The Firm (EastEnders)
Encyclopedia
The Firm is a fictional gang
land organisation in the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
.
), the lackeys Brad Williams (Jonathan Stratt) and Joanne Francis
(Pamela Salem
), and the elusive boss Mr. Vinnicombe.
The Firm owned Strokes wine bar, a front for illegal gambling, which was reluctantly managed by Den Watts
(Leslie Grantham
). It was thought by Mantel that Den, a well-known local publican, would not attract any suspicion to the illegal goings-on at the bar.
The Firm was also responsible for a protection racket
involving the bar's rival, The Dagmar, which they financially ruined when the bar's owner James Willmott-Brown
(William Boyde
) refused to let them buy into the place.
When Den wanted revenge on Willmot-Brown for raping his best friend's wife, he persuaded The Firm's Brad Williams to burn the place to the ground. This enraged The Firm's bosses, as it drew attention to the illegal gambling going on at Strokes.
Den was forced to take the blame for the fire at The Dagmar, and was remanded in custody
, awaiting trial. The Firm mistakenly believed that Den had grassed them up to the police while in prison, and so wanted him out of the way permanently. They captured him on the way to his trial with the intention of killing him. Den, with Brad's help, managed to escape, but was tracked down to the Walford canal by Mantel. A Firm hitman
shot Den with a gun hidden in a bunch of daffodils, however he survived and went on the run to Spain.
The Firm later discovered this, and Vinnicombe was killed and his body was dumped in the canal to look like Den's (his teeth were bricked out to prevent identification). Vinnicombe's body was later recovered and, owing to some lazy police work (and false evidence planted by The Firm in order to save face), buried as Den's. This would be the last storyline involving The Firm for 13 years.
), Dennis Rickman
(Nigel Harman
), and the evil
, sociopathic boss, Jack Dalton (Hywel Bennett
), who was said to have usurped control of The Firm from Vinnicombe and ordered Den's death. When Den survived the attempt on his life (which was initially thought to have been successful), Dalton had Vinnicombe murdered.
Dalton had taken a young Dennis Rickman under his wing, unaware that Dennis was the son Den Watts never knew he had. Dennis became a professional "hardman", and it was in this capacity that he landed himself a prison sentence for GBH
.
Dalton wanted Dennis dead, and so ordered Phil Mitchell
(Steve McFadden
) to kill him. Dennis turned the tables on Phil, and persuaded him to let him kill Dalton. Phil agreed, and Dennis confronted Dalton, who admitted that it was he who had ordered for Den Watts to be killed. Dennis revealed the truth about his parentage to Dalton, before shooting him. Dalton's last act was to reveal the fact that Den had survived the attempt on his life.
News reached Den Watts in Spain
that Dalton was dead, and he returned to Walford
on 29 September 2003. Andy Hunter replaced Dalton as the leader of The Firm. This was until Andy lost his position for being a "soft touch", and was thrown out of a moving car onto the doorstep of the Queen Vic. Andy was subsequently killed by rival Johnny Allen
(Billy Murray
) when Andy tried to double-cross him on a deal. Ironically, Den Watts was finally murdered that same night - though at the hands of his wife Chrissie, in a totally unconnected incident.
(Jake Maskall
), as ordered by Johnny Allen. In 2006, Danny was murdered by his brother Jake Moon
(Joel Beckett
), whilst Johnny dies of a heart attack the same year. It is unknown what is going to happen to The Firm because its leaders have died and there are no members present in Walford at the moment as EastEnders have moved away from organised crime storylines.
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
land organisation in 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...
.
1980s era
The Firm, aka "Walford Investments", was first introduced to the show in 1988, and was represented by the sharp-suited Gregory Mantel (Pavel DouglasPavel Douglas
Pavel Douglas is a Polish-born, British-based actor. He was born in Krakow, Poland, six years after the end of the Second World War, and was naturalised in 1959...
), the lackeys Brad Williams (Jonathan Stratt) and Joanne Francis
Joanne Francis
Joanne Francis is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Pamela Salem. She appeared on screen between 16 June 1988 and 3 January 1989.-Storylines :Joanne was first seen in Albert Square in June 1988...
(Pamela Salem
Pamela Salem
Pamela Salem is a British film and television actress.She was born in Bombay, India, and educated at Heidelberg University in Germany and later at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England...
), and the elusive boss Mr. Vinnicombe.
The Firm owned Strokes wine bar, a front for illegal gambling, which was reluctantly managed by Den Watts
Den Watts
Dennis Alan "Den" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den"....
(Leslie Grantham
Leslie Grantham
Leslie Michael Grantham is an English actor best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the soap opera EastEnders. He is also a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a German taxi driver, and he generated significant press coverage as the result of an online sex scandal...
). It was thought by Mantel that Den, a well-known local publican, would not attract any suspicion to the illegal goings-on at the bar.
The Firm was also responsible for a protection racket
Protection racket
A protection racket is an extortion scheme whereby a criminal group or individual coerces a victim to pay money, supposedly for protection services against violence or property damage. Racketeers coerce reticent potential victims into buying "protection" by demonstrating what will happen if they...
involving the bar's rival, The Dagmar, which they financially ruined when the bar's owner James Willmott-Brown
James Willmott-Brown
James Sebastian Willmott-Brown is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by William Boyde.- Background :Willmott-Brown was an ex-army officer, arriving in Albert Square in March 1986 as area manager for 'Luxford and Copley', the brewery that owned The Queen Vic...
(William Boyde
William Boyde
William Boyde is a British actor, best known for his work on British television. He has appeared in Just William ; the BBC drama Secret Army ; Bergerac and the detective series Dempsey & Makepeace...
) refused to let them buy into the place.
When Den wanted revenge on Willmot-Brown for raping his best friend's wife, he persuaded The Firm's Brad Williams to burn the place to the ground. This enraged The Firm's bosses, as it drew attention to the illegal gambling going on at Strokes.
Den was forced to take the blame for the fire at The Dagmar, and was remanded in custody
Detention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
, awaiting trial. The Firm mistakenly believed that Den had grassed them up to the police while in prison, and so wanted him out of the way permanently. They captured him on the way to his trial with the intention of killing him. Den, with Brad's help, managed to escape, but was tracked down to the Walford canal by Mantel. A Firm hitman
Contract killing
Contract killing is a form of murder, in which one party hires another party to kill a target individual or group of people. It involves an illegal agreement between two parties in which one party agrees to kill the target in exchange for consideration, monetary, or otherwise. The hiring party may...
shot Den with a gun hidden in a bunch of daffodils, however he survived and went on the run to Spain.
The Firm later discovered this, and Vinnicombe was killed and his body was dumped in the canal to look like Den's (his teeth were bricked out to prevent identification). Vinnicombe's body was later recovered and, owing to some lazy police work (and false evidence planted by The Firm in order to save face), buried as Den's. This would be the last storyline involving The Firm for 13 years.
2003 re-introduction
The Firm was re-introduced in 2003, and was represented by Andy Hunter (Michael HiggsMichael Higgs
Michael Higgs is a British actor best known for prominent roles in two long-running television series: Eddie Santini in ITV1's The Bill, and Andy Hunter in EastEnders....
), Dennis Rickman
Dennis Rickman
Dennis Rickman is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Nigel Harman. He entered the show on 14 April 2003 and made his last appearance on 30 December 2005, when he was fatally stabbed as the midnight fireworks began. He is part of the Watts family, though his...
(Nigel Harman
Nigel Harman
Nigel Derek Harman is an English actor, most famous for his role as Dennis Rickman in the UK soap opera EastEnders. He has worked extensively in theatre, with the stage being described as his "first love"...
), and the evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
, sociopathic boss, Jack Dalton (Hywel Bennett
Hywel Bennett
Hywel Thomas Bennett is a Welsh film and television actor. Bennett is best known for his recurring title role as James Shelley in the television sitcom Shelley from 1979 to 1984 and its sequel The Return of Shelley from 1988 to 1992....
), who was said to have usurped control of The Firm from Vinnicombe and ordered Den's death. When Den survived the attempt on his life (which was initially thought to have been successful), Dalton had Vinnicombe murdered.
Dalton had taken a young Dennis Rickman under his wing, unaware that Dennis was the son Den Watts never knew he had. Dennis became a professional "hardman", and it was in this capacity that he landed himself a prison sentence for GBH
Grievous bodily harm
Grievous bodily harm is a term of art used in English criminal law which has become synonymous with the offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861....
.
Dalton wanted Dennis dead, and so ordered 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...
(Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden
Steve McFadden is an English actor, known for his role as Phil Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which he has played since1990.-Early life:...
) to kill him. Dennis turned the tables on Phil, and persuaded him to let him kill Dalton. Phil agreed, and Dennis confronted Dalton, who admitted that it was he who had ordered for Den Watts to be killed. Dennis revealed the truth about his parentage to Dalton, before shooting him. Dalton's last act was to reveal the fact that Den had survived the attempt on his life.
News reached Den Watts in 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...
that Dalton was dead, and he 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...
on 29 September 2003. Andy Hunter replaced Dalton as the leader of The Firm. This was until Andy lost his position for being a "soft touch", and was thrown out of a moving car onto the doorstep of the Queen Vic. Andy was subsequently killed by rival Johnny Allen
Johnny Allen (EastEnders)
Jonathan "Johnny" Allen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Billy Murray.-Storylines:Johnny Allen was a businessman and retired gangster, who grew up in Walford but moved away to start up an empire of his own which he named J.A. Enterprises...
(Billy Murray
Billy Murray (actor)
Billy Murray is an English actor, best known for playing Don Beech in The Bill from 1995 to 2004, Johnny Allen in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2005 to 2006, Captain John Price in the video games Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare...
) when Andy tried to double-cross him on a deal. Ironically, Den Watts was finally murdered that same night - though at the hands of his wife Chrissie, in a totally unconnected incident.
Post-2005
Dennis Rickman was murdered at the stroke of midnight on New Years' Eve 2005 by Danny MoonDanny Moon
Daniel "Danny" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jake Maskall. He made his first appearance on 30 December 2004...
(Jake Maskall
Jake Maskall
Jake Maskall is an English television, film and theatre actor.-Career:Jake's most notable role came in the BBC television soap opera EastEnders where he played ladies' man and bad boy Danny Moon. His character first appeared on 30 December 2004 and was driven out of the show by gangster Johnny...
), as ordered by Johnny Allen. In 2006, Danny was murdered by his brother Jake Moon
Jake Moon
Jacob "Jake" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Joel Beckett, who appeared from 30 December 2004 as a regular character.-Storylines:...
(Joel Beckett
Joel Beckett
Joel Beckett is an English actor, best known for playing Jake Moon in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders from December 2004 to October 2006 and as Lee in the British comedy series The Office...
), whilst Johnny dies of a heart attack the same year. It is unknown what is going to happen to The Firm because its leaders have died and there are no members present in Walford at the moment as EastEnders have moved away from organised crime storylines.