Terry Raymond
Encyclopedia
Terrence Gordon "Terry" Raymond is a fictional character
from the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
, played by Gavin Richards
. Terry was initially introduced briefly in 1996 as the drunken father of Tiffany
(Martine McCutcheon
) and Simon Raymond
(Andrew Lynford
). He was reintroduced as a full-time character in 1997 and remained in the serial until 2002, when actor Gavin Richards decided to leave.
in October 1996, looking for his children, Tiffany
and Simon
. Terry was once a successful estate agent
, but lost his fortune when the housing market collapsed in the 80s. He began drinking heavily and his behaviour towards his family became abusive and violent. His marriage to Tiffany and Simon's mother, Louise, deteriorated. Eventually she left him and her children.
Prior to his arrival, Terry had tried writing to his children, telling them that his alcohol abuse had resulted in him being hospitalised with pancreatitis
. Tiffany was unsympathetic and refused to see him. Terry's alcoholism
and abusive behaviour meant his children had severed their ties with him long before his arrival. In the past, he had beaten Simon and had pushed Tiffany down the stairs when she was pregnant, causing her to miscarry, so neither was happy to see Terry on his arrival in Walford. Terry was furious to discover that his daughter was pregnant and disgusted to find out that his son was gay
. After much rowing, Tiffany's boyfriend, Grant Mitchell
, frightened him away. Terry continued to drink heavily and was warned by doctors that if he didn't stop, he would soon be dead. He decided to make another attempt at a reconciliation with his children and returned to Walford in August 1997; arriving on the day Tiffany and Grant were having their marriage blessed. After getting completely drunk, and making a scene, Terry was sent packing once again.
Later in the year, Terry was re-admitted to hospital. Fearing that he was dying, Tiffany relented and visited him. Before they knew it, Tiffany and Simon were in charge of Terry's recovery and he persuaded Tiffany to let him to stay in Walford
with her, much to Grant's anger. Here, he began a romance with fellow divorcée Irene Hills
, whom he had flirted with on his previous visit. Terry soon moved in with Irene and her children, making things difficult for Simon, who was dating Irene's son, Tony Hills
.
In 1998, Terry and Irene planned to marry but the ceremony was interrupted when Terry's wife, Louise Raymond
, gate-crashed it, declaring that she and Terry were still married. Terry had been refusing to divorce
Louise as he didn't want to give her half his assets in the settlement. Irene was furious but Terry won her round and they went on their honeymoon
anyway, just not as man and wife. Terry eventually did divorce Louise and went on to marry Irene at a registry office in January 1999.
Terry and Irene remained happy for a while. Terry gave up alcohol and even managed to patch things up with his children. However, Terry was devastated when Tiffany was killed whilst trying to reclaim her daughter from her volatile husband, Grant Mitchell
. Terry blamed Grant for her death and hated him for his maltreatment of her whilst she was alive. However, he had to control his rage if he wanted access to his granddaughter, Courtney.
Later, Terry bought the local grocery store, 'The First Til Last', and ran it with Irene. However, Terry often squandered the profits on mundane ventures and gambling and Irene soon tired of Terry's incapability to understand her. Around this time, Troy Harvey, a college friend of Tony's, lodged at the Raymonds'. Troy had a penchant for older women and it wasn't long before he and Irene began an affair. Terry found out on Christmas Day 1999 and threw Troy out, leaving Irene to think Troy had left of his own accord. He forgave Irene, but she was never really satisfied in their marriage after Troy left.
In 2000, Terry took Irene on holiday to Spain
but her unhappiness was only magnified away from Walford and Terry gave her an ultimatum; she could return to Walford and grow old with him or leave right there and then. Irene chose the latter and left Terry to return to Walford a broken man.
After Terry's business was vandalised by Asif Malik, Terry used the insurance money to start a letting agency with Janine Butcher. When Janine's father Frank
fled Walford, Terry took her in and the two formed an unlikely allegiance. Terry began to view Janine as the daughter he never had, and Janine used this to exploit money and attention from him, even purposefully dressing in a similar fashion to his dead daughter. Terry, meanwhile, seemed oblivious to her scheme.
In 2001, Terry began a relationship with one of his tenants, Margaret Walker. Devious Janine didn't like the fact that Terry's attention was diverted from her and she did everything she could to ruin their relationship. Margaret was not perturbed and vowed to beat Janine at her own game, leading to numerous squabbles. When Janine discovered a photo of Margaret and another man, she immediately assumed the worst and informed Terry that Margaret was cheating on him. Margaret explained that the man in the photo was her brother who was dying of cancer, and she was paying for his placement in a drug trial in America. The relationship continued to develop despite Janine's interference, and Janine became incensed when she discovered that Margaret was planning to propose to Terry. Shortly after, Janine witnessed Margaret kissing her supposed brother, and when she discovered that Terry was intending to give Margaret £10,000, she told him that Margaret was conning him and informed him about the kiss she'd witnessed. Terry was only too quick to believe Janine's skewed version of the truth and finished with Margaret. Although sources prior to the filming of this storyline had suggested that Margaret would be a sophisticated conwoman, this was never actually confirmed on-screen. The ending was left ambiguous and although the man at Margaret's flat turned out to be her brother after all, he did not appear to be dying.
When Terry appeared to be growing tired of Janine's manipulation, she decided to change tactics and made an attempt to seduce him. Terry eventually succumbed to Janine's advances, but whilst kissing her he caught a glimpse of disgust on her face and finally understood that she was using him. Furious, Terry promptly threw her out onto the street.
Soon after, Terry decided that he'd had enough of Walford and in 2002 he decided to leave in search of his wife Irene, who was supposedly still travelling around Portugal.
), as he felt that he had "not been given enough juicy storylines." Terry was not killed off in the soap; he departed in 2002 in search of his estranged wife.
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 Gavin Richards
Gavin Richards
Gavin Richards is a British actor, writer and director. His father is music critic Denby Richards, emeritus editor of Britain's oldest classical music magazine, Musical Opinion....
. Terry was initially introduced briefly in 1996 as the drunken father of 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...
(Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon
Martine McCutcheon is an English singer, television personality and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress. McCutcheon had minor success as one third of the pop group Milan in the early 1990s; however, it was her role as Tiffany Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders that made her a household name in the UK...
) and Simon Raymond
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...
(Andrew Lynford
Andrew Lynford
Andrew Lynford is a British television presenter and actor. He is widely remembered for playing the role of Simon Raymond in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders and presenting Playdays for Children's BBC....
). He was reintroduced as a full-time character in 1997 and remained in the serial until 2002, when actor Gavin Richards decided to leave.
Storylines
Terry arrived in Albert SquareAlbert Square
Albert Square is the fictional location of the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It is ostensibly located in the equally fictional London borough of Walford in London's East End. The square's design was based on the real life Fassett Square in Hackney, and was given the name Albert Square after the real...
in October 1996, looking for his children, 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...
and 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...
. Terry was once a successful estate agent
Estate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management agent...
, but lost his fortune when the housing market collapsed in the 80s. He began drinking heavily and his behaviour towards his family became abusive and violent. His marriage to Tiffany and Simon's mother, Louise, deteriorated. Eventually she left him and her children.
Prior to his arrival, Terry had tried writing to his children, telling them that his alcohol abuse had resulted in him being hospitalised with pancreatitis
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. It occurs when pancreatic enzymes that digest food are activated in the pancreas instead of the small intestine. It may be acute – beginning suddenly and lasting a few days, or chronic – occurring over many years...
. Tiffany was unsympathetic and refused to see him. Terry's alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and abusive behaviour meant his children had severed their ties with him long before his arrival. In the past, he had beaten Simon and had pushed Tiffany down the stairs when she was pregnant, causing her to miscarry, so neither was happy to see Terry on his arrival in Walford. Terry was furious to discover that his daughter was pregnant and disgusted to find out that his son 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"....
. After much rowing, Tiffany's boyfriend, 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...
, frightened him away. Terry continued to drink heavily and was warned by doctors that if he didn't stop, he would soon be dead. He decided to make another attempt at a reconciliation with his children and returned to Walford in August 1997; arriving on the day Tiffany and Grant were having their marriage blessed. After getting completely drunk, and making a scene, Terry was sent packing once again.
Later in the year, Terry was re-admitted to hospital. Fearing that he was dying, Tiffany relented and visited him. Before they knew it, Tiffany and Simon were in charge of Terry's recovery and he persuaded Tiffany to let him to stay in 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...
with her, much to Grant's anger. Here, he began a romance with fellow divorcée Irene Hills
Irene Raymond
Irene Constance Ethel Raymond is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Roberta Taylor. Introduced in 1997 as the matriarch of the Hills family, Irene remained in the serial until 2000, when the actress opted to leave...
, whom he had flirted with on his previous visit. Terry soon moved in with Irene and her children, making things difficult for Simon, who was dating Irene's son, 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...
.
In 1998, Terry and Irene planned to marry but the ceremony was interrupted when Terry's wife, Louise Raymond
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...
, gate-crashed it, declaring that she and Terry were still married. Terry had been refusing to divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
Louise as he didn't want to give her half his assets in the settlement. Irene was furious but Terry won her round and they went on their honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
anyway, just not as man and wife. Terry eventually did divorce Louise and went on to marry Irene at a registry office in January 1999.
Terry and Irene remained happy for a while. Terry gave up alcohol and even managed to patch things up with his children. However, Terry was devastated when Tiffany was killed whilst trying to reclaim her daughter from her volatile husband, 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...
. Terry blamed Grant for her death and hated him for his maltreatment of her whilst she was alive. However, he had to control his rage if he wanted access to his granddaughter, Courtney.
Later, Terry bought the local grocery store, 'The First Til Last', and ran it with Irene. However, Terry often squandered the profits on mundane ventures and gambling and Irene soon tired of Terry's incapability to understand her. Around this time, Troy Harvey, a college friend of Tony's, lodged at the Raymonds'. Troy had a penchant for older women and it wasn't long before he and Irene began an affair. Terry found out on Christmas Day 1999 and threw Troy out, leaving Irene to think Troy had left of his own accord. He forgave Irene, but she was never really satisfied in their marriage after Troy left.
In 2000, Terry took Irene on holiday to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
but her unhappiness was only magnified away from Walford and Terry gave her an ultimatum; she could return to Walford and grow old with him or leave right there and then. Irene chose the latter and left Terry to return to Walford a broken man.
After Terry's business was vandalised by Asif Malik, Terry used the insurance money to start a letting agency with Janine Butcher. When Janine's father Frank
Frank Butcher
Francis Aloysius "Frank" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Mike Reid. Frank made his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987 but, due to a positive viewer reception, he was reintroduced in 1988 as a regular. Reid took a long...
fled Walford, Terry took her in and the two formed an unlikely allegiance. Terry began to view Janine as the daughter he never had, and Janine used this to exploit money and attention from him, even purposefully dressing in a similar fashion to his dead daughter. Terry, meanwhile, seemed oblivious to her scheme.
In 2001, Terry began a relationship with one of his tenants, Margaret Walker. Devious Janine didn't like the fact that Terry's attention was diverted from her and she did everything she could to ruin their relationship. Margaret was not perturbed and vowed to beat Janine at her own game, leading to numerous squabbles. When Janine discovered a photo of Margaret and another man, she immediately assumed the worst and informed Terry that Margaret was cheating on him. Margaret explained that the man in the photo was her brother who was dying of cancer, and she was paying for his placement in a drug trial in America. The relationship continued to develop despite Janine's interference, and Janine became incensed when she discovered that Margaret was planning to propose to Terry. Shortly after, Janine witnessed Margaret kissing her supposed brother, and when she discovered that Terry was intending to give Margaret £10,000, she told him that Margaret was conning him and informed him about the kiss she'd witnessed. Terry was only too quick to believe Janine's skewed version of the truth and finished with Margaret. Although sources prior to the filming of this storyline had suggested that Margaret would be a sophisticated conwoman, this was never actually confirmed on-screen. The ending was left ambiguous and although the man at Margaret's flat turned out to be her brother after all, he did not appear to be dying.
When Terry appeared to be growing tired of Janine's manipulation, she decided to change tactics and made an attempt to seduce him. Terry eventually succumbed to Janine's advances, but whilst kissing her he caught a glimpse of disgust on her face and finally understood that she was using him. Furious, Terry promptly threw her out onto the street.
Soon after, Terry decided that he'd had enough of Walford and in 2002 he decided to leave in search of his wife Irene, who was supposedly still travelling around Portugal.
Development
It was announced that Gavin Richards quit the role in November 2001. He commented, "I had a wonderful time but feel I have to devote my energies to other projects." A source reportedly told the press that Richards had been unhappy in the role since the exit of his on-screen wife Irene (Roberta TaylorRoberta Taylor
Roberta Taylor is an English actress and author. She is probably best known for her roles of Irene Raymond in EastEnders , and Inspector Gina Gold in The Bill .-Career:...
), as he felt that he had "not been given enough juicy storylines." Terry was not killed off in the soap; he departed in 2002 in search of his estranged wife.