bianca down the aisle on her wedding day and returns to India after the wedding. When Robbie's half brother Billie suddenly dies several months later, Robbie, Nita and Sonia are unable to attend his funeral due to the flight costs, their newborn baby and the fact that Sonia is visiting Robbie and Nita in Mumbai.
(Lindsey Coulson
), her four children, Bianca
(Patsy Palmer
), Robbie (Dean Gaffney
), Sonia
(Natalie Cassidy
), and Billie (Devon Anderson
), as well as Carol's partner Alan Jackson
(Howard Antony
). Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in the serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billie, the whole family took on Alan's surname.
Various members of the family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting of Albert Square
. Their slow introduction was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period. The Jacksons have been described by EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake
as a "classic problem family".
). The decision was allegedly a "mutual one" taken by producers, writers and actors. Executive producer Louise Berridge said: "Dean and Bindya have contributed an enormous amount to the programme. However, we do feel that the characters have reached the end of their natural course in the show, and they will both be leaving in Spring 2003. It is always sad to be saying goodbye to a good double act, and especially to a long-running character like Robbie Jackson, so we will be leaving the door open for both characters. I would like to thank Dean for his 11 years of devotion to EastEnders, and Bindy for transforming our loveable loser into a winner at last. They will both be personally greatly missed by the cast and crew of EastEnders." Robbie and Nita departed together on-screen in the spring of 2003.
On 25 October 2009, it was announced that Gaffney would once again reprise his role, along with other Jackson family members Carol, Sonia and Billie. Gaffney is quoted as saying "I am really looking forward to returning to EastEnders for what looks set to be a really exciting storyline. I was thrilled when Diederick [Santer, executive producer] called me personally to ask for Robbie to return once more and working alongside Lindsey [Coulson], Natalie [Cassidy] and Patsy [Palmer] again makes it all the more special. I'm sure with the family being reunited it will mean that there must be a lot of drama in store." A source told entertainment website Digital Spy
: "Everything's being kept hush-hush about the Jacksons' return at the moment, but there are certainly a load of questions to be answered. Will the frosty relationship between Carol and Bianca thaw? Are Sonia and Martin still together? And how will Robbie react when he learns of his beloved Wellard's death? Everyone's so pleased to have them back." The family will return for Bianca's second wedding to Ricky Butcher
as part of the show's 25th anniversary. Executive producer Diederick Santer
explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "The wedding is the perfect opportunity for us to bring back the much-loved Jackson characters – Carol, Sonia, Robbie and Billie."
for 'Top Soap Bloke'.
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 Dean Gaffney
Dean Gaffney
Dean Martin Gaffney is an English actor most notable for his role as Robbie Jackson on the BBC1 soap opera Eastenders from 1993 to 2003, when his character was axed. He has since made guest appearances in the soap in 2004 and 2010. Gaffney went on to appear in various reality television shows,...
from 1993 to 2003. The character was axed in 2003 by executive producer Louise Berridge
Louise Berridge
Louise Berridge is a British writer of historical fiction. Before she became a novelist, she was best known as a television producer and script editor. The most famous post being the executive producer of BBC's EastEnders between 2002 and 2004...
. He made brief returns in 2004 and 2010 for two family weddings.
Backstory
Robbie was the product of a whirlwind romance between teenagers Gary Bolton and Carol BranningCarol 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...
. Carol already had a daughter, 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...
, from a previous relationship and upon discovering that she was pregnant again she and Gary got engaged and began living together before she gave birth to their son at just 16. They were happy for a while, but Gary soon began to feel tied down at such a young age and walked out on Carol and her two children just months after their son's birth. Robbie and his half sister Bianca saw many surrogate father figures during their childhood, one of which led to the birth of their half sister Sonia
Sonia Fowler
Sonia Ann Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on 21 December 1993 and she made her final appearance on 2 February 2007...
before Carol entered a relationship with the steady and reliable Alan Jackson in 1987. They became parents to Billie in 1988 and not long afterwards Alan adopted Robbie and his sisters, resulting in them all taking on the name Jackson.
1993–2010
Robbie is the second of Carol JacksonCarol Jackson
Carol Ann Jackson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lindsey Coulson. The character was introduced in 1993 as part of a new problem family. Coulson decided to quit the role in 1997, but she returned temporarily in 1999 as part of a storyline that marked Carol's...
's four children and arrived in the 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...
in 1993 with the rest of the Jackson clan. Initially a troublesome teen, Robbie had little success at school and was frequently in trouble for his behaviour. As he aged, Robbie became more responsible, but had little success in anything he chose to do. He had several careers in Albert Square including radio control for the Evans' mini cab company, waiter, a job as manager in the local video rental store (which he lost due to Barry Evans'
Barry Evans (EastEnders)
Barry Evans is a fictional character played by Shaun Williamson. He appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 1994 and 2004. The character was portrayed as a "buffoon." Williamson controversially left the serial after ten years in 2003 after executive producer Louise Berridge refused to...
interference) and later as the market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
road sweeper.
Robbie was generally unsuccessful with women. He had a crush on Sarah Hills
Sarah Hills
Sarah Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Daniela Denby-Ashe.-Storylines:Sarah was rather troublesome when she arrived on Albert Square, shoplifting from various market stalls. This was noticed by Alistair Matthews, a shop manager and religious cult leader...
and was responsible for taking her virginity in 1997. Although Sarah had initiated the intercourse, she was unable to cope with what had occurred and ran away, leaving her father Ted Hills
Ted Hills
Ted Hills is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Brian Croucher. He was introduced in 1995 as the patriarch of the Hills family, who were the extended family of established character Kathy Beale. Ted was axed in 1997....
to assume that Robbie had raped his daughter. Ted assaulted Robbie; he was hospitalised and had to undergo a spleenectomy, before Sarah returned to reveal the truth. Robbie formed a more serious relationship with Kerry Skinner in 2000. They got engaged; however, when Robbie discovered that Kerry had cheated on him, the engagement ended.
Robbie decided to track down his birth father, Gary Bolton in 2001. He found him in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, and discovered he had a half brother, Kevin. The meeting ended up being a disappointment for Robbie, when he discovered Gary had left his own mother to be with his half-brother's mother. He left angrily, but Gary later traced Robbie to Walford and gave him a large cheque which allowed him to travel around India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and pay for sister Sonia's nursing training.
When Robbie returned 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...
and met young widow Nita Mistry, they began a slow-burning relationship, despite Nita's initial reticence. Eventually they moved in together with Nita's son Anish, but Nita decided to return to India in 2003 to live with her parents, who could provide for Anish better than she could. Robbie went with her and they now live in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
together. He returned briefly for Sonia and Martin Fowler
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...
's wedding in 2004.
Robbie had a dog, called Wellard
Wellard
Wellard is a fictional Belgian Tervuren dog from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He first appeared in the series on 18 October 1994, and became EastEnders longest-serving pet, before being killed off on 15 August 2008. Although the character is male, he has been played primarily by three female...
. He and his friend Kevin found the dog in 1994 and Robbie managed to persuade his owner to relinquish care to him, after he discovered he was being neglected. Wellard remained with Robbie until 2003 when Robbie went to India; he gave Wellard to Gus Smith
Gus Smith
Augustus "Gus" Smith is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Mohammed George. He made his first appearance on 28 May 2002. It was announced on 18 January 2008 that Gus would leave the show later in 2008...
to look after. On August 15, 2008 Bianca had Wellard put down due to terminal illness.
Robbie returns for Bianca's wedding to 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...
in February 2010, and is upset to hear of Wellard's death. When asked about Nita he reveals that she cannot attend the wedding as she is six months pregnant. Robbie walks Bianca down the aisle on her wedding day and returns to India after the wedding. When Robbie's half brother Billie suddenly dies several months later, Robbie, Nita and Sonia are unable to attend his funeral due to the flight costs, their newborn baby and the fact that Sonia is visiting Robbie and Nita in Mumbai.
Background
1994 was a "historic" year for EastEnders, as in April, a third weekly episode was introduced. Due to the programme's increased frequency, a number of new characters were introduced to the regular cast in the latter part of 1993 and early 1994. Among them were the Jackson family: mother CarolCarol 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...
(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 :...
), her four children, 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...
(Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer
Patsy Palmer is an English actress. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, Palmer returned to EastEnders in...
), Robbie (Dean Gaffney
Dean Gaffney
Dean Martin Gaffney is an English actor most notable for his role as Robbie Jackson on the BBC1 soap opera Eastenders from 1993 to 2003, when his character was axed. He has since made guest appearances in the soap in 2004 and 2010. Gaffney went on to appear in various reality television shows,...
), Sonia
Sonia Fowler
Sonia Ann Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Natalie Cassidy. Her first appearance was on 21 December 1993 and she made her final appearance on 2 February 2007...
(Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Cassidy
Natalie Ann Cassidy is a British actress, most commonly known for appearing in the television soap EastEnders where she played Sonia Jackson for many years. She has also appeared in the BBC Two sitcom Psychoville and was a contestant on the seventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.-Career:As a...
), and Billie (Devon Anderson
Devon Anderson
Devon Carlo Anderson is an English actor who has been acting since an early age and became a CBBC presenter on BBC One and the CBBC Channel...
), as well as Carol's partner 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....
(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....
). Though Carol and Alan were not initially married in the serial, and though Alan was only the biological father of Billie, the whole family took on Alan's surname.
Various members of the family began to appear sporadically from November 1993 onwards, but in episodes that aired early in 1994, the Jacksons moved from Walford Towers, a block of flats, to the soap's focal setting of 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...
. Their slow introduction was a deliberate attempt by the programme makers to introduce the whole family over a long period. The Jacksons have been described by EastEnders scriptwriter Colin Brake
Colin Brake
Colin Brake is an English television writer and script editor best known for his work for the BBC on programs such as Bugs and EastEnders. He has also written spin-offs from the BBC series Doctor Who...
as a "classic problem family".
Personality
Robbie has been described as "unlucky-in-life". Introduced as a 15 year old school boy, Robbie was initially portrayed as troublesome; frequently playing truant, occasionally shoplifting and, as author Kate Lock suggests, "generally making a nuisance of himself". However, Lock observes that this aspect of the character was toned down eventually, and "the unfortunate Robbie became less of a lout and more of a [...] prat, forever mucking things up and being the fall guy."Departure: 2003
In November 2002, executive producer Louise Berridge announced that Robbie Jackson was being axed from EastEnders, along with his screen girlfriend Nita Mistry (Bindya SolankiBindya Solanki
Bindya Solanki is a British Asian actress. Solanki comes from Southend on Sea, the seaside town in Essex. Her parents are of Gujarati descent and emigrated to England in the 60s...
). The decision was allegedly a "mutual one" taken by producers, writers and actors. Executive producer Louise Berridge said: "Dean and Bindya have contributed an enormous amount to the programme. However, we do feel that the characters have reached the end of their natural course in the show, and they will both be leaving in Spring 2003. It is always sad to be saying goodbye to a good double act, and especially to a long-running character like Robbie Jackson, so we will be leaving the door open for both characters. I would like to thank Dean for his 11 years of devotion to EastEnders, and Bindy for transforming our loveable loser into a winner at last. They will both be personally greatly missed by the cast and crew of EastEnders." Robbie and Nita departed together on-screen in the spring of 2003.
Brief returns: 2004 and 2010
Gaffney reprised the role briefly in 2004, when he returned as Robbie to attend his sister Sonia's wedding. A BBC source is quoted as saying, "[Dean] is very excited [...] After ten years in the show he was disappointed to leave. But he’s really pleased to be going back to Albert Square and seeing his old pals. He particularly missed working with Natalie [Cassidy]." The character's return was only scripted for a couple of episodes. Gaffney has expressed an interest in returning, commenting in 2006, "never say never [...] the scriptwriters have always been very complimentary about the character and Robbie could make a return next week, next year, or maybe never."On 25 October 2009, it was announced that Gaffney would once again reprise his role, along with other Jackson family members Carol, Sonia and Billie. Gaffney is quoted as saying "I am really looking forward to returning to EastEnders for what looks set to be a really exciting storyline. I was thrilled when Diederick [Santer, executive producer] called me personally to ask for Robbie to return once more and working alongside Lindsey [Coulson], Natalie [Cassidy] and Patsy [Palmer] again makes it all the more special. I'm sure with the family being reunited it will mean that there must be a lot of drama in store." A source told entertainment website Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
: "Everything's being kept hush-hush about the Jacksons' return at the moment, but there are certainly a load of questions to be answered. Will the frosty relationship between Carol and Bianca thaw? Are Sonia and Martin still together? And how will Robbie react when he learns of his beloved Wellard's death? Everyone's so pleased to have them back." The family will return for Bianca's second wedding to 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...
as part of the show's 25th anniversary. Executive producer Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer
Diederick Santer is a British television producer and is best known for his work on the popular BBC television soap opera EastEnders, a post which he assumed on 23 October 2006 and left on 1 March 2010...
explained that he wanted great stories to get people talking, saying "The wedding is the perfect opportunity for us to bring back the much-loved Jackson characters – Carol, Sonia, Robbie and Billie."
Reception
In 2009, Robbie Jackson came sixth in a poll by British men's magazine LoadedLoaded (magazine)
Loaded, first published in 1994, is a British magazine for men that is considered to be the "original lads' mag". Its motto is "For men who should know better".-History:...
for 'Top Soap Bloke'.